Aren shouldn’t be facing down death. No one should.
A sudden tension runs through Kyol. I tilt my head slightly, as if that will make me more in tune with him and his surroundings, but his emotions return to a warm, neutral simmer. He’s still in the palace, but he’s not moving anymore. Maybe he’s found Aren?
Or maybe men loyal to Hison have found Kyol.
“I heard what happened.”
Naito’s voice startles me. I look up, notice that his shadow is falling over me. “How long have you been standing here?”
“Not that long,” he says, then he sits next to me on the bench. An anchor-stone is in his hand. He runs his thumb over its surface. It’s smooth there, like he’s rubbed that same place over and over again. “What are you planning?”
“The assassination of a high noble,” I say, not surprised by his question. He wouldn’t expect me to sit back and do nothing any more than I’d expect him to if someone he loved was in trouble.
He meets my gaze, scrutinizing me as if he’s trying to figure out if I’m joking or not. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? It might be . . . difficult.”
“I’m being trained by the best swordsman in the Realm. Of course it’s a great idea.”
At that, he chuckles.
“Aren is more of a brother to me than Lee has ever been.” His thumb slides over the anchor-stone again. “I’ll do what I can to help you get him out, but we might want to start with something a little more achievable.”
“Kyol’s trying to find him.”
“Is he trying to free him?” Naito asks the question way too casually.
“If he has the opportunity, yes,” I say, lowering my voice. No one’s near us, but the fae have excellent hearing. I don’t want to take the chance that one of them can understand English. “I don’t think he’ll be able to, though. He can’t let Hison or anyone else know he’s involved with Aren’s escape. Once we find out where he is . . .”
I fade off, trying to identify the emotion that spikes through my life-bond. Kyol tames it within seconds, but I swear his heart rate is escalated. He hasn’t moved from where he was a few minutes ago. God, please don’t let him be in trouble. I can’t save both of them.
“McKenzie?”
I focus again on Naito. “Sorry. I’m distracted.”
He stares at the anchor-stone. “Kelia always said Lorn’s emotions were muted when they were in different worlds.” A small, nostalgic grin touches his lips. “So she preferred to be in the Realm when we made love. It was her revenge.”
I smile, too. You can’t force a life-bond on someone. Both parties have to want it. On some level, I must have wanted it when Kyol made the connection with me, and Kelia must have wanted it with Lorn. I’m not sure what he did to deserve her vengeance, but knowing Lorn, I’m sure it was something.
“There’s really no way to break it?” I ask.
“There were rumors,” he says, turning the stone in his hand, “but I promise you, we tried all of them. We tried hunting down fae who supposedly could sever the bond. They were all dead ends. Then Kelia attempted to form a new bond with someone she hated less. When that didn’t work, she tried exhausting her magic to the point I made her stop because I was afraid she’d turn tor’um. Death is the only cure.”
I bite my lower lip, refusing to cry. I don’t want Kyol to die, but I don’t want Aren to, either. And why would he do this? Why would he sacrifice himself to save Kyol when he hates him? He can’t be doing this just because he knows how much it will hurt me if Kyol dies.
My throat burns when I swallow. Kyol’s moving now, making his way back in this direction. Maybe he’ll have answers.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Naito. “I thought you were helping Lee test the serums.”
“Trev came back for us. He mentioned what happened.” He pockets the anchor-stone. “We’re finished for now, anyway. We have to wait a few hours, then see what the serum does to the blood samples. Theoretically, we’ll be able to match the changes in the test tubes to the changes that have already happened in Lee. Something like that, at least. He acts like he knows what he’s doing.”
“You’ll need Paige’s blood, too?”
“To make sure she injected the nonlethal serum, yeah. You still haven’t talked to her?”
“No.” I rub at the headache forming between my eyes. I must be a terrible person because Paige’s situation—the possibility that she might be dead or dying—is the furthest thing from my mind.
“Kyol’s heading back,” I say, standing. “I need to talk to him.”
Naito nods. “I’ll help any way I can.”
I give him a troubled smile, then head off to intercept Kyol, praying he has a plan to rescue Aren.
I don’t need the life-bond to know that Kyol isn’t bringing good news. He meets my gaze as he strides toward me. There’s no hesitation in his steps, no flicker of emotion in his silver eyes. He’s only this rigid and controlled when things aren’t going well.
My stomach tightens into knots. I brace myself for the worst, then ask, “How is he?”
“Not here,” he says. He passes by, leaving me no choice but to follow. The corridor we’re in is empty, but apparently not empty enough for him. He leads me to the palace’s residential wing, then to my room. Closing the door behind us, he says, “I talked to Jorreb. He refused to take back his words. He said it wouldn’t matter now if he tried. In the high nobles’ minds, he’s been guilty since they learned of Atroth’s death.”
My eyes sting, and nausea churns in my stomach. I believe the last part, that the high nobles think he killed the king. Even though Aren never intended to take the throne himself, he led the fight against Atroth’s Court fae. His sword killed the king’s soldiers, soldiers who came from each of the Realm’s provinces. The high nobles won’t let that go. But I don’t believe this is just about bringing the kingkiller to justice; this is about revenge. The high nobles thirst for it.
“The high nobles can go to hell,” I say. “I won’t let them kill Aren. How do we free him?”
I keep my eyes locked on Kyol’s, waiting for his answer. The seconds tick by. His expression doesn’t change, but I feel a dozen emotions tumble through him. His walls are fragile right now.
“Kyol?” I press.
He draws in a breath. His shoulders hunch slightly, then he says, “He asked me to let this happen, McKenzie.”
“Let what happen?” I ask, refusing to understand him.
“The execution.”
Those two words knock the air from my lungs.
“He wants us to let Hison kill him?” It doesn’t make sense at all. Aren isn’t suicidal.
“It’s the best thing for Lena and the Realm,” Kyol says. “It’s the best thing for you.”
My mind locks on the words It’s the best thing for you, and the fear and frustration I’m trying so hard to hold to a simmer explode into a full-out boil.
“You want him to die!” I yell.
“No—”
“If he’s dead, you think you’ll have another chance with me.”
He reaches for my arm. “McKenzie—”
“You won’t!” I jab my finger at his chest. “I gave you ten years of chances, and you turned them all down.”
My heart shatters when I feel his break, but I hold the pieces of mine together with sheer willpower.
“This isn’t about me, McKenzie. This is what Jorreb wants.”
“I’m sure you tried to talk him out of it,” I say with a bitter laugh.
“I did,” Kyol says. “I swear to you, I did.”
“Bullshit!”