Page 211 of The Mercy of Dawn

“Thank you, my boy.” Runa cupped his cheek and gave him a soft, warm smile. “I should go back now, but be safe, both of you, please. And keep me apprised should you hear anything at all. I will do the same.”

The door barely closed behind her when Mikael turned to Cyril and sighed, “What in the actual fuck...”

What an understatement.

Cyril wasn’t even entirely sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“Yeah.” Cyril just nodded.

All the tension slipped from Mikael’s face and he stepped over, brushing his thumb over Cyril’s cheek.

“We’ll figure it out, wrath,” he said softly.

“I know.” Cyril blew out a shaky breath. Even though she didn’t want to know, didn’t want to see any of it, she asked, “Can I see the records for the murders? I…just want to check something.”

Curiosity flickered in his eyes, the most comforting thing she’d seen since they left the barracks.

“Of course you can,” he said, taking her hand. “Lead the way.”

Two haphazardly stacked piles of folders sat on the worn and marred surface of Mikael’s desk, and Cyril just stared at them.

She felt sick.

Sick that no one had listened to Runa. That no one had listened to her. That no one connected these dots or asked these questions, or did fucking anything.

She knew from grumblings of rogues at the estate that there were always little bits of complacency that surfaced in these types of incidents, things that were overlooked or had a blind eye turned to them. But this was egregious.

There was an implication buried in there that Cyril wasn’t sure she was ready to accept yet.

“Find what you were looking for?”

Mikael’s voice came from behind her suddenly and she stiffened. She hadn’t heard the door open back up after he left to deal with some guards.

It really was for the best that Dion cut her loose from the guild. She was a piss-poor excuse for a rogue.

“Just…confirmation, I guess.”

Really, that was all that she got. No light in the dark, so to speak. Just the sad confirmation that maybe, just maybe, not all of these people would have died if someone just fucking listened.

“Too confidential for this lowly man to know about, or…?” Mikael flashed her a wry grin as he tipped Cyril’s chin up and kissed her. Just a brief, soft thing. He settled back against the edge of his desk after, eyes drifting over the two piles.

It was remarkable how well he could smooth over the stress she knew roiled just beneath his surface.

“You remember when I helped with training?” she asked.

Mikael raised a brow at her. “Fondly, yes.”

Cyril should have smiled, but she didn’t.

“When I went to the gardens with your mother that week, she taught me about Reykr’s history with the purists, and where she and Reyna came from. All because I mentioned that scroll that…Tobias helped me translate, and how Dion shut me down.”

“Right…”

“Your father and the general shut her down too. Your mother said when the first murders happened, and the runes came up, she tried to give some guidance, but they just told her not to worry about it.”

“Of course they did.” Mikael sighed and shook his head. His vacant stare across the room told her just how much else he probably wanted to say. She knew he held opinions about both men. “I knew she put you up to something…”

Cyril shook her head. “She only gave me information and encouragement, Mika. Thought maybe the two of us might be stronger together. But Dion was pissed with me for the implication of what I was looking into, and then he, well…”