My eyes instinctively settle on Oke. Does she know about Elenor? Should I tell her? I immediately dismiss the idea. The last thing I want is for her to think I had something to do with it. Though that thought is immediately compounded by another.Maybe I did.Oke’s skin is sallow, as if she’s spent the last five hours vomiting up her guts. Perhaps Elenor was too sick to survive, too weak to even try to fight off one of the dire wolves.
I do my best to shake the thought away because I didn’t set out to kill anyone, but it gnaws at me all the same.
No one speaks on the journey back, and Oke is too wrecked to even try to bother glaring at me, which is a nice change. I assume the others, likeme, are thinking of the loved ones they got to hold for all too short a time and wondering whether their friends made it through the trial.
As the carriage stops and I step outside, a familiar figure is waiting for me. I run towards him, wrap my arms around him, and squeeze tightly.
‘Gods, I was worried about you,’ Jonas says, his voice muffled against my hair.
‘Llinos?’ I ask desperately. ‘Have you seen her? Is she back already?’
His eyes say it all, and the strength that had returned to my knees on the journey back is stolen once more. He hasn’t seen her.
Panic surges. ‘Have you checked inside? Maybe she went into the dining hall for something to eat. Or to see Caroline? Yes, maybe she’s in the library. We need to check.’ I’m babbling, and as I go to move, he grabs me by the wrist.
‘Zelle told me I was in the first carriage back. I’ve been out here the whole time.’
It’s well past dawn now, and given how close I cut it to finding Kay, I can’t believe there’s anyone still to come. So what does that mean? Is Llinos out of the Retterheld or is she—no, she can’t be. She can’t. I won’t even think it.
As I continue to turn, searching for any sign of Llin, my eyes fall on Zara. She looks horrific. Blood drips down her arms, cheeks, and side, and there’s a greenish stain on her leathers. She barely makes it two steps out of her carriage before she stumbles.
Oke, who looks only marginally better, takes her by the arms and mumbles something about the healers’ quarter.
How couldtheyhave made it and not Llinos?
‘Thorn, you and I need to talk.’ The voice is a growl in my ear that causes my blood to run cold. Slowly, I turn to find his gaze as cold as solid ice as he glares at me.
‘This isn’t a great time, Kyor,’ Jonas replies. ‘People didn’t make it.’
‘Oh, I’m well aware. But I wasn’t asking.’ The prince doesn’t break eye contact with me as Jonas looks between the pair of us.
‘I’ll be fine,’ I tell Jonas, attempting to hide my uncertainty.
‘I’ll be just over there,’ he replies.
Kyor scoffs. ‘Like you could do anything,’ he mutters.
‘Such humility. It’s a great look for a future king.’ The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, and when Kyor arches an eyebrow, I’m not sure if I’ve amused him or pissed him off further.
‘Humility doesn’t bring men to their knees. Or women, for thatmatter.’ From the glint in his eyes, he definitely finds himself amusing, though in a blink the glint is replaced with the stony look I’ve become accustomed to.
He pulls me aside and lowers his voice. ‘You fucking poisoned me, Thorn,’ he hisses. ‘You tried to kill the heir to the throne? I could have your head for that.’
A tremble of nerves grips me, but I quash it the best I can.
‘I didn’t try to kill you.’ I look around to see if anyone heard me and then lower my voice to match his volume. He’s keen to keep our conversation private, and for obvious reasons, so am I. ‘You weren’t my target. I wanted to get to the Rowell crew after the FOF situation. You just drank from the wrong jug when I wasn’t looking. I stopped you from taking another glass.’
His eyes glitter. ‘Theonetime I go to the dining room,’ he mutters, but his shoulders loosen a little.
‘And it’s not like I knew the trial was going to be today. None of us did.’ I look him in the eyes and will him to believe me.
His lips part as if he’s about to speak, but whatever he was going to say is interrupted by a shout behind us.
‘Rose!’
‘Llinos? Llinos!’
Just like Zara, Llinos is covered in blood. But her smile and eyes are bright, and that’s all I need to see. A relieved laugh bursts from me as I race across to where she stands outside the final carriage.
