Page 125 of A War Apart

“Who’s Alexey?”

She froze mid-bite, looking up at me with wide eyes.

“Yakov said you mentioned him last night. You weren’t making much sense.”

“Oh.” She turned back to her food and shrugged. “The friend Izolda wanted to go see.”

“Someone you know well?” I struggled to keep my voice nonchalant. She’d been tired. She’d just seen the man. The fact that she’d called his name didn’t have to mean anything.

She shrugged again. “As well as anyone, I suppose. Izolda’s known him for years. He got us out of the capital.”

I blinked, guilt overtaking the misplaced jealousy. If this Alexey had helped bring Mila back to me safely, I owed him a debt of gratitude. “I’m glad he was there. I can’t promise anything, but maybe I could speak to the tsar—”

“No.”

The vehemence in her voice took me aback. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry. He just…he’s very proud. He wouldn’t want any special treatment.”

“Not even to thank him for bringing back my wife?” I couldn’t read her expression. I’d always been able to tell what she was thinking. I didn’t like this separation between us.

Her eyes grew distant. “No. Not even for that.”

“I see.” I didn’t, but she was safe now. She was with me. Whatever else had happened, it didn’t matter anymore.

She shook her head and refocused. “So, the war’s finally over.” She sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees.

“It’s over,” I confirmed. “Miroslav is dead, along with the entire palace guard.”

“I heard it was bad in there,” she said softly. “What happened?”

Images from the previous day flashed through my mind. “It was horrible.” I told her what I’d seen from the moment we reached the palace, trying not to dwell on the more gruesome aspects. Still, by the time I finished, she’d pushed away the plate of food, cringing.

“Borislav did that?” Her eyes were wide with horror. “He was supposed to be better,” she said, as if saying it could make it true.

I thought about Matvey Il’ich, his response to the desertions, his use of magic in the battle outside Sevken. “He’s done some awful things in this war, but not like this. I think I made a mistake.” It pained me to admit that I’d been so wrong about Borislav, but after what I’d seen in the throne room, this couldn’t be allowed to stand.

“We both did,” she said.

“But I’m not responsible for just me.” I ran a hand over my face. “I convinced other men to fight. By the Blood, I convinced theDrakrato join us! And what did we get? We traded onemonster for another. And I let you put yourself in danger to make it happen.” I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“We both should have known better. But we didn’t." As always, she was practical to a fault. Yixa na Chekke would love her. She was all logic and reason.

“So what do we do now?” she asked. “We didn’t go through all that trouble to remove one tyrant, just to put another on the throne. We have to stop him while the country is still disorganized, before he can consolidate his power.”

Wewould be doing nothing. I wasn’t risking my wife, or allowing her to risk herself, on another rebellion. But I humored her. “Radomir.” Radomir would already be planning Borislav’s Disinheritance. He wasn’t as charismatic or likable as his cousin, but he was next in line, and more importantly, he regarded the title of Sanctioned with the reverence it deserved. He’d been against Borislav at all the key points—sending slaves to the Drakra, Il’ich’s execution, the hanging of the deserters, even Borislav’s insistence on stealing into the capital before the battle was over.

“Would he take it?” She didn’t question my decision at all. She trusted me implicitly. I squeezed her hand. What would I do without her?

“Yes. He won’t let this go. He’s said from the beginning that he would do what was right, even if it meant going against Borislav. You should have seen him in the palace yesterday. He was horrified.”

“Han? Mila?” We both jumped as Yakov’s voice came through the door. “Cover up. I’m coming in.”

He strode into the room and took a seat on the bed, swiping the bread from Mila’s plate. “What were you two talking about before I improved your day with my presence?”

Mila gave me a small, encouraging nod. We had to tell Yakov.

“Did you hear what happened in the throne room yesterday?” I asked.

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