He made an enemy of Obsidian to protect us. He had done it brilliantly, without hesitation, and I was going to have to carry this moment along with my betrayal.
Fear had turned me into a good liar, just like him. Someone who could deceive Ander, who had only ever been kind and good, better than either of us, for the sake of the kingdom.
“There is no need for the clans to fight,” Fear said, and now, he could work the room as he always did.
Obsidian simmered with rage, but they did not leave. The conversation continued.
Not every clan agreed to fight on our side. Sevran rose without announcement and left. Vael was simply gone, which I had not noticed until he wasn’t there.
Sevran made it clear he was not going to fight on our side. I leaned in to Fear with a question, and he answered before I even asked. “Sevran will go to the queen. Vael likely will.”
The rest swore to fight together. Even Obsidian, hate fueled and angry though they might be, promised to fight.
The clan leaders gathered together to make their oaths, their dark rainbow of cloaks gathered together. Ander stood beside Seine, and Seine looked him over with grim dismissiveness before moving away.
When Ander returned to Amber’s ranks, they closed around him with muted questions, and he led them away. No doubt to a conversation that would not be easy.
Fear and I owed him much.
I wouldn’t allow Fear to forget.
It was not until Fear and I made it back to our quarters that I dared to speak openly. I closed the door and leaned on it as if to shut out the world. “Ander saved you today.”
“I’m aware.”
I sank into a chair to pull off my boots and resisted all temptations to chuck a boot at him. I was an exemplary wife after all. “You need to tell him about Tesa. Ander deserves to know.”
“Nothing has changed for Tesa.” He unlatched his cloak and draped it over a chair. “I will not make promises to you that I do not intend to keep.”
I was about to tell him that was a novelty when I pressed my lips together instead. He had tried to keep his promises. He had said I’d see Tay well and Lidi’s magic restored. He was untrustworthy, but not in his promises.
“Ander sacrificed for us. He trusted us. We owe him our trust in return. He’ll be good to Tesa.”
He stripped off his armor, dropping bracers and chest plate into a pile. I had no intention of letting him rest.
Then he moved toward the door.
“Where are you going?” I demanded.
He went out without answering me. Apparently he’d decided that, rather than lie, he would just not speak at all. The door clicked softly behind him.
Was he going to see Tesa anyway, having made me no promises? The possibility kept me from following him. I’d seen her face after I cut away the enchantment. She trusted Fear, not me, and she needed a friend.
Did Ander feel alone tonight after making a decision alone that might cost his clan?
Ander deserved friendship as well.
I put my boots back on.
Forty-Four
Fear
Isent Inida to retrieve Tesa. Then I sat alone in the darkness on the sea wall, watching the black waves crest and move in.
Sea monsters sometimes rose from the ocean to find their dinner among anyone who dared the beach at night. It added some interest to the slap of the waves against the rocks, wondering what else might be moving under the cover of that noise.
“Do you think your long-suffering little mortal realizes you are beginning to depend on her wisdom?”Shadowbane mused.
