Page 29 of Court of Secrets and Flames

“What do you mean?” I don’t remember giving Agnar—or anyone else, for that matter—a reason to think I was feisty upon my arrival in Tirene. I was too traumatized by my abduction and Olive’s death. Too worried over the long flight here about getting dragged to the kingdom of my sworn enemies.

“You don’t recognize me, do you?”

My brow scrunches in confusion. “I remember meeting you a couple days ago, if that’s what you’re asking.”

He shakes his head. “Think back to the village, over a month ago.”

I’m still drawing a blank. “I’m sorry…I don’t follow.”

With a roll of his broad shoulders, Agnar releases his wings. The beautiful, burnished copper color complements his reddish-brown hair. “Does this jog your memory?”

For a moment, I just gape at him.

And then it hits me. “In the forest outside the Happy Dragon Tavern…that was you. You tried to abduct me!”

He stands there with his wings out and arms crossed, neither confirming nor denying my accusation.

Outrage floods me. Magic pulses in my veins, and my hands fist with the urge to punch him. “You were going to kill Luke!”

“Luke?”

“The boy with me outside the tavern.” Though it’s only a matter of weeks since I snuck out of our estate in Aclaris to drive a cart to the local food pantry I’d founded, that night seems like ages ago.

“I wasn’t going to kill him.” His face softens. “Would’ve dumped him in the woods somewhere and left him tied up and gagged so he couldn’t go running inside the pub to shout about a a winged Tirenese stealing you away. But he’d have survived.”

I scoff. “You’re no better than Sterling.”

His blue eyes shine with intrigue, and too late, I realize my slip. “Interesting that you call him that.”

Shit. “I don’t. I…he’s got so many personas…so many names. It gets a little confusing trying to keep everything straight.”

“Nice try, but you can’t fool me. I know about you two.” He retracts his wings and motions for me to start walking. “That’s actually what I want to discuss with you. If we don’t hurry, though, you’ll be late. And believe me when I say the king doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Fear takes root in my heart.

Does he know something, or is he toying with me? “Then I guess you’d better talk as we walk.”

“Relax. I can practically see the wheels spinning in your head.” He grabs my elbow to steady me when I trip over an uneven part of the tunnel. “I’m not going to tell the king anything.”

I chew the inside of my cheek. “I’m not saying there’s anything going on between us, but if there were, why would I trust you?”

“Because I would never betray the prince like that. He’s one of my closest friends, along with Blair Jameson, whom you met when you arrived at the palace. They’re both like brothers to me.”

I’d gathered as much when I saw them interact. “Be that as it may, you’re still loyal to the king.”

Agnar indicates a tunnel that veers off to the right, away from the main path. “I’m loyal to the prince. And to Tirene. And if that overlaps with being loyal to the king, so be it.”

“Why are you telling me all this, and not the prince?”

“How much time have you spent with him since you got here? I mean time when the two of you were really and truly alone for more than a few minutes?”

He has a point. “Not much.”

“Exactly. That’s why he wanted me to talk to you. He’s arranged for either Blair or me to be your escort as much as possible. You’ll have other guards, but one of us will be posted outside your chambers whenever we’re available. That way, if you need anything or require us to relay a message to Knox, we can help.”

I shake my head in frustration. “Why, though? The prince abducted me against my will, and I’m more or less a prisoner here. Why would he go to all this trouble to look out for me? How can he obey his brother without question yet sneak around behind his back for me?”

Agnar sighs as he scratches his chin. “It’s complicated. Bottom line is, Knox was away from Tirene for a long time and isn’t fully aware of what the king’s gotten up to.”

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