Page 90 of Joined By Magic

I nodded. “Yes. They’re helping the wounded.”

“Any powerful ones are to come here first. Tell him. If there’s a chance—” His breath hitched on the word, and I realized he was fighting back a sob. I looked away. I didn’t belong here, intruding on his personal sorrow.

“I’ll tell him.” I turned to leave. One of the prince’s guards entered the tent. He knelt beside Adante and held out a shiny gold object.

“The crown, Your Highness. We retrieved it.” He clutched it awkwardly, as if unsure what to do.

Adante’s eyes flashed. “I said I wasn’t to be disturbed. Set it down.” He flicked a hand at the floor and returned his attention to Talia.

I slipped from the tent and drew the flap closed. Leo waited outside, speaking into his link-up. He beckoned me over with one finger as he hung up. A satisfied smile played on his lips. “That was Vin Castello, the Prime of Defense. They’ve ousted Ellory, and the Assembly are meeting tomorrow. They’ve very politely requested my presence.”

My heart constricted. “Does that mean—”

“I hope so. Either way, we’re going home.”

The next day, my foot tapped nervously on Andrew’s dusty kitchen floor as we waited for news. Leo had brought his dad, Hex, Peter, and Atalie through the portal the previous evening, and we’d spent the night at Andrew’s crumbling old house. We hadn’t spoken much, just collapsed into our various beds. In the morning, Leo left early to meet with the Assembly.

We sat around the kitchen table nursing hot drinks. The empty seats broke my heart. Atalie cried on and off all morning, and the rest of us weren’t coping much better. Peter seemed especially lost, glancing at the door every few minutes as if expecting it to open and Damien to come strolling in, hunting for food.

Andrew broke the heavy silence. “Any news on the prince’s young lady? Talia?”

I shook my head. “Nothing new. She’s still stable but won’t wake up. They’re trying to work out the safest way to get her to Atar. Adante has to go back now he’s going to be king.”

I shivered at the words. Even though he’d been true to his word and I pitied him, I couldn’t trust him. Giving him Atar felt like handing a madman a loaded gun, but it’d been the only choice that made sense. And he was better than the king. That was something. If Talia died, though? I didn’t want to imagine what might happen.

The atmosphere in the room lay thick over me, and I had to escape it. I excused myself and stepped outside into the biting cold. The door opened behind me, and Hex walked out. We stared at the trees in silence for a while, until she caught my gaze. Her lips curled up. “What will you do if he doesn’t get the job? If they pardon him, say ‘Thanks for your help,’ and send him on his way?”

“Do you think they’d dare?”

“I don’t know. You could be a normal couple, sort of. No territory to run. You might both be happier.”

We might. The thought had crossed my mind more than once. Hex squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it.”

She headed in.

Five minutes later, Leo appeared in a swirl of blue light. He’d dressed in his familiar suit and red shirt, and he smiled when he saw me. “Why are you out here? It’s freezing.”

“Waiting for you. And never mind that, what did they say?”

He paused before answering, clearly enjoying the tension. Always a showman. “Ellory and Celia are in custody. Two of the pressmen they’d bribed offered to testify against them in exchange for their own freedom. We have all the evidence we need.”

“That was quick.”

“After yesterday, Ellory was never going to stay in power. They couldn’t give him up fast enough.”

“Good.” It came out vicious, but I didn’t care. “I hope they both rot. What else?”

“The Assembly issued an immediate emergency decree legalizing magical tech. Now they understand how helpless we are, not even the priests could stop them.”

I sighed. “That’s great, but what else?”

He smiled and took both my hands in his. “You’re going to have to remember how to address me properly. It’s been a while. Some retraining is in order.”

I stepped close to him, and his hands latched around my back, pulling me against him. “They gave you the job?”

“Of course they did.” His smile faltered, and he studied me. “Is it what you want, Liv? I know how hard it’s been for you.” He paused, and the next words came out slowly. “I’ll refuse it if you want. You’ve given enough. Be honest. I won’t have you unhappy anymore.”

All I could do was stare at him in astonished silence. He’d given me the choice. The power. I swallowed and had to fight back a sob at the enormity of it. He held me, eyes roaming my face, waiting for me to decide the fate of the rest of his life.

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