Page 27

TYCHO

Malin doesn’t answer when I knock, and I can’t help the twinge of disappointment in my chest. The hall guards say he hasn’t called for food yet either, so it’s possible he’s still sleeping. I return to my quarters to wait, though it’s beginning to feel like a cell. The king’s sharp censure from after we arrived has been twisting like a spike in my chest, and nothing I do will displace it. I have half a mind to retrieve Mercy from the stables and ride straight back to Ironrose.

But no. That would land me in a worse position than I’m in already.

Callyn didn’t specifically say there were difficulties between the king and queen, but I’m not an idiot. I saw where the king was staying—and if rumors are flying like this, then it means he and Lia Mara might not be speaking . A horrible curiosity tugs at my heart—though I’m not sure where to find answers, especially if they haven’t even spoken about my presence here.

Grey ordered me to keep to myself. He didn’t specifically mention the queen, but if he’s at odds with Lia Mara, does that mean I should keep my distance as well? What about Jake and Noah? Considering what I’ve learned, I’m not sure if I should risk it—especially since I have no idea who might be working with the Truthbringers, and who might be working with Xovaar.

But I’m not one to sit idle, and it doesn’t take long before I really do start thinking about sneaking out of here. When a knock sounds at my door near sunset, I practically leap at it.

I swing the door wide. It’s not Malin. It’s Noah.

He smiles when he sees me, and his brown eyes are warm. “Hey, kid. I heard you were back.”

If anyone else were at my door, I’d be steadfast and cool. But Noah knows all my vulnerabilities, and everything about the past week seems to hit me at once. The hundreds of soldiers. The uniform Rhen made me wear. Malin binding my hands, and the threats at the guard station. My magic in the air. The scravers hunting magesmiths.

Nakiis.

Grey.

Jax.

My chest tightens, and when I try to breathe, it hurts to inhale.

Noah comes through the door, closing it behind him. “Hey,” he says again, his voice lower.

I don’t know if it’s his voice or his presence or if it’s just the weight of the world, but all of a sudden, I just . . . ?can’t. I take a step forward and wrap my arms around him.

Noah catches me and hugs me back. For the longest time, I hold my breath, because I’m terrified of what will happen if I don’t. But he doesn’t move, and his arms don’t loosen. My heart begins to slow, and eventually I can breathe.

Then I realize I’m clinging to him like a child. I draw back at once.

Noah lets me go. He never pushes. But now he’s studying me.

“Forgive me,” I say.

“It’s all right to need a hug, Tycho.”

I’m not sure what to say to that.

“I was worried I’d wake you,” he says. “I heard you showed up just before dawn.”

I shrug. “I’ve been awake for a while.”

That sentence seems to hang between us for a moment. My thoughts are churning again, and I take another step back.

Noah watches this, but he just says, “One of the women who works in the gardens asked me to bring her a salve for a bee sting. I was going to head that way after I saw you. Do you want to walk with me?”

“Ah . . . sure.”

I leave word with the hall guards so Malin will know where to find me, and then Noah and I head toward the miles of stairs and hallways that make up the Crystal Palace. After endless days of wearing weapons and armor in the rain, my body feels too light, too free. Once we step into the fresh spring air, I take what feels like the first deep breath in days .

“ Thaaat’s better,” Noah drawls.

I cut him a glance—but he’s right. “I wasn’t that bad.”

“If Jake found you first, he would’ve dragged you out on the fields to play with swords for a few hours. Unfortunately, I’m only good for dragging you along on medical deliveries.”

“I really don’t mind.”

He smiles. “I know.”

And just like that, the awkwardness is gone.

“Is Jake well?” I say.

“Grey woke us before dawn because he wanted Jake to go find out how many scraver attacks have happened near the city, so he’s probably not in the best mood. But he’s been well.”

I wince. “Forgive me.”

“Why on earth is that your fault?”

I don’t have an answer for that, and we’ve reached the gardens anyway. A young woman tending the newly budding rosebushes curtsies to Noah and then to me. He offers her the small jar of salve, but asks to see the swollen mound of skin on her forearm. I expect him to heal it, because he still wears a ring of Iishellasan steel, but to my surprise, he doesn’t. I wonder if she’s afraid. He applies a small amount of salve, and we return to the path that heads through the vibrant gardens.

“You don’t need to head back to the infirmary?” I say to him.

“We’ll get there eventually. I have an apprentice now, so I’ve been trying to give her some space to figure things out on her own.”

My eyebrows go up. “An apprentice!”

He nods. “She’s young, but she’s learning.” He pauses. “How are things back at Ironrose? You couldn’t have been there very long.”

“Barely a day,” I say. “It was urgent for Grey to know.”

Noah doesn’t say anything to that, and I can’t read his silence, so we continue walking. At the end of the gardens, there’s a path that leads to the training fields, and even though I really am curious about Callyn and Nora’s progress, it’s very likely the king will be there. No, thank you. I turn in the opposite direction, though it leads away from the palace.

Eventually Noah says, “Jake told me that Rhen offered Jax a position at Ironrose. How is that all going?”

“Ah . . . ?fine.” My cheeks warm a bit in the sunlight. “I was able to introduce him to Master Garson and get him settled before I left.”

I remember Jax’s eyes staring into mine in the early dawn light. The feel of his hands when I promised I would return as quickly as I can.

If Jake is already making inquiries about attacks, he might return with news by nightfall, and I can be on my way back to Ironrose in the morning. The thought gives my heart a little boost of hope.

Noah gently bumps me with his shoulder. “Sometimes getting information out of you is like squeezing water out of a rock. I didn’t know if that —you and Jax—was still . . . a thing.”

I smile. “Yes, Noah. It is.”

“It must have been hard to leave as soon as you got there. For both of you.”

Yes. It was. But I try to swallow that emotion. “He knows who I am and what I’m called to do. It’s never been a secret.”

“Sometimes you’re gone for weeks on end. Months. That’s a long time apart.” He shrugs a little, and he keeps his voice easy. “A lot to ask of something new.”

A bee drones over the path, and I wave it away. I don’t like the band of tension that his words are adding to my chest. Because instead of remembering my promise on the morning I left, I’m thinking of another vow I made to him weeks ago.

It will not be weeks or months or never, Jax. I swear to you.

But that was different. This is different.

Right?

Noah sighs, and to my surprise, he sounds a little disgusted.

I whip my head around. “What?”

“I know there’s a reason Rhen sent you, but sometimes I think he and Grey are lucky you don’t just chuck it all and take Mercy into some town somewhere and find a job that doesn’t force you to run yourself into the ground.”

I stop short on the path. Noah is one of the few people who speaks so openly about the king, but everything is too tense right now.

“I’m not running myself into the ground,” I say.

“You look exhausted,” he says. “You look wrecked . And I can’t remember the last time you gave me a hug .”

I give him a look. He just raises his eyebrows and looks back at me. I frown.

“I’m just saying I’m worried about you,” he says. His voice turns careful. “I was wondering if you got your heart broken.”

My eyebrows go up. “Is that why you were talking about time apart?”

“Yes.”

“No.” I hesitate. “I mean, I didn’t. I told Jax I would be back as quickly as possible.” I glance his way, troubled now. “You think he’d break my heart?”

“I don’t know Jax yet.” Noah starts walking again, and I fall into step beside him. “But you have a hard job, kid. It would be hard on people who’ve been together for years.”

A curl of anxiety wraps around my thoughts, and I have to shove it away. “I’ll return to Ironrose as soon as Grey drafts a response to Rhen. My visit will be short. There’s no cause to worry.”

He hesitates, then grimaces. His voice lowers. “You mean, aside from scravers attacking, threats from the Truthbringers, and the growing rift between Grey and Lia Mara?”

If anything could distract me from these new worries about Jax, that does it. I make my voice as quiet as his. “So there’s definitely a rift? I was wondering why he was sleeping in the east wing.”

“Grey didn’t tell you?”

“No.” I frown. “But he wasn’t exactly pleased with me when I arrived.”

“I don’t think he’s pleased with anyone right now.”

“What’s happening?”

“A lot. He’s been trying to find out who was behind the attack, and it’s not going well.” Noah takes a long breath and runs a hand across the back of his neck. “If you listen to the gossip, you’ll hear that the Truthbringers might have the queen’s ear—that she’s beginning to fear magic herself.”

“But . . . but she would never—”

“Careful.”

We’re closer to the palace now, and I fight to keep my voice down. “Lia Mara has never been afraid of Grey.”

“I know. But they went through several pretty traumatic events in a row. They lost the baby, and then there was everything that happened to them in Briarlock. That’s not even considering the Uprising itself. Magic has done a lot of good, but it’s done a lot of terrible things, too. People are afraid.” He pauses. “They might be the king and queen, but they’re still human. Strip away the magic and the thrones, and she’s just a young mother. He’s just a young father. The Truthbringers want him dead, and they were willing to threaten the princess and the queen to achieve it. They were willing to kill them to achieve it. That’s a lot to put on a marriage. Any marriage.”

And then I rode up to the gates with another threat—all because of the king’s magic.

On the night Grey told me they’d lost the baby, I remember the emotion in the air. Sinna had been missing from the palace, and stress over the event sent the queen into early labor. Grey tried to use magic to stop the baby from coming too early. He worried that his magic made things worse.

You didn’t , I said to him then, but I wasn’t sure.

I’m not sure now.

I think about how Noah was bringing the gardener a salve for a simple bee sting.

“The queen has magic, too,” I say softly. “She used it in Briarlock.”

“If she does, she hasn’t admitted it,” Noah says. “In fact, I think she’d deny it.” He glances at me, and his brown eyes are heavy. “I’m worried she’s beginning to think that his magic is making her and the princess a target.”

She’s not wrong. Right now, his magic is a target.

I consider how I waited in my quarters all afternoon, how I wondered if I was at odds with the queen. I’m not . . . ?but now it feels like I am. I have magic just like the king, and I brought word of a new threat.

I rub my hands over my face.

“I think they all just need time to heal,” Noah says quietly. “It’s only been a few weeks.”

We’ve almost reached the palace doors again, so I put out a hand to stop him. Once we’re inside, the press of servants and guards will be too close to speak so openly.

“Do you think people are right to be afraid of magic?” I ask him quietly.

But that’s not really what I’m asking.

Do you think the queen is right to be afraid?

He takes a long breath. “I’m not sure I can give you an honest answer without feeling like I’m risking my neck.”

He’s never said anything like that to me. “ Noah. ”

“Magic is dangerous, Tycho. I’ve seen him lose control. So have you. And we’ve all seen the damage caused in Emberfall. There’s a reason Rhen was so afraid when he learned that Grey was a magesmith.” He pauses. “But magic has brought a lot of good , too. I’ve been able to heal injuries that should have meant certain death. And Emberfall isn’t trapped by a curse anymore. Lia Mara’s mother is no longer in power. Emberfall and Syhl Shallow are at peace. All of that came about because of magic. Is that worth the trade-off? I just don’t know.”

I don’t know either.

But I consider the way the soldiers in the guard station were eager to torture a soldier from Emberfall for being a traitor, or the note in Malin’s voice when he said he forgot about how Syhl Shallow keeps a torture chamber for a prison. I’ve spent so long with a foot in both countries that I forgot the undercurrent of animosity that still exists between them both.

We start forward again, and when the guards swing the doors open, we step out of the bright sunlight into the cool, cloaking darkness of the palace.

I think of Malin’s story about the prisoners he was forced to care for, how he learned their language and formed relationships—but has no idea what happened to them. After all that, did he still see them as his enemies? Or friends?

“The alliance between Emberfall and Syhl Shallow is about more than just magic,” I say to Noah.

“You’re right,” he says. “It’s not that simple.”

I have to sigh. “War never is.”

By sunset, I still haven’t seen the king or the queen. An edgy impatience has set up camp in my chest, and I wish I had some way to unleash it. I haven’t seen Malin either, and that wicked part of my brain begins whispering that maybe he’s decided it would be better to avoid me, too.

But no. I tell my stupid thoughts that he’s just sleeping off the effects of soldiering in the rain for days.

When I knock, he practically flings the door open. “Has the king given you orders?” he says the instant he lays eyes on me.

“Hello to you, too, Malin.”

He smiles, then glances ruefully up and around the doorframe to his room. “I wasn’t sure how long we’re meant to be confined to our quarters.”

“We’re not confined,” I say. Maybe I should have fetched him sooner. “Have you eaten? I can show you to the dining hall.”

“I’ve eaten. The guards sent for food.”

“Then . . . ?do you care to see the palace? Or even the Crystal City? We can call for our horses.”

His eyes light up a little at both suggestions, but then he glances in the direction we came from last night. “I should wait until we’re summoned.”

He’s wary of upsetting the king. I probably should be, too. Maybe Grey expects us to be confined to our quarters, waiting for him to make a decision.

Then again, the first thing Malin asked about was new orders. He must be bored. I know I am. I can’t stare at the walls of my room for another minute.

“Sparring?” I offer. “The training arena should be deserted right now.”

Malin’s eyes light up again. He doesn’t move—but he wants to.

“I won’t let you hang yourself either,” I add. “The king would never fault a soldier for training. I promise you that.”

He grins. “I’ll get my gear.”

The training arena is empty and dim, with a few torches lit. The back doors are still open, allowing the cool night air to swirl inside. As I thought, we have the arena to ourselves. When we begin, it feels good to move, to fight, to do something I’m capable of, instead of spending so much time worrying about things I have no control over. Malin made for a good sparring partner on the road, but he makes for an even better one now: he’s well-rested and well-fed, without the promise of a long day of riding ahead of us.

Well, ahead of him . I’m still hopeful I’ll be galloping across the border by nightfall tomorrow.

By the time we break apart from our fourth match, we’re both breathing hard, and sweat is making it tough to keep a grip on my sword. It’s fully dark, and attendants have lit the other torches, but we still have the arena to ourselves.

Malin sheathes his sword. “I’m beginning to regret this,” he says, pushing damp hair back from his face.

“No, you’re not.”

“Hold that thought while I vomit on your boots.”

I laugh. “So that’s a no to a fifth round?”

“I didn’t say no .” He heaves a rough breath and swipes a forearm across his forehead, then puts a hand on the hilt of his sword. “If you go, I go. Five, six, one hundred, say the word.”

He says it so lightly that he could be kidding—but I can tell he really means it. It reminds me of the way he grabbed my arm before I mouthed off to Grey, even though this assignment matters to him so much he was willing to lock himself in his room until we had new orders. If you go, I go.

I smile and shake out my arm, leaving my weapon in its sheath. “Let’s take a minute. We don’t have to get to one hundred tonight .”

“Oh, thank fate.” Malin drops to his knees and sits back on his heels, then nods at my armor. He’s caught his breath, and he says, “It’s odd to face you in that, after so many days in our colors.”

He means Emberfall’s colors. I drop to a squat beside him, bracing my forearms on my knees. I’ve worn this black armor for so long that I don’t remember ever giving it a second thought, but I noticed how it set me apart during our journey to Emberfall. I wonder if it’s setting me apart now.

“I always feel like I’ve got a foot on each side of the mountain,” I say.

“I can see that. A lot of people say that about the king.”

The comment takes me by surprise, because I’ve never considered Grey feeling the same way. Maybe I look startled, because Malin shrugs and adds, “He’s the king of Emberfall, but he’s married to their queen.”

And they don’t want him here.

An ice-cold breeze blows through the open doors to the arena, chilling the sweat on my arms and making me shiver. The torches flicker and sputter as the air catches them. A faint trace of magic touches my senses, and I straighten to standing, snapping my head toward the doorway before I recognize the power. Nakiis.

Malin is already on his feet beside me. “Is it the one from the woods?”

“Nakiis. Yes.” I pause. “He should keep his distance,” I add, hoping the scraver will hear me. The last thing I need is anyone thinking a scraver has followed me to the palace. I look at Malin. “How did you know?”

“The cold. That happened before, too.”

Just as he says it, the cool wind slips out of the arena and the magic dissipates from the air. I let out a breath of relief.

Malin is studying me. “Do you use magic?” he says. “When you fight?”

“Do you mean now?”

“I mean ever.” He pauses, then casts a quick glance around, and his voice quiets, though we’re still alone. “If you’re allowed to say.”

I shake my head. “No. I haven’t had magic long, and the king gave it to me as a means of protection. So I can heal myself—or others, obviously. I can start a fire if I need to. I’ve never . . . ?I’ve never used it as a weapon . I’ve never used it in violence.”

Though . . . ?I have. Once. Lord Alek pinned me against the work table at Jax’s forge, his fingers pressing into my neck. He threatened to have his guards tie me down and add a few more stripes to my back. Even the memory has enough potency to steal my breath. When it happened, I let my magic flare and set his jacket on fire.

He stabbed me in the ribs in retaliation. I barely had enough magic to heal the damage.

That breeze winds through the arena again, but this time it’s slower, just the tiniest flicker of magic against my senses.

Not now, Nakiis , I think. I’m fine.

I put a hand on the hilt of my sword. “Round five?”

Malin nods and draws. He’s strong, and even though he’s tiring, he fights hard. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of training with him this week. I block an attack that disarmed me two days ago, and his eyes flare in surprise.

“I’m learning,” I grind out. I barely have time to block before he gets inside my guard.

“Me too,” he says, and I smile.

As our match drags on, I become distantly aware that we’re not alone in the arena any longer. A few voices echo, and shadows bounce off the walls. Some soldiers have leaned against the railing to watch. But Malin doesn’t lose focus, so I don’t either. Actually, his fighting changes, his strikes becoming a little more aggressive, his movements a little more precise.

That, more than anything, tells me that Grey is among the soldiers who’ve found their way into the training hall.

I should give Malin an opening. Let him have a win, because I know he wants to impress the king. That twisting spike in my heart won’t let me. I don’t want to fail in front of Grey either.

I redouble my own efforts, even as sweat drips into my eyes. Our swords meet over and over again, the ring of steel echoing in the arena, until his blade scrapes down the length of mine and he tries to hook my hilt to disarm me.

I hold fast, and for a moment it’s a sheer battle of grappling strength. He grabs hold of my armor with his free hand, but I see it coming, and I grab hold of his before he can throw me off balance. Every muscle in my body is taut, and an equal amount of strain is reflected in Malin’s eyes. We’re both breathing harder than we were before. He tries for leverage, but there’s none. I dig my boot into the dirt and try the same, but he doesn’t move.

“Enough,” calls a voice from somewhere behind me, and I was right. It is the king. “It’s a draw.”

I grit my teeth and tighten my grip. Malin doesn’t let up either. There was a clear point where this fight stopped being entirely friendly.

Suddenly, there’s an inch of give, and we tussle a little, but he’s too strong. Or maybe I am. We end up locked in place again, but we’re both practically panting from the effort.

Stars flicker in my blood, my magic ready and willing.

“I said enough ,” says Grey, and he’s closer. “Fall back.”

Fine. I let go of Malin’s armor and jerk free just as he does the same. The waiting magic flitters away into nothing. We sheathe our weapons, our breathing echoing in the arena. For a moment, we’re both a little agitated at the unfinished fight, but then Malin offers me his hand.

“Good match,” he says with a smile.

The aggression disappears from the air as easily as the magic did. I clasp his hand in return. “Good match.”

Grey glances between us. “It was a good match,” he says, and to my surprise, his voice is mild. “You’re well paired.”

Malin straightens. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

I don’t even look at the king. “You should have let us finish,” I say, and I sound petulant. I can practically hear Malin inwardly sigh.

“I would have,” Grey says. “But the Queen’s Guard needs the arena.”

Oh.

He continues, “Clear the space. Get some water. Tycho . . .”

I brace myself.

“When you’re ready,” he finishes, “come walk with me.”

Well, that sounds foreboding. I set my jaw and inhale through my teeth, because I’m ready now .

But Malin grabs my bracer and drags me toward the railing, and he even pulls me a cup of water from the ladle and bucket stationed there.

“Drink,” he says. “Cool off.”

He sounds like he means that in more than one way, and he’s probably right. I scowl and drink. Malin seems satisfied by my obedience, so he pulls himself a cup of water and turns to lean beside me. Half the Queen’s Guard have filtered into the arena to run drills of their own, but Nolla Verin, the queen’s sister, has followed them to talk to their captain.

I think of Callyn and Nora in the hallway, how Nora seemed so excited to be training with Verin, while Callyn . . . ?did not. It reminds me of Jax’s uncertainty about his new position in Emberfall. I can relate to them both. For a flicker of time, I wish I were going to be here longer than a night, because I’d offer to help Callyn. Verin comes on strong, but I know her moves, and I know what will take her by surprise.

She sees me by the railing and calls in Syssalah, “Tycho! I heard you were back. Do you have time for another match?”

“Not tonight,” I call back. “Grey is waiting for me.”

A light glints in her eye. “How about your soldier friend? I need to warm up a bit before I begin training.”

Malin’s eyebrows go up, but his eyes have lit with clear interest. “Is my Syssalah rough or is she taunting me?” he says under his breath.

I pull another cup of water. “Oh, she’s definitely taunting you.”

He grins. “If you spar with me,” he calls back in Syssalah, “you not make training.”

I choke on my water. “Malin!” I sputter.

Some of the guards inhale sharply and stare—but others chuckle knowingly. One whistles low through her teeth.

Verin laughs and strides out of the arena, the firelight from the torches glinting on her glossy black braids. “Let’s take it to the fields, then, soldier.”

Malin sets down his cup and looks ready to follow her. I can’t decide if this is the worst idea of all time or if it’s a match I wouldn’t mind seeing.

“I’ll just plan to collect you from the infirmary later,” I say.

“So the beautiful soldier is going to try to kill me? You say that like I’ll mind.”

I give him a look.

“What?” He hits me lightly on the arm. “We don’t all have a blacksmith waiting on the other side of the mountain.”

My heart twists when he says that, but it makes me smile. “You don’t know who she is?”

“Should I?”

I want to grin, but I notice Grey waiting for me by the doorway to the training fields, so I don’t. I clap Malin on the shoulder instead. “That’s Nolla Verin. Sister to the queen.”

Then I turn to find my fate, leaving Malin to face his.