Page 20

ROYO

CITY OF RAHWAY, YUSAN

A eri’s okay, but I’m gonna get my axe back and kill this fucking guy. I don’t care if he’s a count. I don’t care if he’s got an army that’ll take out Seok. Rune tried to murder Aeri.

Or it was Gambria.

Or maybe Fallador.

It also could’ve been servants tempted by the fortunes they’d get for the relics.

I run my hand down my face. There are always too many potential traitors.

“You’re saying this whole thing could be a setup by Rune?” I wave my hands generally to the room.

Mikail nods. “It’s not beyond him to fake friendship while trying to kill us. Alliances shift quickly at a time like this. Seok can always make him a better offer—or we can.”

He looks at Aeri, and my hands itch to wring Mikail’s neck as I realize what that means.

He wants Aeri to agree to marry the count for our safety.

Because if she was engaged to him for real, he would keep her alive, at least until he could take the throne.

My stomach turns at the thought of her marrying him and knots at the idea of him hurting her.

It’s like my guts are trying to claw up and choke my heart.

The fuck she will marry him.

“Did you know them?” Sora asks Mikail, gesturing to the assassins on the ground.

Sora looks concerned, but something about her isn’t right. She keeps squeezing the belt of her robe. I’ve been thinking it’s grief for her sister, but she’s been off since she came back from the powder room. Her eyes shift a little bit when she talks. I don’t know why, but it’s weirding me out.

Mikail takes a breath. “Rose and Avalon—upper-level assassins. Avalon could’ve been a spy, but he preferred this side of things.”

“Were they trying to kill Aeri or me?” Sora asks.

We all silently stare. It hadn’t even dawned on me that they might be here for Sora, not Aeri. Tiyung said Seok wants Sora dead, but if it’s the southern count, how’d he know where to find her? An eagle would take a full day to reach Tamneki and another to get back. We just got here.

None of it makes sense. Nothing ever does.

“They’re not alive to talk,” Mikail says. “It’s possible they were here for both of you.”

Both? The thought that we could’ve just lost both Sora and Aeri is a gut punch. It’s hard to even inhale.

My hands shake as I think about how Aeri lay on the floor with her eyes open, not blinking, not moving. Mikail clapped in front of her face, shook her, and nothing brought her back. Sora checked for signs of poisoning, but there was nothing.

All I could do was stand there and relive losing her in the hot springs. I was certain I lost her for good this time.

I clasp my hands behind my head. Ten fucking Hells, my heart can’t take it. I wish I could just rip the organ from my chest. It would make things a lot easier. But I need her heart now, too, in order to go on.

Love, or whatever this is, is a fucking fool’s game.

But when I thought she was really gone, I forgave everything. If I could do it then, that means the only thing holding me back now is pride. And I’m standing here in my underwear, so pride is a real lost cause.

Aeri stares at me with her golden eyes, hopeful and waiting—it’s like she can read my thoughts. I kinda wish I had on clothes.

I go over to the table, pour her a glass of water, then hand it to her.

“Thank you, Royo.”

I nod and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her face lights up with joy, and the expression lifts my heart, too. But I step away. I need to keep my distance until I can think this through.

“So, do we confront Gambria or Rune?” Sora asks.

Mikail sighs, rubbing his forehead. “I think we say nothing and see what happens in the morning when whoever it was realizes their plan failed. We should switch rooms and get some sleep, though. I’m sure you need it, Aeri.”

“Mostly, I feel fine,” she says. “Well, aside from getting frozen in time.” She shrugs and looks at the floor. “Anyhow, what should we do about the bodies? We can’t just leave them here, right?”

Mikail and Sora exchange glances. Aeri has a point.

“Throw them out the window,” I say.

Mikail shrugs. “As good a plan as any.”

He waves me over after patting down both of the bodies.

We pick up the guy first—Mikail called him Avalon. He’s a lot heavier than I expected, but he does have a gold heart now, and I know how heavy gold is.

Sora skirts over to the drapes and throws them apart. The window is open about a foot, which allowed these two to slither in.

She frowns and shakes her head. “I swear I locked the windows when I closed the drapes.”

“You probably did,” Mikail says, carrying the guy’s legs. “Assassins can all pick simple window locks. One of the first tests we put them through is getting out of a locked room.”

Sora opens the window wide, and we toss the guy out onto the bushes below.

We go back, pick up the girl, and do the same.

The assassins are younger than I first thought—probably a few years younger than me—but I don’t give a shit about their lives.

They would’ve killed Aeri and Sora if they could’ve and then went on to their next jobs.

It’s us or them, and it’s sure as fuck not going to be us.

“Royo, why don’t you see Aeri to safety?” Mikail suggests. He’s closed the window, and he’s staring at Sora with a troubled look. I was right—something’s weird about her.

“Should I… Should I stay with Aeri?” I ask.

Mikail eyes me, and something like approval flashes on his face. “Yes, that’s a good idea. They’re better protected separately.”

Sora stares right back at him, challenge written in her expression.

Fantastic. Another mystery.

But, whatever. I go back to the bed, where Aeri is already trying to stand.

“Don’t bother,” I say.

I scoop her up against my chest, grab my dagger, and carry her out of the room. Still in just my underwear.