Page 78 of The Turncoat King

It was disturbing. She had had Karl completely in her thrall.

And yet, she seemed uncertain about the efficacy of her workings. Hesitant to trust them.

“Did what go well?” Revek struggled to sit up as they came in.

“It doesn’t matter.” Luc wasn’t going to say anything to him until he knew where Revek stood. “How are you?”

“Well. I could probably already be in my own tent, but Dorea insisted I stay under her eye one more night.”

“That’s good.” Dak moved closer to him, pulling up a wooden stool and sitting beside his bed.

“What happened?” Revek looked between them. “Massi’s been in here, all tight-lipped and upset, and no one says anything. Was it something I did that caused the other tent to burn down?”

“No.” Massi stepped in at last. “It was nothing to do with you.”

Luc had known she was standing just outside, listening. He worried about her. He didn’t believe it was simply that she didn’t like Ava coming among them.

That wasn’t the Massi he knew. Open, warm, and positive.

She had helped him, Dak and Revek through the dark times of the Chosen camps with her laughter and her ability to always look on the bright side of things.

“I wouldn’t say nothing,” Luc said.

Revek stilled, looked between them. “What would you say, then?”

“Your lover, Haslia, tried to kill you, Rev. And if it wasn’t for Ava, you’d be dead.” Luc sat on the ground, as there were no more seats.

“Haslia wouldn’t do that.”

“She did. She spread some oil on your cheek.” Luc used his thumb, just as Haslia had, drawing it across his cheekbone. “You suddenly got very sick. We’d all seen her rub her thumb across your face, but thought nothing of it. When we got you to the fire, so Ava could stitch you up with better light, the oil glistened and we realized she smeared it on you. As soon as Dorea wiped it away, you started improving.”

Revek listened in silence, and then turned to Massi.

She shrugged.

Luc watched the byplay. “You don’t trust my word now, Rev?”

He hunched his shoulders. “What about the fire?”

“Someone tried to kill you again when the oil didn’t work. This time, with fire.”

“Spell work?” Revek asked.

“That seems likely, but it might have been oil and a match.” Luc hoped it was oil and a match. If the person who started the fire wasn’t Haslia, they had a dangerous spell caster among them, who was not on their side.

“And Ava was in the thick of it again.” Massi’s voice held a nasty edge.

“If you mean she caught on fire instead of Revek, I suppose you’re right.” Luc slowly rose to his feet.

“Is she hurt?” Revek frowned. “You never told me that, Mas—”

“Her cloak was burned, but no, I got her out in time.” Luc crossed his arms. He would deal with Massi after this. He could only sort out one betrayal at a time.

“Why did Haslia want you dead?” Dak spoke up, and the tension in Luc’s gut eased a bit. He had one ally, at least.

“I don’t know.” Revek lifted his hands. “We only shared pillows a few times, I swear. We were in the same camp sector, and ate together most nights, but it wasn’t serious. She told that story about you being enspelled a few times, Luc, and I should have challenged her on that, but other than that . . .” He looked around at them, eyes pleading.

“She thinks you know something that will harm her in some way, or harm the Kassian cause.” Luc put it bluntly. “There’s no way she would have risked trying to kill you right in front of me unless that’s true.”

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