Page 103 of The King has Fallen

Was he saying…?

I blinked and he slowly let go of my mouth, but he kept that hand fisted in the back of my hair. When he’d freed my mouth his eyes dropped to my lips for one moment, then he wrenched them back up to my eyes and nerves jangled through me.

Was it time?

Yes. It had to be time.

I had to trust him…

“You serve one. Does that not matter to your precious honor?” I whispered.

“A King cannot be a traitor to himself—”

“He can betray his people. And he does. Putting his own needs before theirsalways.And they know it, Melek. Theyknow.They already have no loyalty to him. They followyou.”

“You’re lying, trying to get me—”

“No, I’m not. I’ve been listening to them forweeks.I’ve checked and double checked. Even found some evidence that he was behind the Shade, though I can’t prove it—”

“Bullshit. Jannus isn’t close enough to him to have heard anything, and none of the others would speak to you about him—”

“They weren’t close to me. I was close to them. Without their knowledge.”

He went still, his eyes searching mine, back and forth. “When?” he grunted.

I hesitated, not because I didn’t have an answer, but because there was no going back from this moment. If I told him…

“Yilan, if you hold even anounceof respect for me, you will answer me.Right now.”

I swallowed hard and nodded, my hair tugging against his grip. “Let me go, and lock the cage,” I said hoarsely.

His eyes widened slightly and his head jerked back a hair. He stared at me for a breath, but then obviously made a decision, because he let me go and stepped out of the cage, still watching me.

“Lock it,” I said.

He reached for the lock and slammed it home, but his eyes never left mine.

“Step back.”

His eyes narrowed, but he did as I said and took a wide step back, then stood with his feet shoulder width apart and folded his arms, his jaw rolling.

It was the middle of the day and the shadows were dim, but the sun glowed more brightly on the front of the tent, than at itsback, and there was a deeper shadow across the back of the cage where he’d left the screens up for my dignity.

“Just… don’t panic,” I murmured as I stepped behind the screen and he passed out of my sight… and me out of his.

And then I walked the shadows at the back of the tent, holding tightly because it took a great deal of strength and was easy to lose myself in such a dim shadow.

He didn’t catch it, because he was so focused on the spot where I’d disappeared behind the screen.

When I was behind him and he still hadn’t noticed, I cleared my throat.

And then I was gratified to see the great General Melek Handras leap with the alacrity of a cat—and a yowl not too dissimilar, either.

36. Tell Me True

~ MELEK ~

I stared at that screen in the cage, my wits scrambled and mind spinning from Gault’s maneuvering. I knew what she was implying, but it had to be a trick of some kind and I was watching for it, not for her, but for the movement of the cage or the screens or—

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