14
“You’d better start talking, or it will be your head that is sliced clean off next,” Nik seethed, his sword pointed at the back of Tyr’s neck.
Tyr lifted his arms and turned slowly, meeting Nik’s furious gaze.
“I just saved her life.” He gestured towards me where I still lay in a heap on the ground, covered in the black, thick liquid I believed to be the blood of those creatures.
“And you almost lost it once before. Talk. Now.”
Nik’s tone brooked no argument. Tyr glanced between the two of us before deciding he had a better chance of reasoning with me. Nik never lowered his sword.
“I came to warn you, but it appears I almost didn’t make it in time. Donika sent these creatures after you. They’re the product of her blood magic, they are dark, magical beings. And they aren’t the only ones, she is working on more,” Tyr said.
“Why would you come to warn me?” I asked, my brow furrowing in confusion.
I got to me feet and dusted off my pants, now ruined with blood and grime. I bent to retrieve Stormslayer, securing it back to my thigh.
“We got off on the wrong foot…” Tyr started.
“That’s the understatement of the century,” Puck replied as he joined us, grabbing Tyr around the back of the neck and motioning for Nik to lower his sword.
Tyr was far outnumbered.
“What I mean to say is, I am not an ally of Donika. I never was, and I never will be. I didn’t go to her willingly with the information that you were in Istmere,” Tyr explained.
“That doesn’t explain how she got the information, then, does it?” Nik asked, cocking his head to the side.
“She tortured it out of me.”
Tyr met Nik’s gaze with a cold glare of his own.
“And you sold out your cousin to die at the hands of that psychopath, it was that easy?” Nik replied, taking a step closer.
Puck shot him a warning glare, his grip still firm on Tyr.
“No, it wasn’t that easy. I didn’t want to tell her. She threatened my mother, she threatened my family. I never wanted to betray Diana. I have felt awful about what I have done.”
“I’m sure you have,” Puck replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I am telling the truth. I heard things, when I was at the castle. Things about the creatures she is creating. The moment I was free I came straight to find you, which proved quite difficult.”
Tyr wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to me with a pleading gaze. “I never meant to hurt you, Diana, I support your claim to the throne. I came here to warn you as soon as I could.”
“Bullshit,” Nik spat, taking another step closer, his grip on the hilt of his sword so tight his knuckles were white.
“He saved my life. We at least have to bring this decision back to Isaac and Liss,” I offered, my palm out as if to stop him. “The council has a say in this.”
“And I am a member of said council,” Nik pointed out, his eyes narrowing.
I bristled. His reminder that he had played both the doting boyfriend to Donika while gaining the trust of the council and feeding that information back all the while made my skin crawl.
“I am aware of that, but you aren’t the only member. We need to discuss this with the others, and nothing will be done to him before we do so. Do I make myself clear?”
My voice was confident, and it surprised me a little.
I sounded like a queen.
Nik met my gaze and nodded softly.
“Thank you,” I replied. “We can’t exactly bring him straight to one of our safe houses, so what do we do with him?”
“I volunteer to stay here and watch the little lad,” Puck smiled, tightening his grip on Tyr.
“I will as well,” Warrick offered.
“I can spell him, he won’t be able to leave,” Saanvi offered, speaking for the first time.
I had almost forgotten she and Kenna were still here.
“Good, let’s get it done.” I turned, joining Tess and walking back to the hidden safe house we had first stayed in when we escaped Donika.
Nik was close on our heels, Kenna having stayed back to walk with Saanvi after the spell was complete. I was confident that even if Tyr managed to get out of the spelled circle…he was no match for Puck and Warrick.
I had to ask Nik for directions back to the safe house many times, but we eventually found it. The spelled door opened beneath my touch and Isaac and Liss were already downstairs, as if they had been waiting for us.
“What the hell happened?” Liss asked, rushing towards us when she took in our appearances, covered in blood and dirt.
“It’s a long story, can we talk somewhere private?” I asked, casting my gaze around and noticing several other Shades strewn about the safe house.
“My office,” Isaac offered, nodding towards the back staircase.
Once safely behind the closed door of Isaac’s office Tess collapsed into the chair across from Isaac’s desk with a huff.
“Long day?” Isaac asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You’ve got no idea,” she replied, shaking her head.
“Fill me in, what is going on?” he asked, sitting in the chair at his desk. “Why did you come to the safe house without contacting us first?”
“It was an emergency,” I explained. “We were training with Warrick, and we were attacked.”
“Attacked?” he asked, shooting to his feet, gripping the desk with both hands. “By whom?”
“Not a who, but a what. Creatures. Donika has used her blood magic to create monsters to come after us. I guess her Nightshade army wasn’t getting the job done.”
“Are you all ok?” he asked, checking each of us over. His gaze roaming over each of our faces.
“Yes, but there’s one tiny little problem.”
“And what might that be?” Liss asked, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Tyr was the one to kill the last of the three creatures. He says he came to warn us, that he never meant to have me captured. He didn’t go to Donika, he was captured and tortured for information,” I replied.
“But how would Donika have known he had any information to give?” Liss asked, her brow furrowing.
“Exactly,” Nik nodded.
I shot him a warning glance, and he had the decency to appear sheepish.
“Spies?” I offered, “she has them everywhere. There’s no way she wasn’t tracking him, especially if she suspected he was a part of the resistance. Not to mention he was ‘tasked’ with retrieving the grimoire. He is a Kotova after all, it could have chosen him at any point. She would have wanted to have eyes on him.”
“That’s a good point,” Isaac said, sitting back in the thick leather chair and running his hand along the scruff on his cheek.
“But he is one of her spies,” Nik insisted, his voice gruff.
“I’m not sure,” I replied, shaking my head.
“Don’t let the fact that he is family cloud your judgement,” Nik said, his eyes softening.
“I’m not,” I spat, my gaze turning cold. “I believe him. I know what it is to be tortured by Donika. Tyr was desperate.”
“What did Puck think of this? He has a place on this council as well as Saanvi,” Isaac replied.
“Saanvi should be here shortly, and she can tell you her thoughts herself. I’m sure Puck would side with Nik.” I cast him a sidelong glance.
“And what, exactly, do you think?” Isaac asked, turning to face Nik.
“I think the little weasel is a spy, trying to get back into our good graces.”
“Why would he do that? He could have let that creature kill me, then he wouldn’t need to be back in anyone’s good graces. I would be dead. If he was under Donika’s control, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now,” I seethed. “I saw him in The Shadow the other day. I think he has been searching for us.”
“She has a point,” Isaac replied, giving Nik a knowing glance.
Nik refused to budge. What a stubborn, frustrating, pig-headed…
The door swung open, saving me from finishing that thought, and Saanvi slipped in quietly.
“Your thoughts on the issue of Tyr?” Isaac asked her as we all turned towards her.
“I don’t believe he meant to harm Diana. Donika threatened his family, he only gave up the information under duress. He is only a kid, after all,” she replied, sympathy in her eyes.
“My thoughts exactly. He can’t be more than fifteen years old. He is far from an evil mastermind,” I agreed with a nod.
“I have to agree,” Isaac responded. “Tess?”
“I’m with Diana,” she replied, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. “Always.”
“Liss?”
“I don’t trust that rat bastard as far as I can throw him. Not when it comes to Diana,” she replied resolutely.
“It’s down to Puck and Warrick, then. Where are they?” Isaac asked, standing from the desk and coming around to the door.
“Back on the training field, I spelled them to stay put with Tyr. Didn’t want him to know the location of this safe house and have to move…again,” Saanvi replied.
“Thank you.” Isaac gave her shoulder a soft squeeze as he moved to the door, and we followed.
“And if Puck and Warrick agree with me?” Nik asked, “what will you do then?”
“You know what we do to traitors,” Isaac replied, his voice somber.
They would kill him? Based on a vote?
I understood he betrayed the resistance when he gave up the information that got me captured, but he was just a kid. His family had been threatened. He saved my life when he easily could have let that hell creature consume me.
We walked to the training field quickly and in silence under the cover of night, uneasy to be out after dark, outside the safe walls of the spelled townhome. Luckily, we were all well-armed.
Puck, Warrick, and Tyr were right where we left them. Puck was sitting in the grass and appeared to be searching for a four-leaf clover. Warrick stood watch over Tyr, who was still trapped within Saanvi’s spelled circle.
“We have all voted, gentlemen. It comes down to you,” Isaac said, nodding his head towards Puck and Warrick.
“Voted?” Tyr asked.
He sounded so young, his eyes wide as he searched our faces.
“You know our rules, Tyr.” Isaac’s tone was cutting.
Tyr set his jaw under Isaac’s gaze, but his hands were shaking.
“I’m with Nik,” Puck replied. “Too much of a coincidence that he found us, if you ask me. He betrayed us once before, he will do it again.”
“Surprise, surprise,” I murmured under my breath.
“If Warrick agrees Tyr is a traitor, it will be a tie,” Tess muttered quietly beside me.
I could only hope that Warrick wouldn’t sentence a child to death. That made us no better than Donika herself.
It felt as if we all collectively held our breath as we waited for Warrick to speak. Would they let him back into the resistance if the council voted that he wasn’t guilty?
The tension in the air was almost tangible as Warrick met my eyes. I didn’t believe Tyr meant for any of this to happen, and I desperately hoped Warrick felt the same.
“I don’t believe he meant to betray us,” Warrick finally spoke.
I wanted to rush forwards and hug him, but feared that might set Nik straight over the edge and past the point of no return. Nik’s jaw was set, his eyes hard.
He wanted nothing more than to kill Tyr for his betrayal of me, intentional or not.
“Tyr Kotova.” Isaac’s voice was deep as it reverberated across the training field. “You have been found not guilty of the crime of betraying our true queen.”