Page 105 of A Crown of Lies

Peter let go of his brother and staggered forward, signing emphatically, “They’ll torture him.”

“Rowan? What’s going on?”

“Have you not put it together yet, Cock?” Tofi asked, lowering his voice. “They speak of the Wild Hunt.”

Rowan closed his eyes and sighed. There was no more pretending, not if they were going to have any chance of rescuing Ewan. He turned back to Ieduin and lifted his hands. “I am the Wild Hunt. Or rather, we are. Me, Ewan, his sons. We’ve been riding out to harass the bandits to get them to leave, and to reclaim lost land. Defending our people.”

Ieduin stared at him, his expression unreadable. “Dagh Cairn. That was you?”

Rowan was silent, not knowing how to answer that. He stepped closer to Ieduin. “We should have gone out last night. Ewan wanted to, begged me to come with him. Maybe if I had, he wouldn’t be a prisoner right now.”

“Or maybe you would be one, too,” Tofi added.

“Gods below.” Ieduin threw his hands up and turned away. “I can’t fucking believe you! You’ve been lying to me this whole time?”

“Because I knew this is how you would react!” Rowan shouted. “You’d stand there and tell me it’s too dangerous, that I shouldn’t be out putting my life on the line!”

“Because you shouldn’t!” Ieduin growled back, turning. He drove a finger into Rowan’s shoulder. “You’re a fuckingking. What happens to Greymark if you die, huh? Where’s your line of succession?”

Rowan didn’t answer.

“I’ll tell you what happens if you die,” Ieduin continued. “Trinta wins. They install a loyal governor here, imprison, torture, and execute everyone who helped you with this rebellion. Meanwhile, they tax your people into poverty like they’ve never known, conscript their sons into the army, and march them all to fight Brucia. Is that what you fucking want?”

“None of this frees Ewan or furthers the war effort,” Rixxis said from the doorway.

Everyone turned, the room quieting at her appearance.

She stepped in, coming between Rowan and Ieduin to put her hands on the table. “Fight later. We need a plan now.”

“We need to know everything he knows.” Ieduin gestured to Rowan. “All this time, you’ve known more about what we were walking into than you let on. Time to come clean.”

Rowan took a deep breath and walked over to plop into a padded armchair. He was even more exhausted than before. “Divina is the bandit queen. She’s the necromancer you want. Kill her, this business with the undead ends. But you won’t be able to get to her. Not only does her husband Simeon, protect her, but her whip is spelled. Despair immediately overcomes anyone it touches. If you come within ten feet of her, she’ll have you falling on your own sword.”

Ieduin snorted. “I don’t need to be within ten feet of her. Give me an arrow with that bone dust on it and I’ll put it right through her fucking skull.”

Tofi nodded.

“You’ll need someone to clear the way for your shot,” Rixxis pointed out. She looked at Rowan. “This Simeon. How does he fight?”

“Dirty.” Rowan shook his head. “He’s not particularly good, but he’s fast. He wields a giant two-handed sword capable of taking down horses, let alone a man.”

“I am no man,” Rixxis said. “I will kill him. Then Ieduin takes his shot. Rowan—”

“I’m not going to stay out of the fighting,” Rowan said firmly. “I can’t ask people to bleed and die for me if I won’t for them.”

“I’ll nail you to a wall before I let you ride with the vanguard.” Ieduin folded his arms.

“You don’tletme do anything. I’m the king!”

“And I will be your queen,” Rixxis declared. “So Idoget a say.”

A tense silence passed through the room as they all three glared at each other.

“Congratulations on your engagement,” Tofi offered in a small voice.

Rixxis ignored him. “I know this is personal for you, Rowan. I know Ewan is your friend, but Ieduin was right earlier. We can’t risk everything to save one person, whether it’s my father, or your friend.”

Peter tapped Rowan on the shoulder and signed, “She means to let him die? I’ll rescue him myself!”

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