Page 176 of Burn of the Everflame

“I—I didn’t know . . . I thought—it . . . it was only supposed to . . . if I’d known—Diem, please . . .”

Something cleaved open inside me, a break too deep to ever repair. If Henri would not give me answers by choice, I would take them by force.

My teeth bared as I pulled his face to mine.

“Show me.”

41

HENRI

Several months ago

Whistling swirled through the leafless branches, the tune jolly and light. It was an old mortal hymn, something about traitorous blood running in the streets. An odd theme for a song so cheery.

“Nice day for a mission,” Brant said, staring up at the cloudless blue sky.

“Unusually sunny for this time of year,” Vance agreed. “The Old Gods must be smiling on us.” The two men shared a look. Behind them, the whistler stopped to snicker.

Though the day was bright, my mood was dark. Every step we took down the secluded forest path, it got a little darker.

“Did you do what I told you, Brother Henri?” Vance asked.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and set my jaw. “Lana agreed to say I was with her, if anyone asks.”

Guilt chewed at me for bringing Lana into this. I’d been pulling her closer when I should have been breaking things off. I’d turned to her at a low point, when I’d been certain Diem was going to say no to my proposal. I’d felt rejected and alone, and Lana was there for me in a way Diem wasn’t. And sure, maybe I did want to make Diem a little jealous. If I could show her that other women desired me, maybe she would, too. I hadn’t counted on my feelings for Lana growing so strong.

I’d been in love with Diem all my life. Every future I’d ever imagined had her in it. She’d said she wanted to marry me, but what good was that when she treated me like I didn’t exist?

Then she’d betrayed me at the ball. She let me rot in a musty cell while she drank and danced with that fucking Prince, who was clearly in love with her. Could I compete with that? I wasn’t even sure I wanted to anymore.

“You’re thinking about that bitch again, aren’t you?” Brant asked. “You’ve got that stupid scowl on your face.”

“Don’t call her that,” I muttered.

“That’s what she is. Showed her true colors last night. Descended always pick their own over us.” He jabbed a finger in my shoulder. “Stop bein’ lovesick over a traitor.”

“Henri isn’t lovesick, Brother Brant,” Vance said. “He’s strategic. The girl is useful. Once he marries her and becomes King, we’ll have all the power.”

My teeth ground together. Of course I wanted the power to get back at the Descended, but that wasn’t why I was marrying Diem.

Was it?

“After today,” Vance said, “the girl will be back on our side.”

I frowned. “You really think we can talk Andrei into helping us convince her?”

Vance’s lips curled into a smirk. “When we’re done today, she’ll be more motivated to help us than ever.”

The men behind us shared another round of laughter.

I glanced back at them, my frown dragging deeper. When Vance suggested we go talk to Diem’s father, I hadn’t expected him to bring anyone else, let alone nearly every strong male in the Lumnos cell. There were more than fifty men in our group, and all of them seemed to know more about the plan than me.

“Do we need this many people?” I asked.

“You know, Brother Henri might be right.” Vance waved a hand at Francis, his third-in-command. “Why don’t you take the others through the forest? Keep an eye on those guards from afar.”

“I’d rather stay with you,” Francis said, looking uneasy. “I’m sure Brother Brant would be happy to go.”