Last Stand (The Black Mage #4)(29)

I never knew. I opened and shut my mouth, finding no words.

“It is an honor to help the sister he cherished so much.”

Breathe. My hand shot to my throat and the leather cord hanging just beneath my cloak.

Tallus didn’t leave time for a reply. The knight had already turned back, a limping shadow against a mountain of black.

I shut my eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. But it didn’t work.

All I could see was Derrick. My little brother, the bravest of us all. And I had left him to suffer alone.

I saw his angry face yelling at me in the palace cell.

And then I saw the final night. Jacob thrusting Derrick before me, crippled and hopeless, waiting for his older sister to take his life. Waiting for me to betray him.

I slumped to my knees.

Tallus’s words entered my heart. The sister he cherished so much.

Salty tears mixed in with icy sleet as the howling wind took control of my hair, whipping locks of scarlet against wind-chapped lips and a breaking heart. I reached up to clutch my brother’s ring through my cloak, holding on to the copper circlet like it was Derrick’s hand instead.

I won’t let you down again.



*

An hour later, I sprinted into camp, soaked to the bone. Raw magic danced out scattering the last foliage on the ground.I prayed that what my casting would be enough to mask Tallus’s trail.

It was another reason I had chosen night. It was harder to track.

In minutes, I was sliding into the tent, discarding my cloak, and drying my hair before feigning sleep beside the prince.

Ten minutes later, the first person awoke.

“Darren! Ryiah!”

The prince stirred once, and then his head fell back to the side.

“Your Highness!”

Darren shot up at the same time as me. His head crashed into my chin. I fell back, tasting blood as the prince placed a hand to his head, wincing. “Paige? What is it?”

“The rebel escaped—”

“What?”

“He—”

Darren staggered out of the tent, shoving his feet into boots and shouting for the rest of our men before she could finish. “Henry! Markus! Landon!”

“Paige?” I groggily blinked my eyes and attempted to stand, falling back as if I were much weaker than the rest. “D-did you say the rebel es-escaped?”

“Must have slipped an elixir in our meal.”

“M-my stew?” I groaned and reached for her shoulder. “The s-storm! The supplies were w-with Hadley.”

“She was also in charge of transporting the rebel.”

“The s-storm must have made it easy f-for him to slip it in t-the food.”

“I don’t know how he got it. We searched him thoroughly before we left.” The knight helped me up, her back tense. “The whole camp was out for hours after you left.”

My heart caught in my lungs. “L-left?”

Paige raised a brow. “When you stormed off to your tent. The prince went after you, and then everyone started dropping at once. Do you remember anything at all?”

I shook my head, feigning ignorance. “I remember Darren a-and then he fell and I… I guess I must have drifted off too.”

The two of us started toward the camp, Paige half-carrying me as I got back “control” of my limbs.

“I m-must have eaten too much.”

Paige snorted. “At least now we know it wasn’t your bad cooking.”

“Hmmm.”

“I’m sorry, my lady.” Her serious tone returned as she addressed me directly. “Earlier I was out of place. I know how much this must upset you now that the rebel is loose.”

I waved the knight’s apology away, quickening our pace toward the others. Darren had already gathered everyone else by the horses; their voices grew loud as we approached.

Ten minutes later, we were pouring over a map of the territory.

As I had hoped, they had discovered the missing mare and drawn their own conclusions.

“We don’t have time to debate the context of his escape!” Darren’s voice rose above the storm, stunning the rest of our unit to silence. “Gods only know how many hours we lost already!”

“You think he’ll try for the king?” One of the mages folded his arms. “In that condition, he’s hardly a threat, and we already sent out an envoy—”

“He has my horse and he’s headed south!” Paige snapped. “If the rebel has any sense, he’ll warn his comrades in the palace and take up in the desert with the rest of his traitorous kind.”

“The rebels have managed to stay hidden for years. This man was our one chance.” Darren fisted the map, the whites of his knuckles visible under the others’ light. “I am not going to waste our time prowling the mountains in the middle of the night. That traitor is headed south.”

I ducked my head as the others nodded along. I couldn’t believe our luck. If Darren insisted no one remain behind, Tallus would have better odds than we hoped.

“Ryiah and I will return to the palace immediately with our guards.”

“But the king’s orders—”

“The Black Mage and his second-in-command are more than capable of taking care of themselves, contrary to my brother’s opinion.” Darren glowered at the knight who had spoken. “The rest of you are to scout every inch of the south. The minute I arrive in the capital, I will have more of the Crown’s Army dispatched to help find that traitor while I investigate the palace. I’m not going to sacrifice our search for my ‘protection.’” Ember flared in the crown prince’s eyes. “If Blayne has a problem with it, he can take it up with me. You have ten minutes to pack up your gear and split into three parties.”