“No one is asking you to help,” was his cold reply.
I stormed off, hating my brother even more than before. When Darren came to sit beside me that evening I was too busy stabbing my venison to notice.
“Ryiah?” The prince’s hand slipped over my own. “What’s wrong? You haven’t touched your food in days.”
“Nothing.” I said the word bitterly, tearing off a forkful of roast and shoving it into my mouth.
“Did I do something to upset you?” The pain in his voice lanced at my heart. “I…” He lowered his voice so that his brother couldn’t hear us over the other advisors and Council at the table. “I had the servants deliver that potion, but I…” His neck tinged red. “If that’s w-what you are upset… I d-don’t expect… If you aren’t ready...”
My whole face flushed. “I-it’s not that.”
“Are you sure?” His eyes bore into mine until I was forced to look away, traitor that I was.
I fumbled for an excuse. “It’s Wren.” She was certainly a part of it. The lie flowed easily enough. “Every night your brother talks about Pythus, and I can’t help thinking of her.”
Darren’s gaze drew dark and his hand tightened on my own. “Soon, Ryiah, we will catch every last one of those rebels. Blayne has me scouring all Marius’s reports for something he might have missed. He was so thorough, but I’ve been talking with the other advisors, and I think he might have been going about everything wrong. What if they aren’t in the South?”
My breath caught in my throat as he continued: “We always thought that’s where they were. Because of all the attacks. But maybe that’s what they wanted us to think. Maybe their base is in the north.”
“YOUR MAJESTY, WE HAVE A TRAITOR IN OUR MIDST.”
I slammed back in my chair, wooden legs scraping against the floor.
Mage Mira barged into the dining hall, leading two of her favorite mages and Derrick. His head was hung and his arms were dripping blood, all of his weight shifted to one leg.
My heart slammed against my ribs so loud I couldn’t hear the next words she shouted. NO. GODS, NO.
King Blayne shot out of his chair, his brother a second later. Blayne’s eyes flitted to mine and then Mira’s, and then back again. An inscrutable expression.
Darren staggered back, mirroring my movements only a moment before.
“We caught this one in the war chamber.” Mira had her men jerk my brother forward, and I heard the whimper as he was thrown to his knees, a sickening crack as his bad leg slammed against the marble tile. DERRICK. “He was making a list. Looking at the books. Keeping a count of each city’s regiment. Writing names.” She spat the words and a drop of saliva hit my brother’s shirt. He made no move to wipe it away—he couldn’t, his hands were bound behind his back.
Lists? Numbers? My pulse stopped as the facts came into play. My brother had never been looking for proof. His whole story about King Lucius was a lie. He had been gathering information for the rebels on the Crown the entire time. And he had been using me to get it.
Betrayal cut across my chest like a knife. And what was worse? My heart still bled for him. Even when I knew the truth. Even when it was staring me in the face. “It has to be a mistake!”
“It’s not.” Mira’s eyes lobbed daggers at my own. “And for all we know you were helping him! He’s your brother, seems to me a traitor wouldn’t fly far from the nest.”
“I wasn’t—”
“If you ever accuse my betrothed of treachery again,” Darren’s voice rang out low and ominous without a second glance my way. His fists were white on the back of his chair. “You will be disrobed and tossed in a cell to rot. Do you understand, mage?” He didn’t even address her by her name.
A hot flush of shame threatened to drown me in air.
“That’s enough, Darren.” Blayne’s eyes were glued to my face. “Mira, have your men take him to the dungeons. Ryiah, Darren, you will come with Mage Mira and me. To the war chambers. Now. The rest of you, continue your meal. You breathe a word of the rebel’s presence to anyone, and I will have you thrown in a cell right along side.”
****
“Ryiah.” The king met my eyes, and his ice-cold gaze bore into my own. Even though he was a good deal younger, I could see his father staring right back. Lucius had trained his son well.
I could only hope it was still Blayne on the other side.
“Did you know your brother was a traitor to the Crown?”
Deep, slow breath. No sudden movements. Shock plastered on my lips. Terror in my eyes. Fury and betrayal burning in my lungs. “No, I-I didn’t.”
It’s not a lie. It’s not a lie. I thought he was a good rebel. I thought he cared about the kingdom. I didn’t know he was helping prepare the Caltothians for a war.