: Chapter 64

Again, midnight arrives and Tycho hasn’t returned to the forge. It’s so late that I’ve begun to wonder whether he’ll return at all, or if the king has already sent him on a mission, and I won’t receive word for weeks or months.

It won’t be weeks or months or never, Jax. I promise you.

But he can’t promise that when he doesn’t know what his future holds. I’ve known all along that his life was at the mercy of the king. Now more than ever.

But just as I begin to drift to sleep, I hear the squeak in the floor, and I sit up sharply in bed.

“Don’t shoot,” he calls ironically from the main room. “It’s just me.” He appears in the shadowed doorway. His face is in darkness, his weapons catching glints of light from somewhere. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I’m getting used to it.”

He smiles, but something about it seems a bit reluctant. “May I sit?”

I can already hear it in his voice. “You’re leaving.”

He doesn’t beat around the bush. “I am. At daybreak.”

My throat tightens almost at once. I try to breathe past it, but my voice is still husky when I say, “You can sit.”

When he does, I waste no time. I wrap my arms around his neck, heedless of the armor that he hasn’t removed. This reminds me of the first night he slept here, when his leather and weapons seemed to protect him from emotional wounds as strongly as physical ones. “Tell me.”

“The royal family will return to the palace almost immediately,” he says. “It seems that the assault on the queen is not well known, and they do not want to allow much more time to pass, because rumor will spread quickly. Queen Lia Mara needs to be on the throne before people begin to speculate. But they will be joined by a contingent of Emberfall’s forces, along with half of Emberfall’s Royal Guard. Everyone in the Queen’s Guard will need to be interrogated. The Truthbringers have begun to form factions in Emberfall, but the level of insurrection in Syhl Shallow runs deep.”

“So you’re staying here,” I say. This doesn’t sound too bad. It’s only a few hours away. “In the Crystal Palace.”

“No,” he says. “I’ve been asked to take residence at Ironrose Castle for the time being.”

I freeze. “Why?” I say. “For how long?”

“For weeks.” His body is so still against mine. “Likely months. Before the first events of the Royal Challenge, Lord Alek spread rumors of me being involved with the Truthbringers, and those have not dissipated. There were accusations that I was using magic for personal gain. The king and queen cannot afford any impressions of weakness or subversion. Not right now.”

“So the king is sending you away?” There’s heat in my voice. “After all you’ve done?”

He nods. “I made a bargain with the scraver Nakiis to save Grey’s life, and there is no way to know when he’ll demand my services. You saw Callyn’s reaction when the scravers swooped down from the trees to save us in battle. Can you imagine if they appeared in the midst of the Crystal City? It’s a variable the king doesn’t want right now. I may not like it, but I understand it.”

I remember the king’s words when he was broken and bleeding on the floor of my workshop. Tycho risked his position at court for you. He risked his life for you. Make it worth it.

I did. And Tycho may have survived—but he’s being punished anyway.

I frown against his shoulder. “I’m sorry for what I put you through. I wish I could go back to that first day and undo it.”

“Jax. Jax, no.” He pulls back to look at me, then brushes a thumb against my cheek. “I don’t regret one minute of it.” He pauses, and his voice turns careful. “I’ve also brought you an offer, from Prince Rhen.”

I straighten. I’ve caught glimpses of the blond prince, either with the king or between soldiers. Every time I see him, I think of the scars on Tycho’s back and I want to throw a hot bar of iron right at the man.

Tycho sees my expression and chuckles. “Perhaps I should keep it to myself. There’s a part of me that does not want you to feel … obligated.”

“I am not obligated to him,” I say darkly.

“No … I meant obligated to me. Because I know there will be challenges.”

I stare at him. “I don’t understand.”

“The prince intends to offer you a job, as a resident blacksmith for the Royal Guard. You would not be alone. He has a crew of metalworkers to supply the castle. But I know you have your forge here, and your life is here, and your—”

I throw my arms around his neck again. “Yes. Yes. Why didn’t you lead with that? Yes.”

He’s laughing softly against my shoulder. “You can’t throw the prince in the forge, though.”

“He could always trip.”

“Jax.”

“Shh. Allow me to imagine it a bit longer.”

“I will still have duties and obligations,” he warns. “I will still have my position as King’s Courier.”

“Would I leave with you at daybreak?” I can’t disguise the eagerness in my voice. “Or would I have to wait?”

“You could leave with me. There will be many soldiers traveling by wagon.”

That same eagerness is echoed in his own voice, and I kiss his cheek. “Help me pack.”

He laughs. “All right.”

I’m shoving clothes into a linen bag when I have another thought. I feel like a terrible friend that it took me so long.

“Tycho?” I say. “What about Callyn?”