The workshop was always tiny for me and Wes. With four of us, itโs downright crowded. It feels like a risk a๎er the rebels found us here last time
โbut weโre outside the sector, and I donโt know where else to go.ย ๎ขe guards are outside, Rocco at the door whileย ๎ขorin walks a perimeter.ย ๎ขe king doesnโt want to risk aย re, but we have candles that Quint lights along the table, so weโre not trapped in complete darkness. Corrick is upright in the chair, but his breathing is shallow, and heโs got an arm across his abdomen like everything hurts. It feels like weeks ago that we were kissing in this room, his hands and his mouth warming me from head to toe, when itโs hardly been a day.
๎ขe sector alarms havenโt stopped ringing, but theyโre not as loud from here, and they donโt inspire panic when the only person I used to worry about is here within these walls.
I pull a low stool next to Corrickโs chair and sit beside him. โI still have some herbs here,โ I say so๎ly, touching my hand to his. โBut I canโt brew tea without aย re.โ
Corrick shakes his head, but hisย ngers close around mine. His eyes keep falling closed.
Harristan glances at the door, then at the window. He runs a hand across his face and looks down at his brother for a long moment.
โI should have told you,โ Corrick says, as if he can feel the kingโs gaze. His words are slow and heavy. โIโm sorry.โ
โAs am I,โ says Quint. Heโs leaning against the wall in the corner.
I know theyโre not apologizing for their actions, just the secret, but Iโm not sorry about any of it. Iโd do it all again, without hesitation. We couldnโt help all of Kandala, but we helped those we couldโand we did it without hurting anyone.
Harristan sighs. โWell, whatever you were doing, you didnโt cause this revolution.โ
Corrick says nothing, and I wonder if heโs fallen asleep.ย ๎ขe shadows under his eyes seem darker. He said he didnโt think his ankle was broken, but he couldnโt put weight on it during the walk to the workshop, and he sweat through most of his clothes by the time the guards got him through the door, so I know heโs more hurt than heโs letting on.
Harristan is watching him too. With another sigh, he tugs at his jacket buttons, then slips his arms free. He lays the garment over his brother, then retreats to sit along the hearth. We sit in silence for the longest time, and it presses in around us, thick with worry. I wonder how many people were in the palace, and how many were killedโor how many were able to escape. Corrick said that rebellion was coming from both sides.
I wonder if Karri was part of the attack. Lochlan. Earle. All the people we once helped.
I think of what they did to Corrick, and the attack on the palace doesnโt seem too far o๏ฌ.
Corrickโs hand goes slack within mine, and I glance at his face in alarm, but his breathing has deepened. Heโs asleep.
โQuint,โ Harristan says so๎ly, breaking through my thoughts. โYour Majesty?โ
โYouโre still bleeding.โ
โOh. Itโs nothing.โ But Quintโs voice is so๎er than Iโm used to. โItโs from the exertion.โ
Harristan has already uncurled from the hearth, and he stops in front of Quint.ย ๎ขe Palace Master was sitting with his arms folded, but now I realize he was pressing his hand against a wound.
โQuint,โ I whisper. I should have noticed. I should have seen. My focus has been on Corrick, and now a wash of guilt sweeps through me. โYou should have said something.โ
โPrince Corrick wasย by farย moreโโ
โShow me,โ says Harristan, and as usual, his voice leaves no room for argument.
Quint hesitates, then lowers his arms and draws his jacket to the side.ย ๎ขe entire le๎ย side of his shirt is dark with blood.ย ๎ขe king peers at it for a moment, then looks at me. โDo you have supplies here?โ
โNothing for stitching,โ I say. โI have muslin to wrap it.โ I fetch the roll of fabric I used to tend Corrickโs arm, along with the small scissors we kept for cutting bags of dried Moonย ower.
โHonestly,โ says Quint. โItโs barely a scratchโโ โSit,โ says Harristan. โRemove your jacket.โ Quint sits. Obeys.
I expect Harristan to move out of the way so I can treat the wound, but instead, he holds out a hand for the supplies.
I inhale to say I can do it, but then I think better of it and give him what he asked for. He unrolls a long strip of cloth and slices through it neatly.
Quint watches this, then glances at me and back at the king. โYou are the king,โ he begins. โIf I mayโโ
โI know who I am, Quint.โ Harristanโs voice isnโt impatient, the way Iโve heard him before. He sounds . . . thoughtful. He li๎s the edge of Quintโs shirt, and I wince as I get a closer look. An arrow cut straight across the side of his abdomen, causing a wound at leastย ve inches long. I canโt tell how deep it is, but itโs bled enough to tell me that it wonโt heal well without stitching. Heโs probably right that exertion made it worse than it wouldโve been.
Harristan rolls up the muslin to press it tightly against the wound, and Quint hisses a breath. But the king is quicker than I expect, and he wraps a length around Quintโs waist swi๎ly, holding the bandage in place. Hisย ngers are sure and gentle as he overlaps it twice, before tying it o๏ฌย with a well- placed knot.
โYouโre very good at that,โ I say, and I mean it.
Harristan glances at me. โI was sickly as a child. I spent a great deal of time among the palace physicians.โ He looks back at Quint. โ๎ขat should hold until it can be treated properly.โ
Quintโs expressionย ickers into a frown. โ๎ขank you, Your Majesty.โ โ๎ขankย you.ย ๎ขat arrow was meant for me.โ Harristan says this as if itโs
nothing, then rolls up the remaining muslin in his hands and looks at me. โWho else knows of this place?โ
โ๎ขe rebel Lochlan,โ I say. โAnd the men who came with him.โ โAnd what do they want?โ he says.
I stare at him. โI donโt know what you mean.โ
โ๎ขey have attacked the palace, Tessa.โ He pauses. โWhat do they want from me? Do they want silver? Medicine? A full pardon?โ
I think of all the people who were attacking Corrick. He was so sure that theyโd use him against Harristan, but then they didnโt.ย ๎ขey just wanted vengeance. โI donโt know who these Benefactors are, but the people just . . .โ I swallow. โ๎ขey want to stop dying.โ
He looks away, and when he speaks, his voice is low. โI want that, too.โ
I hear the truth behind every word. Iโve heard it since theย rst day I faced this man in the palace. I saw it in the way he patched up Quintโs wound. He and his brother have spent years doing what they felt they needed to do to survive, and theyโve been destroying themselves in the process.
โCorrick implicated Arella and Roydan,โ says Quint.
๎ขe king runs a hand across his jaw. โYes. He did. And while I can see Arella taking a radical stance, I canโt see Roydan going along with it.ย ๎ขen again, I canโt see the other consuls taking such a strong stance againstย me, and clearly they are.โ He shakes his head. โI canโt stay here. I will not hide in the shadows while the sector burns.โ
โYou cannot return, Your Majesty,โ says Quint. โItโs too dangerous.โ
โI believe Iโve spent too much time allowing others to do what they think is best.โ Harristan looks at me. โAnd what about you? Where do you stand?โ
I stare back at him. โI want people to stop dying, too.โ
โI canโt cure the fevers, Tessa. I would if I could.โ He pauses. โWhere would you be in this revolution, if my brother had not tricked you?โ
Tricked. I take a breath and think of my last conversation with Weston Lark. My voice is so๎ย yet strong as I say, โIโd be lighting the explosives myself.โ
๎ขe king smiles, but itโs a little grim. โFar easier to start a war than to end one.โ He pauses, his eyes skipping across my form in a way thatโs coolly assessing. โ๎ขese rebels tortured Corrick, but not you.โ
I glare at him. โAnd you think I was somehow a part of it?โ
โNo.โ He steps right up to me, and his eyes are as chilling as Corrickโs can be. โOne day we will have a conversation that does not end in accusations,โ he says. โWhat I mean is that they did not harm you.โ He pauses. โ๎ขey did not trust the Kingโs Justice. But they trust the outlaw Tessa.โ
My breath catches. Yes.ย ๎ขey do. I remember Earleโs gentle hand on my arm when Corrick was begging Lochlan to end his life quickly. Even
Lochlan himself was gentler with me, having one of the men cut me loose a๎er I got them to stop beating Corrick.
โWhat are you saying?โ I whisper.
โI am saying that civil war will kill far more people than the fever ever could. I am certain my soldiers have already begun a defense. People are likely dying in the streets as we speak. On both sides. If I cannot restore order, this will spill outside the Royal Sector.โ He pauses. โI have yielded to Consul Sallisterโs demands for far too long. I have yielded to the demands of the elites for too long. I will hear from my people.โ
I stare at him.
โI donโt know what I can promise,โ he cautions. โChange is never quick or easy. But I would like to try. Will you help me?โ
My mouth is dry. I glance at Corrick, whoโs well and truly sleeping now. Iโm not sure what to say.ย ๎ขe rebels might not hate meโbut they might not listen to me. Iโm not entirely sure I trust Harristan either. He might want his people to stop dying, but we have very di๏ฌerent ideas of how to accomplish that. I know he canโt snap hisย ngers and change everything, but Iโm not naive enough to think heโd do that even if he could.
I think of my father, acting in deย ance of the throne. Would he do this? Or would he be disappointed Iโm not running the streets with the rebels myself?
King Harristan is watching me, and Iโm sure he can read every emotion as it crosses my face. His expression is as sly and calculating as ever. โPerhaps I should have started by asking what it is thatย youย want.โ
I smooth my sweaty palms along my skirts. โI want . . .โ My voice is breathy again, and I clear my throat. I want people to stop dying. But we all want that.
I take a breath and look at him. โI want a pardon for the rebels. Or . . .โ I search for the right word. โOr amnesty. Both.โ I glance at Corrick again, asleep under his brotherโs jacket. I have to steel my nerve to add, โIncluding the people who hurt him.โ
Harristanโs expression hardens, and I rush on, โ๎ขey wonโt listen to you at all if they think youโre going to execute them for hurting the Kingโs Justice.โ
โVery well,โ he concedes. โWhat else?โ
I canโt believe Iโm negotiating with the king. I donโt know what else to ask for. Medicine for everyone? I know he canโt grant that.ย ๎ขen a thought
occurs to me.
โI want you to let Corrick stop being the Kingโs Justice,โ I say so๎ly.
At that, Harristan frowns. โI did not force him into the role. He is not indentured in some way.โ
โI know. I know.โ I take a breath. โBut . . .โ My voice trails o๏ฌ.
โIf I may,โ says Quint, โat the risk of interrupting your negotiations . . .โ โPlease,โ I say, just as Harristan says, โNo.โ
I fold my arms.
Harristan smiles, and for theย rst time, it reaches his eyes. I wonder if he hides as much as Corrick. โGo ahead, Quint.โ
โPrince Corrick may not need your permission,โ says Quint, โbut I believe it would mean a great deal to know he has it.โ
โFine,โ says Harristan. His gaze hasnโt le๎ย mine. โAnything else?โ I think. โNo.โ
โNothing for yourself? What I have asked of you is not a small thing, Tessa.โ
For half a second, my thoughts whirl. Heโs theย king. But Iโve never done any of this forย nancial gain, and I have no desire to require it as part of helping him negotiate peace.ย ๎ขen I consider Mistress Solomonโs, and how I likely no longer have a position there.
โIโll need a job,โ I say. โAnd lodgings. Nothing . . . nothing grand, of course. But you were going to give me an opportunity to help improve dosages before.โ I hesitate, wondering if Iโm asking too much. โIโd like to have a chance again. When all this is over.โ
โDone,โ he says. He straightens. โQuint, remain with Corrick. I will leave Rocco at your disposal.โ
Quint stands, and he looks startled. โButโYour Majestyโโ
โYou are injured, and so is he. If this place is as remote as it seems, you will be safest here.โ He looks at me. โAre you ready to play liaison?โ
I feel the blood rush out of my face. I wouldโve been brave enough to light the match to ignite theย ame. Somehow extinguishing it seems more frightening.
But the king o๏ฌers me his hand, and much like Corrick, I have a choice in what Iโm going to do.
I reach out and take it.
