Page 100 of A Conduit of Light
Hestood before the fire, his hands in his pockets. “Ihave discovered something you may not want to hear.”
“Ihave as well,Rev.Idon’t—”
“Please, let me say this.”
Heturned to her, the light from the fire casting him in a dark shadow, his features hard and tight.
“Whatis it?”Sherose and reached out to his face, her thumb brushing his cheek.Heleaned into it, closing his eyes before speaking, steadying himself for whatever he was about to say.
“BaronHeimlenis dying.Aswe speak, life leaves him.Inthe morning, we go to theBlight.Wedestroy it.Hewill not live through it.”
Itcertainly wasn’t what she expected to hear when she’d found him.Hislook was grief, she realized.Itwas why she didn’t recognize the emotions flitting across his face.
Heimlenwas almost dead.
Thebastard wasn’t going to live long enough to face the consequences of what he had done.
Sheshook her head in disbelief, wondering if it was the right time to tell him.Buthe deserved to know.Hedeserved to know why they would not be destroying theBlightin the morning.Heneeded to know why she would never seeHeimlen’sface again, and she hoped he died alone and ashamed.
“I—Iam sorry,Revich.Icame to find you, to tell you—his gloves—”
“Thereis nothing under his gloves,Karus!”
Shejolted, not expecting the rage directed toward her.
“Iwas there, just now, in his rooms.Thereis nothing.Noblack fingers, no abnormality of any kind—you have to let this go.”
“You…you saw him without gloves?Yousaw his fingers bare?”
“Yes.Thereis nothing.Letit go…please.”
Heturned back to the fire as she dropped to the chair, replaying what he had said.
Nothing?Howcould that be?Hehad written in the journals—he had said that his fingers turned black and that he wore the gloves to hide it—just as she had suspected.
Revichwas lying.
Hewas lying to her, but why?
Heeither claimed to see his bare hands and hadn’t, or worse, he had seen the black tips…and lied.
“Iam sorryIyelled.Ishouldn’t have.It’sbeen a long day.”
Hebent down in front of her and she followed his gaze, her eyes struggling to see, her heart slashed through with his words.Ifshe could see her heart now, she was sure she would see wounds—long cuts, open, and bleeding.
Thiswas it.Thiswas the truth thatHeimlenhad said all along.Shehad refused to believe thatRevichwould love her and leave her, but here was evidence that he could.Ifhe could lie so blatantly about something so important, then he could leave her, too.
Afterall—all aBaronneeded was himself.
Shehad forgotten thatshehad been told that, as well.
AndtheQueenhad been right.
Becausethis pain was agony.
Thepain of his lie, his betrayal of their trust, was more than she had the strength for.HeprotectedHeimlenand lied to her.
Itwas the third betrayal she had discovered tonight, and it came from the first man she had ever loved.
