Therin holds up the arrow. “They knew we’d be here, otherwise why would they be armed with iron-tips?”
I take it from him. “I think it’s clear that them coming here wasn’t a coincidence.”
“The maid led her right to them. Her own servant. We should have killed her when Therin brought her to the camp.”
I don’t answer her. Part of it is anger, but beneath it I can hear her guilt. She’s trying to find somewhere to put the blame that isn’t on herself.
“Can you walk?”
Vel pushes out of Vessara’s arms, and rises, swaying slightly. “I can walk.”
I turn to face the others. “If I’m right about who has her, then they’ll be taking her back to her father.”
Therin nods. “If they wanted her dead, they would have killed her here.”
“They want what she knows.” I think about everything Alleria has seen. “When they get her back to the palace, the king’s mages will dig through her mind until they find all of it.”
“She won’t betray us.” Therin’s voice is certain. “She’ll fight them.”
“It doesn’t matter. The mages won’t ask for permission. They will take it. Even if it kills her.”
I’ve seen what human mages can do. Peeling back consciousness until there’s nothing left but a hollow shell. The thought of them doing that to Alleria?—
I shut that thought down. I can’t afford to think about that right now.
“How long do we have?” Therin asks.
“Three days to the capital. Maybe four if they’re being cautious.” But they won’t be cautious. They have the king’s daughter. They’ll ride hard.
Three days. Seventy-two hours. And every one of them brings her closer to her father's mages, closer to having everything she's seen ripped out of her head.
Everything she's seen. Everything she knows.
Everything she's chosen.
She chose to stay. When I gave her the chance to leave, when Therin was ready to take her back to the palace, she chose to stay with us. With me. And now she's being dragged back to the life she rejected, and the people who sent her to kill me are going to tear her apart looking for information she'll die to protect.
“Sorel, take Vel back to the inn. Get that wound healedproperly. We leave in an hour.”
Vel catches my arm before I can move. Her grip is weaker than usual, but her eyes are fierce. “You need to be careful.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” Her gaze searches my face. “Because right now, you don’t look like the Eldráfn leading his Guard. You look like a male about to burn down a kingdom for his female.”
I could lie to her. But she isn’t wrong. That’s exactly what I am.
“Both things can be true.”
She stares at me for a long moment. Then slowly she nods. “I’m coming with you.”
I look at her. She should stay here and rest. “Vel?—”
“Don’t. You’re not leaving me behind. Not for this. I let her get taken. The least I can do is help get her back.”
I could order her to stay. She’d obey … eventually. After a fight that would waste time we don’t have.
“Fine, but if you slow us down, I’ll send you back.”
