Page 70 of Healer to the Ash King
Rince’s eyes widen. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“That would explain how two of our infiltrators were caught in the past few months. Gods. Thank you, Cailin. That’s valuable information. Not that it matters now.” He lowers his voice, excitement coursing through his whisper. “The Ash King will be dead within the hour.”
Nausea swells in my throat. “How?”
“These stones. They’re explosives. Enough to take out this whole gallery.”
I suck in a startled breath. “But—that will kill everyone in the room, not just the King.”
Rince nods soberly. “I’m willing to yield my life to the cause. But if you’d rather step out before I do it—”
“No!” I take his fingers, folding them gently over the rocks. “Rince, you can’t die for this.”
“I knew I might have to sacrifice everything for the cause, Cailin. Why do you think I greeted you like I did in that alley? I’ve been living on the edge of death for a while now, and it makes the momentary pleasures all the sweeter. This is my day, my time. I can end him here, now.”
“No,” I whisper brokenly. “Rince—I care about you. If you die—gods, your parents, Rince. Think of them.”
“They’ll be proud of me. So will Brayda and my friends. So should you.” He frowns again. “What’s this really about, Cailin? I thought you believed in this too.”
“You expect me to behappythat my best friend wants to kill himself?” I voice a breathless laugh, glancing quickly over my shoulder. Still no one nearby, but the steward is looking restless. We need to finish this conversation quickly.
I can’t let Rince die—and I can’t let him kill the Ash King, or the Favored women.
“Think of those girls.” I jerk my head toward the Favored. “You’ll be killing them too. They’re innocent.”
His frown deepens. “They’re complicit in all this. Part of the toxic system, the monarchy and the nobility. Their goal is to become partners with a murderer and an oppressor, which makes them just as guilty as he is.”
I whimper a little, desperate, my hands balled into fists. What can I say to persuade him? I could raise the alarm and tell everyone what he plans, but then he might set off the explosives immediately, killing me, himself, most of the Favored, Owin, the steward, and the other guards. Even if the guards manage to grab him before he can trigger the explosion, Rince will be dragged away, tortured, and executed.
My only way out of this is to convince him not to act yet. And I have a handful of seconds to do it.
24
Every nerve in my body is taut with terror. Rince holds in his palm the element of the King’s death, and his own. The toll in collateral damage will be terrible.
“Rince,” I breathe. “You can’t kill the King with those.”
He narrows his dark eyes at me. “Why not?”
“You know he can light himself on fire and not burn, right? He’s impervious. Practically indestructible. There’s something different about him, about his anatomy—something I haven’t figured out yet.”
I can't tell Rince that I was able to hurt the Ash King. I haven't even figured out how, or why, because when I quenched the fire from his throat it didn't harm him—it cooled and soothed him. But perhaps, wielded by my hand, my water has intent. Perhaps I wanted to hurt him yesterday, and the water I wielded was infused with that desire. Does that mean I've broken my healer's vow?
Rince chews his lip. “Are you sure about this?”
“I scanned him, Rince. He’s going to be very tough to kill. I don’t think an explosion is the right way to go here. What if you died, and your undercover contact died, while the King lived? What a waste that would be! We can’t risk it.”
Rince’s features sag with disappointment, and my heart leaps, because he’s starting to believe me. “The blast might not kill him, but it could weaken him. Injure him.”
“They’d only force me or the palace healer to fix him. Listen, Rince—I’m deep on the inside. Let me work on this problem a little longer, figure out what’s going on with his anatomy and his magical qualities.”
“I might be able to give you a little time,” he says grudgingly. “A few more days.”
“Another week,” I counter.
“Fine. One more week. But I need more than a body scan, Cailin. I need a possible solution.”
