Page 109 of These Divided Shores
Ben’s eyes flicked to the back of the crowd. Gunnar, watching him, shoulder resting on a building. “I was just honest,” Ben said. He looked back at Lu. “Argrid hurt this island, and my father is capitalizing on it. I’m tired of arguing about blame or division—Argrid did terrible things. I will take responsibility for them. We will get better.”
Lu withdrew her hand. She looked to the sky, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
“I’m tired of division, too,” Vex said. “This doesn’t work. You”—he waved at Lu—“making permanent magic by yourself. And you”—he waved at Ben—“trying to bear this whole war yourself. I really don’t care what you two want to do next. I’ll support you.Bothof you, goddamn it. I’m done letting Elazar drive me away from the people I love.”
Vex looked directly at Ben as he said that.
Ben had been newly thirteen, Paxben twelve for a few more weeks, the two of them lounging in the preparation room off the Grace Neus Cathedral’s altar. Well, Paxben was lounging, his long limbs sprawled on a velvet couch; Ben recited his lines moments before he would swear his oath to the Inquisitors, to learn the ways of judging crimes by Church doctrine.
“I just realized something,” Paxben had said, tipping his head over the arm of the couch to look at Ben upside down. “One day I’ll have to swear an oath to you, won’t I?”
Was there tension in Paxben’s voice? Ben had stopped pacing and shrugged. “If you want to serve me when I’m king.” He paused. “You will want to serve me, won’t you?”
There had been talk of unrest lately. Traitors in Elazar’s own household.
Paxben had smiled and rolled off the couch. He arranged himself on his knees before Ben and looked up, his face smooth and serious.
“I swear fealty to you, King Benat Gallego. Whenever that happens. I’m yours.”
Ben closed the space between him and Vex now, clamping one arm around his back. Tears washed through him from a hundred sources, grief and worry and pain and relief.
A light hand fell on Ben’s arm. Lu. She touched Vex too, and he huffed.
“Adeluna Andreu,” Vex said, and opened his free side to her. She slid in, no hesitation in how she welcomed thisawkward tangle of arms and shoulders and tears. Ben shared a look of amazement with Vex over her head, but Vex just smiled and bowed his face into Lu’s hair.
Nothing had truly changed. The sanctuary was still in ruins. The raiders and their Heads were still volatile and disjointed. But somehow, standing there, holding his cousin and this girl who had come to matter so much to him, Ben felt as though things had shifted in their favor.
Or maybe he just felt himself relax for the first time in years.
“Touching,” snapped a voice to Ben’s left. He stiffened, feeling Vex and Lu do the same, and was the first to turn to face Rosalia in the middle of the now-empty road.
The stains of red on her face were either from tears or fury. Likely both. She scowled at Ben, light catching the tears in her eyes.
“Apologize all you want,” she spat. “But I’m done. My syndicate, too. We’re leaving.”
24
VEX HAD FELTa lot of things about Rosalia in the time he’d known her—but at this moment, he could honestly say he only hated her.
Ben pulled away from this weird cluster they were standing in, but Vex didn’t. Which left him holding on to Lu, who hesitated one second more, and Vex savored every moment of her body being anywhere near his. But, too soon, she turned to face Rosalia, and Vex wobbled in the absence of both of them.
For the first time since—god, since he’d jumped off theAstutowithout Lu—Vex felt not so damn alone.
A tremor walked up his left leg, digging into his hip with such determination that he leaned over, fighting not to wince at the pain.
He’d have to tell Lu he wasn’t cured yet. He’d have toask her to make more counter tonics for him.
Guilt shot through him, just as strong as the tremor, and he almost pushed aside any desire to bother her with trivial matters like saving his life. But he heard Edda in his head. Saw that look in her eyes when things had gotten too emotional.
All she’d wanted was redemption. Like Vex, like Nayeli—only her redemptionwasVex, in the same way he’d needed his redemption to be making her proud of him.
Edda’d died right in front of him.
Vex sniffed, scrubbing his fist against his cheek before he shifted to glare all this hatred at Rosalia. And Nate, now, stomping up beside her with his injured husband leaning on him.
Great. All three people Vex could unabashedly hate.
“What are you talking about, Head Rustici?” Kari stepped into the group, putting her body between Ben, Lu, and Vex on one side, and the raider Heads on the other.
