in response to her. He squeezed his eyes shut and listened. He could not hear anyone in the dungeon corridor, nor could he sense anyone with the little bit of magic he allowed himself.
But he could not confess this secret without being sure. Not that he could be certain she would answer him truthfully if she was still working with the trolls. “Have the trolls left?”
“Yes, they have been gone for some time now.” Melantha adjusted her position on the floor, rattling the stone shackle on her ankle. “They were arguing as they left. King Charvod is leaving tonight to lead the army, and he ordered Prince Rharreth to stay here to guard you and prepare Gror Grar’s defenses. Prince Rharreth was not happy with this arrangement. He seemed to imply that he is the stronger of the two of them and, as the prince, should be the one with the army while King Charvod should remain here. King Charvod was not pleased by this dissent.”
Would Melantha have told him that if she was working with the trolls? Then again, Farrendel had no way to know if she had truly overheard an argument or if she was making it up for some nefarious purpose.
But if she was telling the truth, then Farrendel would have a few days’ relief from the torture. Prince Rharreth would not torture him. He would probably largely ignore him. He might even leave Melantha with him all the time, which would allow him to regain physical and magical strength even more quickly. Not to mention, give him and Melantha time to plan, if he decided to trust her.
“How soon do you think Prince Rharreth will return?” Farrendel might respect Prince Rharreth more than his brother, but the troll prince was still loyal. He would halt Farrendel’s plans if he overheard them.
“Not for a while. Maybe not even at all tonight.” Melantha shook her head and tucked her toes beneath the blanket near Farrendel’s arm. “You were in a bad way when the two of them left. Prince Rharreth stomped back only moments after King Charvod left, all but dragged me and my blanket from my cell, and plopped me in here. I think he barely remembered to shackle my ankle before he hurried off. Probably to argue with his brother some more.”
It would make more sense for Prince Rharreth to lead the army. But Farrendel could not help but hope that Prince Rharreth lost the argument. Not only would it spare him a few days of torture, but with Prince Rharreth here, King Charvod would be the easier of the two for Weylind and Essie’s brothers to fight.
Melantha touched his arm, and Farrendel flinched, his mind conjuring memories of King Charvod’s hand and icy magic tearing through his chest. He hissed a sharp breath and tried to force his heartbeat to slow.
“I am sorry.” Melantha withdrew her hand and hugged her knees to her chest. At that moment, she looked small and scared. Nothing like the strong, aloof sister he knew. A shiver shook her fingers before she buried them in her skirt.
She had given up her blanket and poured her magic into him to keep him warm.
He was going to trust her. It might be a mistake. But he had to risk it.
“Melantha?” Farrendel flexed his fingers, his heart beating harder. Was he really going to do this? If she turned him in, it would take away the last shred of control he had over his situation. “Can I trust you?”
“Yes.” She said it quickly. Too quickly? He could not tell. But she met his gaze unwaveringly. “What I did was wrong. So very wrong. I will not betray you or Tarenhiel again. Right now, I just want to do whatever I can to get you out of here.”
It was what he wanted to hear. Did she know that? Was that why she said it?
Was he about to be tricked again?
Then again, what did he have to lose? If she tricked him, he would die. But if he did not trust her, he was just as likely to die.
“I hope you are telling the truth.” Farrendel drew in a deep breath. This was it. “I have a plan, and I will need your help. But I am not sure I should trust you with this.”
“I can see why you would hesitate.” Melantha hugged her knees tighter, her black hair scraggling down her back and over her shoulders. “I have had a lot of time to