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“What?” Regulus pulled his arm out of Adelaide’s hands and looked closer. She was right. No black lines traced an intricate knot on his arm. The mark was gone.
“How...what—what does that mean?” Adelaide’s voice trembled. “He...Kirven called it a lover’s bond. Why...?”
“Hey, no.” Regulus pulled her against his chest and cradled the back of her head in his hand. “It doesn’t mean we stopped loving each other.”
Carrick’s laugh carried over the space between them from where he still stood chained to the tree. “How tragic. Guess that love wasn’t as deep as Kirven or either of you thought.”
Regulus’ face heated. “No one asked the opinion of a dead man!”
That shut Carrick up. Regulus moved back to see Adelaide’s face. “Don’t listen to him.” He ducked his head sheepishly. “I think...I may have—somehow—given it back?”
“Given it back?”
“I was praying I could give you my energy, my strength, the way you give me your power to heal me. Thinking I would give anything, even my life, so you could live and win.” He scratched the back of his neck. “And then...I suddenly felt exhausted, like all of my energy had been sapped away. Honestly, I feel like I haven’t slept in days.”
Adelaide’s lips parted. “And I got a sudden rush of energy. Oh, Etiros...” She pushed his hair off his temple. “I don’t understand. But thank you.”
The squeak of metal on wood and a grunt drew his attention back to Carrick. The villain strained as he tried to squirm out of the chains. Regulus walked around Adelaide, and she fell into step next to him. Carrick struggled more at their approach, his face red. Regulus pulled Carrick’s sword out of the dirt as they passed it, anger overpowering his exhaustion.
Carrick stilled. “All right; let’s talk about this. Is killing me necessary? We can just...go our separate ways.”
“No, we can’t,” Adelaide said quietly. “Not after everything you’ve done.”
Blue light flickered as Adelaide conjured a dagger of solid light in her hand and raised it toward Carrick’s throat. But her hand shook, and her expression was strained. Regulus understood her hesitation. Killing an unarmed man felt different. Killing someone you knew...any decent person struggled with that. Unfortunately for Carrick, being a mercenary hammered a lot of decent out of a person. Regulus had no intention of letting him live.
Carrick paled, but quickly regained his irritatingly relaxed expression. “If I could go back and spare your father’s life, I would. And I’m sorry you can’t see how much I care for you. I’m sorry you won’t accept that I just wanted to keep you out of the hands of this mercenary dog.”
“You’re the only dog here,” Regulus growled.
Carrick ignored him. “I’m sorry you can’t see that even when I was cruel, it was only because I didn’t know how else to process that I love you, and you don’t want me.”
“You don’t love me.” Adelaide’s hand bobbed, and the magic dagger softened on the edges. Regulus considered moving Adelaide out of the way and beheading the churl, but maybe she needed to confront him.
“Of course I do!” Carrick slammed his head back against the tree. “Love you, need you, crave you. You’ve made me mad with desire. You can’t blame me for going to extreme lengths to make you mine. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win you.”
“To own me.” Adelaide moved the tip of the dagger of light under Carrick’s chin. “You killed...” She shuddered. “Part of me wants to kill you now. Part of me wants to drag you back to the palace so you can be hanged in front of everyone.”
“An interesting idea,” Carrick said. “Public execution is probably more just.”
Regulus frowned. “He’s just trying to buy time, think of ways to escape. We should kill him now. We’re royal guards. We have the authority to deal with a threat to the crown with deadly force.”
“I’m so threatening right now.” Carrick rolled his eyes.
“You should hang.” Adelaide lowered her hand and the dagger vanished. “A quick death is too good for you, anyway.”
“I’ll gladly do it slowly,” Regulus growled.
“Slowly.” Carrick smiled, cocky and self-assured. Regulus gripped the sword hilt so tight his fingers ached. “Slowly is how I plan on doing you, love.”
Regulus raised the sword, but Adelaide had her dagger back at Carrick’s throat.
“I don’t know what the right thing is to do anymore. My father...” Her voice cracked. “He would say justice.”
“Well...” Carrick smirked. “The thing is, justice doesn’t rule. Power does.”
––––––––
ADELAIDE SHOOK HER head. “What does—”
Something curled around her neck and pulled. She reached toward her throat as Regulus cursed. Her fingers brushed against a rope at her neck. No... She’d killed him. Never let your guard down until you are certain the fight is won. She should have put her sword through his heart.
“First rule of combat,” Nolan gloated. “Make sure your opponent is actually dead.”
Adelaide choked as Kirven yanked on the rope. She stumbled backward and turned around, clawing at the suffocating rope around her neck. Kirven held his hands outstretched, a rope trailing from both hands. She traced the other to where Regulus had fallen to his knees, his face turning blue as he tried to free himself. She sent a blast of fire through the ropes.
The ropes vanished, and Regulus gasped and fell onto his hands, coughing and sputtering. Adelaide collapsed to her knees, dragging air down her raw windpipe. Glowing green ropes wrapped around her arms and bound them to her sides. She looked up as Kirven aimed a spear of sorcerous light at Regulus.
“No!” She pushed to her feet, arms still bound, and jumped in front of Regulus.
Kirven dropped the spear. “That close to being out of power are you, girl?” He strode forward and pulled on the ropes, tossing her onto her side.
“You were defeated.” Regulus rubbed his throat as he looked up at Kirven. “You lost. It’s over.”
“It’s over when I say it’s over,” Kirven snarled.
“Leave him alone!” Adelaide maneuvered onto her knees and blasted away the ropes. She raised a shield between Regulus and Kirven. Even such a small, simple barrier proved more difficult than it had in ages. Her head pounded. Her limbs weighed her down.
Regulus picked up Nolan’s sword and rose unsteadily to his feet, his movements slow.
“Oh, very interesting.” Kirven’s gaze fixed on Regulus’ arm. “You broke the bond to give her strength. I’m impressed, honestly. But,” he smiled, “that technically counts as helping. That means you broke our agreement. According to the ancient and sacred rules of combat, cheating results in a forfeit.”
“Mercenaries have never cared much for the rules of combat,” Regulus snapped.
“Well, anything goes now, at the least,” Kirven said with a wicked grin. He sent an arc of green light toward her. She raised a second shield, but the arc of solid light went right past the edge of the shield. She allowed herself a small smile. At least that blow to the head had weakened him and affected his aim. She had a chance, despite her exhaustion.
Regulus moved into a ready stance, the sword gripped in both hands, and looked toward her. She nodded at Regulus, but his eyes widened. “Adelaide!”
A strong arm wrapped around her as Nolan pulled her back against his chest. Kirven hadn’t missed. He’d freed Nolan. The tip of a blade pressed against her side. She stiffened as Nolan pulled her away from Regulus.
“Drop the sword unless you want to see how well Adelaide handles the treatment I gave you earlier,” Nolan said, his soft tone in glaring dissonance with his words.
Regulus dropped the sword, his face red. “You would torture the woman you claim to love? What sick kind of love is that?”
Kirven sent ropes around her shield. The ropes wrapped around Regulus’ wrists and throat. Adelaide let the useless shield fall, conjured a dagger, and stabbed it into Nolan’s thigh. He cursed, but didn’t let go, so she stabbed again. Nolan released her and stumbled back.
“Let him go!” She burned through Kirven’s ropes, the effort making her dizzy. Regulus coughed.
Kirven grunted. “Here’s my offer, mage. Swear to serve me now, and I’ll let the mercenary go. Otherwise, I’ll have Carrick carve his heart out.”
Adelaide glowered at Kirven, even though she didn’t feel particularly defiant. “I beat you.”
“Yet I’m still alive.”
“She still won,” Regulus protested.
“By cheating!” Kirven clenched his fists.
Nolan grabbed her arm, but Adelaide turned and sent a blast into his chest, knocking him to the ground. White spots sparked in her vision and she swayed. She shook her head then ran to Regulus, pulled him to the ground, and threw a dome over them. Her muscles twitched as magical energy leeched from her.
“Regulus.” She had meant to sound more certain, but her voice came out small and weak “I...I’m going to surrender.”
“Smart girl,” Kirven said.
“What?” Regulus gripped her shoulders. “No!”
She lowered her head. “He’s right. I would have lost without your help.”
“That’s ridiculous, and you know it.” Regulus shook his head, his tone gentle. “It was your magic to start with, and what is some extra energy if you don’t put it to good use? He stole energy from the trees! How is that different?”
“Because she can’t repeat that trick, imbecile.” Derision laced Kirven’s voice. “I, on the other hand...” Green light covered the ground around the sorcerer and the grass withered and crumbled to dust.
Adelaide rubbed the heel of her hand over her eye, desperately trying not to cry. “I can’t watch you die again. I can’t.” She bit back a sob.
“Ad—”
“I’m not strong, Reg.” She let the tears come. Too much sorrow. Too much loss. Too much fear and failure. She had been so close and ruined it by one stupid mistake. “I’m scared, and I’m tired, and I don’t want my family to die because of me. I—” A sob cut through her words. Kirven would make her do unforgivable things. But she pictured Minerva laughing with Gaius, her hands holding her swollen belly. “I have to save them.”
Regulus pulled her close. She leaned into him. “Ad...” His cheek rested against her forehead, but his emotions didn’t hit her.
The bond is gone, she reminded herself. Another whimpering sob burned at her throat.
“Hargreaves,” Nolan said. “Kindly unhand my wife.”
Adelaide shivered and clenched Regulus’ shirt as his grip on her tightened. She wanted to fall asleep against him and wake up in a world where Father wasn’t dead, where Regulus hadn’t broken their bond, where she wasn’t on the verge of collapse. She should fight. Fight until her last breath. She should die before she helped Kirven kill the king and subjugate Monparth and its neighbors. It was what Father would do. But Father isn’t here.
“My mage,” Regulus murmured. “Don’t give up, shiraa. We’ll fight—”
“I don’t have any fight left.” She wasn’t the seasoned warrior he was, wasn’t the tigress Father had thought her. Despair ate away at her heart. She could stop running, stop fearing. All it took to save her family, to save Regulus, to finally rest, was to give in and become a sorceress.
It would make her a monster. She would corrupt her soul until she enjoyed others’ pain as much as Kirven did. But maybe the ache in her heart would go away. The people she loved would live.
And she’d be married to Nolan.
She couldn’t surrender. She couldn’t fight.
“Help me,” Adelaide whispered. Whether she was asking Regulus or Etiros, she wasn’t sure.
Kirven laughed. “Only I can help you now.”
“I won’t leave you.” Regulus swallowed hard. “I’ll serve him, too.”
“No!” Adelaide pulled back to look him in the eyes. “Regu—”
“Forever, piahre.” He held her gaze. “That’s what you asked me. That’s what I agreed to. Forever. No more splitting up.”
She shook her head as her stomach twisted. “But—”
Regulus held her face in his hands. “We fight together, we die together, or we serve together. I’m not abandoning you.”
“Not an option,” Nolan spat. “Adelaide is mine.”
“She’s mine,” Kirven said. “I’m just letting you borrow her. You can share.”
Adelaide stared at Regulus and tried to block out Nolan and Kirven. They no longer shared their emotions with a touch, but she could read his face. His love and unwavering belief that she didn’t deserve. But also pain and fear and anger. He didn’t want to serve Kirven again. But he would. For her. For a woman who was too broken to keep going. How did he love her enough to give up the freedom he had worked so hard to earn? To go back to that life of pain?
“Love conquers fear,” Father’s voice whispered.
“Stop doubting yourself,” Regulus murmured. “I love the woman I see.”
She blinked. How could he know? Only one thing to do. “Together.”
