Reign of Shadows (Reign of Shadows, #1)(27)

“We don’t even know him,” Perla insisted.

“Perla, I’m not leaving you here. If soldiers return to the tower, then we’ll make a stand together. We’ve lived a long life. It’s our responsibility to give Luna the best chance to live hers. Don’t you see? This boy coming here was meant to be.”

Perla was weeping now. “You and your signs. And how do we know he won’t harm her?”

I turned in Fowler’s direction, waiting for him to say something, to tell them all this back-and-forth was for nothing because he wasn’t taking me anywhere. He wouldn’t do something so noble. He had his own quest and it didn’t involve me.

“I know he won’t abandon her.” Sivo’s deep burr rumbled on the air. “He lives by a code. Don’t you, boy?”

Fowler still said nothing, and I wanted to retort that Fowler’s code was all about self-preservation, not altruism.

“Don’t you?” Sivo repeated. “You’ll see she comes to no harm. And you’ll see she gets to Allu. Won’t you?”

I waited for his denial. Once he dissuaded Sivo of the notion that he was some manner of hero bent on saving girls, we could come up with another plan that did not involve me leaving Sivo and Perla and heading off on a quest for some fantastical place that probably did not even exist.

Finally, he spoke. Only, the words were not what I was expecting.

“You have my word.”





TWELVE


Fowler


I HAD NO idea where the words came from within me. I recognized my voice. I knew I uttered the words, but they weren’t mine. They couldn’t belong to me.

Listening to Sivo and Perla arguing, with Luna saying so very little and looking as stunned as I felt at Sivo’s suggestion that she depart with me—his logic had begun to sink in.

Those soldiers would come back, and next time, she would be here. It couldn’t be assumed they wouldn’t harm her. Not after seeing what had happened to Dagne. They had an affinity for killing.

And yet doubts assailed me. I had committed to taking a blind girl with me to Allu. Aside from the fact that no one around me ever lived for long, it was madness, no matter how adept she was at handling herself. I didn’t want to take a girl with sight, much less one without.

The thought crossed my mind long after Perla took Luna to pack for the journey—I could slip away without a word. While they slept, I could simply leave. Skulk away like a thief in the night. A bitter taste coated my mouth at the cowardly image.

I lifted my mug to my lips, taking a long swig of the hot tea that Sivo had prepared after Perla and Luna left the room.

Sivo’s voice wove over the room. “You know I can only let her go because I trust you.”

In a flash of clarity I realized that’s why I agreed. My throat tightened and I drank again, trying to loosen my windpipe. This man looked at me as though I was an honorable person. Someone to be trusted. It had been a long time since anyone looked at me that way. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want it.

I sent him a glance and then looked away, his stare too penetrating.

“There’s something in you,” he said.

I shifted uncomfortably, feeling the old man’s gaze. I didn’t know what he could see in me except failure. That’s all I was, something broken.

I took another drink, calling myself every kind of fool. Luna was not my second chance.

I faced him. “I thought you were letting her go because you don’t have any other choice.”

He gazed at me long and hard. Luna’s and Perla’s voices carried from the bedchamber. He turned in the direction of that room, and I studied his profile as he listened to them. Orange firelight flickered over his face, doing little to soften the craggy features.

He dipped his chin and closed his eyes for a long moment, as though he were absorbing the sound, taking it inside himself and imprinting it into memory. “There is that, too,” he acknowledged.

I leaned forward, draping my arms loosely on my knees. “Staying here . . . you will die.”

It had to be said. There was no “if” about it. No doubt. The tower was no longer a secret. Luna wasn’t the only one in danger. Once the soldiers reported to the king and he decided what to do—they would return. And Sivo, Perla, and Madoc wouldn’t be spared. At best, they would be turned out. At worst, they’d be dealt with in the same manner as Dagne.

“I know.”

“Then why stay?” My voice took on an edge.

“Because Perla can’t survive out there. And there’s the boy now, too. He’s not fit to travel.” Sivo ran a hand down the length of his beard, fingers delving into the pepper-dusted ginger strands. “You’ve given me your word. You’re strong. You know how to survive on the Outside. Luna’s smart. She might lack sight but she makes up for it in other areas. She might even be of help to you.”

“I can believe that.”

“She’s special, Fowler.” It was the first time he said my name. His gaze captured mine and held.

I nodded, flexing my hands around my mug.

“No,” he bit out, leaning forward in his chair. “You think you understand me, that it’s the love of a father talking, but I mean it. She’s different. A day may come . . .” His voice faded and I could tell he warred with himself about whether he wanted to say something more.