Page 53 of The Prince's Sacrifice

He rose to his feet and came over to Pel’s side of the bed.

“I don’t think anyone else could have done that.” He reached out and gave Pel’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “Good choice, little brother. I’ll see what I can do about Father.”

Pel stared in confusion at the door Bavil had just exited through. That certainly sounded positive. Had Pel grown so used to seeing barbs that he couldn’t unsee them? Was that what pure support looked like?

Larexa was the next to arrive, and she came in with a tray of food that she said had been in the sitting room.

“Why are there guards outside the door?” she wanted to know.

“Big man, short man, solid woman?” Pel checked.

He should actually have talked to them about this, but thankfully, they were continuing to take care of him and Tor while all Pel’s focus was on Tor getting well.

Larexa nodded.

“They’re protecting Tor.”

An eyebrow arched. “Why does Tor need protecting?”

Pel glowered. “Because some people are awful and think Tor should have let hundreds of people kill one another up that mountain!”

Never mind the fifteen hundred civilians that would have been pure slaughter.

In retrospect, Pel should have told Larexa and Bavil at the same time… but it hadn’t occurred to him that they’d be coming.

Pel explained everything once again while wolfing down the food Larexa had brought in, because he’d suddenly realized he was famished.

She made a very good audience, gasping in all the right places—and completely outraged at the idea that everyone hadn’t immediately supported Tor’s call for peace.

“Imagine deciding to kill one another after someone just saved all your lives!” She sounded scandalized.

“I know!” Pel agreed.

They grinned at one another, and Pel felt a sudden sharp pang of loss for the fact that he hadn’t had this for the last three years. He’d thought it was because Bavil and Larexa had changed, but now he was just confused. Had they changed back? Had Pel? Was everyone hiding behind a mask when it came to their father?

It was still too much to deal with right now, but Pel promised himself he really would think about it… eventually.

He needed Tor to be conscious first, at the very least.

“Is it all right if I stay for a while?” Larexa asked.

“Yes, of course,” Pel told her, even before he realized that she was probably the only person in the entire castle who might be able to shield Tor from their father if it came to that.

It wouldn’t, of course, he assured himself. Tor was still the High Prince, and Pel’s father could be unwise, but he wasn’tcompletelyreckless.

It was still immensely reassuring to have Larexa in the room with them, so much so that when exhaustion swamped him, Pel let it pull him under.

Chapter Ten

Tor

Tor woke feeling… weird. That was the only way to describe it. Waking up was perfectly normal, after all, and yet for some reason, it feltabnormalto Tor. It was like he didn’t quite fit in his body, or his body didn’t quite fit him. Or maybe it was like he was expecting something else… but he couldn’t imagine what.

He became aware that there was a bed under him, and that was… also perfectly normal. There was a solid weight radiating warmth pressed half on top of him, and that made something relax in Tor even before he processed who it was.

He hadn’t been drinking, had he? No, he’d told Pel he wouldn’t do that, and he’d been keeping his word. He strained his mind, wondering why that felt so difficult. Had he been… out in the rain? Training with the guards, maybe? That sparked… something, but as soon as he tried to follow the thought, it dissolved into nothing.

He sighed. It felt a little as though he’d laid down for a nap in the stalls and Melody had decided that he was going to dance right on top of Tor for a while. Why was he having such trouble remembering?