Page 16 of The Crowned Queen

“Loren—” Kai’s wide eyes found his. “Whatever you think happened, I can explain⁠—”

“I don’t think anything.” Loren stepped forward, the dark tide of dara’el’s wrath fanning the flames of his own fury. “I watched you carve into my mate with an iron needle. I heard her scream. Felt her pain. So please, Master Sterling—explain.”

Kai went pale. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, swallowing hard.

“You felt—” his voice wavered, breaking. “I’m so sorry. She was supposed to be dosed up on that tea—I swear, I had no idea what they were going to do. The new High Inquisitor was right there. I didn’t have a choice⁠—”

“They chose a new High Inquisitor?” Finn cut in sharply. “Who?”

Kai flinched, his gaze dropping to the stone at his feet. “Baran Pryce,” he said hoarsely. “He was a high-ranking inquisitor under Hale. I know him a bit. He’s Caylin’s father⁠—”

“Caylin?” Loren demanded. “Are you telling me the father of the inquisitor you’re fucking told you to hurt my mate? Ordered you to carve Goddess only knows what into her flesh—and you did it?”

“Caylin and I haven’t been together since Eluneth,” Kai said, his voice small. “There wasn’t anything I could do. I couldn’t save her⁠—”

“You didn’t even try,” Loren snarled. His vision blurred at the edges, his rage and the shadows’ fury impossible to separate. He could kill him right here. Take vengeance for the pain she’d suffered⁠—

Do it, the shadows hissed their agreement, their dark coils stretching Kai’s arms wide. Crush him. Break his bones and tear the flesh from them⁠—

“I can help you get her out!” Kai shouted, his voice cracking. “I know where they’re keeping her now. I even have a way in⁠—”

“You?” Loren scoffed. “You think I’m going to trust you? After what you did to her?”

“You have to.” Kai fought for breath, struggling against the shadows pinning him to the wall. “Jaxon made me carve compulsion runes into her. She won’t be able to disobey a direct order from him. You need to separate them so she actually has a chance to run. I can do that. I can get them apart⁠—”

Kai’s words choked off in a wheeze, the shadows cutting off his air. Finn shouted something, but Loren couldn’t hear over the roaring in his ears. He stared at Kai, only vaguely aware of the others trying to reach them both through the roiling shadows as the runesmith’s face slowly turned purple. He’d given Jaxon Shaw the ability to compel Araya. Carved it into her skin. She wouldn’t be able to fight him. Whatever orders he gave her, she would have to follow.

“Loren!” Finn shouted. “You can’t kill him.”

Loren clenched his jaw. That’s where Finn was wrong. He could kill him. Easily. The shadows would rejoice to do it.

“Do you have any idea what kinds of things Jaxon Shaw might order her to do?” he hissed.

“I do.” Finn fought his way forward until he could put a hand on Loren’s shoulder. “But we need him. Compulsion runes are tricky. The runesmith who put them on her is the best person to take them off. He’ll also be able to mitigate any tracking runes they put on her. If we aren’t careful, rescuing her could lead the Shaws right to us.”

Bringing the full might of the Arcanum down on them all. The resistance wouldn’t survive that. The people Finn and Serafina rescued—they were desperate. Weak from a lifetime of having their magic siphoned away and living in poverty. If the fae here tried to take the Arcanum on head-on…they’d all be slaughtered. Or worse.

But he couldn’t leave her there. “We go tonight.” Loren glared at Kai. “Make whatever excuse you need to get back in there⁠—”

But Kai was already shaking his head, the only movement the shadows would allow him. “She’s too weak,” he croaked. “I’m sorry, Loren. But she can’t take any more. If I try to do anything else to her now—it could kill her.”

He lies, the shadows snarled. He serves them. He always has⁠—

Loren glanced at Thorne. “Is he telling the truth?”

Thorne’s jaw worked, his brow furrowed in thought. “Compulsion runes are…” he trailed off, his lip curling in disgust. “I’m not going to lie to you Loren, it’s extensive, complicated runework. I’m no runesmith, but the idea of attacking something like that on someone already weak—” he shook his head. “It’s not a good idea. I’m sorry.”

Loren closed his eyes. He hated it—hated leaving her there. He wanted to burn that house to the ground, to drag anyone who’d had a hand in her pain into the street to pay for their crimes. But if it was their best chance…

He raised his hand. The shadows twisted against his grip, the roaring in his head building to a crescendo. Strategy, he shouted at them. Survival. Her best chance. He repeated it, over and over again, until they grudgingly shrank back, still muttering furiously amongst themselves. Freed from their grip, Kai slid down the wall and slumped to his knees, both hands clutching his bruised neck.

“We’ll go as soon as she’s recovered enough,” Finn said. “Thorne—heal those marks. None of this will work if he gets caught.” He glanced at Loren, then back to Kai. “Don’t come back here. When you have a date and time, leave the information with Caela for us. We’ll handle the rest.”

Kai laughed hoarsely. “Understood.” He turned his head to give Thorne better access. “Thanks for not killing me, I guess.”

Loren didn’t laugh. He stared at Kai, looking into the face Araya had seen as she screamed.

“Swear you’ll get her out,” he demanded. “Swear it by whatever gods you answer to.”