“And another thing,” I added.“No onein this room will ever speak to me the way that I have allowed you to until this moment. The fun is over. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Sameer, his father and all my friends nodded, though the first of them was embarrassed.
He said, “What, uh, what doyousuggest then, Your Highness? We murder them all?”
“Yes,” I said plainly. “If we must, we must. An eye for an eye leaves the world blind–I say take both. Arrest those who can be rehabilitated but remove the idealists. Ser Elías, compose a team of our best; His Majesty will do the same with his men. As the Prince has suggested, we’ll combineour efforts. This has sprouted in response to our union. Both our empires are facing trouble for as long as it is permitted to exist. Togetherwe shall be a united force. Otherwise, what does this marriage offer us?”
“It’s a good plan, Your Highness,” Elías said. He was the first to bow.
I nodded once, then hooked his armor by the collar and brought him close.“When you find them, tell them the mare is here to stay. She cannot be broken, and if they wish to challenge that, we’ll see who burns next.”
Cyrus watched me with an unreadable expression. Elías agreed, giving me a furtive, “Rah!” His Majesty bowed next, then excused himself to see to his task. Sameer touched my arm.
“Your Highness,”he whispered. “I ache to see you so hurt. You are angry and have every right to be. I should have been there with you, not where I was.”
I narrowed my eyes. “If you need me, Prince, I’ll be in my chamber.”
I met Mr. Evergreen’s gaze before he was pulled into the conference with the Blades. Ser Elías said whatever it is he said to them, then broke away to return as my hound. He escorted me down the hall but did not utter a word until we were inside my bedchamber and the door was shut. Then he nearly broke.
“Are you alright?”he asked. “Tell me. What happened? Did they hurt you? Where did you get that knife?”
I shook my head, once, then laid the dagger across the desk, fingers absently crossing its design. A moment later, I stripped the stained clothing from my body.
“I bought this dagger in the market,” I explained. “For Mr. Evergreen.”
He retrieved his handkerchief and brought it to my face, undeterred by my sudden exposure. He used it to clean something from it, then said, “You should be very proud of yourself. I am proud of you.”
I laughed, completely daft. “What sort of commentary is that, Ser?” I asked.
His smile went away. “There is no call for humor. You held your ground; you saved yourself. In that room and at the cottage. Your father would be proud, too.”
“I didn’t save anything,” I confessed. “Had it not been for Miss Jocelyn, Willoughby, and Mr. Evergreen, I would have burned alive.” I dabbed my finger to a few spots, already bruising. “And I saw a man’s face melt off.”
His lips came together in thought. “I am proud ofhim, too.”
“Of the man who lost his face?”I snapped to his attention.
“No. Of your friend,” he corrected me. “Of Mr. Evergreen. Of everyone there, but especially of him.”
“Oh,”I said. “Wait. What?Why?”
“Perhaps…Perhaps I’ve been severe on him,” he considered. He moved to the window, to study something outside. “Twice now he’s done what I could not. He’s protected you.”
“What? You protect me every day. And if Evergreen did it this time, it was only because you were not there. It’s not like you couldn’t orwouldn’thave given those radicals Hell. You’re my best friend, my only companion, and I-”
“I… I am happy you have found someone who…cares for your safety when I cannot. Though,” he turned to face me, “I shall struggle to concede that he loves you more. Maybe differently, I’ll allow, but never more.”
His words caused me to stop. For a moment I just looked at him, then I smiled softly. “No one could love me like you, Eli. Not even handsome swordsmen.”
“So, it islovethen?” he asked cautiously. “Is it mutual? Or one-sided?”
I hesitated. My lips parted from one another. Braver, I said, “He’s not said the actual words…”
“But his actions?” Elías asked. “They show you?”
I pooled my hands close to my lap.
He nodded. “I see.”
