When I was done, the commander was silent. She kept parting her lips and then swallowing, unwilling or unable to speak. When she finally cleared her throat, her words were hoarse. “I thought the worst of it was over… I-I’ll admit, a small part of me considered that Lucius had passed down his secret to his sons, but I thought it was Pythus.”
The rebels thought King Joren had orchestrated the murders the night of the Victors’ Ceremony in Montfort.
“Darren is innocent.” I needed her to understand what I was about to say. “All of this, it was Blayne.”
“And yet it is the Black Mage who is investigating our keep.”
“Because his brother asked him to!” My whisper came out a defensive shout, and I made myself lower it. “Darren risked his life to save your soldiers that day of our apprenticeship. If he had known the attack was planned, he wouldn’t—”
“Perhaps Darren wanted to look the hero.” She was unconvinced.
My nails dug into my palm. “He lost his best friend that day, the daughter of Commander Audric, Eve. He would never sacrifice her.”
“Perhaps—”
“Perhaps nothing!” I took a menacing step forward. “I watched the prince cry for the apprentices who died during the attacks in Mahj, the attacks you initiated.”
“Salt is a precious commodity. Cutting off the Crown’s primary resource would have forced Lucius to cut back his army—”
“I watched Darren sacrifice, again and again, for his country. He is nothing like his brother, nothing.”
Nyx wore a frown plastered to her mouth, but said nothing. She had spent over twenty years nursing a distrust of the Crown. She didn’t know Darren the way I did. The commander might not have been there in Mahj the day the rebels tried to kill the prince, but it was her cause that had been willing to sacrifice the boy I loved.
I needed her to understand that could not be the case.
“I will help you,” I said softly. “I will finish what my brother could not. I will find the proof we need and convince the Pythians not to honor the New Alliance. But I need your assurance Darren will be safe from the others. What we are planning, however it plays out, Darren will not be charged with his family’s crimes.”
“He is a prince of the realm. When the Crown’s secrets are exposed, no one will trust him on the throne. Even if I were to believe you, that Darren is innocent, you can see that the others will not. They will never trust a prince of tainted lineage to lead.”
“He doesn’t need a crown.” I had already made up my mind. “When this is over, you can put someone else on the throne, but Darren is free.”
“Any acts he commits under his brother’s orders—”
“He will not be accountable.” My words came out a growl. “Darren is not responsible for whatever the king requests of his Black Mage.”
“He is hunting rebels.” Her voice was hard. “You expect my men to stand by as—”
“I expect you to tell them whatever it takes. If anyone harms a hair on his head, I will turn this entire regiment over to the king.”
“You would sentence thousands to die?”
“You would sentence thousands to die. If you cannot control your men, it would be their blood on your hands, not mine.” I was bluffing, but she couldn’t read my expression in the dark. “You will not be able to stop this war without me. You need me.”
“All for him?”
“All for Jerar.” I folded my arms. “But I will not let Darren be the cost.”
Nyx was silent. I knew she would say yes; she had no other choice. She couldn’t afford to walk away.
“Very well.” The woman drew in a resigned breath, and then another. “I will report everything you have told me to my men and send word to the Caltothian king. Horrace needs to know about this new development. How can we assist?”
“Darren believes the rebels reside north and that the southern attacks were feigned to lead the Crown astray.” My tone was flat. “I need you to give him a reason to believe he is wrong. The longer we remain at the keep, the less time I have to search the palace and the higher the chance the whole keep is exposed.”
“You want me to stir up activity in the south?”
I shook my head. “Blayne has Marius and several patrols combing the Red Desert as we speak. No one would be safe. I want you to have one of your own put on a good show here. Make Darren believe he has discovered one of the rebels. Have the man claim he was paid to recruit for a leader in the south, and that there are rebels hiding among the palace staff, biding their time, waiting for their chance to murder their king.”
“I would be sentencing this man to certain death.”
I took a shaky breath. “Darren will not kill the rebel, not right away, not if he believes he has information that can help him identify the ones in the palace. Have the man bargain with his life, claiming that without him it will be too late for Blayne.”
“And then?”
“I will find a way to help him escape.” My mind was already made up.
“A rebel escape under the Black Mage and twenty of his closest guards? That’s an impossible feat.”
“Just prepare the man.” I folded my arms resolutely. “Make sure he knows the hideouts your people keep in the Iron Range. And whatever you do, do not send him south. That’s where Darren will look.”
“How much time do I have?”