Page 65 of Power of Draken

“Out to where?” I ask. “She’ll be charged with treason if she runs.”

“And she’ll be tortured in front of the whole class if she returns.”

“She has a chance of coming out of that alive,” I point out. “If she runs?—”

“Nevermind.” Rowan starts to get up, but I grab her wrist gently pulling her back. The touch sends a jolt of awareness through me, and I have to take a breath before I am sure I’ve control of myself.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to help,” I say. “I just wanted to make certain you know the risks. That she knows the risks.” I catch Rowan’s wince and my brows narrow. “Is this Ellie’s idea or yours?”

"Both of ours,” Rowan admits. “She may not seem like it, but she is terrified. And she has cause to be.”

“Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.” She goes to get up and return to her friend, but suddenly I’m not ready to let her go.

“Wait.”

She does.

Which is when I realize I don’t know what to say.

“Kai?”

“Are you alright?” I ask. It’s the best I can come up with. Ellie had used her aeromancy to dry out Rowan's clothes earlier, so at least she has something dry to wear.

“Fine. As fine as anyone is. Are you alright?”

I pull an apple out from my pocket and hand it to her. “You need to eat.”

“So do you.”

“I had extra food in my pocket,” I lie. “I’m fine. Eat.”

She does, which is a relief. But it’s also the last reason I had to hold her near me any longer. I brace myself for her starting to rise, but she hesitates a moment longer.

“Is there a plan?” She asks. “Beyond waiting for them to start torturing us that is? There are eight of us here already. If we organize, could we overpower Mercer and his contingent? Wouldn’t it be better to do it soon, before they start tying our hands?”

I shake my head. “The new prisoners report that the Wishing Well Inn is swarming with mercs. They’ve made it their base of operations. If we mount an assault now, we’ll be recaptured.”

“And you think this will change? That waiting gives us better odds?”

“I think Logan will give us a signal when it’s safe to start fighting. Or as safe as it gets. Timing is a part of any battle, and yes, sometimes it means just waiting. Painfully waiting.” At least that’s all true. “Best thing you can do is be at full strength and ready when that happens.”

“What kind of signal?”

“I’ll know it when I get it,” I assure her. “Plus, I think the less information we share around right now, the better. Just in case questions come. Can’t share what you don’t know.”

Her face pales and I wish I could pull my words back. Still, she raises her chin like the too-brave woman that she is. “But when the time comes-”

“If Ellie wishes to avoid returning to the Spire, I will help.” I lean forward, my voice dropping so low that even Rowan must strain to hear. “What about you, Ainsley? Do you want to go back? If there was a choice.”

Her eyes widen at the question—which she obviously has never even considered before—and my stomach sinks because I know the answer before she speaks it. “I may be an enchanter, not a soldier, but I care for Eryndor no less for it. My magic is what keeps the people of Eryndor safe. I would not turn away from that just because I dislike training drills. I’d thought you’d know that about me by now.”

Unfortunately I do. But I still try, just one more time. “But you are alright with Ellie -”

“Ellie is replaceable, I am not. And unlike me, the commandant will let her die. If you can’t understand that difference?—”

“I got it,” I clip, the kernel of hope I’d been stupid enough to nurture dying a quick, deserved death. “Go rest and let me do the same.”

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