thin out.
“It’s not as bad as you think it is,” he says, and I choke out a laugh.
He wipes my tears, and I open my mouth, ready to tell him everything.
“Your Majesty.”
We both turn at Bevix’s voice. Arix’s expression goes cold at the interruption, and Bevix bows his head.
“It’s Korzyn. He was attacked.”
Arix
Korzyn is unconscious but alive. He’s deathly pale, but he has traces of blue around his mouth. My knees go weak as I slump into the chair next to his bed.
“He was carrying cava berries,” I murmur, and the healer nods.
I resist the urge to slide my hand into my own pocket, where a few of the dried berries are hidden. Korzyn’s planning and paranoia have saved his life.
“The berries began the healing process, giving us enough time to get to him. Once again, we were detained,” the healer says, and I tear my gaze from Korzyn, meeting her eyes.
She nods at whatever she sees on my face. “The main door leading to the healers’ quarters was barred. Sevis—one of the younger healers—managed to climb out a window, reaching your commander just in time, while the rest of us were forced to wait for some of your guards to break down the door.”
She shivers and glances at the wreckage of the door.
“You did well,” I manage to get out, my hands fisting. Sevis will be rewarded for her quick thinking.
The traitors are getting desperate. My spies are up against their spies, and they know for sure that Korzyn would never betray me.
My mind flashes back to the moment I first sat on my father’s throne. I felt overwhelmed, horror and anguish warring within me, while I fought to keep my face blank.
Korzyn noticed, creating a distraction while I collected myself. He’d just lost his father, but he never held it against me, instead choosing to devote his life to protecting me.
We may not be brothers by blood, but we’re brothers by choice.
And someone just attempted to murder him.
“What do we know?” My voice is rough, and I don’t take my eyes off Korzyn’s face as Rachiv steps closer to the bed.
My hand lingers near my sword, and I can feel his surprise as he pauses.
He clears his throat. “He was on his way to the marketplace, Your Majesty. The other human female slipped past her guards and had not returned.”
The arm of the chair I’m sitting in cracks under my hand, and I realize I’m squeezing it.
Sarissa.
“Do you believe she is responsible for this?”
Rachiv sighs. “Korzyn does not trust her, but I find it difficult to believe she could take him unaware like this. His chest wound is high, making it an awkward strike for a female so much smaller.”
I ignore that. After watching the way Vivian can shoot a crossbow, I’m sure I’ve misjudged the human females.
The human females I invited into my home.
“If this is true, she will regret it.”
“Not…her.”
I focus my attention back on Korzyn’s face as his eyes open to slits. “What happened?”
“I was looking for her at the marketplace. A Zinta came out of nowhere and stabbed me.”
“A Zinta?”
He nods. “I didn’t recognize him. I was distracted or he wouldn’t have succeeded.” He looks disgusted with himself, and I attempt to hide my surprise. Never would I have imagined that Korzyn would allow himself to be distracted enough to almost be killed.
He lets out a pained chuckle at whatever he sees on my face. “She came back for me.”
He groans at something the healer does, closing his eyes as she cleans his wound. He takes several deep breaths before his eyes open again.
“Sarissa. She pulled the cava berries from my pocket and put them in my mouth. Then she took my sword and guarded me, warning everyone to stay back. As soon as help arrived, she went after the Zinta.” His eyes turn wild. “She’s alone.”
I turn to where Rachiz is standing with three of my most trusted guards. “Find her.”
He nods, and Korzyn seems to relax slightly as they leave.
I watch Korzyn as his blinks get longer and longer. First, my uncle, and now the warrior who is as close to me as a brother. I clench my teeth so hard that my jaw begins to ache.
Korzyn opens his eyes again, and they’re blurry with pain and exhaustion.
“Don’t do anything hasty,” he warns me. “Stick to the plan.”
I growl at that but nod. Thanks to his spies, we know the traitors are planning to kill me at the ball. We’ve already discovered