Defend the Dawn (Defy the Night #2)(79)

Rian stares back at him, and I wonder if this tension is finally going to snap and one of them is going to throw a punch.

But Rian sighs and uncrosses his arms. “Fine.”

Corrick’s eyebrows go up. “Fine?”

“Yes. Fine. You’re not a criminal. You boarded the ship to do right by your people. You agreed to my terms. You haven’t caused harm.” Rian runs a hand through his hair, and I can’t tell if he’s exasperated—or just exhausted by this whole conversation. I know I am. “You were right,” he continues. “I do have duties that require my attention.” He takes a very deliberate pause. “Your Highness.” He offers me a nod. “Miss Cade.”

Then he turns away.

Whoa. I let out a breath through my teeth.

But Corrick’s not done. He turns that belligerent gaze on me. “You can be angry at my words, and you can take issue with my actions. Hate me if you like, but you know I’m right. I have never harmed you, and I’ve never taken advantage of you. When you snuck into the palace, I did everything I could to keep you safe—including offering you the opportunity to leave. I put a bag of silver in your hands, Tessa. A dagger right off my belt.”

All true. I swallow. “Corrick …”

“I’m not done. Any distance between us at court was because I respect your work and I value your intelligence, and I did not want to give anyone cause to doubt the integrity of either.” His voice is so low, but so intense, lending weight to every single word. Every syllable. “I resent that a man with questionable motives has instilled such … misgivings in you.”

“Oh, stop being so cynical!” I snap. “Rian doesn’t have questionable motives.”

That draws him up short, but I’m not entirely sure why. Corrick stares back at me, but he says nothing.

After a moment, the tension is just too great. I can’t take it. “What?” I demand.

“I wasn’t talking about Rian,” he says slowly. “I was talking about Lochlan.”

Oh. I take a step back.

“Our captain has instilled misgivings?” Corrick says. “I shouldn’t be surprised, but I do feel as though I need an explanation.”

I’m unsure how to proceed again.

Corrick’s eyes narrow. “Maybe I don’t need an explanation. Maybe I’ve already seen the effects. He arrives at court with an attitude full of censure for how Kandala has fared—for how we’ve maintained order—and you agree with every word he says.”

“But why is that a surprise?” I demand. “Of course I agree with him! When you were Wes, you would have agreed—”

“But you know the truth, Tessa. We pored over maps, and I told you that it’s not as simple as taking every petal of Moonflower Kandala has to offer. If it were, we wouldn’t be locked in tense meetings with the rebels. We wouldn’t have faced a revolution at all.” He looks truly angry now. “If it were simple, I would not be on this ship.”

“I know.”

“I don’t think you do. I think you’ve realized that Wes never existed, could never exist, and you’ll never have our adventures back. I think you’ve met a man who could offer more than endless debates in stuffy conference rooms, and you’ve leapt at a new chance to make a difference, because my way was too slow and boring.”

“Please stop. That’s not it at all—”

“Oh, it’s not? Because I realize that it may seem appealing to follow a man with clear ideals, but you haven’t been to Ostriary yet. You haven’t dealt with their king, and you haven’t seen what awaits us there. You accuse me of being cynical, but you stood right there and said that Rian doesn’t have questionable motives. Maybe I should find Lochlan and befriend him, because on this, we would agree: you are naive—”

“Don’t you dare,” I snap. “Just because I know more about medicine than I do about ruling a country doesn’t mean I’m some clueless idiot. Just because you believe the worst of everyone doesn’t mean that there aren’t good people in this world.”

“It’s kept me alive, Tessa. It’s kept my brother alive. And now I’m trying to keep you alive. You question my motives, but you don’t question the captain’s. I would ask why he claimed the political climate of Ostriary was stable when we were seated at dinner—yet now tells stories of pirates who may lie in wait. I would question why he feels the need to keep a room on this ship locked away. It’s no surprise to me that we’ve been on the ship for a matter of two days, and he’s already worked to sow discord between us.”

“He’s not the one sowing discord,” I say.

Corrick grits his teeth. “I would question which kingdom truly has his loyalty, because right now, it’s rather clear it’s not Kandala.”

“Your Highness.” Rocco has stepped close, and his voice is low, but urgent enough to cut through Corrick’s tirade. He gives a deliberate glance past us, at the main deck, where more members of Rian’s crew have begun to appear. No one is directly staring at us, but it’s clear we’re the center of attention. Again.

I sigh and take a step back. Close quarters don’t keep secrets well at all.

I stare up at Corrick, whose jaw is tight. I hate that he’s right about so much of it.