“Alex!” Ella staggered to her feet. “Let her go!”
“Not until she tells us what she’s hiding!” My brother’s eyes stayed locked on my face.
“I’m not—”
“NO.” My brother cut me off. “Stop lying! This is me. I know every expression you make, Ry. I know you like I know myself—and right now I know you are hiding something.” He dropped his shoulders, letting his forehead press against mine, whispering. “What are you hiding, Ryiah?”
My gaze fell to the doorway where the guards were still waiting. So far they would have just assumed our conversation was that of an angry brother in denial. They had heard the same from my parents that first night I arrived.
But the one thing I hadn’t counted on was my twin who knew me like the back of his hand.
I grabbed his arm and spoke softly. “You need to lower your voice.” My gaze darted to my family and Ella as I pulled them to the furthest corner of our house.
“I k-know who the rebels are.”
“WHAT—”
Ella slapped a hand over my brother’s mouth. ”Alex!”
“You know?” My mother’s gaze searched my own. “Why didn’t you—”
“It’s dangerous.” My voice was pained. “Darren fought his brother just to grant me a reprieve. If Blayne suspected I-I knew anything…” I trailed off for a moment, and then forced myself to continue. “They are looking for traitors, a-and after Derrick I d-didn’t want them thinking any of you were one of them. T-that you know something you shouldn’t.”
“Why did Derrick join the rebels?” My father was shaking. “What did he tell you? Why was he at the palace and not the keep?”
“What I tell you now.” My voice was barely a whisper. I made myself stand strong. “It can’t ever leave this house. None of you can ever breathe a word of it to anyone, ever. Not even to each other.” I didn’t want to tell them, but how could I not? They deserved to know why their child was dead. Alex deserved to know why his little brother would never come home.
And so I told them. I told them everything.
My parents and Ella were horrified, but Alex…
I shouldn’t have told him.
“How do you know Derrick wasn’t telling the truth?” my twin whispered furiously. “Did you see what King Lucius did to those prisoners? To me?” His voice quivered. “To Ella? Did you forget what the king allowed Blayne to do to her? What Darren did to you during the course of the apprenticeship? No—” He caught my protests before I could speak. “What Darren did was wrong, Ry. No man leads a woman on while he is betrothed to another! He lied to you, humiliated you in front of the court, he lied to you every gods’ blasted day for two years before he was finally man enough to do something about it—”
“I told you why Darren did that!” My voice rose. “Don’t you dare—”
“That whole family is evil!” My twin was struggling not to shout. “Maybe Derrick was right. Maybe the brothers did know what their father was doing the whole time. Maybe your precious prince decided to murder his cruel father and his brother in one night, only he missed. Maybe this has been his plan all along. You said yourself you believed what the rebels said about King Lucius was correct. How do you know they aren’t telling the truth about the attack in Montfort?” Alex’s breath was coming out faster and faster, his chest rising and falling as his face grew red. “What if it wasn’t them or King Horrace? You let our brother die for nothing!” Hot tears were streaming down his face and he shoved Ella’s hand away when she tried to reach his wrist.
My brother grabbed his saddlebag and threw it over one shoulder; his eyes twin daggers as he regarded me with hate. “The Crown has done too much to the people I love—”
“Alex, no!” My father’s face was full of terror, and my mother raised her voice. “Alex, don’t you even—”
“My little brother was murdered. And I didn’t even get to see his funeral because our new king has his body hanging from a pike in the capital square.” His tone could have cut glass. “If asked to choose between a tyrant and a misguided group of people trying to make a change, I choose the latter. The rebels had the right idea all along.”
“Alex!” Ella was shaking, trying to stop him from leaving. “Please, Ryiah didn’t tell you this so—”
“I’m sorry, Ella.” My brother’s shoulders fell as he looked across to his wife. “You don’t have to come with me.”
“Alex—” I reached out and he jerked back, eyes flashing.
“Go ahead and turn me in!” he snapped. “You already let one brother die, what’s another!”
My best friend and parents were screaming and sobbing as my twin stormed out the door. A second later a cloud of dust was trailing in his wake.
I could barely breathe. Why had I told him? My misguided guilt had turned my second brother against me, and now my own betrothed was going to be hunting my own while his brother called on a war.
There was a flurry of movement, and I realized Ella was running toward the door.
“Ella!”