I knew he could feel my guilt, my shame, my fear.
But he said nothing to me, instead he turned to Orin. “I’m going to check back in with Dreya, she is about to get released.” He left, closing the door behind him and leaving me alone with Orin.
“I need to know if you saw who drowned the initiates, Lyra,” he muttered, dragging a hand down his face.
I studied him instead of answering. The tension in his jaw. The way his fingers flexed, restless. He wanted the truth.
Riven’s warning echoed in my mind. Seven years was a long time for loyalty to rot, and trust was something I would not give easily. If I chose wrong… If Orin wasn’t who I needed him to be, then Roman would be dead by morning and I would leave with Riven.
“Roman,” I said quietly, letting his name hang between us like a blade. I met Orin’s eyes and didn’t look away. “Roman drowned them.”
The lie slid out smoothly. I let my voice tremble just enough to sound scared.
“Thank you,” Orin said gently, leaning forward and running the back of his finger againstmy cheek, slow and familiar, as though he were rewarding me. “Get some rest and I will see you at dinner.”
Orin pulled a small metal cylinder out of his pocket and threw it onto my bed with a dull thud. “A royal hawk dropped that off for you while you were out. I kept it from leadership.” He shook his head and ran a hand through his red hair, as if he couldn’t believe he’d broken a rule for me. He turned and pushed open the door, his silhouette outlined in the dying torchlight. Leaving me alone with a deep unease that had settled beneath my skin.
Fifteen
Enthralled
Lyra
I failed you as a brother. And I will not fail you again.
Father may not be able to drag you back to Stonebriar yet, but I fear he is working on a way to make that possible. He has become obsessed with your return.
The Southerners are furious and have been rebelling in the streets because your union did not happen, a civil war is nearing. Between that and the reports of entire townships being slaughtered overnight, nowhere is safe.
Please do not leave the barracks. You are safest there.
Stay alive, little sister. I am trying to find a way to help you. Staysafe. Stay alive.
Your brother, Aldric.
Irefolded the missive with unsteady hands, tucking it firmly in the pocket of my leggings. I had read it enough that it was burnt to my memory at this stage, but I couldn’t help staring at my brother’s familiar writing. His words hollowed out my heart. He loved me, yet he had failed to protect me.
The infirmary door squeaked open, the flames of the torches flickering from the draft. A warm smile spread across Dreya’s face as she sat on the edge of my bed. She wrapped her arms around me in an embrace. I stilled beneath her touch before slowly lifting my arms and resting my hands on her back. I was not used to being hugged.
“Thank you,” she whispered into my shoulder. “Riven told me you saved my life.”
“Consider us even,” I replied, hating that a small amount of emotion leached into my voice. Caring for people was a task I was not used to. It felt warm yet cold at the same time, as if I were waiting for it to be taken away.
She pulled back, and her smile was as bright as the excitement in her eyes. “And we won!”
I studied her a moment longer, there was no fear. No suspicion. Just warmth.
My gaze drifted to the puckered skin along her neck. The healers had nearly erased the burns, but she would wear those scars for the rest of her life.
If she noticed me looking at her scar, she didn’t move to hide it. I envied her. She almost wore it with pride. My scars cut too deep emotionally to ever feel like anything other than an open wound.
“Someone developed a water Sanctum, Lyra.” Her face twisted with hatred. “I hope I am there to see them hang.”
My chest ached at Dreya’s words, as though someone had shoved a knife into me and twisted. It didn’t matter that we were friends. It didn’t matter that I had saved her life. If she found out it was me, she wouldn’t hesitate to stab me in the back to appease the Gods. Even if Orin didn’t kill Roman, I would still have to run away. Again.
“Is everything okay?” she asked me curiously, noticing my silence.
Do not leave the barracks.Aldric’s warning echoed like a drumbeat in my skull.I’m sorry, brother, I thought to myself.I’m not good at being told what to do.
