“My life for the life of your people.” Lorelai held his gaze and dared him to justify his choice.
“No.” He shook his head. “She told me to return you to the castle. That’s all I agreed to do. But then she required a blood oath, and she changed the wording to say that I agreed to do whatever she asked of me—”
“You made a blood oath with Irina?” Lorelai asked sharply. “Do you have any idea what she can do to you if she thinks you failed to uphold your end of the bargain?”
Kol’s shoulders drew back, his chin lifted, and suddenly he looked every inch a king. “I die. Horribly. Which is why I’m asking for your promise to show mercy to Eldr.”
Jyn’s face paled, and she stepped forward. “Kol—”
“I’m not going to hold up my end of the bargain,” Kol said. His expression was resolute. “I’m not going to cut out the princess’s heart and give it to Irina. Which means Eldr still needs someone to save it from the ogres.”
“It means you’ll die,” Lorelai said, “and Eldr will be without a king.”
“Better that than for Eldr to have a murderer on the throne.” He knelt before her and touched his forehead in a gesture of fealty. “I have nothing to offer you. I will spare your life no matter what your answer. But I beg you to use your magic to stop the ogres in Eldr and save my people.”
“You aren’t going to die,” Jyn said, her small frame vibrating with anger. “I’ll kill the girl myself, and—”
“Try it, and you’ll have a sword through your heart before you can even finish shifting,” Gabril held his blade steady.
“You can’t kill two dragons in one blow, human,” Trugg sounded furious. “And if you want to hurt either Jyn or my king, you’ll have to go through me.”
“This is the only way.” Kol sounded stoic, but his hands trembled, and Lorelai could see the fear in his eyes as he looked at her. “Please. Promise me you’ll save Eldr.”
The others erupted into arguments and protests while Lorelai’s thoughts raced. If she promised to help Kol with her magic and let him die for betraying his blood oath, Irina would know that her huntsman had failed, and she’d search for another way to find the princess. Lorelai didn’t need the distraction of staying one step ahead of the queenwhen what she really wanted to do was put into place her plan to honor Leo and take Irina down.
She needed a way to make Irina believe Kol had succeeded in killing the princess. If Irina believed Lorelai was dead, she’d send her magic through the used-up, dying Ravenspire ground into Eldr, which might weaken the queen, and that would give Lorelai an advantage she couldn’t afford to pass up.
She studied Kol, his eyes full of determination and regret, his spine straight though his hands shook, and admitted that while she was furious with his choices, she couldn’t truly blame him for them. She didn’t like him, but he didn’t deserve to die for Irina’s treachery.
“All of you, be quiet. Quiet!” Lorelai whipped her hands into the air, and white light blazed in her palms. Jyn’s mouth snapped shut. Gabril hefted his sword a bit higher and watched his princess. Trugg stared at her hands and whispered a curse.
“Nobody is going to die,” Lorelai said. “And Irina is going to honor her side of the blood oath. Now listen carefully. I have a plan.”
EIGHTEEN
KOL WATCHED LORELAI pace the clearing, her bird swiveling its head to maintain eye contact with him no matter where the girl went. Skies, the bird’s unblinking gaze was creepy. He looked away from the gyrfalcon and asked, “What kind of plan do you have?”
“We’re going to trick Irina,” Lorelai said without looking at him.
“That’s suicide,” Jyn said, her voice rising. “At least for Kol. Nobody tricks a mardushka—”
“Except another mardushka.” The princess gave Jyn a look that would’ve made a lesser Draconi tremble.
The gyrfalcon caught Kol’s gaze and snapped its beak at him, its intentions clear. He did his best to ignore the bird, but he couldn’t ignore the mess he was in. He had been reluctantly willing to honor his blood oath when he’d thought Irina was Eldr’s only salvation. But he wasn’t going to kill the girl who’d saved his life. And he wasn’t convinced she could trick Irina. He appreciated her attempt to once again spare his life—the thought of dying made his hearts ache miserably—but what he really needed was the princess’s promise to help Eldr. He had no leverage, nothing to offer, but he’d seen the rage in her eyes when she realized he’d been in Nordenberg helping Irina the day her brother was killed. He’d seen the sparks of power glowing in her palms as she stalked toward him while he was defenseless.
And he’d seen the moment she pulled back from her rage and decided to let him live long enough to explain.
The furious man with the sword who watched Kol every bit as closely as the bird did was right. Lorelai was a threat who held her power in restraint because she was just. She was kind. She was committed to doing the right thing, even when it cost her.