Sara Larson - Defy

“You did it,” I heard Rylan say, but this time, he didn’t cheer. No one did.

For some reason, tears filled my eyes. Even though I tried, I couldn’t hold them back. My shoulders shook with sobs. And then Damian was there. He pulled me into his arms, stroked my hair. “Shh,” he whispered. “It’s okay. You did it. I knew you could do it.”

“I’ll go tell my father,” Eljin said. I turned my head to see him push himself off the ground, rubbing his rib cage. He looked right at me and nodded. A nod of approval.

Through my tears, I smiled grimly, and then he was gone.

The next week flew by as we prepared to go back to Antion and the palace to launch our attack on King Hector. Each day, I was able to recall that same power and beat Eljin, and my confidence grew. The one dark spot was that I could never find a time to talk to Rylan alone. He grew quieter and more withdrawn every day, and I was worried about him. But whenever I tried to ask him if he was okay, he brushed me off. I knew he worried about what we’d find back at the palace — who we’d find alive. I fervently prayed Jude was okay.

But I also knew he was mad at me, and I was helpless to fix it in our current situation.

The night before we were supposed to leave, General Tinso ate dinner with us in the practice room. Lisbet arrived halfway through with Jax, and right behind them was Tanoori. I was sitting on the floor, just lifting a piece of meat to my mouth when she walked in. She looked at Damian for a long moment, then her gaze flicked to me. She gave me a curt nod and sat down next to Lisbet, who was saying something softly to Rylan.

Tanoori looked remarkably well, especially compared to the last time I’d seen her, when she’d appeared nearly dead.

“We need to finalize the details of our plan before tomorrow,” General Tinso said when we’d all resumed eating. I looked at Tanoori suspiciously, and General Tinso noticed.

“It’s safe to speak freely before her,” he said.

“She threatened to kill me,” I disagreed. “And she attempted to kill Prince Damian at the palace. She was going to be hanged for it when Eljin saved her.” I looked to Damian for affirmation.

“She was only doing what the Insurgi asked her to do, not because she wanted to,” Damian said. He glanced at Tanoori, who wouldn’t look up from her food. “I’m the one who asked the Insurgi to plant someone to attempt an assassination on me, and I didn’t want her to die for it. So, I’m also the one who asked Eljin to save her.”

“You did what ?”

“I knew she was going to try to murder me,” Damian said calmly. “She was never intended to succeed — only to attempt it. If my guard hadn’t been there, I would have had to stop her myself, which I was prepared to do if necessary.”

I glared at him, my food forgotten on the plate in front of me. “Why would you ask them to attempt to murder you? Aren’t they the ones who actually did murder your brother?” With everyone else listening to our conversation, I didn’t dare yell at him for keeping something this important from me, but inside I was seething.

“Yes.” Damian sighed. “But afterward, Lisbet discovered their hideout and went to them. She learned that their leaders were a trio of sorcerers, loyal to Blevon and General Tinso, who wished to overthrow King Hector. She explained that she was the general’s sister-in-law, and that I was loyal to Blevon, not my father. She convinced the Insurgi that killing his heirs wouldn’t stop Hector, and she also told them about Iker, warning them that they wouldn’t be able to murder the king, either. They agreed to try to work together with General Tinso and me to overthrow him.”

“But how does having the Insurgi send Tanoori to try to assassinate you help? And why did you send me to deliver a message to them? Now will you tell me what was in it?” With everything else that had happened and how focused I’d been on learning how to defeat a sorcerer, I’d almost completely forgotten about that nightmarish trek through the jungle, despite the scars from the jaguar attack to remind me.

“The attempted murder was to get Iker’s and the king’s attention, to make them think we had enemies out there who wanted me dead. When I had you take the message to the Insurgi, I had no other choice but to ask for your help. Lisbet and Jax usually delivered the messages, but Iker followed us to their rooms that night I took you with me. She felt his presence and told me to leave. She had to flee the castle before I could write the message for her to deliver to the Insurgi.”

“It was Iker who followed us? I thought it was Eljin.”

Damian shook his head.

I knew I hadn’t been imagining things, but it was worse to think that it had been Iker and that I hadn’t even suspected him. “So what did the message say?”

“It contained the details they needed for their part in our plan. They’re going to help us when we attempt to break into the palace.”

“The Insurgi are going to help us?” I looked at Tanoori, who had been eating quietly this whole time. She finally met my gaze, and I saw a ghost of the girl I used to know in the hesitant smile she gave me. I still couldn’t believe Damian had asked her to try to murder him. Had she known she was meant to fail — was she just acting, too?

“They promised they would.”

“They have some very powerful sorcerers and an impressive number of rebels, all of whom wish to overthrow the king. And we’re going to need all the help we can get,” General Tinso added.

“I agree,” I said after I forced myself to eat a bite of meat. “I’ve been thinking about it, and even though I’m pretty sure I could beat Iker, I don’t see how I’m going to be able to get close enough to him to even try unless you bring your black sorcerers to help me. Otherwise, he’ll just burn me to a crisp before I even come close enough to get past his defenses.”

“ My black sorcerers?” General Tinso gave me a strange look. “What are you talking about?”

Before I could answer, Damian jumped in. “I’ve been meaning to speak with you about that. Alexa’s parents were killed by a sorcerer’s fire when part of the Blevonese army raided her village. Is it possible that there are black sorcerers helping your army that you aren’t aware of?”

General Tinso’s eyes widened as Damian spoke. “No. I would know if there were. Are there any other reports of this happening, or was it an isolated event?”

Damian shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“When you are king, we will need to look into this. I don’t know who that sorcerer was, but I’m certain he was not with our army.”

“So you don’t have any black sorcerers who can help us?” I asked, confused and upset. If the sorcerer hadn’t been part of the Blevonese army, who was he? And why had he killed my parents?

“No, we don’t,” the general said.

“Then how am I going to get close enough to Iker to fight him without him killing me first?” My stomach tightened into knots of anxiety.

“You wouldn’t want a black sorcerer’s help — trust me. And as it happens, you won’t have to worry about getting close to Iker. If our plan works, you should be standing at his side when we come with the prince.” General Tinso smiled at me like this was the best news I’d ever heard.

“And just how are you planning to make that happen?”

General Tinso began to explain, but Damian held up his hand to cut him off. “Alexa, I want you to remember that you agreed to do this. That you wanted to help.”

“I know,” I said bitterly, looking between him and the general. “What is it you want me to do?”