Page 118 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
I deflated. Air rushing out of me in a disappointed exhale.
“But,” he continued, “I might have some ideas of where to look. I’ll put people on it immediately. I expect the compensation will be commensurate with the size of the task.”
Clay’s lip curled back. “Your compensation is me not arresting you right now.”
“Not good enough,” Nikolai said simply with a shrug.
“We’ll handle it,” I interjected him, cutting off Clay before the situation escalated and we lost this shaky alliance. Even if I had to go to the Underworld to retrieve some random magical artifact that he would accept as payment, so be it. The only thing that mattered right now was getting that book before Pasnia.
Nikolai nodded, smoothing a hand over his jaw. “Very well. I might also have information on… other useful items. I’ll keep you informed if I learn more.”
“Thank you, Nikolai,” Camilla said softly, a flicker of relief in her tone.
Clay rose from his chair first, waiting until Camilla and Elaina crossed the room to join him before turning his back on Nikolai, clearly eager to leave.
“Hey, Dragon Prince,” Nikolai called, halting our exit. His tone was playful, but his eyes glinted with something sharper. “How’s that cousin of yours? Still happily killing people?”
Clay froze, his body taught with tension. “Count yourself lucky she didn’t come with us.”
Nikolai chuckled under his breath, watching as we stepped through the shimmering golden portal. “Oh, I do,” he mused softly.
The frozen lawn of Hyrax Manor crunched under our boots as Clay and I emerged hand in hand. The cold air burned against my cheeks, but Clay’s arm around my shoulders was warm and steady.
“Does he know Iris?” I asked quietly, Nikolai’s parting words gnawing at me. Something about the way he’d asked about her, the way his playful tone carried an undercurrent of seriousness, set me on edge.
“Only by name,” Clay assured me. “A year ago, the Order sent her to kill one of his rivals.”
I nodded, pondering it, pondering Nikolai himself. “I didn’t quite like him.”
Clay chuckled, and he tightened his arm around me. “I’d feel offended if you had.”
I grinned, stepping towards the manor and dragging him along with me, eager to shed these cold clothes and spend the evening warming each other between the sheets of my bed.
“Clay!” Iris’ scream fractured the air around us and we spun.
She sped towards the house on horseback, Rankor and Kent close behind her.
And an army close behind them.
Chapter Thirty Four
“Form a perimeter!” Kent commanded, leaping off his horse with practiced ease. “Archers, find the high ground. I don’t want anyone within a mile of this property!”
The grounds of Hyrax Manor were pure chaos. Soldiers scrambled to find their newly assigned posts, women and children hurried into the house, and men hauled weapons from massive caravans. Iris and Rankor strode toward us, their expressions grim, as Kent continued barking orders.
“What’s happened?” Clay demanded, his voice cutting through the din with unflinching authority.
“Your father,” Iris panted, her chest heaving with exertion. “He knows Thea took Camilla, and he knows about the rebellion. He’s readying for war.”
Clay’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t falter. Without hesitation, he ushered us into the manor and into the nearby study, slamming the door shut behind Kent, Elaina, and Camilla. Disarray filled the room—maps and parchment lay scattered across the worn wooden table, and books lay in chaotic piles on the shelves. Bracing his hands against the tabletop, Clay leaned forward, his shoulders taut with tension.
“How?” he growled. “Who flipped?”
Iris shook her head, stray tendrils of red hair escaping her intricate braid. “Hardly anyone knew. This was already in motion before we started spreading word about making our move.”
“The civilians?” Clay pressed, his tone sharp and unyielding.
“Your father’s started killing anyone he suspects of being a sympathizer,” Kent spat, his crossed arms emphasizing the menace of the twin swords strapped to his back. “No trials, no interrogations—just swinging blades. We got out as many as we could and brought them here.”
