Page 86 of To Save a Kingdom

To her left, Elsan groaned as he lifted one hand to rub the back of his head. “Yes, Tsara, how did you manage to convince your father to agree to our union?” He raised his eyes to hers. “He made it clear when we first became friends he’d never entertain such a thing. So what changed?”

Tsara chewed the inside of her cheek, her eyes falling to the ground under the pressure of his scrutiny.

Shifting so she was between Tsara and the exit, Zadé pulled a dagger from her hip and twirled it in her fingers. Dropping her voice, she murmured, “Yeh may as well tell us.” She met Elsan’s gaze for a heartbeat, enough to confirm he was on board, before continuing, “We’ll get it outta yeh one way or another.” Threatening royalty wasn’t the smartest thing she could be doing, what with it being treason and all, but valek, they needed some answers.

Tsara’s throat bobbed as she glanced at Elsan. Her lips pinched tight as a pained expression crossed her face, complete with furrowed brows.

“If’n yer not careful,” Zadé said, “yer face’ll freeze and yeh’ll get perma-wrinkles a‘fore yer time.”

Tsara scrunched her nose and bared her teeth as she lunged at Zadé, her fingers hooked into claws as she reached for Zadé’s eyes.

Elsan was between them before Zadé could do more than roll to the side.

“Tsara, stop!” His tone was deep, the threat in it sending a shiver up Zadé’s spine. It’d been centuries since someone’d made her react like that.

Princess Tsara froze, her skin pale. “Elessan?” Her voice was thin and Zadé’s insides reveled in how it trembled.

“Answer the question.” If glares could kill, Elsan’s would’ve murdered Tsara a hundred times over. Wrapping his hand around her throat, he spun her until her back was against the pole he’d been tied to.

Tsara’s mouth flopped open and closed like a fish.

The muscles along Elsan’s jaw twitched.

After several heartbeats, the fight went out of Tsara with a sigh. Her shoulders dropped as her eyes found his feet. “I was going back through our genealogy for… reasons, and I stumbled across proof one of Roland’s ancestors was,” she swallowed, dropping her volume, “human.”

Zadé blinked. No way… She was so stunned, she forgot to slur her words. “Roland, the epitome of racial purity and whatnot, is a half-breed?” But his ears were so… pointy.

Tsara shifted. “Well, no. It’s far enough back in his lineage few would count it, but…it’s still there.”

Elessan raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. “So, what, you threatened to tell everyone he wasn’t a pure blood?” He shook his head. “No, it’d take more than that.”

Nodding, Tsara swallowed. “I told him I would expose him, and then I’d take his troops, leaving him to the mercy of his nobles.” Tsara’s voice was so small, it could’ve been a child’s.

Zadé pursed her lips as she chewed on that tidbit of info. The army was loyal to Tsara, as was evident by their following her to rescue Princess—Aliya—from King Malkov, despite not having official orders to do so. If Roland didn’t have the support of his military and guards, and they learned he was a half-breed like her, his advisors would turn against him and throw him out like the trash he was. The aristocracy might not want Tsara in charge, but with the full might of the elven forces at her back, she’d easily hold on to power while her father lost everything he held dear.

“Smart plan,” Zadé said, nodding. It reminded her of something she’d have concocted, back before she’d been hit on the head. The elven gentry were experts at manipulating others to get what they wanted.

“And you used that to get him to agree to let you marry me?” Elessan’s words were strained, as if he didn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Of course,” Tsara said, turning the full intensity of her gaze on him. “I love you.”

He shook his head. “No, you don’t. There’s never been anything beyond friendship between us.” Holding up his hand when she opened her mouth to object, he continued, “If you love someone, you don’t coerce them into doing things they don’t want to do. You don’t force them to marry you. That’s not love.” His face hardened. “It’s obsession.”

“It can be both!”

“No.” He sliced one hand through the air. “It can’t. Obsession pollutes everything it touches, twists it until it becomes the antithesis of love.”

Zadé raised an eyebrow, wishing for all the world she could read Elsan’s mind right then. His blank expression gave her no clue what he was thinking.

Pushing his arm away, Tsara twisted to her left, trying to break his grip on her throat.

Zadé lunged, hands scrabbling at the princess’ shoulders to hold her in place. Her fingers caught on the fine golden chain Tsara wore around her neck, wrenching it free.

A flash of light lit up the tent as a jolt of static raced over Zadé’s skin, flinging her to her back.

Tsara froze, her eyes wide as she stared at the delicate woven string in Zadé’s hand.

Her silver eyes… The same quicksilver shade as Aliya’s.