Chapter Twelve #4
Ada drew a few deep breaths and then in the instant between one barrage and the next, she erected her own shield over Var’s.
The next blow that fell hit her shield squarely, echoing deep inside her, shivering up her spine. It had been a long time since she’d trained with her brothers, and no attack had ever been like this.
She clenched her hands into fists and braced herself, like that would really help—and that was when she caught sight of Thurnil just standing there by the food table.
He was Illustrious and was no match for Nostex when it came to magic, but surely he could be doing something, like run for help as he’d done when she’d been attacked.
She frowned. When she’d been attacked by the guard with the knife, he’d seemed so worried, uncharacteristically so. But now he’d learned that she was on the list of people Nostex was going to kill, and he seemed… indifferent.
Nostex saw where her gaze went, and he actually let his attack fall for a moment as he smiled at her. It had a trace of the old humor in it, and that somehow made it even worse than the totally empty smiles.
He looked like he could keep up the barrage forever, and she was trying to hide how hard she was breathing. Her hands were clenched into fists as much to hide the trembling as because she was angry. Fear was subsuming all the anger, even as she tried to cling to the latter.
“I’m afraid you’ll have no luck there, Princess. Thurnil agreed to bring you to me for a very specific reason.”
Ada sucked in a breath, turning her gaze to her husband… who’d uncharacteristically volunteered to help her. He’d tried to keep her safe… only when things weren’t going according to plan?
Thurnil was glaring at her, a much more recognizable expression now. And then he turned to Nostex, his expression turning more petulant.
“You promised that you could sever the bond without it killing me.”
Ah. Of course. Of course he’d been lured in with a promise of safely breaking the bond. Of course he’d made an agreement with this traitor rather than just telling her and Var that he wanted to be released.
“You fool,” Ada gritted out. “No one can guarantee that, not even the High King.”
Var could probably do it. It hopefully wouldn’t kill them. But picking apart a magical bond could have disastrous consequences, and everyone knew it.
Except, apparently, her traitorous husband, who’d so uncharacteristically agreed to escort her here… and then made sure that none of the guards King Stronex had insisted she bring were anywhere nearby.
Maybe she was the fool.
Impotent fury mingled with despair flooded her.
She’d known he was unhappy, but she’d thought he’d agreed to make the best of it like she had.
They spent as little time together as possible and showed a more or less united front in public to maintain their political alliance.
She ignored his dalliances, he left her to spend her days with Hena and Par, and it wasn’t…
it wasn’t perfect, but it was acceptable. Wasn’t it?
Apparently not. Thurnil hadn’t been making the best of it, he’d been biding his time. He’d aligned himself with someone trying to destroy the entirety of the United Realms on an empty promise that Thurnil could get what he wanted with none of the risks.
No wonder he’d been upset when the guard had attacked. He hadn’t been worried about Ada, he’d been worried about himself.
Ada glanced back at Nostex, the king to whom that guard reported. She’d assumed it was someone pretending to be a guard or one man gone bad. But it was slowly dawning on her that it was most likely someone who’d been doing exactly as they’d been ordered.
She swallowed thickly. “Mercenaries followed us here, I suppose?” she asked in a voice that was almost steady. “You did everything in your power to protect us but were overpowered?”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Exactly so, Princess.”
With a shiver, she wondered how close she’d come to being attacked on the road.
But Thurnil and the guards would have opposed it then.
Var had sent one of Tor’s troop, and Harili would have defended her with everything they had.
Ada could have fought back against non-Extraordinary assailants and might have won.
Here, she was woefully unprepared, and Nostex could twist the events to fit his story.
Nostex turned to Thurnil with a smile that made Ada cringe.
“I did make you a promise, didn’t I?”
He moved so quickly that Thurnil didn’t even have time to look surprised. His hand clamped to his throat, but he was already falling to the ground with a horrible gurgling noise, as red spurted out between his fingers.
Fernila screamed, loud and shrill, and Cala began to cry.
Nostex looked almost indifferent with a hint of… amusement? Staring down at the body on the floor in front of him, he said conversationally. “The bond won’t kill you, as promised.”
The tidal wave of pain took Ada by surprise, and she found herself on the floor without any memory of falling.
Her shield was gone, but through blurry eyes, she could see that Var’s was still there, still protecting her from the man who’d just murdered her husband… because it was a way to get to her.
Her body was on fire, like someone was jabbing her with a red-hot poker everywhere all at once. Her magic was being wrenched forcibly through skin and bone and muscle as if someone was hooking inside of her and yanking.
Her throat felt raw, and she knew she had to be screaming, but she was helpless to stop it. She needed to apologize to Fernila and Cala for putting them through this. But she didn’t seem to be capable of doing anything except writhing on the floor and screaming and screaming and screaming.
She’d thought she’d grown used to pain with Thurnil’s magic bonded with hers, but she was so terribly wrong.
The pain spiked deep inside, and she clutched at her chest. When blackness swirled up around her, she welcomed it.