Page 68 of Staff of Nightfall

“So you can’t hurt him, or force him to do something—”

“No!” She crossed her arms. “At least...I don’t think so.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Regulus said. “I want it off.”

“And I don’t want you to die!” Tears pricked her eyes. Why couldn’t she just be angry without feeling like she was going to cry? She was too tired for this. “Nolan can’t die. It’s only fair you have the same advantage.”

Dresden stood and walked over next to them. “What if you tell him to do something? If he disobeyed the sorcerer, that mark caused him pain.”

“I know that,” Adelaide snapped. Still, Dresden’s worrying was getting to her. “Regulus, Dresden is annoying me. Punch him in the face.”

Regulus blinked. “What?”

“Punch him!” She didn’t want Regulus and Dresden to fight. She hated it. But she needed to prove to herself Dresden’s concerns were unfounded.

“Adelaide...” Regulus rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve never laid a hand on Dresden.” He winced. “Not by choice, anyway.”

Her gut twisted as she remembered that Kirven had made him attack Dresden twice. “Does the mark hurt?”

“What—oh. You were testing...” Regulus half chuckled as relief eased his expression. “No pain. Nothing.”

Dresden pursed his lips. “Good. But I still don’t like that it works similarly.”

“Sorcery is corrupted magic,” Father said. “That’s hardly surprising.” He still sat next to the fire. “But I don’t like that you’re feeling his pain, either, Adelaide.”

“See?” Regulus held his arm up. “Please.”

“If it didn’t hurt me, would you still want it off?”

Regulus shifted and averted his eyes.

“I thought you agreed it wasn’t sorcery?” Her self-assurance faded.

“No! It’s not that.” Regulus sighed. “No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t care either way, if it stayed or not, so long as I have you. But itdoeshurt you, so I want you to remove it.”

“I thought I lost you.” Adelaide released a shaky breath, trying to stay in control of her emotions. “I can’t—I won’t go through that again.” She pushed his arm away, his concern hitting her mind as she touched him. “Please.”

Regulus looked down at her hands on his arm, then back at her eyes. “Okay.” He pulled the sleeve back down.

“And you,” she pointed a finger at Dresden. It shook, undermining her anger. “Don’t you ever accuse me of sorcery again.”

Dresden glanced away, but otherwise looked unapologetic. “Only if you don’t do anything sorcerous.”

“If I wanted to be a sorcerer, I already would be!” She bit her tongue. She didn’t want to talk about this. Not in front of Father. Not to Dresden. She turned toward the fire and sat down. “The fish are burning.”

Regulus sat next to her. Dresden and Father turned their attention to the fish while Adelaide stared at the flames. Her own screams echoed in her memory.Stop thinking about it, stop.But she imagined Kirven’s mocking black eyes in the ash. A weight pressed against her back. Adelaide leapt aside with a short, strangled scream. Everyone froze.

Regulus stared, his mouth hanging open, his hand still suspended midair where he had tried to rest it on her back. To comfort her.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “You startled me.”

They ate in silence, but she didn’t miss Father’s poorly disguised concerned glances or the questioning, pitying looks Dresden sent her way. Regulus sat close, a deep line between his eyebrows. She didn’t need their pity. It just made her feel weak all over again.

Full for the first time in what seemed an eternity, Adelaide laid back in the grass and suppressed a yawn. “We need a plan. To stop Kirven.”

“You need to rest,” Father said. “We can worry about that later.”

“We have to warn the king. Kirven mentioned the masque, but the sooner the king is warned, the better.” She sat up, even as her mind begged for sleep. “We should leave immediately.”

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