never wanted you to get hurt. I never wanted this.” Emilian’s voice was a whisper, choked. Stripped of his uniform, he wore only a thin shirt, the fabric torn across the chest. Underneath, his pale skin was splotched with purple bruises. They had not gone easy on him. Had Roric been the one to beat him, too?
The sight tore at Tauran. They’d all been so happy, once. Young and free and with bright, shining futures. What had happened to that?
“I’m okay,” Catria said, so softly Tauran almost couldn’t hear it. She stroked Emilian’s hair, a little awkward from the way her hands were shackled. “So is Sorcha. We will figure this out.” She looked up, her big brown eyes meeting Tauran’s. Tauran looked away, like he’d encroached on something too private. Skies, he wished Kalai was here. He’d do anything for Kalai’s gentle hands on him. Not that he deserved it. He hung his head.
Catria moved at the edge of his vision, and then her hand was on Tauran’s shoulder. “That guard caught you good,” she said, gently. “Your lip is bleeding.”
“I’m fine. You should stay with Emilian.” Her gentle attention made him squirm, amplifying the guilt writhing inside him. He licked his lips and tasted iron.
“He’ll be fine for a minute.” She tugged on her sleeve and gently dabbed the blood from Tauran’s chin.
“Roric…” Tauran started, voice rough. He didn’t know what he was trying to say, couldn’t word the betrayal.
“I know.” Catria’s voice was hard for a moment.
“How long…”
“How long has he been blackmailing Emilian? Since the battle.” She rubbed his chin with her thumb, then lowered her hands. “Who do you think secured Roric that recent raise? The private room in the tower? Who do you think paid for all the food and those extra bottles of goldwine in that fancy restaurant?”
Tauran swore. He’d forgotten about that. He remembered noticing the tension in the air between Catria and Emilian. Thought the two of them might have had an argument. Or that Emilian was simply too overworked and tired to enjoy a nice night out. All along, Roric had been stripping Emilian for all he had, threatening to reveal the truth of his treason if he resisted. The breath stuck in Tauran’s throat. He met Catria’s eyes, and she must have seen the torment in him, because she smiled at him gently.
“You couldn’t have known,” she said. “Roric has been playing this game for years.”
Tauran shook his head. “I thought he was a good man. I can’t believe how fucked up you have to be to treat your own brother like that.” Anger rose inside him and he welcomed it, letting it replace his guilt, if only for a moment. Suddenly, Emilian’s ever-present haunted gaze and overwhelming fatigue made sense. He’d been fighting a silent battle for years. Tauran and Roric had been close as brothers. Tauran had thought he knew Roric almost as well as he knew himself. “Why is Roric on Falka’s side? Can’t he see all the fucked up shit he’s doing?”
Catria sighed softly, a curtain of curls falling over her face when she lowered her head. “Roric is loyal. I think Falka has him convinced he’s doing the right thing, convinced him of all that rebel nonsense.”
Tauran closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. He couldn’t exactly argue with that. Tauran had been blind to Falka’s bullshit for years. So eager to kiss that bastard’s ass. He’d been in Roric’s shoes only months ago. “I’m sorry, I… I wouldn’t have gone along with it if I had known. Roric paid for my fucking wine—”
“The wine doesn’t matter.” Emilian’s voice brought Tauran to silence. It was so quiet, so broken, that he almost hadn’t heard it, but when Emilian spoke again, his voice was stronger. “The money doesn’t matter. My job doesn’t matter. What matters is friends and family. Real family.” He glanced at Catria. “Catria saved my life. You two are the only people who matter, and I don’t care what I have to do to keep you safe.” His shackles clinked together and Tauran glanced down. Emilian stroked along his forearm, partially hiding it from Tauran’s view, but Tauran could still see the long, straight scars there.
Tauran’s eyes widened. Emilian had been in a dark place after the battle. Maybe even more so than Tauran.
“Don’t talk like that.” Catria moved from Tauran’s side and back to Emilian, cupping his face the best she could. “We will get out of here,