Page 64

TIYUNG

ROSE PALACE, GAYA

S ora insisted that we stay behind at the palace while the others went on a mission to murder King Joon.

Mikail claimed that we were needed here, but I have a feeling she is just my nanny for the night.

He and the others don’t think much of my fighting ability, and compared to them, I suppose they are right.

He still sees me as either soft or too valuable a target.

Maybe both.

It’s difficult to change first impressions, especially when they were correct.

I wouldn’t have agreed to remain at the palace without Sora, and I assume Mikail knew that, too. But there are worse jailers than her.

We’ve been up in the watchtower since midnight.

It’s dark, other than the lights of Jeul beneath us and a small lantern on the floor.

None of this sits well with me—not the darkness, not their mission, not staying behind.

Mikail believes he needs the sword in the way that Seok believes he needs more power.

That endless hunger creates its own battles.

But if they do take the relics tonight and kill King Joon, they’ll stop the war before it begins. His greed is for the greater good.

I think.

My skin turns to gooseflesh in the cooling night air. I wish I could shake this feeling of doom, but it wraps around me like a cloak.

Sora and I aim our spyglasses toward Tamneki. The moon glows on the water, and it’s just enough light for us to make out the silhouette of a Weian ship lying in wait. The fleet has their sails down. If we didn’t know to look for them, I don’t think we’d spot them.

Every now and then, Sora and I change positions and scan to the west and south of the island, but there’s nothing of note.

Still, the air crackles with tension. Sora hasn’t said much, but I know her heart. She’d rather be with Mikail, Aeri, and Royo than here with me and our hostage. She keeps straining to see the Port of Charm even though it’s too far and too dark to make out anything.

“What do you think about Fallador coming here?” I ask.

Sora lowers her glass and turns toward me. “Do you know him?”

I shake my head. “Not really. I met him once before with my father when we were in Khitan. I really believed he was the prince of Gaya.”

“Everyone did. Including Mikail,” she sighs.

The way she says his name makes me wonder about when I saw them in the garden. She and Mikail were laughing together, standing so close that their foreheads nearly touched. And then there were the glances they exchanged in the war room.

My stomach turns again.

Mikail is handsome and charismatic, so I see why she’d fall for him, but he was in love with Euyn the last time I saw him. I can’t imagine that their love has faded enough to be replaced by another. But Sora is no ordinary woman.

“You’ve grown close with him,” I say.

The bitterness I can’t hide seeps into my words. I can’t seem to keep my resolution that I want her to be happy regardless of how she finds that joy. This close to her, and I only want it to be me.

I grind my teeth. So much for striving to be a better person.

She shrugs. “No more so than the others. We’ve all grown close. It’s how we survived in Khitan and ever since.”

Curiosity bubbles and bursts inside me. I want to ask more questions. I want to know exactly what he means to her and what she means to him, and it’s deeply none of my business. I press my lips together to keep the words in.

“Mikail is grieving the one dearest to him,” she says.

“So am I.” She stares into the distance without a spyglass, and her fingers grip the stone railing of the wall.

“It’s a deep, dark pit, especially when you feel responsible.

We share that double bond of love and loss.

If you’re implying that it’s romantic, though—no, it is not. ”

I wish that didn’t make my heart lighter.

I wish I didn’t suddenly view Mikail in a better light.

He did love Euyn for a decade. I was right—that kind of consuming love doesn’t disappear when a body burns.

Instead, it lurks in the corners of your mind, chaining your heart.

He and Sora are both saddled with grief and thirst for revenge, but together, their load is lighter.

I know that feeling. All the sadness and desperation in Idle was far easier when I had Ailor with me.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

She tilts her head. “For what?”

“For making assumptions.”

She smiles slowly, and it’s hypnotic. This is the grin she gives when I’ve pleasantly surprised her. It’s the one I strive to see.

“It’s all right,” she says. “You’ve been through so much as well—Idle, escaping and traveling to Khitan, and then trying to reach your father. You could have fled to safety, but you came here to find us. To find me. I… I’m glad you’re here.”

She hesitates, but she drifts a step closer and then another. I make myself hold still. I’ve been longing for weeks to hold her—for nothing more than to have her safe in my arms—but as much as I want her, I need her to want me, too.

I lean on the half wall, and she stops two feet away. She holds the railing. I move my hand closer on the stone until our fingertips touch.

She looks down at our hands, and she smiles. Her grin erases the darkness around me.

“You’re really here,” she says, her beautiful voice filled with wonder.

I nod. “I made a promise to you that I would wait for anything.”

She looks to the side, frowning. “Promises are just words to most people.”

“Not to me.”

She scans my face and then sighs. Our eyes meet, and for the first time since I’ve seen her again, I feel that she wants me closer. She wants me here with her. She takes a small step, but it feels like she’s closing miles of distance between us.

I slowly reach toward her face, and her eyes drift closed.

I’m about to touch her cheek when she whips her head to the right. Startled, I pull my arm back, but she’s not looking at me—she’s staring at the entrance to the tower. I was so lost in the moment that I didn’t hear the footsteps racing up the stairs.

But I do now.

My breathing speeds up as person after person jogs closer. This isn’t Mikail and the others. And that can only mean trouble.

With their steps comes the jangle of metal and coordinated breathing. It’s soldiers—I’m certain of it. But we didn’t spot any king’s guard marching from Berm or anywhere else. The fortress in Jeul is manned now by rebels, and they should have intercepted any soldiers. Where did these men come from?

It doesn’t matter. They’re almost here.

I drop my spyglass and push Sora behind me before I draw my sword. The glass falls on the stone floor with a crack. Sora sets hers down and pulls out a dagger.

We stare at the archway. Only two people can pass through at the same time, which makes our numbers even. If I strike as soon as they appear, I could kill them two at a time. But how many until my strength gives out? And what if they’re on our side?

I don’t have to wait long to find out.

Two men in black leather armor reach the top of the tower. They’re Yusanian king’s guard. That means there are at least ten more men behind them, since the king’s guard moves as a twelve- or fifteen-man strike team.

I hold my sword, waiting, my palms sweating.

For the life of me, I don’t know how Mikail handles this so casually—the moment before an attack, when you resolve to murder another human being.

My chest throbs to the point I think my heart might fail.

I don’t want to kill anyone, but there’s Sora.

She’s breathing behind me, and I won’t let them hurt her.

If I die protecting her, it would be a worthwhile ending.

I make my decision, ready to swing.

One of the men raises his hand. The medals on his chest glimmer in the moonlight—he’s a captain.

“Sora Inigo and Tiyung Gamesong, you are to come with us.”

To where, exactly? Are they soldiers from Berm or are they Rune’s men? If they are Rune’s, did Fallador betray us? Or was he merely a decoy while the count moved his men in to take us hostage? They obviously want us alive; otherwise, they would’ve attacked already.

“I don’t think so,” I say.

“Lay down your sword or we will remove you by force,” he replies.

I need time to figure out how to get Sora to safety. We are far too high up to jump. And their men occupy the only exit. There’s no option. We’ll have to go with them and then try to escape once we’re in the palace.

“On whose authority?” I ask.

The more they talk, the more time I’ll have to formulate a plan. The longer we spend here, the greater the chances that the others might return and slaughter all of them.

The captain tilts his head slightly as if it’s a wild question. “On King Seok’s authority.”

My shoulders drop, and my heart falls. No. No, these can’t be my father’s men. They must be soldiers trying to collect on the bounty.

But the doubt makes me loosen my grip. The second my sword tips, the king’s guard rushes me.

I regrip the hilt and slice at the soldier’s waist where the armor ends.

He falls to the ground with a scream. Horror and victory flow through me, but more guards appear before I can even recover.

Four king’s guard pull at me and Sora, separating us.

Our eyes meet—she’s terrified. I reach for her, but a guard knocks my sword from my other hand.

Weaponless, I ball my hands into fists and punch whoever is near me.

I won’t let them take her.

While I flail, a fist flies at my face. Next thing I know, I’m seeing stars and clutching at my nose.

A voice rings out. “Enough!”

Everyone stops moving.

“The king’s son was not to be hurt! Those were the orders.” The man’s voice carries authority and is laced with irritation at his underlings.

I look up as a man in gray steel walks onto the tower. Red feathers decorate his helmet. Oh gods, that is a Qali Palace guard.

These are my father’s men.

Sora goes still, her jaw slack. She stares at me with betrayal in her eyes. I wonder why she’s looking at me like that, but then I realize she thinks that I knew or that I am a part of this. I don’t have a chance to deny it before the king’s guard carries us out of the tower.