Page 172 of A Crown of Lies

Rowan kissed him again, and he almost forgot about the pain in his side and the dull ache in his arm. He forgot about the ghost in the Wytchwood, the death, the war… about everything except being there, in that moment, with the man he loved.

The man I love… When did that happen? When did I fall so madly, deeply in love that I couldn’t get out? That I didn’t want to? When did I become the sort of elf who falls in love with a king and hopes for a happy ending?

All the terrible things he’d survived—the death, the poverty, the torture and loss—and now everything he’d never thought he’d have was nearly within his grasp. All he had to do was reach out and take it. He could be happy. He could be safe.

He could beloved.

No strings. No conditions. No coin. Just this perfect man, and his beautiful, perfect goddess.

Ieduin broke the kiss and touched Rowan’s cheek. “I love you, sir.”

He’d never uttered those words, not to anyone. He’d thought those three words were forever beyond his reach, meaningless after all the many times he’d given too much of himself away. There shouldn’t be anything left to give, but there was. Being with Rowan and Rixxis, it made him whole in a way that nothing ever had.

Rowan smiled down at him, and his entire body warmed. “And I love you, boy.”

“Ieduin?”

There was a sudden crash, and they looked over to see Rixxis standing in the doorway. Hamlet squeaked and scampered over to feast on the plate of eggs she’d dropped and to lap up the spilled milk.

She rushed over to throw her arms around him, showering his head with kisses. “I’m so glad you’re awake!”

“We were kind of in the middle of having a moment,” Ieduin managed through her barrage of kisses.

Rixxis leaned back and blushed, glancing between them. “Sorry. Was I interrupting?”

Rowan chuckled and reclined against the headboard with a stretch. “It’s a good thing you did. I was starting to worry he’d tear his stitches.”

“Bad,” Rixxis chastised, tapping Ieduin lightly on the nose before sliding into bed on the other side of him. “Behave yourself until you’re healed up.”

Ieduin let out a small whimper. “Ok, fine. You win.”

Over the next hour or so, they brought him up to speed. They had won the battle, albeit with heavy losses. It was clear this was only going to be the first battle of many, and not against the foe they thought they’d been fighting. There were demons and undead to deal with still, but Kat was there to help, and Tofi was working on a solution.

“Any news from Eris?” Ieduin asked.

Rixxis shook her head. “Not yet.” She sounded worried.

Rowan took her hand, letting it rest over Ieduin’s chest. “Isaac is with her. I’m sure she’s just fine.”

“Is it true?” Ieduin turned his head to search Rowan’s face. “Brucia ousted her?”

Rowan nodded gravely. “Reports coming out of Brucia are spotty, but it seems the Octarian allowed the army of the faithful to enter the city. They clashed with the Crows still there, but public opinion quickly swayed against the Crows when there was fighting in the streets. Some of them fled the city. A good many died. Those that remained are being hunted by the militant faithful. They call themselves Justicars. As far as we know, Niall has declared himself king of Brucia and started farce trials for anyone he believes is loyal to Eris. He’ll hang them, probably, starting with the rest of the council.”

Ieduin shook his head. “How did this happen? How did it all go so bad, so fast?”

“Michal is a little scheming shit,” Rowan replied. “Always has been. He leveraged the power of blind faith and mindless fear to get what he wanted, positioning himself as a holy alternative to consorting with elves.” Rowan snorted and turned away. “Everyone seems to have forgotten that he is a bastard with no claim to any throne, let alone all the Free Cities.”

“It’s not hopeless,” Rixxis said, squeezing Rowan’s hand. “We’ve heard there’s an underground resistance in Brucia. The way people talk, it sounds like Orin is running it. We can coordinate with them to take the city back once Ruith arrives with more troops from D’thallanar.”

“And then we will crush Ostovan and Trinta if we have to,” Rowan said firmly.

Ieduin nodded. “Crows don’t take fights they can’t win. We’re going to win this. Together.” He put his hand over theirs.

It wasn’t going to be easy, not by a long shot. They were still outnumbered, their supply lines were still a mess, but their purpose was clear. Now, more than before, they had to be united to survive whatever came next.

Fifty-Two

IsaacandErisrodeover the last hill on a stolen horse. After five days on the road, they were both covered in dirt and sweat. A deposed queen and her dishonored knight in a foreign land. The thought made the anger flare in Isaac’s chest again. He still couldn’t believe it.

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