Page 100 of Of Kings and Thieves

I wanted to fight Col over this one, but I could see Silvius still needed care, though he for once was putting on a brave face. He’d lost more blood than anyone had realized, and I was best placed to give him care, after Killian. I nodded, my throat tightening at having to part with Col again so soon.

Scarlet wandered over, Magnus in tow. He looked battered but whole, and was covered in more blood than Scarlet.

“You great idiot,” Scarlet was saying. “What were you thinking, charging after those guards in your condition?”

“I wasn’t about to leave you to handle them on your own,” Magnus retorted. “You’d have gotten yourself skewered for sure.”

“I can handle myself just fine, you overgrown oaf.” Scarlet’s lips twitched.

Magnus grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders, tugging her against his side. “Of course you can. But where’s the fun in that?”

Scarlet rolled her eyes but didn’t pull away. Her gaze softened when it landed on Silvius. “How are you feeling? No permanent damage, I hope.”

“None at all, thanks to our resident healers.” Silvius nodded at Killian and me. “I’ll be right as rain in no time.”

“Good.” Scarlet sniffed. “We have too much to do for you to be out of commission.” But her eyes gave her away, bright with relief and something warmer.

Silvius smirked, gaze meeting Scarlet’s for a long moment. The air between them seemed to thicken, and I got the sense we were intruding on an intimate exchange.

Col cleared his throat, breaking the spell.

“Scarlet,” I started, feeling a touch of guilt for not asking sooner, “how did you rescue Magnus? What happened?”

The fiery-haired warrior smirked and leaned against a windowsill, crossing her arms. “It turns out The Harrow’s guards are no match for a pissed-off sister. I fought my way through them like they were made of straw.”

“Good job,” I said, genuinely impressed.

Magnus, however, was looking at me.

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. “Magnus, about what happened—” I began, but he cut me off.

“Please, don’t apologize. It was Moredanea who forced you to sing that cursed song. You didn’t have a choice, and I would have done the same thing in your shoes.” Magnus glanced at his sister. He shook his head. “I really wanted to thank you. I know you were trying to protect Laney, and I would have gladly traded my life for hers.”

His sincerity brought tears to my eyes once again. “Thank you,” I choked out, and hugged him around the middle. He patted my back awkwardly as I tried to rein in my emotions. Finally, giving up because the harder I tried the more the tears wanted to flow, I pulled back and thanked him again.

“Sure,” Magnus said gruffly, wiping his eyes as he mustered a smile. “What about Laney? Is she safe?”

I nodded. Killian had explained everything to me as soon as I saw him again. “She’s being cared for by a farmer’s wife outside the city. The woman has been harboring orphaned children for years, apparently, ever since The Harrow’s reign of terror began. We’ll retrieve Laney once we determine our next course of action, but for now, she’s safe.”

“Good.” Magnus sighed in relief.

Just then, Col called the meeting to order, his voice commanding everyone’s attention. “The Harrow was last spotted on the edge of Ironset below the castle, accompanied by personal guards, armed soldiers, and Deviants. They’ve been trying to step through the Darkrift with him, but the people of Iron Deep are in full revolt. They’re fighting back against The Harrow’s soldiers, making his retreat difficult.”

If The Harrow escaped, we would lose our chance to make him pay for all the suffering he had caused. “We have to stop him.”

“Agreed,” Col said, my determination mirrored in his eyes. “We’ll use magic and whatever means necessary to reach him, but we cannot harm the people of Iron Deep.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Killian,” Col ordered, “summon the rest of your energy and walk the Darkrift to cut off The Harrow from the city gates. The rest of us will run the outside city walls to get around the crowds pursuing him.”

“Understood.” Killian’s voice was strained but his dark eyes were alert.

“Be careful,” I urged Col. He met my eyes, his expression softening for a brief moment.

I’ll come back to you, he replied.

With Scarlet, Melion, Killian, Kolvar, and Magnus by his side, Col led the charge, fully embracing his role as the Iron Raven.

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