Iโd envisioned climbing the walls or returning through the tunnel with the king, but instead of heading toward the Royal Sector, Harristan chooses to head deeper into the Wilds. He said he wants to enter the sector through the gates, to have more guards at his back before we step into the fray. He le๎ย his jacket over his brother and stripped the rings from hisย ngers, then traded his jeweled dagger belt for the less adorned one that Quint wore.ย ๎ขorin still has his weapons, but heโs also in his shirtsleeves because Harristan didnโt want anyone to see the royal insignia. In the dark, no one will know him. Hopefully, no one will look at us twice.
Iโve traveled these paths a million times with Corrick, but itโs entirely
di๏ฌerent to walk with Harristan.ย ๎ขe horns in the sector have gone quiet, but I can see the searchlights skipping over the wall at regular intervals. I keep glancing over at the king as if heโs going to vanish, like maybe everything has been a dream up till this point.ย ๎ขeย rst shadow of beard growth has grown to cover his jaw, making him look younger, less intimidating somehow. I consider Lochlan and some of the others, and I donโt know if thatโs a good thing.ย ๎ขe farther we walk, the more I become aware of the sound of his breathing, the wheeze thatโs not quite a cough but sounds like it needs one.
โDo you need to rest?โ I ask carefully, then quickly tack on, โYour Majesty?โ
He glances at me. โNo. Do you?โ I frown but keep walking.
โAnd you canโt call me that,โ he says. โNot here.โ โOf course. Iโm sorry.โ
โWhat did my brother call himself?โ
I almost donโt want to tell him, because for aย eeting moment, Iโm worried heโll want to adopt it for his own, and Corrickโs secret persona is
something precious that only belongs to me. But thatโs silly, and Iโm too tired to think of a good lie, so I say, โWes. Weston Lark.โ
๎ขe king startles. โReally.โ He gives a so๎ย laugh. โI suppose I shouldnโt be surprised.โ
โWhy?โ
โBecause that was his name when we would sneak into the Wilds as children.โ Heโs quiet for a moment, probably remembering it. โDo you know
โwell, I suppose you wouldnโt. Weston and Lark were the names of Fatherโs hunting hounds.โ
I giggle in spite of myself. โHe named himself a๎er dogs?โ โHe did indeed.โ
โWhat was your name?โ
โSullivan, a๎er the fastest horse in the stable. Corrick used to call me Sully for short.โ
๎ขe fastest horse in the stable. I almost snort before catching myself.ย ๎ขey were suchย boys.
๎ขe thought, once it strikes me, is surprising for some reason. Iโve seen it in a dozen ways since Iย rst snuck into the palace, but their closeness is still startling. Itโs the most humanizing thing about them. Itโs the most . . .ย gentleย thing about them.
โTell me your thoughts, Tessa,โ says Harristan, and because he doesnโt say it like an order, I do.
โI was thinking that you could be loved,โ I say so๎ly. โEven if your people are sick.โ
He looks over at me and says nothing.
I blush and turn my eyes forward. โI was thinking that youโreย notย horrible, not really. And heโs not cruel. I have no idea what it was like to lose your parents, but I know what it was like to lose mine. I canโt imagine having to . .
. to rule a country a๎er that. When my parents died, I hated the night patrol. Who did you hate? Everyone in the palace?โ
โYes,โ he says simply. His eyes are in shadow now, but the memory of loss is thick in the night air. โWell. Almost everyone.โ
Corrick.
I reach out and touch his hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze. Itโs automatic, the way Iโd do for Corrickโor anyone, really.
But the king looks at me in surprise, and I let him go. โForgive me, Yourโ ah, Sully. Sullivan.โ
I swallow.
He says nothing.ย ๎ขorin, walking at our back, says nothing.
When my parents died, I had Corrick. In a way, he had Quint, and he had me.
Corrick hid so much of himself from his brother. To protect him, for sure, but it created a barrier between them. When their parents died, I wonder who Harristan had. I wonder if he had anyone at all.
When I glance at him again, heโs still watching me. โIโm the king,โ he says. โI donโt deserve anyoneโs pity.โ โI donโt pity you.โ
โYouโre a terrible liar, Tessa.โ He shakes his head and looks forwardโthen stops short so suddenly thatย ๎ขorin draws a blade behind us.
But the king is merely staring. Weโve reached the clearing before the gates. Itโs desertedโwhich isnโt too surprising for the middle of the night.ย ๎ขe sound of shouts and screams echo from farther into the sector. But here, the gates have been blown o๏ฌย their hinges, and theyโre lying in mangled twists of steel on the ground.ย ๎ขe guard station is deserted.
๎ขe bodies that once hung beside the gates are gone, replaced with huge white sheets painted with one word.
Revolt.
โIโd hoped for guards,โ King Harristan says. He looks atย ๎ขorin. โAdvise.โ
๎ขe guard takes no time at all to consider. โWe can travel through side streets, though we donโt know how much damage has been done to the sector.ย ๎ขere may be looters.โ He pauses. โI donโt like the idea of being on foot. We could try for horses at Fostersโ Liveryโbut itโs not far from the palace, and it will be a risk if the rebels have been thereย rst.โ
โI donโt think rebels will go for the horses,โ I say, and they both look at me. โNot many people in the Wilds know how to rideโand I didnโt see evidence of horses in either of the rebel camps I saw.โ I pause. โIt wouldnโt occur to me to get a horse. People in the Wilds are used to doing everything for ourselvesโincluding walking.โ
๎ขe king nods. โFostersโ Livery it is.โ
