Page 100 of The War of Wings
It was always fucking Malosym.
“You really didn’t free him,” I breathed.
“No, your Majesty,” he answered, checking over his shoulder once again. “Please. No one can know I’m here,” he whispered, and I swore I saw tears begin to form in his dark eyes.
I pushed all the air from my lungs, closing my eyes to try to get a hold of my whirling thoughts. “Your secret is safe with me,” I said, and when visible relief softened his face, it made the dark circles beneath his eyes more prominent. Fuck, he looked awful. “I was wondering if you’d survived the battle in Eserene,” I murmured.
He gave a weak smile that quickly fell away. “I was almost hoping I wouldn’t.”
I know the feeling.
“Where have you been staying?” I asked. “How are you staying hidden?”
“I get sleep when I can in the escape tunnels.” My eyes almost bugged out of my head. He’d been sleeping in the rat-infested passageway beneath the castle? Fuck. “When I have to buy food, I try to find the youngest vendors I can. Less chance of them recognizing me, since Prince Vic supposedly died before they were born.” Another glance toward the street before he looked back at me, pain lacing his features. His fists clenched at his sides. “And when I heard Malosym had been captured…”
He had to see him. I understood that. I would’ve done the same damn thing.
“I never intended for you to find me. I hoped you’d just assume I’d died in Eserene. One less thing for you to worry about. I knew it was risky, going to see Malosym. I had to, though. I needed to see the man who’d taken everything from me, look him in the eyes withmyown eyes, not the eyes of the soulless husk he’d created of me.”
“But you didn’t accept his offer to take revenge.”
He inhaled deeply. For a moment, it seemed as if the busy street faded from his mind. The nervousness, the jumpiness dissipated from his movements. “I’m still in the process of wrapping my mind around the fact he was never Castemont at all. He had Cal pinned to the ground, and I shot an arrow into Malosym’s back. Lieutenant Landgrave was able to tackle andrestrain him. But the arrow wasn’t my revenge. My revenge was handing Malosym over to you. The rest is yours to take.”
He was mine to take. Mine to kill. I should’ve fucking done it last night. I shouldn’t have hesitated. I’d been selfish, wanting to spend one final night with Cal.
Silence descended between us, punctuated by the footsteps and hoofbeats on the street. I stared at the ground, gnawing at my lip as I shook my head. And before reality could knock me on my ass, I lowered myself to sit in the dirt. Ludovicus dropped to the ground across from me, his arms slung over his knees. “How did he escape?”
My glare was withering. “I chased you out here because I thought you had the answer. But whatever happened, he’s gone now, and I’m back to square fucking one.”
“What was your plan?”
I eyed him carefully, sucking my teeth as I assessed him. I held his greatest secret in the palm of my hand. “Secret for a secret?” I asked. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he nodded. I wasn’t sure how much of the truth to give him, so I settled on a watered-down version. “I’m the only one who can kill Malosym, but it’ll kill me in the process.”
His dark eyes flew open. “You’re going to sacrifice yourself?”
“Yes. No one knows that. Keep it that way.”
“Of course.”
“And now he’s gone.”
He considered me for a moment, brows pulling together. “If I didn’t set him free, who did?”
I threw my hands up. “I… I haven’t the slightest clue. Maybe he escaped himself, had enough power to cross realms, somehow.” I watched the profiles of people passing by, our presence completely unnoticed by each and every one of them. I’d been riding the highest of highs just this morning, on my way to put a stop to the terror. And just like that, the terror had seemingly grown wings and flown off.
When I looked back to Ludovicus, there was something different in his stare. For the first time since his curse had been broken and he’d revealed the truth of Malosym’s control, he looked at me with something other than pleading or apology. He looked at me with determination. “I have an idea.”
“I’ve just about had it with ideas. I’d rather not be disappointed once again.”
“Disappointment is nothing but the tragic death of hope,” he answered simply, pushing to his feet and readjusting the hood over his head. “Let it just be an idea for now. No hope, yet.”
I eyed the hand he outstretched to me. “Where are we going?”
“The library.
???
I’d begun this day thinking it was my last. Now, I was following Ludovicus’ cloaked form through the tunnels beneath the castle.
