Page 43 of A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty

Demos nodded. “The populace is becoming uneasy. It was one thing to learn that their neighbor was harboring a hybrid—and that her child had been arrested, her entire family slaughtered. It’s quite another when you could get mistakenly caught up in the same hunt.”

Would that be enough to shake the humans from their apathy? I’d like to believe so, but we definitely couldn’t rely on it.

“We have to do something,” Asinia said, and it was my turn to squeeze her hand.

“We will.”

Vicer picked at his food. “We’re attempting to smuggle as many hybrids to this camp as we can. But the iron guard is keeping watch, as are the border guards.”

“I need to see a map,” I said. We had to figure out some kind of distraction. Some way to get as many hybrids free as possible.

“I’ll have one brought in here,” Vicer said.

In the meantime… “What have you learned about the hourglass?”

Tibris took a bite. “At first, we weren’t sure who P was, but Vicer here knows someone with a talent for getting in and out of places undetected.”

I glanced at Vicer. I was pretty sure I knew who that person was. He just smirked at me. “P stands for Perrin—one of the fae king’s generals. Conreth has a few thousand fae training here. Apparently it’s also a strategic point for them to stay when traveling for various duties. It’s also a way for him to keep an eye on things.”

Something twisted my stomach, but I nodded. “What did you find?”

“They’re being careful. Perrin knows where the hourglass is, I’m sure of it. If we can’t find out what we need to know, we’ll have to get it out of him,” Demos said.

I blinked at him. Was my brother casually discussing torture?

Asinia shook her head. “Pris will never go for that.”

“You obviously didn’t hear what she did to the king’s assessor in the castle,” Demos said, a proud gleam in his eyes.

A hard life. My brother had lived a hard life. The same life I would have lived if I hadn’t been taken that night. Of course, our parents might have survived if they hadn’t spent so long looking for me. The hard lump of guilt in my stomach would likely be with me always.

“Torture needs to be our last resort,” I croaked, and Tibris sent me a concerned look. I just shook my head at him. “We torture a fae general, and we’re declaring war on the people we’re hoping to ally with. What would that mean for the hybrids who’ve made this place their home?” No one replied, and I turned my attention back to the human king. “I don’t understand why Regner wouldn’t have made sure the hourglass was in his possession already,” I said.

Demos’s mouth twitched. “It’s in his possession—after all, he has hidden it in his kingdom. But the hourglass does strange things when it’s held by those without time magic. Regner may have been able to keep it in the castle for a few years, but eventually, he would have noticed weird occurrences. Time speeding up in some places, slowing down in others. I heard rumors there were pockets of land around his castle that had differing seasons.”

Madinia’s eyes gleamed at that. But she dropped her gaze to her nails, her voice carefully neutral. “You won’t be able to steal it alone.”

No, I wouldn’t. But I also couldn’t allow Lorian to learn about it. Oh, he knew I was attempting to find the hourglass. But once we found it, I had to keep that location from him. Otherwise, Conreth would learn that not only did I know about the hourglass, but that I refused to stay ignorant and rely on faegoodwill.

“If we can’t take Lorian and the others, we need to keep this quiet.”

Vicer nodded, his expression grave. “No one will say a word.”

I could feel time trickling through my fingers like sand. “Anyone who is traveling with us needs to be ready the moment we know where we’re starting the search.”

“They will be,” Demos said. “We’ve been training, and I heard Galon has some plans for you to join us.”

He must’ve seen the grim acceptance sweeping through me, because he grinned. Meanwhile, Asinia looked like she’d tasted something terrible. I raised one eyebrow, and Demos smirked at me. “She’s been putting off training with a crossbow. But tomorrow is the day she starts.”

Her eyes fired. “Who put you in charge?”

Tibris looked like he wanted to agree with the sentiment, but he cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, Demos’s power makes him the best option. The hybrids also know he’s the hybrid prince, and they follow his orders.”

My curiosity pricked. “Are you actually going to tell me what your power is?” I asked Demos.

“Don’t get too excited,” he said. “I’m only useful on the battlefield.”

Vicer angled his head. “I’d say you’re useful for slightly more than that.”

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