Page 101 of The King has Fallen

“I need to speak with the General. Take the prisoner outside and—”

“Sire, I have to disagree. She is… very slippery. I don’t usually allow her out of her cage at all. She has already almost escaped once, and that was with the cage. I can’t let her out of my sight. I will not put the burden of her on a male who has not had my experience with… stifling rebellion.”

Gault’s eyes narrowed.

Then Melek smiled at him, a sly, predatorial smile I hadn’t seen from him before. It chilled my blood. “Besides. I find I’ve grown rather… attached. There’s something quite satisfying about making an enemy submit.”

Gault snorted. “So, I heard. I’ll admit, I didn’t remember her enough to understand the appeal, but now that I see her…” he trailed off, his eyes raking down my body and making my skin crawl.

I kept my eyes on the wall of the tent behind him and refused to react. But IfeltMelek tense.

“To keep her here while we speak, though…” Gault added with a sharp, questioning look at Melek.

“She is an asset for now, then she’ll be removed,” Melek shrugged. “As long as she’s at my side, she’s no risk.”

Gault tipped his head. “It seemed odd that you chose to lay claim to aFetch, but then I suppose she’s been quite useful to you. And she is strong. She could likely survive a breeding.”

Melek took a beat to agree.

I was starting to sweat.

Gault waved his hand as if to push away a thought. “Very well, I suppose what I have to say won’t give her more information than she could have anticipated on her own anyway,” the King said, taking another mouthful from his goblet before continuing. “Now that we are positioned and our enemies will be rested before our advance, I want you there in person to lead that charge.”

Melek went still. “Gault—Sire, to get to the ravine would mean marching during the peace.”

Gault nodded. “Marching is not attacking. And you’d be alone—feel free to take a small guard, of course. Even if our enemies know you’ve moved, they won’t be able to accuse you of taking action. You will not attack until you lead the ranks. And we will not do that until after the Covenant.”

I was shaking with both fear and rage.

Melek was the most prominent figure in this war. If he left the camp at a time there was no other movement on the plains, scouts would see him. And even if he could be hidden before he actually moved to the Ravine—a bigif—they would still know something important was happening. Messages would be sent. Strategies employed. He would be watched.Everythingwould be watched.

“Gault… if this was what you wanted, I should have stayed when we went before. We could have taken a decoy to ride back with you—”

“I have only just decided that this is needed.”

Melek swallowed. “But the Fetch… Sire, she’s a huge asset. But as I said, she is slippery. I wouldn’t trust her to anyone else. She’s in that cage, or tied to me—”

“You will win this. Once you have, she’ll have served her purpose.”

Melek went quiet. He couldn’t argue with that without revealing something the King would not like.

I didn’t even bother to hide my fear. These men discussed my death. It would only be natural that I would fear that. But my deepest fear, the one that made me grit my teeth against letting them chatter was—

“You go to the front. Leave her with me. I’ll take her until you’ve won and we’re certain of victory. We both know she won’t betray her own people no matter how much she wants to stay alive. You take the ravine. Then I’ll slit her throat because she’s no longer needed and join you for the final advance.”

And then he looked at me, andsmiled.

Melek barely blinked. He didn’t twitch. Didn’t swallow. Didn’t evenhesitate.“If you’re certain you want to deal with her—she has a sharp tongue as well as great skill—”

“I’ll keep her gagged. One way or another,” he said, his eyes locked on mine, his voice puttering off into a low rumble that made me brace and raise my chin.

“Of course,” Melek said as if it was no big deal. “If you’re sure, then I’ll need another day or two to make certain she’s hidden nothing and our final plan is foolproof. Then I’ll travel at night to try and avoid the eyes.”

The King shrugged. “Take whatever time and travel you believe is needed. I trust your judgment. But when you go, she stays with me.”

Then he stared at Melek and waited. And I couldn’t breathe.

It wasn’t a request.

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