before. How is this time different?”
“Part of Midnight’s hold on people is its rigid adherence to its own laws,” Shane answered. “As long as Midnight doesn’t cross its own lines, obeying the vampires’ laws remains safer than standing against them. Submission ensures safety and survival, while rebellion … well.” He shook his head. “Midnight could never bring its full force against us without breaking its own rules. Arbitrarily crushing uswould send a message to everyone else they rule that there is no safety in obedience. It would ensure an uprising.”
“But now Midnight can blame you,” I said, filling in the blanks. “You struck first.”
“So they can strike back as hard as they want,” Shane replied. “They cannot afford to back down, not when they say we tried to assassinate the trainers.”
“You’re really going to go through with this?” I asked stupidly. Did he have any other choice?
“Sometimes, there are fights you can’t win.” He sighed heavily. “We tried to stall and wheedle our way out of this, and Amber paid the price. She was just a merchant delivering a message, but when Midnight stopped playing around, she was the one within their reach.” His gaze slid to me, and I saw the wry acknowledgement in it. “I suppose that’s the kind of sin a child of Obsidian expects from a prince. The Family played power games while inside this forest, and let one of our subjects pay the price. We should have protected her.”
What could I say to that?
You should never have let one of your people try to fight Midnight
. Or,
You should have rolled over the moment Midnight asked for payment and given them anything they asked
. Those options weren’t any better.
You should never have hoped to win
. I couldn’t believe that.
If I believed that, everything we had ever done was useless.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He took my hand and squeezed it. “None of this is your fault.”
But it is
, I thought.
If we hadn’t involved ourselves, Jeshickah never would have connected the plague with your people. Malachi and I would probably be dead. Vance certainly would be. I am not sorry we chose to stay alive … but I am sorry that you are the one who will pay for it
.
Shane shot to his feet and started forward before I realized anything was wrong. As I followed, I began to hear shouting, and recognized Vance’s voice. It was too soon for him to have made it to Midnight, negotiated a deal, and returned to us, but he was here anyway, pushing his way past the guards, toward the temple.
“You can’t just—”
“Let go of me,” Vance snapped at the guards who were trying to restrain him. “Unless you want to discuss the definition of ‘impeding trade.’ ”
Vance’s dark hair had come out of its tie and was rumpled around his face, not quite concealing the scratches on his cheek and jaw. Some of them were still bleeding. Those crimson beads brought a sick feeling to the pit of my stomach, as if they portended far worse to come.
The guards, who had hesitated at Vance’s words, drew back to let their prince pass.
“What is the meaning of this?” Shane demanded, grabbing Vance’s arm before he could storm into the sakkri’s receiving room.
“That is what I would like to know,” Vance answered. Raising his voice, he called, “Are you in there?”
The older sakkri emerged and looked at Vance, and then Shane. “What can I do for you now, mercenary child of blood?”
Vance frowned at the appellation. “Odd name to give me, when you are the one who is trying so hard to sell your prince into slavery—or so you say. Do you think Midnight is going to be swayed by a ruse like this?”
“What are you talking about?” Shane asked.
“I’m talking,” Vance bit out, “about the fact that the forest will not let me pass. It wouldn’t even let me above the treetops to fly. It nearly broke my wing knocking me to the ground, and then gave me these.” He tilted his head
“Part of Midnight’s hold on people is its rigid adherence to its own laws,” Shane answered. “As long as Midnight doesn’t cross its own lines, obeying the vampires’ laws remains safer than standing against them. Submission ensures safety and survival, while rebellion … well.” He shook his head. “Midnight could never bring its full force against us without breaking its own rules. Arbitrarily crushing uswould send a message to everyone else they rule that there is no safety in obedience. It would ensure an uprising.”
“But now Midnight can blame you,” I said, filling in the blanks. “You struck first.”
“So they can strike back as hard as they want,” Shane replied. “They cannot afford to back down, not when they say we tried to assassinate the trainers.”
“You’re really going to go through with this?” I asked stupidly. Did he have any other choice?
“Sometimes, there are fights you can’t win.” He sighed heavily. “We tried to stall and wheedle our way out of this, and Amber paid the price. She was just a merchant delivering a message, but when Midnight stopped playing around, she was the one within their reach.” His gaze slid to me, and I saw the wry acknowledgement in it. “I suppose that’s the kind of sin a child of Obsidian expects from a prince. The Family played power games while inside this forest, and let one of our subjects pay the price. We should have protected her.”
What could I say to that?
You should never have let one of your people try to fight Midnight
. Or,
You should have rolled over the moment Midnight asked for payment and given them anything they asked
. Those options weren’t any better.
You should never have hoped to win
. I couldn’t believe that.
If I believed that, everything we had ever done was useless.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He took my hand and squeezed it. “None of this is your fault.”
But it is
, I thought.
If we hadn’t involved ourselves, Jeshickah never would have connected the plague with your people. Malachi and I would probably be dead. Vance certainly would be. I am not sorry we chose to stay alive … but I am sorry that you are the one who will pay for it
.
Shane shot to his feet and started forward before I realized anything was wrong. As I followed, I began to hear shouting, and recognized Vance’s voice. It was too soon for him to have made it to Midnight, negotiated a deal, and returned to us, but he was here anyway, pushing his way past the guards, toward the temple.
“You can’t just—”
“Let go of me,” Vance snapped at the guards who were trying to restrain him. “Unless you want to discuss the definition of ‘impeding trade.’ ”
Vance’s dark hair had come out of its tie and was rumpled around his face, not quite concealing the scratches on his cheek and jaw. Some of them were still bleeding. Those crimson beads brought a sick feeling to the pit of my stomach, as if they portended far worse to come.
The guards, who had hesitated at Vance’s words, drew back to let their prince pass.
“What is the meaning of this?” Shane demanded, grabbing Vance’s arm before he could storm into the sakkri’s receiving room.
“That is what I would like to know,” Vance answered. Raising his voice, he called, “Are you in there?”
The older sakkri emerged and looked at Vance, and then Shane. “What can I do for you now, mercenary child of blood?”
Vance frowned at the appellation. “Odd name to give me, when you are the one who is trying so hard to sell your prince into slavery—or so you say. Do you think Midnight is going to be swayed by a ruse like this?”
“What are you talking about?” Shane asked.
“I’m talking,” Vance bit out, “about the fact that the forest will not let me pass. It wouldn’t even let me above the treetops to fly. It nearly broke my wing knocking me to the ground, and then gave me these.” He tilted his head
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