do?”
“What I must—keep training and hope to the gods that we figure out what is happening to me and stop it before...”
He didn’t finish the thought, but he didn’t need to. I had no doubt that his mind was on the night the king died, just as mine was.
“Killian, I know I’ve said it before, but I have to say it again. I had nothing to do with your father’s death. I swear it.”
“I know.”
Wait, what?
“You do?” I asked hesitantly.
His shoulders dropped. “Even before we came to see you in prison, I’d been starting to wonder if we jumped to the wrong conclusion. The Folk around us came up with an explanation for the unexplainable, and when Flynn found you like that...we chose to believe it. Not because we wanted to. Because we couldn’t see past the betrayal.”
I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat. There was a tiny, logical piece of my brain that understood he and his brothers had been in a bad position. The kingdom needed a guilty party, and I’d been the only suspect.
But I’d rotted away in NP for over a year because of their mistake. No matter what explanation they gave, I couldn’t forget that. Couldn’t forget their lack of faith in me.
He gave me a sad smile. “You should know that Ronan knocked on practically every door in Tuatha, trying to prove that someone else had died that night. That your lament had been for anyone other than Father.”
I reached for my throat, holding in the gasp that wanted to rip from my mouth. “Ronan?”
“Yes. He refused to accept that you were guilty...until he finally couldn’t deny it.”
Turning to the man in question, I studied him in battle with Flynn. Like when he’d fought Killian, he appeared composed. Calculating.
I tried to channel some of that shrewdness to figure him out. He’d shown me time and time again that he had no interest in trusting me. But, maybe, there was more to it.
Back then, he’d needed to prove to himself that I was guilty. So, maybe, he needed that same kind of proof of my innocence. That’s what he was waiting for—something undeniable.
“There’s a way to do this without using up your magic!” I raised my voice to be heard over the clash of swords and lapping waves.
“Without building a boat, there really isn’t,” Flynn called, sounding barely out of breath. It only drove home how winded Killian was, but I somehow managed not to glance over at him.
“Are you going to tell us?” Killian asked, tiredly.
“Sometimes the simplest solution is the best solution—”
“Now you sound like a druid,” Ronan called out. “And I don’t like trying to solve riddles.”
“Get the bug out of your butt, Ro.” Goodness, he was cranky. “You all keep interrupting me. As I was saying, the simplest solution can be the best solution. Instead of using magic, why don’t you do a little campaigning and get some of the water Folk on your side? They’ll help you. In fact, once when I was swimming in the loch, I got a merrow to push me out of the water.” I’d flown through the air and belly-flopped, but before the slap of water against my body, it had been exhilarating. “You aristocrats forget to make friends.”
Ronan and Flynn stopped, turning to fully face me. “There’s no way we can talk a selkie into helping us out. Let alone an entire race of water sprites.”
“If a banshee can make friends with them, you can. They hold a grudge, but somehow, the ones I’ve met haven’t blamed me for the deaths of their loved ones.” Oops. That might have been too direct.
I stood up and brushed the back of my dress. “I should go.”
Groaning, Killian stood next to me. “I’ll walk you to your room. But I’m not going with you like this.” He studied my glamour. Icy chills rippled every place his gaze landed. “There.”
I held out my hands and sighed. I was back to being a guard. “You shouldn’t have done that.” He’d just admitted that his magic was fading. He didn’t need to waste any of it on me.
“I’ll come too.” Ronan’s form blurred as he sailed across the water to us. On the shore, he sheathed his sword and stood up straighter. “We need to make sure whatever room she’s in has a door that stays locked.”
“Awesome,” I muttered. “Lead the way.”
Imogen
The walk to my new room was pretty silent. And awkward. We’d left Flynn still hovering over the