: Chapter 54

I was right. We’re able to get into the barn without much resistance. The soldiers are used to me bringing food now, so they let us pass. Nora huddles near my side.

The queen is sitting in the corner with her daughter, and she looks up in surprise when we approach with a lantern. Sinna is in her arms.

“What’s happening?” the queen asks quietly.

“I’m not entirely sure,” I say carefully.

“They say they’ve caught the king,” she whispers.

“I know.” I swallow. “I don’t know how. I don’t know what it means.”

A shadow slides along the wall of the barn. A male voice says, “It means Grey is trapped.”

The queen gasps, but Sinna struggles free of her arms to run across the straw. “Tycho!”

He catches her in his arms and swings her into the air, but the movement is sedate, and his expression is serious. “The king is injured,” he says quickly. “I don’t know what they’ve shot him with, but they seem to have a supply of Iishellasan artifacts. He can’t use his magic. There are at least four dozen soldiers on the road. I recognize many from the palace guard. They could have more.” He draws close, his eyes narrowing when they fall on the queen, taking in the blood on her clothes and the bruising to her face. “Your Majesty. Forgive me. He ordered me to find you. I could not keep him—”

She strides forward and throws her arms around his neck so forcefully that he takes a step back.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she says, and her voice almost breaks. “We have to save him, Tycho.”

“We will,” he says, but even he doesn’t sound entirely sure.

She draws back to look at him. “How did you get in without being seen?”

“I broke the lock on the back door. Everyone is in the barnyard celebrating his capture,” he says. “It’s barely sunrise. I look like any other soldier in the shadows.” He glances up and around at my barn. “I thought I might need to sneak into the bakery, which would’ve been a bit harder, but I remembered all the repairs I’d seen to your barn.” His voice turns rueful. “I thought perhaps Alek had set this up.”

Sure enough, he did.

I flush. I was so foolish.

The queen wastes no time on my remorse. “We will sort out the key players once we are all safe in the palace. Tycho, how many soldiers do you have with you? Can we be sure of their loyalty? If we take a stand against these Truthbringers, will we—” She catches a glimpse of his expression in the flickering lantern light. “What?”

“No soldiers,” he says. “You have me.”

The words fall into the silence and hang there.

The queen reaches out to squeeze his hand. “There are few people I would rather have at my side.”

He smiles, though it’s a bit wistful, full of words unsaid. “Well, I’d feel better if we had a full battalion. I feel certain Rhen has sent soldiers to follow, but they could not travel as fast.”

“A full battalion!” says Nora, and I can’t tell if she’s fascinated or afraid. “Will there be a war right here in Briarlock?”

“A war!” says the princess, and her tiny voice is the same. She clutches tightly to Lord Tycho’s neck.

“Maybe,” says the queen. “How soon do you expect them?” she says hopefully.

“Not for another two days,” says Tycho. “At least.”

She stares at him. He stares back.

“As I said,” he says quietly. “You have me.”

“So it is up to us,” she says decisively.

“Yes. If we move quickly, before the sun is fully up, I believe we can escape into the woods without being spotted.”

The queen looks at me. “Callyn, you swore to me that you wanted to help. If I am to rescue my husband, I will need you to look after little Sinna.”

There are so many shocks in that sentence, I don’t know where to start. But her eyes are so intent on mine that I can’t do anything but nod. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I’ll help,” says Nora.

Dutifully, the princess holds out her tiny arms to me, and I take her from Lord Tycho. She winds her fingers in my hair exactly the way Nora used to do.

“We should keep them with us,” says Tycho. “I don’t think it’s safe to leave them here.”

“Oh, I intend to,” says the queen. Another cheer goes up outside, and she frowns. Her voice grows very soft. “They want to kill him, don’t they, Tycho?”

He nods. “Let’s get to a safe place, and let’s make a plan. Once they realize you’re gone, they have enough people to search these woods.”

“As you say,” says the queen. She takes hold of Lord Tycho’s hand and gives him a rueful glance. “Right now I am very sorry we made you give up your rings.”

“Oh. Right.” He picks up a piece of straw and holds it up. In an instant, a flame crawls to life. Nora claps. I stare. The queen gasps.

“Your Majesty,” says Tycho. “The king is no longer the only one with magic.”