Lord of the Night

Chapter 29: The Deal

I attempted a few push-ups to clear my mind, but my body gave out quickly, still weakened by the morning's events. Sinking down beside the window, I gazed out at the lands below—the barren land hugging the palace, the black-speckled limbs of the Keeper's tree, and the vibrant green spot of the garden.

My eyes wandered to the horizon, where the dark forest separated these lands from the endless desert. Somewhere beyond that desert lay the destroyed Guardian base and the surviving towns. I wondered what the remaining free Guardians were doing now. Was Fraschkit still safe? Did my father believe I was dead? I imagined him alone, weeping in the cellar, bereft of reasons to live.

Zuzette arrived a few hours later with a tray of steaming food. With my gut still twisted in knots, I didn't expect to feel hungry, but the spicy-savory waft of vegetable patties and cinnamon-infused lamb made my stomach growl.

She dropped the tray on the bedside table with a humph that contrasted her usual upbeat spirit. I slid the tray onto my lap slowly, but instead of eating, I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Are you alright, Zuzette?"

"Do you care? Or you are just playing 'Guardian?'"

I blinked, then drew a breath. "I recognize I don't have much power to help you right now, but if someone is mistreating you, maybe I can talk to the Duchess, or—"

"Are you with the General? Or with the High Prince?"

I stared at her, confounded in part by her question but even more so by my internal response. The thought of being 'with the General' made me sick and livid. The thought of being 'with the High Prince' produced a far more ambiguous reaction...a combination of self-disgust, confusion, and a strange squeeze of the gut I did not want to name.

Unable to conjure a better response, I croaked, "What do you mean?"

She tossed her head, curls bouncing, and propped a fist on the meat of her generous hip. "I saw you with them both in the garden. But I couldn't see which side you are on."

"Neither of them are on my side."

"Right, right, because you're a perfect Guardian, and they're horrible Demons and bla, bla, bla..."

I was reminded me of Isalio's claim: that Guardians had tortured more humans than we had saved. At least in the last fourteen years, it was true. We lacked the power to protect humans now, but it was easy to capture and torture humans who sided with Demons...humans like the spirited young woman before me.

Her voice grew gentler. "Although I will admit, you seem different from other Guardians."

"Maybe you don't know other Guardians," I said.

"Or maybe you don't."

I scoffed, in part at the ridiculousness of her words and in part to hide how disconcerted I felt. Of course I knew Guardians—I had grown up surrounded by them, and I had spent the last fourteen years training with them. And yet, I hadn't expected the Guardian soldiers at the base to abandon Kardki and the wounded in order to save themselves. And I certainly had not expected Borgal's betrayal.

Again, she filled the silence. "I'm sure you can have either the General or the High Prince on your side, if you give them what they want."

I raised my eyebrows. "And what do they want?"

Her fingers pressed against her mouth in a pretense of humility. "What would I know? I'm only a servant."

"But in your opinion?"

Her hand dropped, and her boisterous demeanor returned. "The General wants the High Prince. What for, I don't know, but I know the Duchess hates him, and that's enough for me. As far as what the High Prince wants, I don't think anyone quite knows, but..." She trailed off, assessing me with narrowed eyes.