“Shh,” she hissed. “Do you want to bring the guards in here? We can talk in the tunnel.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t trust you, Marella. Why did you tell me Arcus was dead?”
She sighed. “You were talking about giving up, letting yourself lose the match. I couldn’t let that happen, Ruby. I needed you to fight.”
“It would have been enough to say that Kane was at the abbey with the captain. You didn’t need to tell me my closest friend was dead. I could have killed him! When I think what almost happened because of you—”
She smiled knowingly. “Is he really just a friend, Ruby? I saw the way you looked when you thought he was dead.”
I stepped toward her and she stepped back, palms out. “And yes, I suppose I did go further than I needed to, but I wanted you angry. I wanted you thinking your darkest thoughts, feeling your darkest feelings. That’s the only way the Minax will be able to merge with you, and that’s the only way to destroy the throne. You still want to destroy it, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” I said, struggling not to shake her for what she could have caused. “But that doesn’t mean I forgive you.”
“I’m sorry, Ruby,” she said, finally looking contrite. “I didn’t know it was… Arcus, you call him? I had no idea what had happened to him when you were taken from the abbey. Frankly, I didn’t even know for sure that he was the king. I had only suspicions. Now, come. We’re wasting time.”
She turned her back and moved away, and I followed this time. Destroying the throne took precedence over my anger at her betrayal. Whether I liked it or not, I needed her knowledge.
“Do you really think I can do this?” I asked as we half walked, half ran through the narrow space. “Whenever I’ve been in the throne room, I can barely connect to my power. My only hope is that the throne is weaker without the king’s presence.”
She stopped and turned, taking my wrist in her hand and squeezing in a comforting gesture.
“You can do this, Ruby,” she said, her conviction flowing into me. “Let the Minax inhabit you. Once you become one with it, you share its power. It’s the only way to destroy the throne and give us some hope of winning. Some hope for…” She trailed off.
“Rasmus?” I asked softly. Her eyes snapped to mine. “It’s clear you care for him.”
Her nostrils flared. “Perhaps I shouldn’t. Even before he took the throne, he was moody, unpredictable, and, well, troubled. But I cared for him anyway, for as long as I can remember.” She pressed her lips together. “When he became king, he turned into someone I didn’t recognize. His petty cruelty became monstrous, his unpredictability became wild changes in temper, and his black moods became…” She shook her head. “I lost him. If you destroy the throne, there is a chance I’ll have him back, the real him, and maybe I can help him return to something worth loving.”
Her confession stunned me, both the idea of loving Rasmus and the fact that she had confided in me.
We arrived at the tunnel exit, a stone’s throw from the looming outline of the throne.
“You have to do this, Ruby,” she whispered. “There are things I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but I know more about the throne than you can imagine. It has waited for you all these years. If you fail, every hope is lost. And I will be executed for helping you.”
“Yes,” a silky voice agreed. “But it wouldn’t be much of a loss.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
A FIGURE ROSE FROM THE THRONE, his bright hair haloed by light that burst through the window and ricocheted off facets of ice.
“Marella, my dear traitor.” He beckoned her forward.
“I didn’t betray you,” she said, her face ashen. “I’m trying to save you.”
He gave a short, disbelieving laugh. “The only person you care about saving is yourself. You may have fooled Ruby, but I know you too well. Come closer. I want to see those lovely little tears you manufacture so easily as you beg for your life.”
She turned and raced for the tunnel. When her hand touched the stone door, she cried out. Ice covered her fingers, fusing them to the handle. I put a hand out to melt the ice, but the familiar weight pressed on my chest, hiding my fire.
“You seem surprised to see me,” Rasmus said to me, his lips curving.
I willed my heart to slow and stepped forward. “You aren’t leading your men in battle?”
His eyes hooded. “I’ll reward the loyal ones and string up the traitors. The throne is only strengthened by battle.”
He spoke with lazy satisfaction, as if he’d shared some bit of arcane knowledge as a matter of idle curiosity.
“When people die by violence, the throne grows stronger and feeds its power to me.” He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the ice. “What were you planning to do here, my lovely Fireling?”
“I wanted the throne’s power, as you offered.”