The King's War

35. Kill

NATHANIEL

"What's going on in your head?" Avery asked me as we made our way back to the Sinclair house.

"I need to convince Balthazar to fight," I replied. "Whether I like it or not, he's the one who holds power in my kingdom. If that man is worth anything, he'd help stop Abel's invasion."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how hypocritical I was acting. I'd been fully prepared to ally with Abel once, so long as his help got me through to Avery. And now I was going back to the man who helped him in deposing me from my throne, in an attempt to ask for his help to defend the kingdom I had been willing to let Abel conquer. My head spun from trying to make sense of it, but my gut told me it was the right thing to do. Abel should not be allowed to have power. Once he got the South, where else would he set his sights?

Convincing Balthazar shouldn't be too much of an issue. Flawed as he was, he had principles. Even though he was willing to accept Abel's help in deposing me, there was no love lost between the two of them. He didn't want Abel's power to grow any more than I did. His aid could turn the tide in the South's favor.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Avery murmured.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said, unable to suppress a laugh. I pulled her towards me and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry. After I'm through with this task, we'll be free to go far away from here."

Avery squeezed me tighter and lay her head on to my chest. "How far?"

"Wherever you want."

***

"I'm going to go look for the Duke," I told Avery once we were back inside the Sinclair house.

"I'm going to go find the witch," she replied with an unusual amount of pep.

"What for?"

Avery shrugged. "To say goodbye, I guess. I feel like I should thank her, for her work on the cure."

I wanted to tell her that she wasn't the Nobel Peace Prize committee and that someone who was a serial murderer in all but name didn't deserve her gratitude, but decided against it. If it made Avery feel better and allowed her to gain some closure from her captivity, I'd allow it. "Meet me in the guest house when you're done."

Avery nodded and walked off.

The appearance of a figure at the top of the stairs caught my eye and I looked up to find Lydia Bell peering down at me. She'd been eavesdropping. As soon as our eyes met, she ducked out of view so quickly, it was as if she'd never been there.

I'd forgotten all about her until now. Though remembering that I'd unwittingly invited a rebel agent into the competition and allowed her to get to the finals was not comforting. I reassured myself with the fact that everything would soon be behind me. An hour from now, Avery and I would be on our way to our next great adventure and I'd be able to wash my hands of the kingdom, the rebels, and everything else.

To my relief, Balthazar was indeed still holed up in Sheridan's former office, plotting things I couldn't fathom and didn't want to anymore. When he saw me walk in, his normally blank expression morphed into genuine surprise. He stood, looking me up and down as if unable to take in what he was seeing.

"It does work..." he said, breathless with wonder.

"I didn't take the cure for you," I replied curtly. "And that's not why I'm here."

Balthazar's awestruck expression faded and his usual stoic mask fell back into place. "Very well. Speak."

"Have you heard of the attack on Georgia?" I began.