The Deceiver's Heart (The Traitor's Game 2)

“What caves?” I asked.

When he saw my curious, widened eyes, Tenger patted my hand, then released it. “Don’t let that concern you now.” With his nod, Loelle dismissed herself, and Tenger added, “You must have questions for me.”

I had a thousand questions, though none of them mattered more than my first. “Whatever I ask, will you promise to answer honestly?”

“As honestly as I can. Please, my lady, sit down.” Tenger gestured to a chair in front of him and offered me a tray of sliced bread and apples. “Are you hungry?”

I reached for a slice of bread. Maybe it would dull the effects of the tea, for Loelle had to have tricked me. What was the point of absorbing the effects of magic if no magic had been used on me?

While I ate, Tenger gestured at the table showing the countries surrounding Antora. He pointed to Reddengrad, which lined the entire southern border of Antora.

“Sir Basil’s country is under threat of war,” he said.

He hadn’t mentioned anything about war to me. “From whom?”

He frowned. “From your king, my lady.”

My eyes widened. “Lord Endrick intends to attack Reddengrad?”

“Yes. Basil asked us to help him protect his home, and we’ve agreed.”

“Then you’ve agreed to die. Lord Endrick is immortal and has exceptionally powerful magic. Any fight against him will ultimately fail.”

“We’re working on that problem.” Tenger briefly studied me. “I hoped you might know of a way to stop him.”

I shook my head. “There is no way. And even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you. I remain loyal to the Dominion.” My chest tightened again. “Why am I here?”

His fingers clasped. “For now, you are here only because Basil is your betrothed. He had to leave Highwyn to seek us out and didn’t want you left behind.”

I smiled, though my irritation with Basil was rapidly growing. “How very thoughtful of him.” A beat passed, then I added, “Is Simon on your side, or is he a Loyalist?”

“He’s no Loyalist, that’s certain.” A corner of Tenger’s mouth lifted. “Simon and I are on the same side, but I’m no longer sure what his true goals are.”

“Your goal is to kill Lord Endrick.” I stood, hoping to relieve the increasing pressure in my chest. “And as such, you may as well hang yourself tonight and save my father the trouble. You’ve taken me captive, and for that, he will come for you with a particular vengeance.”

“A thoughtful suggestion, thank you.” Tenger dipped his head, mocking me, but I had been sincerely trying to warn him. “All I ask is that you stay here for now, as our guest. No harm will come to you as long as you promise to obey our rules.”

“Locked in that cell, do I have any other choice?”

“You are a guest, my lady. I am not returning you to the cells.” Tenger opened the door for me, and Basil was waiting on the other side with Trina. His smile was tentative, but it faded when he saw my cool expression.

If Trina noticed, she didn’t care. “I’ll take you both to your rooms,” she offered.

I accepted Basil’s hand as he led me into the corridor. “Did Tenger explain?” he asked.

He explained in carefully worded sentences meant to tell me nothing more than they had to. I’d gotten little from them and worried they’d gotten far more from me.

“They explained.” The less I said, the better.

Basil breathed a noticeable sigh of relief. He reached for me, but we were forced apart when Simon entered, roughly pushing between us with an elbow thrown out particularly wide for Basil. Gabe followed him, chuckling loudly until Tenger hushed him.

Inside the room, Simon stood with his arms folded and legs spread apart, facing Tenger like he was ready to defend himself from an attack. “You summoned me, sir?”

Tenger nodded at Basil. “Take your betrothed to her room.”

“Yes, Captain,” Basil said, wrapping his arm tight around me.

And Simon definitely noticed. Before the door shut, he had turned around and was staring at me again.