Kerdan opened his gloved hand, small snowflakes landing on his palm and melting. “And I want to thank you for agreeing to my plan.”
They sat in silence, the snow falling. Allyssa wouldn’t say they were friends, nor would she say she fully trusted him. Yet, sitting there by his side, she felt hope. Hope for the future of Emperion, hope for Russek. One day, they would each be ruling their respective kingdoms, possibly working together again. At least she knew he had Russek’s best interest at heart. And he would be a far better king than his father.
“Thank you for trusting me,” she said. “I know your trust is not easily given.”
“Since my mother’s death, I have not trusted anyone.”
She wondered if that meant he didn’t trust her.
“We should go.” He jumped off the tree, not offering her a hand.
She smiled and hopped down, thankful he treated her as an equal and not a helpless woman.
Chapter Nineteen
“Our plan isn’t going to work,” Kerdan growled as he swung and punched the wall. Allyssa folded her arms, wondering why he was so angry. “We need to talk to Odar.” He flung the door open and waved her forward.
She rarely left the bedchamber. In the hallway, he clutched her arm harder than necessary. “Let go,” she said, trying to pull away. He ignored her and continued on, practically running down the stairwells and corridors.
They reached one of the main sections of the castle. Sentries stood guard at the entry and exit points while nobles walked about. When people saw the prince storming through with her, they stepped out of his way. Allyssa tripped, but Kerdan didn’t slow. He dragged her along as she struggled to regain her footing.
“Stop treating me like this!” she demanded. “You’re being an oaf.” She didn’t care who heard her.
He stopped and grabbed her hair, pulling her closer to him. “Shut your mouth, woman.” The black paint on his face formed daggers, not swirly lines like she had previously thought. “Do not speak unless spoken to.” He started dragging her again.
They went down a corridor, passing by two sentries who chuckled when they saw Kerdan towing her alongside him. At a storage closet, he threw the door open. “No one comes in,” he growled to a soldier not far away. “If I’m disturbed, it’s your head.” He shoved Allyssa inside and slammed the door closed.
“What the bloody hell is going on?” she demanded. “How dare you treat me in such a way!”
“Will you shut your mouth for one second and listen?” He whacked the door, making her jump. This side of him scared her. “Scream.”
“What?”
“I want you to scream. Now.”
Allyssa couldn’t muster up her voice. Kerdan grabbed her shoulders, shoving her against the door with a thud, and she yelped.
“Good,” he whispered. “Now keep your voice down.” He yanked her to the back of the storage closet where a small door only three-feet high stood. He opened it, and Odar climbed out.
“You better have a bloody good reason for bringing me down here,” Odar muttered as he stood.
She flung her arms around him, squeezing hard. Actually touching him, being so close, reined in her temper and nerves.
“We don’t have much time,” Kerdan mumbled.
She released Odar and took a step back. His eyes never left hers as he said, “What’s the matter?”
“Jana is refusing to leave the castle,” Kerdan said. “Our plan is no longer feasible. We must come up with something else.”
If the queen refused to leave, then she probably knew some sort of an assassination was planned. “Do you have any other ideas?” she asked.
Kerdan clasped his hands behind his back and started pacing about the closet. “Only one.” He glanced at Allyssa, his face hard.
“You want us to kill them while they’re sleeping, don’t you?”
He gave a curt nod and stopped before her. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see any other way.”
Odar ran his hands through his hair. “You expect us to murder four people before you let us go?”
“That is correct.” Kerdan resumed pacing.
“Can you do that?” Odar asked Allyssa. “Can you sanction the murder of four people when you couldn’t stomach the idea of killing one before?”
She closed her eyes and remembered their conversation in the forest when he’d wanted to kill Soma, but she wouldn’t let him. The weight of that decision crushed down on her. If only she had been strong enough to end Soma’s life then. She opened her eyes, looking into Odar’s rich, brown ones. She didn’t like the idea of killing; however, it had to be done. “If it stops the war and saves thousands of lives, the loss of four is worth it.” Plus, she hated Jana and Soma. She wanted them dead, so they could never hurt her again.
“You’ve changed. The girl I knew a few weeks ago would never agree to do this.”
“I’m not the girl I was before we came here. This place has changed me.” Fury eclipsed the sadness of her heart. How dare he accuse her of changing like it was a bad thing? And if he had left when she’d wanted to, maybe they wouldn’t be here. Maybe none of this would have happened. “Are you saying you don’t want to partake in Kerdan’s new plan?”
“I have no problem going through with it,” Odar assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “It’s you I’m worried about. I don’t want you to back out or change your mind halfway through the mission. It’s all or nothing.”
“I can do it.” He didn’t know what she had endured in the dungeon. One day she would be able to talk to him about it. But not now, not yet. If he knew, he wouldn’t be questioning if she could murder them. He’d know for sure she could do it.
Odar’s hands fell from her shoulders, and he took a deep breath. “There’s one major issue I foresee,” he said. “When the royal family is found dead and the two of us are gone, King Drenton will know we killed them. He’ll be more determined than ever to go to war against Fren and Emperion.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” Kerdan replied. “I know my father and can assure you his devastation over losing his wife will delay the war. I will use that time to find a way to stop it permanently. I give you my word.”
The two men stood there staring at one another. Finally, Odar spoke, “The problem is, I don’t trust your word. We’re taking care of your problem for the chance to escape. You’re asking too much.”
Kerdan took a menacing step toward Odar. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t trust you either. All you have to do is breathe a word of this to Shelene, and I’ll be arrested for treason.”
“Boys.” Allyssa inserted herself between them, pushing them away from one another. “Arguing will do us no good, so stop gabbing like sissies and let’s plan the details.”
“I need to think about it,” Odar muttered. Before she could say anything else, he turned and exited through the small door.
She groaned. Sometimes, he could be so pigheaded.
“I respect his desire to think this through. What I’m asking isn’t to be taken lightly.”
She eyed Kerdan. “Why do you wear that black paint on your face?” she asked, changing the subject.