Page 13 of The Prince's Mage

Gavril had always suspected Aimilia had so thoroughly attached herself to him as his friend because she liked being needed.

“I found the supply cache my wife told me about, and I expect within a few days Mage Turpis will arrive with the supplies proving my wife is not a liar.” Gavril did so enjoy the way his father’s eye twitched and his mother’s lip curled up when he said ‘wife.’ “All of the men will tell you with a healer’s runes monitoring their heartrates for truth, they all saw the supply cache exactly where my wife said it would be. As for why I left them to ride ahead? I should think that was clear. Commander Aimilia discovered Nikias was breaking the law and had gone behind your back, Father, to have a healer torture my wife and then give the order to kill her. I returned in order to protect her and save her life. My binding vows to her and my honor on my word as a Runai demanded it. I made a vow to protect her when I married her, so last night, I was not going to rest until I had fulfilled it.”

He was not going to rest until Marcella was safe.

She wasn’t safe in Areator.

He should have never let his desire for peace blind him to that. That she could never be safe in Areator. How prideful he was, thinking he could keep her safe when he could not even do the same for himself.

“That is the only explanation I have for my actions, especially as I have broken no laws and fulfilled every obligation.” He looked over to Nikias and Aimilia. “But someone here has broken the law.”

“Boy, watch your tongue. You were not asked to speak a word more.” Father’s voice had him falling silent.

He didn’t want to risk making this worse for Aimilia.

Depending on how bad this already was for her.

Father turned to Nikias, and he was immediately walking forward, pushing Aimilia with him. She shot him a dirty look Gavril had been on the receiving end of countless times before, but did walk forward.

Father leveled Nikias with a firm but far less stern look than he gave Gavril. “Son, what do you have to say to these accusations?”

Accusations?

Gavril ground his teeth down again while Aimilia huffed.

“I have done nothing that is outside my power as crown prince. That demon has no rights, and we would all be better off without her presence. I gave Commander Aimilia of House Mitis a direct order to stay out of the matter. It’s clear she disobeyed, and she does not deny it.”

Aimilia lifted her chin and said, “I do not.”

“Marcella is not the Desero demon; what is wrong with you?” Gavril snapped.

“She’s close enough.” Nikias’ voice was stone cold and as dark as the mourning clothes he’d been wearing for exactly four years now that the anniversary had passed.

“She didn’t kill Faustina!”

Nikias immediately ripped his left hand away from Aimilia, turning around to Gavril and grabbing him by his chiton. Father was out of his throne and striding toward them. Gavril stumbled as Nikias started pushing him back, yelling, “You leave her out of this! I don’t care if your she-wolf wasn’t the one who did it. The demon she looks like did, and her corrupted vitae makes them closer to demons and abominations than Runai. If I cannot have justice on the demon, I will have it on her lookalike!”

Gavril tried to shove Nikias’ hands away, but everything was moving too quickly. Aimilia grabbed at Nikias’ arm and said, “Nikias, stop! Let him go!”

Before the two of them could succeed, Cyprian grabbed Aimilia and hauled her back, hissing something in her ear.

“What you have done to my wife is not justice! You just want everyone else to suffer. Just because the Desero demon killed your wife doesn’t mean I’m going to let you kill mine!” Gavril couldn’t manage to throw Nikias off him, despite getting his feet under him and pushing back. Nikias kept pushing Gavril across the throne room.

With one last shove, Nikias let go of Gavril as he stumbled closer to the door and spat, “Get out of my sight.”

Father had stopped halfway across the throne room, eyeing Gavril and Nikias.

Gladly.

But not before he’d made sure Aimilia hadn’t lost everything because she’d helped him.

“If you’re going to strip Commander Aimilia of her position, I have a right to object and plead her case,” Gavril said.

Not that he imagined his father or Nikias would take his side. But he had to try.

Aimilia ripped herself out of her uncle’s grip and shot him a glare before she stepped forward again, staring down both Nikias and the king as she said, “There is no case. I am honored to say I disobeyed Prince Nikias’ direct order. I knew exactly what I might lose by going against his orders and doing what was right, but it’s never stopped me before. And you can take my cloak, arrest me—do whatever you want, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

Nikias shook his head, a dark look in his eyes as he walked up to her.

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