His voice carried darkness, a confirmation that he’d also been dwelling on the hours and days to come. When I opened my eyes again, I saw those same shadows mirrored on his face.
“Getting torn apart out there won’t help me, Sitri.” I reached out to stroke his cheek.
He leaned into my caress.“I know. I just… I worry that we are making a grave mistake.”
“A grave mistake?” I gave Sitri a look of confusion, and he let out a heavy sigh.
“Vapula wants us both. He will take Apollo and Bronwen if the opportunity presents itself, butweare his targets. Here we are,unguarded and cornered, positioned where he can claim two trophies in one fell swoop.”
The thought hadn’t occurred to me. Bronwen should have split us up, hidden us away in opposite corners of Lantyca, where Vapula would have to search for us individually. She hadn’t done that. I couldn’t quite make sense of the decision, not with my mind overrun by fatigue.
“Lillia?” Sitri asked, and I hummed an acknowledgment. “If something happens to me, I want you to run as far as you can. Haagenti is…difficult,but she sees value in you. Follow Bronwen to my western border, and once you arrive, do exactly as she says. There is a bridge across the gorge to the north of Haagenti’s capital. It will take you to Zaleos. Play nice to the chaos demons’ faces, and set out for that bridge the moment you get the chance.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I said, as if trying to convince myself. “We’ll be safe here. We just have to wait it out, and things will be okay.”
I searched Sitri’s face for any sign of emotion, any glimmer of hope, or shadow of doubt. All I saw was the ice-cold resolve of a monarch faced with an impossible situation. He didn’t meet my eyes, no matter how long I gazed into his. He seemed… distant, devoid. Even his expression blanked, became unreadable.
“You should sleep if you can,” Sitri said. “You have been through much this week, and you must be ready for tomorrow.”
“And what about you?” I asked.
“I will probably sleep, too. If I am able.”
A bitter tang crossed his breath, marking the statement as untrue, despite the feigned smile he gave me. I wanted to argue, to stay awake by Sitri’s side as our last hours of safety ticked down, but my body betrayed me. Even if I tried, I couldn’t fight the darkness of sleep much longer.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Sitri’s words came before I formed my own.
“Trust, darling. I will keep you safe, come what may. You need to save your strength.”
Even if I tried to argue, I knew I wouldn’t have the energy. Besides, Sitri had kept his word so far, exposing his secrets rather than leaving me guessing in the dark.
Against my better judgment, I let go of my resistance.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll try.”
“Sweet dreams,” he whispered as he planted one last kiss on my head.
The gesture was as calming as it was foreboding, a reminder of what we stood to gain—and what we stood to lose. Then I allowed sleep to creep in, eddying my mind with visions of horrors I feared would come, and the bitter tang of secrets, threatening to make my nightmares real.
