Page 191 of Royal Rebel

With Sidrah’s face buried in Clare’s neck, she kept her words soft. “Bennick? Are you all right?”

He blinked slowly, his eyes sliding to her. “Yes. Are you?”

They were both alive. “Yes,” she whispered.

His gaze sharpened. He pushed to his feet, that bloody knife still in his hand. He stepped forward, his fingertips brushing the edge of her throbbing cheek. It burned, and she imagined he could see the redness. Her palm stung from the cut of Zilas’s knife, only partially shielded by the handful of dirt she’d held.

“He said you would be unconscious for hours,” she said.

Bennick’s fingers curled away from her cheek and dropped. His voice was stronger now—more sure. “I should have been. The Hassans were helping him.” He glanced at Sidrah, who was clinging tightly to Clare. A muscle in his jaw ticked. “They didn’t have a choice. But after Zilas gave Serai Hassan the drugged needle, she wiped off as much of the poison as she could when he wasn’t looking. I was only knocked down with the residue. As soon as Zilas left to get you, the Hassans worked to revive me. They didn’t dare go after Zilas on their own—especially because he’d left a guard in the hall.”

Clare didn’t blame the Hassans for their part in this nightmarish night; they’d been trapped the moment Zilas had taken Sidrah. While she wished they’d dared do more to warn Bennick of the threat, they’d done what they could.

She didn’t have to ask what had happened next; Bennick would have fought Zilas’s hired guard, even though he’d just been drugged. He would have rallied more men, and he would have run to the suite, expecting to find Clare on the bed.

Her heart squeezed. “Venn and Vera? Bridget?”

“They’re all fine, just worried about you.” Bennick swallowed hard. “Venn didn’t know where Zilas had taken you. He always tries to kill his targets in their bedroom. If not there . . . We were looking everywhere.” He eyed the small clearing around them. “I thought he might have known about this place, since he was watching us. I couldn’t be sure, so I told the others to keep tearing the manor apart, and I ran here.”

He looked almost lost. He was in shock, and still clearly feeling the effects of the drug. The terror he’d obviously felt—mixed with the reality that he’d just killed his half-brother—was clear on his lined face.

Her heart hurt for him.

She reached for his hand and squeezed his fingers, still holding Sidrah easily against her chest. “Let’s go back,” she said, her voice soft. “We need to get Sidrah to her parents and let the others know we’re all right.”

Bennick nodded once, the motion a little slow. With one last look at Zilas’s still body, he gripped Clare’s hand and they walked out of the clearing together.

Chapter 44

Desfan

Desfanranhisfingersover the smooth edge of the table. The air was chilled in the upper level of the prison, where he and Karim waited for the guards to bring Liam.

“Is this really necessary?” Karim asked.

“He knows more about Sahvi and his partners than we do,” Desfan pointed out. “He might be able to tell us something that helps us capture him.”

Ever since meeting with Fang in that alley nine days ago, Desfan had been thinking about what Liam had told him during his interrogation weeks ago; that Sahvi was just one enemy in Zennor, and that following the trail of olcain was the only way to understand the full threat against Mortise. The Shadow of Ryden had been cryptic, but that seemed to be Liam’s way. Especially because he wanted Desfan to learn the truth on his own, so he wouldn’t think Liam was manipulating him. He wanted them to have the same enemies so Desfan would end them.

Actually, that felt a bit like manipulation.

But there wasn’t a lot of time to debate his decision to talk to Liam now. Fang’s meeting with Sahvi would take place tonight, and if the Rydenic prince could help them, it was worth the time for this conversation. Frankly, he would have come sooner if he hadn’t been so fates-blasted busy with council meetings and the like.

The door opened and three guards escorted Liam into the holding room. Chains clinked as the prince shuffled forward, his ankles and wrists both manacled. His hair was a little longer than last time, his beard more unruly, but his clever eyes seemed exactly the same as he scanned the room.

“No Captain Markam today?” Liam drawled. “I almost feel slighted.”

“He’s otherwise engaged,” Desfan said, dropping his hand from the table. He watched as Liam lowered into the chair across from him, then his eyes flicked to the guards. “You may wait outside.”

They bowed and retreated. The door closed heavily behind them.

Liam reclined as much as the chains would allow. He almost looked fates-blasted comfortable. He was certainly more self-assured than he had been during their last visit, at least in the beginning. It made Desfan think that Liam’s previous concern for Grayson had been unfeigned—not that he truly knew what to do with that knowledge. Did Liam actually care about Grayson’s welfare? It seemed so unlikely, it was almost laughable.

The prince of Ryden smiled. “What can I do for the serjan and his guard today?”

“You can answer some questions.” Desfan briefly told him about their meeting with Fang in the alley. When he mentioned Sahvi, the skin under Liam’s left eye twitched.

“Sahvi is in Duvan?” the prince clarified.

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