I turned on my heel. “If you did not tell King Toth about Freya and Krait’s marriage, then who did?”
Firose swallowed hard before she said, “I always suspected Rynall Toth, her brother. He was the only other one who knew.”
My gaze narrowed on her. “That is quite an accusation.”
“I assume it was not without interrogation from his father.”
I drew in a deep breath. I couldn’t deny the truth in her memories. I’d seen her do such unspeakable things—why lie about this?
“It could have been the Divine that married them.”
“It could have,” Firose said dully, as though she didn’t believe her own words.“You can use the map that Elsedora stole to track Caym’s active envoy. Pray to the Sources that the envoys are not together. It will be harder to trap him if he can move between their minds. Don’t approach him without reinforcements.”
I nodded, glancing at Emmerick. He stared at the two of us with a furrowed brow as though watching us work together was not something he’d ever expected to see.
“I’ll be back this evening,” I told him.
Then I stepped out of the holding cell and locked the iron gate behind me.
“We are going to settle this,” I promised through the grates before ascending the stairs. My feet felt attached to weights with a mile-long mountain to climb. Each step filled me with more dread as I released my hold on Krait and Ryn.
Chapter 47
Krait
El had been pacing in front of me for the past twenty minutes. I stood frozen to the tile, grinding my teeth as anxiety built in my chest.
Sybilla was down there with one of Caym’s envoys and the woman who’d brought war upon her city. And she’d cast me out of the cell so damned easily.
“She’ll be okay,” El reassured me. “She’s stronger than the two of them combined…”
My greatest fears crashed down on me. Descending those stairs to see her limp and lifeless. Having to step through her blood to kill anyone who had dared to hurt her.
Mourning her.
I couldn’t fucking breathe.
Sybilla’s hold on me slipped just as the heavy door down to the cell swung open.
“I need everyone here, immediately,” Sybilla barked at Elsedora as soon as she appeared. “Asterie, Fen, Cassidee, Wyeth, Amara…all of them.”
“You cannot give my officer orders,” I snapped as the door slammed behind her. Upon seeing her alive in all her stubborn beauty, I let out a breath. Every muscle in my body relaxed in relief.
Sybilla glared at me as she stepped out of the doorway. “I don’t see why I cannot. I will be your Queen, your equal—list of shortfalls or not. And you were right—Iamwillful. Iamstubborn. So go ahead and try to stop me.”
My whole body tensed again as she referenced that damned list, and I shook my head. “You could have been hurt, Sybilla. Or worse.” My voice cracked.
“Yes, and?” Her hands found her hips, fingers digging in there in such an alluring way.
I no longer feared being with her.
I feared being without her.
“Fetch that map you found in the Helos crypts too. We need to show the others,” she instructed Elsedora, who glanced between us, mouth agape.
“Go, do as she says.” I waved her away. El looked relieved to oblige and hurried down the hall.
Sybilla’s eyes possessed no shine, and her shoulders slouched. Had the way I’d fought that mental hold fatigued her?
