CHAPTER 23
They stepped out of the Basilissa’s room at the same time Brightan entered the hall a few doors down. He froze, glaring their way before straightening and taking position against the wall.
She followed Ruckus, but as they were passing the room the Kint had just exited, she stopped. The only reason Trystan’s Sworn—the Kint equivalent of an Ander—would be guarding this door was if it led to the Zane. Despite her earlier thoughts on the matter, now that she’d been spotted by Brightan, she thought it’d be really wrong of her to leave without at least stopping in quickly.
She could do that, pop her head in, call out a thanks if Trystan was awake, and be on her way. The whole process would only take a matter of seconds, and afterward she wouldn’t feel so indebted. Hopefully. Probably not—he had saved her life, evoking a slew of uncomfortable and confusing emotions in her—but at least she’d be closer to putting it behind her.
“That’s not a good idea,” Ruckus told her, clearly able to pick up on where her thoughts were headed.
“Everyone has seen us,” she pointed out. “I think it’d be a bigger deal if I didn’t go in there. They’re betrothed, after all, and he did just save my life. Even Olena can’t be that coldhearted.”
“Would it actually surprise you if she was?”
Sadly, no. But Delaney wasn’t that person herself, so she stepped toward the door, bracing when Brightan threw an arm before it faster than a snake could strike.
“The Lissa would like to thank the Zane,” Ruckus said, voice steely. “You will let her pass.”
“I am under no obligation to your Lissa,” he sneered.
“So long as you remain in Vakar”—Ruckus took a threatening step closer—“I disagree.”
“Disagree all you like, Ander. I will not—” Brightan clamped his mouth shut and canted his head, the same way the rest of them did when they received a telepathic communication. A moment later his hand gripped the silver door handle so tightly, his knuckles turned bone white.
Without another word, he shoved the door open a few inches, immediately turning back to his post. He refused to look either of them in the eye, but when Ruckus moved forward, his arm was back and he shook his head once.
“She goes alone.” It was obvious Brightan didn’t like this scenario any more than Ruckus did.
“It’s fine.” She rested a hand on Ruckus’s arm before he could argue, and turned to smile at him, despite how nervous she suddenly felt. This had been a bad idea after all, but it was too late to go back now. “I’ll be quick.”
“See that you are,” he told her, then sighed. “I’ll be right here.”
Straightening her shoulders, she inhaled and then pushed the door open the rest of the way. Stepping inside, she almost jumped when Brightan snatched the handle and tugged it shut once more.
“I heard you in the hall.” Trystan’s voice yanked her attention to the other side of the room. He was lying in a bed similar to the one the Basilissa had been in. White bandage tape was wrapped tightly around his upper body, and he was propped up in an almost sitting position.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” he added when she continued to stand in front of the door and stare. “Are you here to see for yourself that I’m still alive? I’m sorry to disappoint.”
“No, I—” She realized she’d been wringing her hands, then dropped them, forcing herself to take a determined step closer. “Can we drop the sarcastic act for one second?”
He lifted a single blond brow. “I wasn’t being sarcastic.”
“I’m here to thank you,” she said, and waved at him, “for, you know. Getting shot. Saving my life. Does it hurt?”
Trystan seemed just as surprised by her question as she was by asking it. His gaze swept over her, a frown forming and deepening the longer he looked. He was a very pale color, and when he shifted on the bed, he couldn’t quite cover up his wince in time.
“I hardly notice,” he lied, and they both knew that he had, but he didn’t recant.
“That was your chance,” she said, the words rushing from her lips before she could help them. “No one could have implicated you if you’d just let him shoot me.” She recalled what he’d said to her after the teekee had spilled. “That was your chance to be free. Why didn’t you take it?”
Trystan watched her silently, and just when she’d started to believe he wasn’t going to give her an answer, he murmured, “Olena never was very perceptive.”
It almost sounded like he was speaking to himself, though, and when she locked her eyes on his, he was looking at her differently. Almost like he was confused about what he saw. The calculating expression was one he’d used against her before, and it made her spine stiffen.
“I’m trying to match the girl before me with the one I’ve known,” he told her. “But you keep changing.”
“Trystan.” She retreated a step.
“Stop.” His tone was harsh, and she found herself obeying. He contemplated his next words and ended up telling her, “It hurts when I move.”
“I’m sorry.” And, a bit uneasily, she discovered that was the truth. She didn’t like him, but she also didn’t like that he was hurt because he’d been protecting her. No matter what his reasons for doing so were.
“You are, aren’t you?” He lifted a hand and curled his fingers toward her. “Come here.”
Her survival instincts snapped back into place, and this time it was easy to ignore his command. She had her hand on the doorknob and was in the process of opening it in a matter of heartbeats.
“Thank you again, Trystan,” she told him, meeting his gaze over her shoulder before quickly leaving the room.
Ruckus appeared very worried, reaching for her before she’d fully entered the hall. Seeing that she was all right, he led her away, waiting until they were out of the hospital wing before asking how it had gone.
“Fine,” she said, barely holding back a shudder. “Strange. I don’t know.”
He pursed his lips, clearly not satisfied with her responses. “I don’t like that you were alone with him.”
“I don’t like that I was alone with him.” Delaney bumped her shoulder against him. “There’s got to be something else we can talk about.”
“I have a plan for when Olena gets here,” he divulged, obviously just as eager as she was to end the Trystan topic. “The Tellers who have her in custody will arrive two hours before dawn, when the rest of the castle is still asleep. We’ll sneak down to the loading dock to meet them, and do the exchange there. Let me show you.”
They wound their way through the halls, passing his room first so that she could see the actual path they would be taking tomorrow night. Most of the passages they moved through were empty, and it was currently the middle of the day. There shouldn’t be any problems for them when it came time to leave for real.
“Fawna, the pilot who helped us remove you from Earth, will be down there,” Ruckus said.