Rise of the Gryphon (Belador #4)(104)

“Why?”

“Because I love . . .”

“Him,” Evalle finished, since Kizira refused to speak his name here, and from everything she’d seen, that was probably for Quinn’s benefit.

“Yes. I had planned to enlist your help once we got to the island. I thought . . .” Kizira spoke haltingly, and tears threatened at the corners of her eyes. “If I could get inside the castle and to the river, I could stop the battle before it reached the castle. I didn’t want immortality so I could live forever, but so that I could stop Flaevynn from surviving past her birth hour.”

“Have any of you thought about the fact that the castle is warded against any immortal crossing the threshold?”

“Cathbad claims that anyone who becomes immortal inside the castle should be able to break the ward.”

Would that help Tzader? No, he’d still have to cross the threshold first to reach the river, so he’d die before he got there. Evalle brushed off Tzader’s love-life problems in favor of taking advantage of this turn of events. Kizira loved Quinn. If Evalle could convince Kizira to help her, they might be able to save Brina and Treoir.

If that happened, Macha might not torch Kizira, Evalle and all the gryphons.

As long as I’m having wild fantasies, I might as well wish for freedom from Sen and a life with Storm. Getting back on track, Evalle said, “What happens if you lose the battle?”

“Flaevynn dies, then I die. She won’t pass her crown to me. A day later, Cathbad dies.”

“Wait, are you related to those two?”

“Biological parents.”

And I thought I had it bad. Before now, Kizira’s dying would have been on the top of Evalle’s wish list, but now that she knew where Kizira stood, Evalle couldn’t throw her out with the rest of the Medb. Evalle knew what it felt like to be of no value to family. “If you live past Flaevynn’s death, would all the Medb Coven follow you?”

“Technically, yes.”

“What happens if Flaevynn leaves T?μr Medb before her time here is up or before the curse is broken?”

“She’d burn like an asteroid diving into the Earth’s atmosphere, but Cathbad has figured out something he had not shared until today. He thinks that once Brina is no longer in control of the castle, he and Flaevynn can leave this tower. I held out hope that he was in my corner, but I was wrong. He’s watching out for himself.”

“What happens to you if Flaevynn dies by stepping outside this tower?”

Kizira cocked her head, thinking. “I was told I would automatically become the reigning queen, but that was never possible because—”

“She would never leave T?μr Medb.” This would probably get Evalle torched, but she technically had two lives left if Cathbad was right about the gryphons having three. “Would you vow to uphold peace between the Medb and Beladors forever if you were queen?”

“Of course. That’s what I told you I’ve wanted ever since—” Kizira cut off her words.

“Then make that vow to me and I’ll help you.”

“How?”

“Change how you compel me once we get inside Treoir so that I can talk to Tzader and Quinn. We’ll stage the takeover of Treoir and Brina’s death so you can call in Flaevynn.”

Where Kizira had looked like a woman facing her death moments ago, she now was energized. “That would work, but it would take everyone’s cooperation.”

“Cathbad would probably follow Flaevynn out of here,” Evalle reminded her.

“After the way he just compelled me, I would not spit on him if he were on fire.”

No family baggage left there. “I want something else. I want to talk to Conlan. He may have information that could help us.”

“How am I supposed to get him out of the dungeon?”

“Tell Flaevynn you suspect he was sent in as a spy for the Beladors and you want to show them they can’t fool her. Tell her we can use him to confuse the Beladors, since he’s your puppet. They’ll take him to Brina since they’re on the island, and when they do he can tell you where she is in the castle.”

Kizira cocked her head in thought. “That might actually appeal to her ego.”

Evalle just hoped she wasn’t setting things in motion that she would regret later, but she trusted Tzader to keep Brina safe. Tzader would not want Conlan left behind in this place. That reminded her of two more people she had to save. The list just kept growing. “Tristan won’t agree to leave his two Rías friends who were captured with him and his sister.”

“You expect me to get them out of here, too? Flaevynn won’t go for that. She’ll be suspicious the minute I bring it up.”

“Rías are enough like Alterants that someone would have to be close to them when they shift to see that their eyes aren’t green. Convince Flaevynn that they’ll be a sacrificial diversion.” Evalle snapped her fingers. “No! Have Tristan go to her and demand that they stay here. He can tell her the deal wasn’t to use them in this attack and they’ll never survive. If she thinks they’re of any use right now, she’ll have to use them.”

Kizira arched an eyebrow. “I like the way you think, but we’re leaving here with or without them.”

“Understood.” Evalle would save as many as she could.