Page 33 of The Starlight Savior

“Not with malicious intent of course. I may not have seen my brother for over twenty years, but I know him in my heart. He would’ve never hidden anything if it wasn’t for keeping the ones he loved safe. Every word I read in his letters showed how much he loved and cared for you. Anything he kept to himself was for your safety. Even if you had every right to have a hand in it.”

A lump formed in Saige’s throat that would not ease. Anger simmered at the edges of her vision, but the cuffs on her wrist kept her weakness back. There was a part of her that wondered why she should trust Eva. Trust these letters. But there was such sincerity in Eva’s face—the way her eyes swelled with emotion and her face softened as Saige barely made out words.

The grief that encompassed Eva’s experience was different from Saige’s. When she left Denholm, she believed she had no one. But Eva had known the secrets woven into Oscar’s life, knew of Saige. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to sit in another kingdom, not being able to do anything. Not knowing where she was.

Saige bit her lip. She didn’t know how to express the swirl of emotions in her gut.

“Thank you for reading these to me,” she murmured, trying to smile up at Eva.

Eva returned the smile, nodding as if she could read exactly what Saige was feeling by her face. “We’ll take our time with these. You’d be surprised at what comes up. I know a lot comes up for me.”

“You read them often?”

“Like I said, sometimes I come here and sit. The words keep me company when no one else can.”

Saige wished she had something similar tethering her to Brevil, to the people that still occupied her heart.

A knock sounded from across the room. Conor stood in the doorway, his wide shoulders taking up most of the space, blocking any view outside of her father’s room. His hair was messier than usual, matching the shadows under his eyes. He was sporting the same clothes from suppers, and his trousers were wrinkled. Saige turned back towards the window, noticing that dawn was beginning to creep over the horizon.

Gods, they had stayed up all night.

She turned back to him, watching as he stepped over the threshold into her father’s room.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“You were missing from your room.” Conor’s eyes roamed across the crowded space, narrowing in on the letters sprawled around them.

“Why would you be visiting at such an hour?”

Conor ran a hand through his hair, taming his dark locks. “King’s orders, just doing my rounds. Luckily your aunt is predictable.”

Eva’s fists flexed at her side as she strode past Conor. “I’ll leave you two be.” Her words were clipped, cheeks reddened. Before Conor could answer, her steps echoed down the hall.

Saige blinked slowly. “We were reading my father’s letters.”

Conor nodded. “She’s always a bit finicky after that. Come on.” He nudged his chin towards the door. “I’ll escort you back.”

“My room is down the hallway.” The last thing Saige wanted was to walk back with Conor looming over her, his silver eyes gleaming down, studying every facial expression and shift of her body. It was his job, she realized, to report back to his father and the king on how their captive was doing.

“But—”

“I’d prefer not to walk with liars.” Saige laughed, taken aback by the venom coating her voice. It had been difficult to direct her anger towards her aunt, knowing what grief she still carried everyday. But Conor…he had acted like her equal. Pretended she could trust him.

“I have never lied to you, Saige.”

Her name in his mouth felt foreign, yet soft. But she held his gaze, keeping her face slack. “You knew from the moment you accidentally bumped into me.”

“There are things I cannot simply tell you directly. It’s against orders, and I’ll never defy them. But if you ask the right questions, I will always tell the truth. I need you to understand that your safety and well-being are my priority. If I would’ve told you who your father was, with or without the cuffs, what would’ve happened?”

Saige probably would’ve crumbled. “But you let the king embarrass me in front of the whole dining hall?”

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “I didn’t know that was going to happen.”

“He made a show of me,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry.” Conor reached out, not waiting for Saige to give in and slide her arm in his. His hand rested on her forearm, warm and heavy against her skin. “Now will you let me walk you back?”

Her anger was a flame sputtering in her gut. Not fully blazing, but still there, waiting to be reignited. How was it that these magic-wielders could ease the ache in her so quickly? Or maybe it was the cuffs muting the depths of her emotions.