Chapter 69

Evelyn

When I woke, the world was a dull buzz behind my eyes. My body felt like it had been wrung out and left to dry in the glaring sun. The light of the tent sliced through my mind with agonizing brightness. On top of it all, my wrists ached from being chaffed against rope. Again.

The canvas ceiling of the rogue tent loomed above me, and I had to squint to look at it as my eyes adjusted. I tried to shift, but my body rejected the idea, too spent as it continued to rid itself of the poison in me. I realized then that my ankles were tied too, not tightly, but enough to remind me that I was no longer a guest. Whatever game we had been playing at where I could wander the camp freely as if I belonged there was over.

I was no longer a healer. I was a prisoner. Again.

Footsteps shuffled just outside of the tent, deliberate and unhurried. I turned my head and saw him as he entered, anticipating his arrival before he’d even opened the tent flap.

Jesse.

He looked like hell. His dark hair stuck up on all ends, tangled and matted with mud. His tunic was spattered with blood. Most of it didn’t appear to be his, and he didn’t walk with a limp. He did, however, have a nasty gash that ran along his jawline, already crusted dark with dried blood. He crouched near the cot I was lying in, and I spent almost all of my remaining energy recoiling from his closeness. His eyes were sharp and faintly amused by my effort.

“There she is,” he said softly, like I was a child waking from a nap. “Finally awake. Did you have a good sleep, Princess?”

I forced myself to sit up slowly, my limbs from trembling the effort. My throat burned like I'd swallowed fire, and I had to resist a groan of discomfort as every muscle ached in protest.

“How long was I out for?” I asked.

“Three days,” he said, with a chuckle. “Give or take. The Mal Root is… temperamental. My apologies for getting the dosage wrong.”

I swallowed hard, bile rising in my throat. “You should be apologizing for doing it at all. You drugged me, Jesse.”

“I had to.” He shrugged. “I heard about my half-brother’s late-night visit. You were becoming unpredictable.”

“You mean inconvenient,” I said before I could stop myself.

He grinned, flashing teeth. “There she is. That barbed tongue. I missed that. It’s been a long three days without you, Princess.”

I didn’t respond. I wouldn’t take his bait if I could resist it.

Instead, I looked down at my bound hands and took a slow breath, trying to slow the spin in my head and ease the stutter of my heart. I needed clarity. I needed time to help me weed through this tangle. But it seemed that I was unlikely to be given either.

“How did you find out that he came?” I asked finally.

Jesse moved to pour himself a drink from the flask on the table. His hand was stained red with drying blood, and some mud flaked from his knuckles. A few droplets of splashed wine blended with spatters on his skin.

“We knew from the start. One of my scouts spotted Logan.”

My heart stuttered.

“He was crawling around the edges of the west border before he ducked in to see you. Thought he was being clever, but we knew about him the whole time. We let him in.”

He looked at me meaningfully.

“You let him into the camp?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“To see what you’d do,” Jesse clarified. “And you passed the test. Congrats! You stayed. You didn’t run. I have to admit that even I was impressed by your loyalty.”

I said nothing, but my gut twisted. He’d turned my choice into some warped test. That alone made me want to retrospectively change my decision. If only I could have gone back and run with Logan. Then at least I wouldn’t be bound like a hog.

“But,” Jesse added, his voice lowering, “that doesn’t mean there are no consequences. You don’t get to run with wolves on both sides of the battlefield and expect me to smile about it. I know you must be aware that there are consequences for your actions.”

“I understand,” I said quickly, nodding like I meant it. “You’re right. I should’ve told you he came.”

I would play compliant if it earned his trust. I would play the innocent, foolish girl if it meant he would fold. Bound in rope, I had limited options on how to instigate my escape. I meant to work every one of the few angles at my disposal.

He raised a brow. “Should’ve, yes.”

“But I didn’t help him. I swear,” I said. “And obviously I didn’t leave with him. So I’m hardly playing both sides.”

He studied me for a long moment. I forced my face into a picture of calm, even though my stomach was clenching and my wrists were rubbed raw. In fact, my entire body was a web of various pains as I waited for his response.

“Good,” he said, standing. “Then maybe you’ll keep being useful. Once you’ve earned back my trust, of course,”

I kept my gaze neutral as he circled behind me and leaned close to my ear.

“Tell me about your palace and I may be able to make some exceptions.”

I froze. My mouth was immediately desert-dry. Could I betray my family home like that?

No, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

“What about it?”

“The west wall. The entrance tunnels. Guard rotations. I want any and all details I can use.”

I knew I couldn’t refuse outright, not while bound, not while alone with him. So I started talking. Slowly. Deliberately. I told him about corridors that didn’t exist, guards that were long dead, staircases that curved the wrong way. I gave him just enough to sound real, just enough to convince him that I was on his side.

And he lapped every single lie up.

By the time I’d finished, he was practically beaming. He untied my wrists and handed me a plate of dried meat and bread. Then he poured a cup of wine and offered it to me.

“A reward,” he said. “I know you must be starving and nearly dying of thirst.”

Again, there was no apology for the reason I felt so awful in the first place. I stared at the cup, my throat dry and aching.

I took a single, tentative sip and knew.

The smell. The faint bitterness under the red. This time, I recognized it immediately. Mal Root.

“Bastard,” I hissed. “Why? I just told you everything.”

“I don’t want you to get too comfortable quite yet. You still have a part to play in this all. But I appreciate your cooperation, Evelyn. I really do.

Already, my vision was starting to fade. “He will come for me.”

“Oh, yes, I expect any minute now,” Jesse said. “That’s why I would rather you not be… conscious when it happens.”

He raised his own cup in mock cheer. “To our continued understanding. I will say hi to Logan for you.”

Then, he poured the contents on the ground. Dark red droplets splashed back onto me like crimson tears as my vision narrowed. The red drops were the last thing I saw as the world slipped out from under me again.