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“Don’t worry. Crane hasn’t been able to put a hand on Rian yet. Trust me, he’s tried. Cap’s pretty clever himself.”
“I thought this whole thing was a little crazy at first. Just a trick to put me on the bottom of the ocean. But now … now I’m more worried that the prince will ruin our chance to get more medicine. That he’ll spit in the face of the Ostrian king and we’ll go home empty-handed.”
“I know people expect the worst of me,” he says quietly. “I didn’t realize you were among them.”
“Because I’m the king, Violet. And that ring proves it.”
I hate the way everyone sees me. I’m used to it in Kandala, but I can lose myself in the palace, where no one would dare to send a glare my way. Here on this ship, the condemnation seems inescapable.
But since the moment I set foot on the Dawn Chaser, I’ve felt a deep, unsettling suspicion, and I can’t seem to shake it.
“If all I wanted was to get under your skirts, I could have had you, ready and willing, at any moment of my choosing.”
It’s like Weston Lark and Prince Corrick have split into two different people again, as if the friendly, roguish outlaw really is a man who was killed by the cruel prince in front of me.
I think you’ve realized that Wes never existed, could never exist, and you’ll never have our adventures back. I think you’ve met a man who could offer more than endless debates in stuffy conference rooms, and you’ve leapt at a new chance to make a difference, because my way was too slow and boring.”
Just because you believe the worst of everyone doesn’t mean that there aren’t good people in this world.”
“It’s exactly what stopped the rebels in the woods. It’s what stopped the revolution. People like you. People trust you.”
They shot Maxon. They shot him, and he didn’t even do anything wrong.
Corrick did this for years. Only a few weeks, and I nearly brought down the kingdom. He’s better at this than I am. He’s better at a lot of things than I am.
“When I told you I wanted to do this, you didn’t even try to talk me out of it.” “I’m honored to think I could have talked the king of Kandala out of anything at all.”
“Corrick boarded that ship because he doesn’t want to disappoint you. Before we learned of Violet’s claims, I think Thorin was ready to walk every trail of the Wilds until he found you. Tessa stood by your side because she believes you truly want to better Kandala.” He pauses. “Cowardice does not breed this kind of loyalty.”
“You’re not a coward,” he says. “You’re not afraid to walk among them.” Quint’s eyes don’t leave mine. “Corrick is gone. Perhaps it’s time to speak for yourself.”
Somehow I feel like a pawn and a princess all at the same time, both eager and afraid.
“Because he’s the kind of man Weston Lark would be, if he were real.”
“I don’t like who you pretend to be.” I swallow, and it hurts. “I love the man I think you are. But sometimes it takes me a little while to figure out which one is real, and which one is just another face you show others.”
For the first time, I wonder what Rian has to lose.
“If it makes you feel any better, she was breaking in to prove that you weren’t working against us. So I suppose we both manipulated her.”
“I’m not loyal to Kandala. I never was.”
“But you don’t need a liaison. You could negotiate with the king right now.”
A half-starved woman is claiming Rian is the king of Ostriary—and he’s not denying it. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised at myself. I spent years thinking Weston Lark was a friendly outlaw. Look at how that turned out.
But then he says, “Oh, stop being so dramatic,” just before he jerks me forward and cuts my bindings.
“I didn’t bring it as a cure,” he says, looking at me like I’m crazy. “In Ostriary, we recognize Moonflower for what it is—a poison.”
“When you boil the stems,” he says. “It causes the fever and the cough. That’s how I’ve been able to keep Bella subdued. If you do it long enough, it can be permanently debilitating, but I only needed a few weeks. Making an elixir of the petals will generally reverse the effects.”
“Your Consul Montague tried to poison him to force your parents into demanding a higher price on steel—but Ostriary felt betrayed and refused to barter. Maybe Montague figured out a new way to make silver … or someone did.” Consul Montague—who later tried to assassinate my parents.
“Once we docked in Artis and I learned of your reputation, it was clear to me that we could not begin as equals. Your country is overrun with sedition and sabotage.”
“You don’t … you don’t have to guard me.” After a moment, he sits down beside me. After another moment, he takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. It’s kind. Brotherly. “There’s no one left to guard,” he says quietly.
I’ve been too naive for too long. Too trusting of too many people. All I ever wanted to do was help the people around me, and all it’s ever led to is pain and suffering.
