“If anything, Tycho’s loyalty is rather … impressive,” Alek continues, and his voice is just as even as Rhen’s. “I personally would find it rather challenging to devote myself to a king who once fled his duty, hid his identity, lied about his abilities, and then allowed me to be chained to a wall and flogged.” There’s blood on my tongue. I’ve bitten the inside of my cheek. I don’t think I’m breathing. Alek glances at Rhen. “To say nothing of carrying that devotion so far as to sit here politely playing cards with the man responsible.”
