This was so much worse than I had thought. Only a touch to create new hufen? I looked around the table, watching as several of the council members nodded along with my grandfather’s words. Clearly this was old news to everyone else.
But Zachariah wasn’t finished. “You speak so confidently about risks you don’t understand. You have never fought them. Never seen the army approaching on this city.” His voice became sharper than usual. “I was there on the battlefield the last time we went head-to-head with this foe. I saw the overwhelming numbers of hufen cut down our army. I saw our soldiers fall, only to rise up again, fighting for the other side.” His voice had risen in intensity, his eyes wild with memories. He paused and took a deep breath.
He had been there? He had actually stooped low enough to bloody his hands?
When he spoke again, it was with his usual disdain. “Even your own Champion, the one best positioned to fight against the hufen, has had several near misses while dealing with the fallout from the holes.”
“Near misses?” I breathed, my breath catching in my throat. When the darkness had set upon us, he’d made it seem like if you were under cover, it couldn’t reach you. Had that just been a fluke?
“Clearly, you are not as well-informed as you believe. Tell me, in your quaint upbringing in that farming village, did you ever have to make decisions that cost lives?”
I sat in silence, unable to think of a single defense, my mind still whirling on the possibility of Griff being in danger.
“I thought not. Even more evidence to show that you are wholly unprepared to rule. If you even get that opportunity.”
I sat in stunned silence for the rest of the council meeting, lost to anything additional that was said.
I probed at Finn again, this time knocking sharply and he dropped his shields.“He’s exaggerating, right?”I asked.“As he always does?”
I expected Finn to reply with one of his usual cavalier lines, but instead, it was tinged with pity.“Not really. It is dangerous.”
How naive I had been. I’d felt that searching presence. I’d known there was an element of danger, but I’d never stopped to think that every time he went out, he was facing hufen. Plural.
How dangerous wasdangerous?
Why had no one told me?
How many times had I seen him right after a trip, not knowing he had nearly died?
Why hadn’thetold me?
The conversation moved on, everyone oblivious to the doubt now festering inside me. The next issue on the table was prisoners and executions—one prisoner in particular. My blood ran cold as I realized exactly who they were talking about. Cillian Fadian. The man who’d attacked me. Except?—
“He escaped?” Finn’s voice cut through the discussion.
Escaped. My heart pounded, threatening to leave my chest. What if it hadn’t been a one-off? What if he tried to kill me again? I had gotten more powerful, but was I strong enough?
A councilor shuffled his papers. “Two days ago.”
“Twodaysago? And you’re just telling us now?” Finn was indignant.
Several councilors shifted uncomfortably as Zachariah turned his scornful gaze on Finn.
“What would you have done, Master of Histories, if you had known before today?” Zachariah said smoothly. “What actions would you have taken that are different from what you already did?”
My stomach churned at that casual dismissal.
Finn’s hands clenched on the table.
“Don’t do this,”I thought hastily at Finn.“You’re never going to win.”
“Griff would never let this stand.”A whole mess of emotions accompanied that thought—frustration, helplessness, and potentially something that felt like longing.
“As you said, Griff isn’t here.”
Finn’s jaw clenched and unclenched. I could feel his seething rage, but what could he say?
“Clearly you have nothing further to add,” Zachariah finished with satisfaction. “Moving on.”
