When the crowd surges forward, Iโm sure theyโre going to attack us both, but their target is Corrick, only Corrick. My hands are bound, myย ngers numb, and someone has a grip on my arms to hold me upright. My throat feels raw, and I donโt know how long Iโve been screaming. My ears hurt from all the shouting. I canโt see him. Too many bodies are in the way. I can hear them, though, the sound of punches and kicks.ย ๎ขe sounds of people calling for vicious violence.
๎ขis is worse than the riot in front of the gates.ย ๎ขis is worse than the execution.
Is it because itโs Corrick? Is it because I know him? Does that make me weak?
A week ago, if Prince Corrick had been dropped on the ground at my feet, I might have been a part of the mob.
Now, I have no way to help him. Begging hasnโt worked. Screaming hasnโt worked.ย ๎ขey know what theyโre doing.
I spot a woman in the crowd. Her name is Bree. She hasย ve sons, all under the age of ten. She was afraid to take medicine from us until her husband died of the fever and one of her boys started coughing the next day.
Sheโs behind some of the men, herย sts clenched, her eyes clouded with fear and anger.
โBree!โ I call desperately, and she looks at me in surprise before turning away.
I shout at her anyway. โBree! Stop this. Wes helped you.ย Prince Corrickย helped you. He used to let your boys tackle him in the yard. You begged for medicine a๎er David died, and of course we brought it to you.โ
Sheโs looking at me again. Sheโs stopped trying to surge forward.
โHe did what he could,โ I yell. I look for someone else I recognize. โNiall. Niallโstop. Listen. When you broke your arm last winter, Wes spent two hours splittingย rewood in the dark because a storm was coming.ย Prince Corrickย did that.โ
He hesitates, his eyesย nding mine.
I look for someone else. โPercy Rose! Percy! Remember when your wife was up coughing all night, and Wes and I sat with you until it eased?ย ๎ขat wasย Prince Corrick.โ I search the crowd. โYavette! You were worried you wouldnโt live until your wedding! Wes and I made you take the medicine every day.ย Prince Corrickย did that. And now youโre expecting a baby!โ
I donโt know if the shouts are quieting. I donโt know if Iโm making a di๏ฌerence. I keep searching. I keep begging. My tears keepย owing.
โZafra! Prince Corrick used to bring you squares of fabric for your winter quilts. Norman! Prince Corrick used to give you an extra dose for your sweetheart in Artis. Warley! Prince Corrick helped youย x that door when the hinges rusted o๏ฌ.โ
โDa!โ shouts a little voice. โDa, he stopped the night patrol.โ Forrest.ย ๎ขe boy we rescued earlier. My throat chokes on a sob.
His father is a burly forge worker named Earle, and Iย nd him in the crowd. He grabs the arm of a man who looked to be ready to throw a punch. Heโs big enough to force his way through the people, shoving them back, shoving them away. His voice is bigger than mine. Louder than mine.
โHe saved my boy,โ he says, his voice grave. โAnd he saved a lot of you, too.ย ๎ขey both did.โ
๎ขe shouts have dimmed. Rain drizzles from the sky. Everyone is mud- splattered and breathing heavily.
And staring at me.
I canโt look for Corrick. Iโm terriย ed of what Iโllย nd.ย ๎ขere are so many of them, and heโs only one man.
I steel my nerve. โI knowโโ My voice breaks, and I gasp and try again. โI know Prince Corrick has done a lot of awful things, but heโs also done a lot of good. He risked so much to help you. To help all of you. Heโs not an awful man.ย ๎ขe fevers are awful.ย ๎ขe situation is awful.ย ๎ขisโโ I have to take a deep breath. โ๎ขis . . . what youโre doing . . . this is awful. He helped you. I helped you. Please stop. Please.โ
โCut her loose,โ says a voice, and to my surprise, itโs Lochlan.
A knife brushes my skin, and the ropes fall away. No one grips my arms. I donโt want to look. I have to look.
As if following my gaze, people step aside, and there he is, a pile on the ground. Itโs dark, and his clothes are torn, blood stark against the paleness of his skin. Half his face is shadowed with dirt and blood and bruises.ย ๎ขereโs a laceration across the bridge of his nose that narrowly missed his eye and bisected his eyebrow. Blood has caked on his eyelashes. I thought there was no way he could look worse than the way I found him in the crumbling ruins of the Hold, but I was wrong.
I stagger toward him and drop to my knees in the mud. โCorrick.
Corrick.โ
He doesnโt move. His eyes are closed, but heโs breathingโthank goodness. Itโs a rough and raspy wheeze. Heโs half curled, his body twisted in a way that makes me worry that his spine is broken, and his hands are still bound, his wrists raw and bleeding. Hisย ngers are pale blue, and I think heโs shivering.
โCut him loose,โ I call. โSomeoneโpleaseโโ
โHere.โ Earle drops to a knee beside me, a knife in hand. When he cuts Corrickโs wrists free, his armย ops limply, slapping into the ground with a sickening sound.
I press a hand to his cheek. Myย ngers are trembling. โCorrick. Can you hear me? Open your eyes.โ
His eyelidsย utter, and he makes a low sound in his chest, but his eyes donโt open, and he doesnโt move.
I donโt know what to do. My breath hitches. I look up at the facesโmost familiar, some notโaround me. Some still hold weapons. Most look bewildered, though some are regretful. Some are ashamed. Some are doubtful.
Some are cynical, including Lochlan, and that freezes my tongue on any requests for help. I donโt want to give anyone an excuse to start beating him again.
I canโt carry him back to the palace on my back. I canโt carry him back to the palace at all. Not like this.
Earle looks up at the crowd. โPercy. Help me carry him.โ He looks at me. โWeโve got a girl here whoโs been patching people up.โ
๎ขey say it as if Corrick has a little scratch, instead of looking like heโs a heartbeat away from a co๏ฌn, but I nod.
๎ขey li๎ย him carefully, and I stay close. My heart is still pounding, waiting for them to change their minds.
To our le๎, a few people are jostled, and then a young woman pushes through. I throw up my hands as if sheโs going to attack, but then I recognize my friend.
โKarri?โ I say, and shock is enough to chase away some of my panic. โTessa! Oh, Tessa!โ She throws her arms around me, then just as quickly
holds me at armโs length. Her dark-brown eyes trace my features, and I have no idea what she sees.
๎ขe men are moving away with Corrickโs body. Lochlan is following. โKarri,โ I say, and my voice is a broken mess. โKarri, I haveโI haveโI
haveโโ
โCome on,โ she says, tucking my hand into the crook of her elbow, then tugging me to follow. โI brought some supplies. Letโs see what we can do.โ
My brain refuses to process this. โWaitโyouโreโโ
โWorking with the rebels? Yes.โ She glances over again, and her eyes are just as keen and bright as they were when we worked across from each other at Mistress Solomonโs. Her gazeย icks to the men carrying Corrick and then back to mine. โJust like you.โ
 |
Corrickโs back isnโt broken, but his shoulder is dislocated. Karri and Earle jerk it back into place, and thatโs so painful it brings him around long enough to cry out and try toย ght them o๏ฌ. His injuries must catch up with him, though, because he drops fast. Weโre in a small lean-to at the edge of the village, hardly bigger than the workshop, but thereโs aย re and itโs dry and warm. A small bed sits against the wall, and Earle eases Corrick onto it.
๎ขe prince doesnโt move.
I stand beside him, my hand hovering near his face, unsure if I should touch him. His eyes are already shadowed with bruising, and his breathing is too rapid, too rough. I donโt want to hurt him more.
I have to keep my eyes on Corrick, because Lochlan is standing by the door, and if I look at him, Iโm going to tear him apart with my bare hands.
A few hours ago, Corrick was promising me he could do better, and now I want to be the vicious one.
โHere,โ says Karri. Sheโs brought a kettle and a low pan, along with some squares of muslin.
I dip one and touch it to Corrickโs brow, where dirt has crusted with the blood along the cut over his eye. Heย inches and sucks in a breath, blinking at me before his lids fall closed again.
โShh,โ I say gently. โItโs me. Itโs me.โ
He nods, and itโs such a tiny movement, such a trusting movement.ย ๎ขis time, when I tend to the cut, he holds still.
โIt needs stitching,โ says Karri from behind me. I know. I can see that myself.
โI can do it now,โ she says, โwhile heโs barely awake.โ
Corrickโs eyes crack open a fraction andย nd mine beforeย uttering shut. โIโll do it,โ I say. โDo you have a needle?โ
Iโve stitched people up a dozen times before, but this is di๏ฌerent. Iโm so uncertain about the people in this room, and very aware that while Earle and Karri are helping, Lochlan hasnโt le๎, and I have no idea who might be waiting outside the door. I focus on threading the needle, listening to Corrickโs breathing.
Karri stands beside me, taking the muslin scraps to clean his less serious wounds.
โSo heโs the father?โ she whispers. I almost drop the needle. โWhat?โ
She glances at my abdomen and back at my face.
โOh!โ Iโd completely forgotten the story I told her and Mistress Solomon. โNo.ย ๎ขatโno. Iโm not pregnant. I was never pregnant.โ I tie o๏ฌย the knot in the thread. โHe made it look like he was captured and killed. I didnโt know he was the prince. He was always Wes to me.โ
โHe was always Wes to us, too,โ says Earle.
โWell, he was always Cruel Corrick to a lot of people,โ says Lochlan. I look at him. โShut your mouth or Iโll stitch it closed.โ
He doesnโt look impressed. โGo ahead and try, girl.โ
โStop it,โ says Karri. She casts a glance at the doorway where Lochlan looms, then presses the damp cloth to Corrickโs cheek, dragging the dirt away from the small cuts there.
โHow long have you been working with them?โ I say quietly. She doesnโt look at me. โA few weeks.โ
โKarri!โ
She shrugs. โA๎er the riots in the square, my parents heard of an opportunity to get enough medicine for our whole family.โ She looks over to meet my eyes. โWeโve always had enough to support ourselves, but . . . the woman next door broke her leg and couldnโt work. She helped my mother so much when we were growing up. Sheโs been like a grandmother, really.โ She turns back to her work, rinsing the cloth and moving to the rope burns on Corrickโs wrists. โMy parents have never been rebels, have never done so much as speak out against the king, and they were too scared to do anything. But I . . . youโd clearly been in love with a rebel, and youโre one of the kindest people I know, so I thought Iโd try to help. And here I am.โ
Her eyesย nd mine again. โI kept hearing about Wes and Tessa, how theyโd disappeared, and everyone thought youโd been captured by the night patrol. You were so upset at Mistress Solomonโs, and I began to wonder if Wes was the man you wouldnโt tell me about.โ
โOh, Karri. Iโm sorry. I . . .โ I swallow. I would have told her. I should have told her.
โIโm not my parents,โ she says. She cleans another wound with such care. โI think it took me a little while toย gure that out.โ She nods at the needle in my hand. โDo it before he wakes.โ
I look back at Corrick. His eyes are closed, and his breathing has slowed. I donโt want to hurt him.
Karri is watching me. โI can do it,โ she says so๎ly.
โNoโitโs all right.โ I touch myย ngers to the wound, pressing the edges together. Corrick doesnโt move, not even when I press the tip of the needle against his skin. I bite my lip and push through, making more bloodย ow. I loop the thread quickly, tying o๏ฌย a knot that Karri slices with a knife.
โSo youโre doing what we were doing?โ I say to her as I place the next stitch. โStealing to give to people who have nothing?โ I want to cast a glance at Lochlan. Corrick said he was one of the men raiding shipments. Is that what he is doing, too?
She nods. โYes.ย ๎ขereโs a wealthy man and woman whoโve been providing silver and Moonย ower petals to anyone willing to raid the shipments, but they donโt want the medicine.ย ๎ขey just want the attacks.โ
โWhy?โ
โ๎ขey have a grudge against the throne.โ She slices through my next thread automatically. โI donโt know who they are. But many people call them the Benefactors.โ
โKarri,โ says Lochlan, his tone low with warning. โHeโs the Kingโs Justice.โ โHeโs half conscious,โ she says.
โI donโt care.โ
I place another stitch, but I realize a bloom of sweat has formed on Corrickโs forehead, and hisย ngers are clutching at the sheet. He hasnโt moved, but heโs not unconscious.
Heโs . . . heโsย listening.
I canโt decide if this is brave or stupid. Probably both. I put the needle against his skin again, but hesitate. My palm turns damp. I canโt do this if heโs awake. I canโt.
I try not to think about the fact that I already was.
โHeโs helped us for years,โ says Earle. โIโve heard about what heโs done out there, but I know what heโs done here, for us.โ He pauses. โAnd sometimes people go too far.โ
โOn both sides,โ says Lochlan.
โAre you going toย nish?โ says Karri, and I almost jump. I push the needle through, and a muscle in Corrickโs jaw twitches. I have no idea how he can stay silent through this, but I can do him the favor of being quick. I loop and tie o๏ฌย the knot, and she cuts the thread.
I take the muslin from Karri and wash the fresh blood away. Corrick doesnโt move. His grip on the sheet has gone slack. I canโt tell if heโs passed out again or if heโs just relieved that Iโm not shoving a needle through his eyebrow.
โYou all bombed the Hold,โ I say.
โ๎ขereโs a group from Traderโs Landing that brought supplies from the mines,โ she says.
โKarri,โ snaps Lochlan.
โHow did you get in?โ I say, as I rinse the muslin and squeeze out the excess water. โ๎ขe gate guards searchโโ
A hand closes on my arm,ย ngers digging into the muscle. โWhat do you think youโre doing?โ
Lochlan. Heโs right at my side. I gasp and try to jerk away. โIโm notโIโm notโโ
โLet her go,โ snaps Karri.
โLochlan,โ says Earle. โLeave her be.โ
Lochlan shi๎s closer to me, until standing turns to looming. Heโs no fool. โWhat. Are. You. Doing?โ
I wish I had the needle in my hand again, instead of this useless crush of muslin. Iโm ready to punch him in the crotch, but he suddenly cries out and lets me go, falling back a step, colliding with the small side table. A bowl overturns and shatters on theย oor. White petalsย utter wildly, and some end up on the bed beside Corrick.
Corrick has grabbed hold of Lochlanโs broken wrist where it hung beside the bed, and heโs twisting his grip. His eyes are full of pain and exhaustion but are as cunning and keen as ever.
โYouโll keep your hands o๏ฌย her,โ he says, and his voice sounds like heโs speaking through ground glass.
Lochlan is all but doubled over. Heโs gasping, making tiny keening sounds with each breath.
Karri and Earle have stepped forward, and their eyes go back and forth as they try toย gure out who to help.
โCorrick.โ I have to clear my throat. โCorrick. Let him go.โ
He lets go, and Lochlan falls to his knees, cradling his arm against his belly. When he glares up at Corrick, his eyes are likeย re.
Corrickโs gaze is worse, his blue eyes like ice, carrying a promise of every cruel thought that can make its way through his head. Iโd forgotten he can look like that.
Karri surges forward to scoop the Moonย ower petals into a new bowl.
๎ขey remind me of the ones in the workshop, the ones Wes took from Tris. Some are slightly narrower than Iโm used to, and even in the midst of everything, my apothecary mind canโt help but wonder why. Have they been cut smaller? Where did they come from? Do the Benefactors have access to a new supply, a new cure?ย ๎ขe thought lights me with hope and fear simultaneously.
Corrick puts a hand against the bed and levers himself to sitting. Once heโs upright, he braces his hands against his knees and clenches his jaw. His eyes are shadowed in a way that tells me theyโll be blackened tomorrow, and his jaw is swollen on the le๎ย side. Heโs hunched over, and I wonder if he has cracked ribs.
Earle takes Lochlanโs arm and helps him stand. For theย rst time since helping, he looks uncertain. Karri appears at my side with a cup of tea, the air thick with the scent of the herbs sheโs added. Ginger and turmeric, along with some lemon and rosemary.
โFor the pain.โ She hesitates, then bites at her lip. โYour Highness.โ Corrick takes the tea. He doesnโt look like Wes anymore; he looks like the
Kingโs Justice, his eyes shadowed and closed o๏ฌ, even wounded. But he says, โ๎ขank you.โ
He doesnโt take a sip. He doesnโt trust her. He doesnโt trust any of them.
I probably shouldnโt either, but Iโve known Karri for years, and I donโt think sheโd try to poison himโbut then Iโd never expect her to be working with rebels either. Iโve lived in the Wilds and worked in Artis side by side with these people all my life. But even though they seem to want to help right this second, Lochlan kidnapped me and Corrick.ย ๎ขe crowd tried to kill Corrick, knowing full well who he was.
I suddenly feel like I have a foot planted in each world, and Iโm not sure how to move forward.
From the expression on Earleโs and Karriโs faces, I donโt think Iโm the only one.
I thought things had turned in our favor, that Iโd changed the minds of the crowd, but Iโd forgotten, again, that Wes was never just Wes, and Corrick is .
. . well, the brother to the king.ย ๎ขey can patch him up, but they canโt undo whatโs been done.
King Harristanโs voice was so gentle when he spoke to me a๎er the explosions in the Royal Sector, when he said,ย ๎ปe Kingโs Justice cannot be lenient to those who attack a building in the center of the Royal Sector. Surely you know this.
I do know it. I also know the Kingโs Justice canโt be lenient when heโs been kidnapped and beaten nearly to death. He might agree with the rebellion, and he might be willing to change things from the inside, but that doesnโt mean heโll turn a blind eye to everything done here.
Even if he would, I doubt these rebels would believe him.
I stopped the attack, but I didnโt stop anything else.ย ๎ขeyโre still rebels. To everyone here, heโs still the prince whose duty it is to punish them. My pulse tumbles along, begging me for action, but thereโs no action to take. I place my hand over his.
Lochlan and Earle exchange a glance. Karri wonโt meet my eyes.
Corrick looks at Lochlan. โFetch a crossbow. Do it now.โ His eyes shi๎ย to Earle. โTake Tessa away from here.โ
My brain canโt keep up with the sudden onslaught of emotion. โWait.
CorrickโCorrick, noโโ
Earle takes my arm. โCome on, Tessa.โ His voice is low and sad.
Lochlan has already gone through the door. I struggle against Earleโs grip. My eyes are on Corrick, broken and bleeding, but sitting upright out of sheer force of will.
โStop,โ I say to him, and to my surprise, Iโm crying. โCorrick, no. What are you doing?โ I twist free of Earleโs grip suddenly, and I throw my arms around Corrick.
He makes a small sound, and I know Iโve hurt him, but I donโt care. โIโm sorry,โ I say. โPleaseโplease donโtโโ
โTessa.โ He speaks right to my ear, his voice just for me, and it forces me still. He has a plan. He must have a plan.
But then he says, โI told you what theyโd do.โ
๎ปeyโd torture me and use me against Harristan.
He did tell me. He sacriย ces everything for his brother.ย ๎ขis is no di๏ฌerent.
I choke on my breath. I canโt let him go. I canโt. I burrow my face against his shoulder.
A๎er a moment, his arms come around me, and I can feel him shaking. His lips brush against my cheek. โMind your mettle, Tessa.โ
My breath catches, and I draw back to look at him. โI canโt lose you twice.โ Heย inches. โForgive me.โ
๎ขe door slams, and I jump. Lochlan is back. Earle takes hold of my arm again.
I tighten my grip, and Corrick winces. โTessa. Please.โ โI can shoot you both,โ says Lochlan.
โNo!โ says Karri.
โPlease, my love,โ Corrick whispers into my ear. โPlease.โ I draw back.ย ๎ขereโs nothing cold about his eyes now.
If he can be brave about this, so can I. I allow Earle to pull me back. โIโm all right,โ I say to him, and my voice trembles. โI can walk.โ
He lets me go, but I was wrong. Iโm not brave. I canโt breathe. I canโt walk.
A shout cries out from outside the shed.ย ๎ขen another.ย ๎ขen a shrill whistle.
โ๎ขe night patrol!โ someone screams. Lochlan swears. He li๎s the crossbow. โWait!โ says Corrick.
I throw myself at Lochlan. Itโs not like when I did the same in the clearing earlier, when we saved little Forrest. I donโt have a rock. But his shotย res wildly, and the bolt lodges in the ceiling.
Heย ghts for the weapon, but he only has one working arm, and I have two. I jerk the weapon away from him. Outside the shack, more and more people are screaming. I hear pounding hoo๎eats and someone o๏ฌcial shouting orders.
Lochlan shoves me o๏ฌย him and bolts through the door. Karri and Earle are already gone. I can taste my heartbeat in my throat.
Corrick is o๏ฌย the bed and standing, but heโs gone pale. All of his weight is on one leg. โTessa.โ
โIโm here.โ I move to his side. โLean on me.โ
His arm comes around my shoulders. He must be more hurt than heโs letting on, because he feels unsteady against me.
Armed men burst through the door, crossbows aimed, and I jump. Itโs not the night patrolโitโs the royal army.
๎ขey recognize Corrick, because they lower their weapons almost immediately.
โYour Highness,โ one says, and he sounds shocked.
โLieutenant,โ says Corrick. His voice is weaker than it should be. โYou haveย exceptionallyย good timing.โ
โCommander Riley!โ calls another. โWe found the prince.โ
Another man comes through the door, with blue and purple ribbons adorning each shoulder. His eyes go from Corrick to me and back.
โYour Highness,โ he says, and he sounds equally shocked. โ๎ขe prince is hurt,โ I say. โHe needs a physician.โ
โYes, miss.โ His eyes narrow a bit. โAre you . . . Tessa?โ โYes.โ
โWhy?โ says Corrick.
โForgive me, Your Highness.โ Commander Riley hesitates. โWe didnโt expect toย nd you here. But since we have . . . I have orders to take you both into custody.โ
