Page 96 of Fragile Oath

“I have not,” he said, his expression falling. “She has expressed her desire to be… further from all of this.”

He returned to the textbook in front of him, but I still felt compelled to say something.

“I am sorry, Gal,” I offered lamely. With everything going on, Gallagher had been a good friend to me. And I…had not returned that favor.

“It was probably for the best.” He shrugged. “It’s not like I can be with someone who’s terrified of my sister, anyway.”

As if his statement had summoned her, the door swung open and his sister stepped into the library on sure footsteps. Her red hair was braided into a crown on her head, and her sword belt matched the deep purple hues of her gown.

Even in a dress, she looked lethal.Waslethal. I wondered who Gallagher would find who wasn’t terrified of her, at least on occasion.

“Dav needs you,” she said to me by way of greeting.

My heart dropped into my stomach, my breath stalling in my lungs as I got to my feet.

“Is something wrong?” Gal voiced the question I couldn’t seem to get out.

“No.” She furrowed her brow, taking in my expression as realization dawned on her. “Nothing’s wrong with Davin. He just needs your help with something.”

Gal opened his mouth, then closed it, likely wondering the same thing I was. If Gwyn was being vague when she was usually so pointed, she probably had her reasons. So we wordlessly gathered up our notes, repacking the poisonous plants in their individual tins.

She led us through the castle to a back set of stairs I had never been down before. I could guess where they led, though.

There was only one thing below the bottom floor, and Gallagher’s confused expression erased any doubt.

“He needs her in the dungeons?” he asked in an undertone.

“Either that, or Gwyn has decided to take care of this problem once and for all,” I murmured, trying to calm my frazzled nerves.

“Like I’d be so sloppy,” she said over her shoulder, but I didn’t miss the note of amusement in her tone. “We caught the driver, but he’s not talking.”

My stomach lurched, surprise widening my eyes.

“In fairness, he’s a bit short on teeth at the moment,” Davin’s voice sounded just as we rounded the dark corner. “But he’s claiming he has no idea what we’re talking about.”

“How many did you take?” Gallagher asked.

“A few. We had to be sure we had the right one, obviously.” He didn’t even bother to make the lie sound credible. “Besides, after last time, I wasn’t taking any chances.”

And I couldn’t blame him, not with everything at stake. The man had been happy to help kidnap an innocent woman and betray his own monarchy.

“So you need me to identify him?” I clarified.

Davin nodded, examining me in the flickering torchlight like he wasn’t sure whether he should apologize for the necessity, or if I was all right with seeing the aftermath of torture he had helped inflict.

I dipped my chin, straightening my spine and deliberately ignoring the faint coppery scent in the air, the crimson drops of blood staining Davin’s otherwise pristine waistcoat.

“Not delicate, remember?” I reminded him.

Something in his shoulders eased.

“Never delicate,” he assured me.

He turned to lead us further into the maze of open cells. They weren’t precisely dungeons. There were no dingy rooms with drains in the floor, no torture devices or the sound of screaming. Just a few spacious barred rooms that seemed to be more for temporary holding than anything.

We stopped at a corner cell, where a man sat slumped forward on the bench, a chain rooting him to each side. Davin’s personal guards stood outside the cell, while MacBay’s men had been ordered to stay at the top of the stairs.

Gwyn and Gallagher hung back, and I moved forward with Davin.

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