Page 182 of A Queen This Fierce and Deadly

“It’s the queen,” a small boy hissed. “I met the prince too.”

“Did not.”

“Did too!”

Demos leaned over my shoulder.

“See! That’s him!”

I hid my smile.

“Shh,” a harried-looking woman shushed them. She bowed her head. “Your Majesty.”

“Do you need anything?”

“The others have ensured we have enough food and blankets for a few days. Thank you.” Her terror was evident in her wide eyes, the tremble of her lower lip. But she glanced at the children watching us closely and squared her shoulders, firming her mouth.

“If we get the chance to move you to the tunnel, can you all be ready?”

The woman gave me a nod, her gray eyes flashing in the dim light. “We’ll move quickly.”

“Stay safe.”

“You too. May the gods bless you.”

Demos jerked his head, and I followed him away from the cave. “Why did you want me to see them?” I asked.

“Because I saw your face when you learned how many people we’d lost. And we’re going to lose thousands more, Pris. If Rythos and Conreth don’t get here in time… we’re all dead. All of us. There will be no one left to save.”

I took a shaky breath. “And you wanted to remind me that the children were relying on us?”

“No.” His mouth firmed. “I wanted to remind youthat we’re fighting for more than just our lives. Every decision we make will come down to one question—will this ensure the children of Lyrinore have a future?”

I glanced at another cave, not as well hidden as the others but guarded by two hybrid soldiers who bowed their heads at us. “And that cave?”

Demos’s mouth tightened. “Prisoners.”

“What kinds of prisoners?” Had we taken some of Regner’s soldiers?

“Spiders.” Demos hesitated. “Finley is in there, Prisca.”

I met his eyes. Demos had told me what Finley had done. How he’d used his replication magic for Regner. None of us could figure out the timeline of when it had occurred. But no one had kept a close eye on his comings and goings. Because no one had suspected him. And clearly, we had all come to the wrong conclusion about Regner’s dark magic.

He no longer needed to twist our people’s minds when they were children. He could now do it to anyone of any age.

“I want to see him.”

Demos nodded, as if he’d expected that.

“He helped us in so many ways, Demos. He proved over and over he was on our side.” I could hear myself. Could hear the denial in my voice. But…

“So did Cavis,” Demos said, his voice gentle. “Regner getting to Finley doesn’t make him evil, Pris. It just means we can’t trust him until we find a way to reverse Regner’s filthy magic. And we need to keep him where we can see him.”

The cave was dim, lit only by a few light orbs. Finley was the closest prisoner to the cave entrance. The moment I saw him, leaning against the cave wall, his head on his knees, I had to suppress my instinct to instantly order for him to be unchained.

He’d only seen sixteen winters.

And then he lifted his head. Demos leaned down and swept a hunk of Finley’s curly brown hair away. The web crawled across his temple, disappearing into his hairline and peeking out across the shell of his ear. And his eyes… Gone was the shy boy who’d replicated my dagger. Now, his eyes were dazed, confused, almost blank. Just as Cavis’s had been.

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