Page 109 of The Mad King and the False Queen

“It’s fine, go back to bed,” she whispered.

Odie rested his snout on his paws, but kept his eyes on her.

“Are you alright?” Ravi’s voice startled her.

Magda looked to the floor, seeing Ravi sleeping there, using the damp towel as a blanket.

“What are you doing?” Magda asked.

“You looked like you were sleeping soundly. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Don’t be an idiot. Get up here,” Magda said, scooting over on the bed. Odie reluctantly shifted, finding a new comfortable spot at the base of the bed.

Ravi reluctantly agreed, standing up and hanging the towel on the wall. He was still shirtless, but at least he had put on pants.

He slid into the bed next to her. “You had a nightmare?”

Magda turned onto her right side, facing Ravi with her back positioned up against the wall. She adjusted her pillow and sat up on her elbow. “I keep imagining I’m talking to someone in a dark space. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, I haven’t had any dreams tonight. I haven’t been able to fall asleep once. Just been stargazing.”

“What’s on your mind?” Magda asked. She extended her hand slightly towards him, letting her fingers graze against his.

Ravi noticed the gesture and let his hand interlock with hers. Then he said, “Dagmara, what I did tonight…killing a guild leader…I could be sentenced for a very long time.”

The name struck her, and she was once again reminded of the lies that she was spinning. “It was self defense.”

“No it wasn’t. We broke into the guild’s lair. Technically, we were trespassing. If they find out it was me, they’ll send me to Dreadmarrow.”

“What?” gasped Magda, remembering the deadly prison.

He reached up and placed his hand against her cheek. Then he stroked her hair and said, “After everything that’s happened, I just want you to know that—”

“Stop. Don’t talk like that.”

“It’s the truth and you know it,” said Ravi. He moved his hand, caressing around her neck and sliding closer to her. When their faces were inches apart he said, “Guild leaders are their own type of protected politicians here. They rule in partnership with the royals. All of Vex’s officers will be after me.”

Magda gulped at the thought of Ravi going to Dreadmarrow. It was on an island at the center of all four kingdoms where criminals went for the rest of their lives. No visitors were allowed. Most people died after carrying out only a few years of their sentence.

“I’m so sorry,” Magda mustered. She slid her arm around his waist and burrowed her face into his chest, taking in every inch of him. His bare skin was soft underneath her fingertips. “I never wanted this to happen. I…,” Magda’ voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes. Right when she was getting close to someone else, he was in danger of being taken from her too. At least she was a guardian. Maybe she had some kind of weight in these decisions?

“I’d do it again,” said Ravi, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tighter to him. “A thousand times over.”

A guilt spread through Magda’s body as he held her. Ravi had put all trust in her, but she couldn’t even bring herself to tell him the truth about who she was.

If Ravi was really in danger, she couldn’t hide her identity for much longer.

Some secrets were meant to be told.

CHAPTER 39

Dagmara

Afew days later, Dagmara was summoned by Claude. This time, she was told that a food shipment had arrived, and they would be making their first delivery to the provinces. It seemed awfully soon for the food shipment to have arrived from Azurem, but that gave Dagmara a newfound sense of hope. Maybe that meant Claude’s shipment of medicine had already arrived in Azurem. Maybe with the leku, doctors would be able to start making the cure to zowach again. They had run out of it years ago, but now hundreds of lives could be saved, including Teos’s life.

Dagmara gracefully tucked her dagger into a sheathe on her thigh and added her newly brewed potions to her belt. One was the flash bomb jasny from her brother, of which she had only one left, and another smoke bomb, also from her brother. It resembled the explosive he had set off the day of the coronation. Another was a simple, poison-free concoction of herbs that gave her energy when she needed it most. She knew today would include being out under the sun, and she still had to maintain the facade that she was a guardian.

Collecting her things, Dagmara headed to meet Claude.

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