Page 93 of Sword & Sacrifice

Norwin crouched next to the nightstand, cursing as he used a cloth to pick up pieces of broken glass. He glanced up at Archer warily, scanning him from head to toe, then said, “I’ll tell Adelaide you’re awake.”

After he closed the door, Archer looked around the room, recognizing it as the guest room in Adelaide’s cottage. The same one he’d spent one night in with Silas. They’d slept in the same bed before, but that time had been different—more intimate right from the start. Every muscle in Archer’s body had been strung so tightly with anticipation that he hadn’t known how to release himself. So he’d lain stiffly on the bed beside Silas, thoughts racing through his head: should I touch him? Should I keep my distance? Do I say something first?

Then Silas had turned around to face Archer, his tawny eyes quickly understanding all of Archer’s unasked questions. His lips, soft and hesitant against Archer’s, providing the silent answer.

“I told Norwin to wait downstairs,” Adelaide said as she entered the room, interrupting Archer’s reminiscence. She sat in the seat the soldier had abandoned. “So we can speak privately.”

Archer examined her, searching for any sign of injury. When he saw none, he relaxed back against his pillows. “You’re safe.”

“I am, thanks to you,” she murmured with a soft smile. “Though if I’m honest, I didn’t even know those soldiers were following me.”

Archer’s brow furrowed. “But you called for help.”

Adelaide’s lips pinched into a thin line. “Yes, and I’m afraid the two events may be related.” She inhaled deeply, bracing herself as she locked eyes with Archer. “Alistair is on his way to Castle Arn.”

Archer stared at her blankly for a moment, uncomprehending. “That’s not possible.”

“I’m afraid it is, though it’s rather … complicated. You see, Valerian found one of Alistair’s grimoires and used the knowledge inside to connect with Alistair’s mind, creating a bridge between them—”

“No,” Archer growled, cutting her off. “Alistair is dead. Silas killed him.”

Adelaide gasped. For a moment, she simply stared at Archer, lips parted as if she couldn’t swallow the idea. Then she composed herself, swiftly erasing the shock from her face and donning the clinical expression she used with gravely injured patients. “Tell me what happened.”

So much had happened that Archer didn’t know where to begin, so he decided to start with Silas’ victory. “Silas set a mental trap for Alistair, and the mage fell right into it. It didn’t kill him, only knocked him unconscious. Valerian put him in a stasis, but once he left, we couldn’t maintain it.” He would explain the palace fire, prison break, all the fall out from both later. “Alistair woke, we fought, Silas killed him.”

“Did he say anything when he awoke?” Adelaide asked.

Archer’s brow furrowed, trying to remember. Lord Pryce had disguised himself as Silas for the interrogation so he could see first-hand how the adviser treated the king. Alistair had seemed broken, childish, unfocused. No, not unfocused, Archer realized as dread tightened his muscles. “He kept asking about Valerian.” At the time, it seemed that Alistair only wanted to know about Valerian to break out of the cage the other mage had locked him in, but if what Adelaide said was true …

“He’s dead,” Archer growled. “We burned the body.”

Adelaide sighed. “But he’d already abandoned it for a new one.”

The word ‘abandoned’ reminded Archer of his dream, making him flinch. Alistair is still alive, and you abandoned Silas, left him defenseless, easy prey if his abuser returns. “Where is the bastard?” Archer demanded, struggling to sit up. Castle Arn, he remembered. Adelaide said Alistair was on his way to Castle Arn. The mountain paths were tricky to navigate. If Archer beat him there—

Adelaide gently grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down. “You need rest, Archer. Your body is still healing.”

Archer grimaced and probed his stomach, searching for the stab wound. To his surprise, there was no evidence of the injury, not even a bandage.

“I did my best, but even with magic, internal wounds are difficult to heal,” she explained. “As soon as we’re done speaking, you’ll need to eat to maintain your energy.”

“How long until I can move?” Archer asked, already knowing that he would disregard her advice if he didn’t like what he heard.

“A day, at least, so I can monitor your progress.”

He glanced out the window. The steady stream of sunlight made it difficult to determine the time.

“And I have other news,” Adelaide said. Once she had Archer’s full attention again, she explained, “Penn is with Alistair.”

Remembering what the constable said, Archer’s jaw clenched. “As his hostage.”

“Yes, but you need to understand that Penn went willingly.”

Was she claiming that Penn had betrayed them? Not Penn, who had started following Archer around since the first day they met, talking enough for both of them. Not Penn, who had patiently and gleefully explained the best way for Archer to court Silas. The thought was so absurd that Archer couldn’t even voice the question, he could only wait for Adelaide to explain.

Understanding his silent look, Adelaide said, “Penn thinks he can save Valerian—sever his connection to Alistair.”

Archer thought of the mage’s frantic panic when he’d learned Penn was in danger. Does Penn return Valerian’s feelings? Is he in the same frantic state now as he watches someone take over his lover? Archer had never felt so distant from Penn, even when they’d had whole countries between them. “Can he succeed?” Or will I have to kill his lover to save our kingdom?