“Accepted?”
The captain nodded. “You never cared about my fire. Never looked at anyone with tainted magic as something abhorrent. Meeting you, becoming your friend… you were justkind.” He clapped the prince on the shoulder. “Makes me proud to know that a good man will be on the throne one day.”
Serill offered a sad smile. “After seeing what’s been done to Valisea, it doesn’t feel like enough. I can’t erase the hurt caused by our people, and I sure as hells can’t bring back the shadow-kind to try to help heal those wounds.”
Cason flinched at the mention of the shadow-kind, looked ready to say something, but fell silent.
The prince followed his stare to Brela, who, like Cason, had spent the last hour completely distracted. “Are you worried she’ll snap again?”
“Just add it to the long list of things I’m worried about.”
Serill blinked at his friend, wondering if Cason realized the look he was giving Brela. The look he had been giving her more and more. “When do you think she counted those crystals in the chandelier?”
His friend grinned, still watching the assassin. “It wouldn’t surprise me if she’d broken into that castle before. She knew the floor plans well enough to know the alcove was part of the ballroom.”
“Of course she did,” he said, elbowing Cason. “I like her, you know.”
“You’ve said as much before.”
“I was wrong about one thing, though,” Serill added. Cason’s eyes flickered, waiting. “I don’t think it’s just her friends that she trusts to pull her out of her head. I think it’s you.”
Cason blinked at him. And blinked again.
“Oh, please. We all see it,” Serill continued. “Elias trusted you to go after her at the shadow temple because of what you did in the tunnel.”
“She still snapped,” Cason mumbled.
“Like you’ve never done that before?” Serill replied with a pointed look. “Like I haven’t had to talk you out of burning someone from the inside out, even after years of training? Like Brela did for you at the auction?”
The captain’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t deny it.
“Since Brela has been in our company, I haven’t had to tame your fire once. She learned how to help you.” He paused, letting Cason consider that fact. “You want to set the forest on fire? Make a difference? Learn how to helpher, and maybe those words you have been afraid to voice will be a little easier.”
Cason’s cheeks burned red. “That obvious?”
“I think you’re not the only one putting off that conversation,” Serill replied, nudging his friend’s arm. “Just ask her to come back with you. The two of you clearly have a good thing going. You’ll figure it out.”
The captain looked prepared to respond when his entire body stiffened. Not just tension, but preternatural rigidity.
“Shit,” Cason hissed through his teeth. “ShitShitShit.”
“What?”
Serill had barely blinked by the time Brela was standing next to them, face pale as she glanced between them. “We have a problem,” she said, voice steady but hollow. “Anfroy patrol.”
The prince exchanged a glance with Brela that said she saw the same thing—the flickering of fear as Cason’s nostrils flared and jaw clenched.
“I take it they aren’t friends of yours?” Serill asked Cason.
The captain took a second to speak, but his face was answer enough. “Not exactly.”
* * *
Cason could have pickedup on that scent in the middle of the Sun Festival, surrounded by thousands of people, and wrapped in chains made from the Veil wall.
Fire curled around his lungs. His hands too.
Bad. This was bad.
