Page 202 of Maksym

“Yes.”

“What else?”

“He was closer. I could feel him coming. Stronger every second.” Her eyes grew bright, but no tears fell. “And I felt hope.”

“What did you do then?”

“I went still.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew he was coming, and I knew if I panicked, Sage might do something worse before Nikolay reached me.” She looked straight at the Council. “So I waited.”

I gave the chamber one breath to absorb that.

Then I asked, “Did Prince Nikolay arrive?”

“Yes.”

“Tell us how he entered the clearing.”

Maddie’s mouth parted slightly, as if the memory took up more room than she expected.

“He came through the trees.” Her voice had softened, but not weakened. “Measured. Controlled. Step by step. He didn’t lunge for me, even though I could feel that every part of him wanted to.”

Nikolay’s head lifted.

“Could you feel his intention through the bond?”

“Yes.”

“What did you feel?”

“He wanted to tear the altar apart. Tear Sage apart. Get me free.” Her throat moved. “But he didn’t. He looked at me first.”

“And what did you do?”

“I guided him.”

The prosecution shifted sharply.

I turned my head just enough to see whether he intended to object. He did not. Good.

“How?” I asked.

“With my eyes. With what I could push through the bond.” Maddie’s fingers pressed into the wood. “I needed him to understand Sage had a knife and that the witch still had her spell in me. If he rushed wrong, I didn’t know what would happen.”

“What was the witch doing when Prince Nikolay arrived?”

“She seemed rattled.”

“In what way?”

“She stumbled over the chant. Her hands stopped moving right.” Maddie frowned slightly, searching memory carefully rather than decorating it. The truth spell rewarded exactness with silence. “Whatever she had been doing got interrupted even before Nikolay came close. Something loosened inside my chest. Like I could breathe again.”

“Where was Sage Lynch?”

“Standing over me.”