Ever the Hunted (Clash of Kingdoms #1)(85)

The door at the top of the dungeon stairs creaks and then clangs shut. Anger sweeps through me, and yet, as furious as I am, Leif’s comments plague me. He let me walk away in Celize. It’s a shock that might amuse me if my entire soul wasn’t black.

Cohen’s still out there with Finn. If he hasn’t already, soon, he’ll reach our tree and know something is wrong, but if he comes for me and the guards catch him, he’ll be hanged.

I grip the roots of my hair, welcoming the biting pinch.

To survive these woods, a man has to be strong as the trees.

If Enat were here, I’m certain she’d fight. I didn’t believe her when she said I was like her. But I want to be. I want so badly to be like my grandmother that I push up off the hardened grime when Leif returns with a dish of gruel.

“So you saw through my disguise?”

A faint smile registers on his lips.

“When you were here earlier, you said not to give up,” I say, my coward voice shaking. “Can I trust you to help me? Answer me aloud.”

His eyes work back and forth over my face. “Yes, you can trust me.”

Truth. I have never been more grateful for the warmth under my skin.

“I want to escape from here,” I admit, feeling winded like I’m teetering on the edge of a precipice. “When I was caught with . . . with Enat . . . we were on our way to the castle for two reasons. First, to tell the high lord who the real murderer is. And second, to break the spell on the king.” I explain everything we know about a bind on the king and the war.

When I finish, Leif’s brows are drawn together.

I glance over the top of the bowl as I eat the terrible-tasting mush. “I know it sounds mad, but if what you say is true, that I can trust you, then you must trust me as well.”

He blows out a breath. “I’ve had some suspicions about the king’s behavior and recent orders. This is just a lot to take in. Do you know who’s controlling the king?”

“I think so,” I say, purposefully evasive. Once Leif finds out about the captain, I fear his loyalty will stand in the way of him believing me. Or at the very least, it’ll keep him from helping me escape.

“Tell me. If I’m going to help you, I need to know my enemy.”

I don’t want to tell him. Though he’s right, he needs to know. “It’s the captain,” I say quickly, spitting it out before I talk myself out of it. “He killed my father and is likely working with the Spiriter controlling the king.”

Leif pulls back to look me in the eyes, his expression full of shock and doubt as his hands wrap firmly around my shoulders. “You’re certain?”

I tell him about the Archtraitor, the murder at the tavern, the witnesses, and the captain’s coat. Leif rocks back on his heels.

“You believe me?” I hold the bowl in my lap, unable to finish the last half. A herd of elk could be thundering through me for how my heart beats with hope.

“Yes, I believe you,” he says. “So if the captain is truly controlling the king, it’s my duty as the king’s guard to protect him, which means I must do what I can to break the bind.”

I’m so relieved by his answer, I could kiss him.

“I have a plan,” I say. “And it requires my death.”





Chapter

38


LEIF RETURNS A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER WITH Enat’s leather pouch.

“Where’s the boiled water?” I ask Leif after he pushes the pouch through the iron rungs.

His eyes cut to the side. “By the door,” he whispers, and then darts back, his face shifting into a stoic mask a moment before a guard approaches from the depths of the dungeon.

A scowl shows through the guard’s greasy beard. “What are you doing here, Leif?”

“Just checking the prisoner,” Leif says coolly.

The guard turns and, after noticing me, presses his bulging belly up against the bars of my cell. “So what, you hunted down the scrant and now you get special privileges?”

“If by privileges you mean I have to smell her rotting carcass when I throw dinner at her feet, then yes.” Leif chuckles and makes another comment about how disgusting I am. It’s slightly mortifying to hear, even if it’s an act.

The guard must have accepted Leif’s excuse because he leaves after muttering a few more unsavory comments. I’m relieved to watch him go.

“Sorry about that.” Leif returns with the cup. “I, uh, didn’t want him to think I was showing you any kindness.”

“Are we clear? No more guards will be coming down here?”

“Only Jorgan, the guard who was just here, and the dungeon master. If your diversion works, they’ll both be occupied and you’ll have your escape if you wake in time.”

The promise sounds bittersweet.

“The body bearers usually come at night. I—?I’m nervous for you. Have you tried making this herbal brew before? What if you don’t wake till tomorrow?”

I press my lips together. The day in the forest when I found out I was a Spiriter, Enat had me gather these leaves. While we were traveling, she said if they’re crushed and steeped in water with bark-gnarl grindings, they make a sleeping concoction. There are so many ways this plan could fail. “Enat said the effects only last a couple hours. Once I drink the tea and it takes effect, my heart will slow, and I’ll look dead. You’ll have to move fast. I don’t want it to wear off before the dungeon master has taken me out of here.”