the rest of their force moves on to sack Mudaire and down to Abenharrow to attack all those undefended civilians. Those are the stakes. Are you still willing to risk someone else carrying that message?”
Malahi’s face was white as a sheet. “I understand the stakes. But we are so close to achieving everything we wanted, Killian. So close. Please don’t mess things up now because you’re unwilling to delegate.”
“So close to achieving what we want or what you want, Malahi?” He stared at her, anger rising in his chest. “What I want is to win this battle. To defeat Rufina and her army and drive them out of Mudamora. But it seems to me that you only care about winning this battle if it’s on your terms.”
“That’s not true.” Her eyes searched his. “You know that everything I’ve done has been to save this kingdom.”
“I used to think that. Now I wonder if you care more about putting the crown on your head than you do for the people you claim to serve,” he said. “I wonder if you’re no better than the rest of the High Lords after all.”
His cheek stung as the palm of her hand cracked against it. Killian had seen it coming and could have moved. But he’d chosen not to, watching now as she curled her hand against her chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, lowering her head. “I should not have done that.”
Killian didn’t answer, only watched as she pulled herself together, smoothing both the wrinkles from her skirts and the emotion from her face.
“Please stay on this side of the wall,” she finally said. “Send someone else. Send ten men. A hundred men. Send Dareena; just please don’t go yourself.”
His skin prickled with the sense an attack was coming, but it had nothing to do with the enemy on the other side of that wall.
“Let me go!” Lena’s voice tore his attention from Malahi’s face, and he turned to find the girl struggling with Gwen, who was trying to haul her out of the tent entrance while hissing, “You can’t! She’ll fire you and you’ll have to go back to turning tricks,” underneath her breath.
“What is the meaning of this?” Malahi demanded. “Have you two forgotten what the word private means?”
Shaking Gwen off her arm, Lena straightened. “Respectfully, Your Grace, I can’t stay silent. He needs to know what you’ve done.”
Malahi blanched, and Killian’s skin crawled with apprehension. “What’s she talking about, Malahi?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
It wasn’t nothing. Even if Malahi didn’t look ready to vomit on his boots, he would’ve known it wasn’t nothing.
“I know I’m fired or worse for this,” Lena said. “But what you did to Lydia wasn’t right.”
Lydia. Killian’s pulse roared and it was all he could do not to grab Malahi by the shoulders and shake her. “Did you hurt her?”
“No! I—” She broke off, her chin trembling.
“Either you tell him or I do, Your Grace,” Lena said. “Your choice.”
Malahi closed her eyes for a long moment, then nodded. “Get out. I don’t need you listening in.”
“Where is Lydia?” Killian demanded, not noticing or caring if Lena complied. “What have you done to her?”
Silence.
“I didn’t think Dareena would vote for me,” she finally answered. “I thought killing my father was the only way to take the crown away from him. I … I discovered that Lydia was a healer, and I used the information to convince her to help me.”
It was the worst sort of betrayal. Even if Killian hadn’t been truthful about Lydia’s identity, she’d still risked her life to protect Malahi’s. “You mean you threatened her until she agreed to be your assassin?”
“Yes.”
Killian stepped back, needing distance from her. Not knowing how he could ever stand to be close to her again. “You’re telling me that she’s with the Royal Army planning to kill the King?”
“Yes, but she’s supposed to have done it already. Something’s gone wrong.”
Lydia—Lydia who could barely manage to swing a sword without tripping over her own feet—was going to attempt to murder the most important man in the kingdom. A thousand things could’ve gone wrong.
“I’m sorry.” Malahi reached for him, but he batted her hands away. “Please understand that I only did it to save our people.”
“Why her?” he demanded. “You could’ve chosen anyone. Or is this all jealousy? All a result of you falling for my brother’s manipulations rather than asking me for the truth?”