The prince nearly choked on his laughter. “You’re both horrible.” He caught his breath as Elias grinned and Farrah stared blankly at him, waiting. Serill conceded. “The second night. Cason might struggle with the fire, but he does havesomerestraint.”
“We’ll see. He’s never met someone like Brela,” Elias said.
Farrah shrugged. “I’m still not convinced we aren’t walking her to her death.”
Serill frowned. “I healed her before, and I’ve promised to protect her.”
“She made a gamble in the forest with your captain and he betrayed her, chained her in a prison wagon, and nearly killed her,” Farrah hissed. It was only Elias’s hand on her leg that calmed the quick fury that brewed behind her blue eyes. “Sorry,Prince, but I have a hard time believing that promise of protection.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out what the king’s motivations might be. Why he wants her alive, and why he’s been trying to find her for months,” Serill replied, stoking the fire. “He’s not a bad man. We don’t participate in the raids or torture.”
“Yet you stand by and watch,” Farrah said, her voice cold.
The prince only sighed. “You’re right.” His answer clearly surprised Farrah and Elias. “We’ve remained blissfully ignorant for years, letting this continue. I don’t know what Brela has suffered. I don’t know what it’s like to hide, to fear, to sacrifice like she has. Like either of you have.” He swallowed. “I don’t know what my father has planned, but he’s clever, not cruel. I think there’s a specific reason he’s been looking for Brela, not to hurt her, but to help her.”
“Bold words, Prince.”
Brela’s voice nearly caused Serill to drop the bowl of stew. Her lips twitched into a quick smile as she sat next to her friends, Cason following close behind. Still watching her. Still twirling her knife between his fingers. Still radiating heat as he sat next to the prince.
The assassin accepted the bread from Elias. “You forget that I am not just an assassin, but a Veil Worshipper.” She let the air still, the unspoken words lingering between everyone. She wasn’t just a Veil Worshipper. Technically, with that dagger passed to her, she was the new Veil Scholar. “What could he possiblyhelpme with now? Fight against the raids? I don’t need an army of cowards when my home is gone and my people are already dead.”
Brela let out a dark chuckle. “You want to know why he wants me? To serve his own agenda. Severina has remained ignorant for too long, and the other kingdoms have noticed. Maybe your father will torture me in front of the other kings to protect himself. Maybe he’ll tie a bow around my head and deliver it to the King of Anfroy as a gift. And maybe he’ll honor your protection and won’t hurt me at all, but I can tell you with certainty that he has no desire to help me.”
“Then why come with us at all?” Cason asked.
Farrah was the one to snap first. “We don’t have a choice.”
“You’ve been pardoned,” the captain replied, his eyes not leaving Brela.
“Not all of us,” Elias growled.
Cason narrowed his eyes. “Brela tried to die or escape multiple times before last night, and I know she’s seen the opportunity at least another eight times today.”
Brela only grinned at the captain, leaning back on her hands. “Back to counting, I see.” He grumbled under his breath. The smirk remained as she shrugged. “We made a deal last night, and I intend to honor my half. And I think that you,Cason, are a man of your word as well.”
The captain stiffened at something Brela said, but no one else seemed to notice that the two of them were now locked in a staring contest. Or maybe they didn’t notice because they weren’t sitting next to Cason and feeling the heat that he was radiating stronger than before.
The prince now regretted not placing his bet for tonight.
If Serill hadn’t been somewhat proud of his friend, he might have felt more awkward about the whole thing. Instead, he cleared his throat as he addressed the assassins. “I suppose I haven’t officially thanked you for last night, even though it was your fault that our soldiers weren’t conscious to help.” He smirked at Farrah who only rolled her eyes. “Deal or not, thank you for staying back to help, despite being outnumbered.”
“When was the last time we were outnumbered like that?” Elias asked, turning to Farrah. “I bet it was Symkyn.”
“No, it was Azemar. Six to one,” she replied.
“You’re both wrong,” Brela chimed in, pale gaze still locked with Cason’s blue as he continued to flip her blade. “It was Roulant.”
Elias failed to hold in a laugh as Farrah clasped her hand over her mouth to keep from spitting her food.
“What happened in Roulant?” Serill asked. He’d heard of the town before, north of Dredon and just off the main road that led to the earth temple. He’d also heard many despicable things about the people who passed through, the questionable markets being the least of concern when it came to the other dealings in dark alleys.
Brela huffed a laugh and jabbed a thumb toward her friends. “Those two snuck off to a broom closet and left me to deal with the armed men.”
“You started the fight,” Farrah replied.
“You also didn’t need our help,” Elias added, still laughing.
“True, but I might have walked out with significantly fewer stab wounds,” Brela answered.
