Page 152 of The King has Fallen

Yilan drew her dagger, but I motioned to her to stay there as I started creeping across the floor towards it.

“Sire, may I enter? I have a message for the General.”

Already halfway across the tent, I slumped. It was Jann.

Hurrying the rest of the way, I leaned out the tent-flap, scanning the area behind him as I grasped his shirt, pulled him inside, and hissed at him to draw no attention.

He came in, eyes down the way Gault would require, but then his gaze rose when he realized the tent was empty except for me and Yilan.

“Thank God you came,” I whispered to him. “There’s no time to explain, but I need your help.”

He stared around the tent, but nodded. “Of course, but—”

“I need you to run messages. Tell the Council that the King is drunk and having one of his moments. That I’m trying to convince him to stick with the plan. And I need them to stay away so he’ll relax and sleep it off.”

Jann nodded, but he glanced at Yilan with a question in his eyes. I ignored it.

“Tell all his servants that he has ordered them to remain off duty until the end of the Covenant. We must not be interrupted before I leave tomorrow.”

“Of course, but… Melek, where—”

Then his eyes fell on the stain in the dirt and the dark splatters on the bed and he froze.

His head snapped up to me and I saw the whites of his eyes. “Melek, what the fuck is going on?”

I put both my hands up. “It is truly not what you think, brother,” I said quickly, praying he was too distracted to notice Yilan drawing her knife again, because the last thing I needed was those two coming to blows. “But I do need your help to delay any… attention in this direction.”

Jann swallowed, looking at that dark stain again, then at me, then at Yilan, then back to me. Then he swallowed again.

“Don’t be afraid, Jann,” Yilan muttered bitterly behind him. “I assure you, he stubbornly clings to every last word he has ever given.”

Jann turned quickly to look at her, frowning.

I nodded but clapped his shoulder to get his eyes back on me. “You have nothing to worry about,” I said quietly.

Yilan scoffed, but Jann just stared at me. “And Gall?” he asked softly.

“I’m going to go find him when he’s had time to calm down and then—”

“I’ll do it,” Jann said with another wary glance at Yilan.

I shook my head. “No, it really does need to be me. There are some things we need to discuss.”

“But—”

“Jann, if you can help us keep everyone away from this tent, that would be the best help I could hope for.”

He stared at me, and I knew he suspected. But he was also smart enough to know he didn’twantto know.

Then he nodded and offered his arm for me to clasp. I took it and pulled him into a quick, thumping hug, praying that it wasn’t the last time we’d have the chance to embrace. Then, nodding once to Yilan, he was gone. Yilan remained still, staring at the door where he’d exited.

“How long until you’re—”

She hissed and snapped a hand up to stop me speaking, then stepped aside, into the shadow of a set of drawers, and then she was gone.

I gaped. Did she think we had people listening? Or was she just being cautious?

I paced the dirt, waiting. After a few moments, I was almost biting through my tongue to stop myself calling after her to make sure she was safe.

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