A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers, #3)(104)

“No,” says Zo. She pulls free of Harper to step in front of Tycho. “Don’t hurt him.”

Tycho glances at her like she’s addled. “I’m not going to hurt him,” he says quietly. He lifts his hands to show he’s harmless, then drops to a knee in front of the scraver, who hasn’t stopped growling.

Then I notice the pool of blood under his body.

Save him.

“Are you Nakiis?” says Tycho. He reaches out a hand. “Son of Iisak?”

The growling stops, but only for a moment. Then the scraver swipes with his claws. Tycho’s wrist takes a hit—and he’s lucky he’s wearing a bracer. Those claws slice right through a leather buckle and dig a groove in the back of Tycho’s hand. The boy stumbles back. Solt draws a sword and strides forward.

“No!” says Zo. “He’s hurt, but he’s—he’s not an enemy. He didn’t kill me, and he could have. He could have killed all of them. She made him do a lot of it.”

“He tried to kill Harper,” Rhen says viciously.

“But he didn’t,” says Zo.

Solt glances at me, waiting for an order.

I look at the scraver. “Are you the son of Iisak? Are you the missing king of Iishellasa?”

He growls at me. “I am Nakiis. But my father is king.”

“Was,” I say, and nothing about this moment feels gentle or soothing, but I try to make my voice convey both. “Your father was king. He fell facing the enchantress.” I pause. “Iisak asked me to save you.” Another pause. “I will, if you’ll let me.”

He spits blood at the ground, and I can hear his ragged breathing from here. “I will not be bound to another magesmith.”

That makes me wonder what Lilith did to him, how she bound him to her will. His voice is full of rage and fury—and a bit of fear, too. Lilith left nothing but pain and suffering in her wake, and I shouldn’t be surprised to find another creature whose mind was destroyed by her games.

“I won’t bind you,” I say carefully. “Your father once told me that the magesmiths and the scravers were great allies.”

“Were,” he emphasizes, his tone echoing the way mine did. But just the effort of speaking must exhaust him, because he puts his forehead against the ground and coughs again.

I walk up to him and drop to a knee the way Tycho did. “I couldn’t help your father,” I say. “But I can help you.”

His voice is ragged and worn. “At what cost.”

“No cost.”

“You swear it?”

“I do.”

After a moment, he nods.

I don’t hesitate. I jerk the arrow free, and fresh blood spills. He roars with rage and tries to whirl, but he’s too weak. I put my hand right against the wound. The skin closes. His breathing eases. The wing heals.

He blinks at me, then lifts his head. “You are Grey?” he says.

“I am.”

“My father said you would help me. He said he was going to find you.” He rolls to his knees and ruffles his wings, then seems surprised when they fold into place against his back. “His last words to me.”

I hesitate. “He’s spent the last few years searching for you.”

“Then his time was not spent in vain.” His voice is bitter.

“He was a friend, Nakiis.” I put out a hand. “I would be yours as—”

“No magesmith is a friend of mine.” He swipes claws against my hand, slicing open my palm, then leaps into the air.

“Wait!” cries Tycho, but the scraver is gone. We stare after him for a long moment.

Tycho’s breath hitches. “Iisak died for him.”

“He died for me, too,” I say, and my voice is heavy.

“And his son just … left,” says Jake.

I remember Iisak’s stories about his son, how Nakiis fled Iishellasa to avoid claiming his birthright, how their relationship was complicated at best.

And then at some point Lilith got involved, and she likely made it worse. I flex my hand as the wounds close. After everything Rhen went through, I can hardly blame the scraver for wanting nothing to do with me.

I look at Rhen, Harper, and Zo, who are still standing apart from my soldiers, their expressions worn and uncertain. Captain Solt is eyeing them vengefully. The distance between them all seems to be vast. Lia Mara has so many plans for a peaceful alliance, but despite everything we accomplished here tonight, any path forward is going to be fraught with challenges.

“Wait,” says Harper, turning to Zo. “Did you say the scraver could have killed all of them? Who?”

“Many from the castle,” says Zo. “Much of the staff. Even Freya and the children were saved. The spy Chesleigh was able to sneak them through the forest, group by group. The losses would have been much greater.”

Harper swears. “I guess I can’t keep hating her.”

“I can,” I say, and at my back, I hear Solt grunt in agreement.

“When Nakiis pulled me off the horse,” Zo continues, “he was going to kill me, but then he said that he’d been ordered to bring the enchantress your heart. I was able to convince him to bring the heart of an animal, and he took my armor as proof.” Zo glances at Rhen. “He wasn’t evil. He wasn’t cruel. He was just doing the best he could to survive. In a way, he was simply … cursed.”