“Not helping, Syndra,” Cassie said dryly.

Syndra just kept right on talking. “What I am saying is that we all have evil in us. We all have the capacity to be cruel, to do harm, to turn a blind eye when we should speak up—all of us—not just dark elves.” She smiled then as her face filled with something Cassie recognized as hope. “But just like we all have the capacity for evil, we are also all capable of good. You need to have more faith in him, Cassandra. Do I think it is wise of you to question him? Yes, he needs you to say those things to him so that he will think before he acts. But after you have made him think, you need to support him and remind him that you know he is capable of being a man of honor.”

Cassie sat speechless as she watched the light-elf queen stand and walk gracefully from the room closing the door quietly behind her. She frowned at the now closed door. “So was that a, no he shouldn’t kill them?” she called out, knowing Syndra would hear her and no doubt ignore her.

“Why did he send you here to take Cassie?” Trik asked the two men for the third time. Still they knelt staring at the ground, neither one willing to speak. He could get them to speak if he felt like making a mess, but the truth of it was, Trik was tired of torturing people. He had grown tired of it a very long time ago, but before he hadn’t had a choice, now he did.

He looked over at Tamsin who no doubt was expecting him to ask for some sort of tool. Instead, he said, “They touched my queen with the intent to harm. For that reason, they forfeit their lives. I’m not going to get any information from them, and Cassie is safe. Frankly, I don’t feel like having body parts strewn about the room. Kill them, and then send their bodies back to Lorsan.”

Tamsin nodded but didn’t let the surprise that Trik knew he felt show on his face.

“Don’t die before her,” one of them finally spoke up just as Trik was turning to leave.

“What did you say?”

The dark elf who Trik knew as Agog spoke up again, “If you die before her, he will do horrible things to her. Things you cannot even begin to imagine.”

Trik narrowed his eyes on him and then knelt down just in front of him. “Did he tell you to tell me this? Do you think to scare me?”

Agog shook his head. “No, I know you aren’t easily scared. But if anything should scare you, it should be what he will do to your queen, and what he will allow others to do to her.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Trik asked.

“I’m going to die. Maybe I can redeem myself in some small way. You are the rightful king; you always have been.”

“You are a traitor to your people,” the dark-elf Tran spat at Agog.

Agog shrugged. “We are but dead men; we have no people.”

“I will not grant you your life,” Trik told him. “But I will make sure your death is quick.”

Agog gave him a final nod and then met his gaze. “I hope you are victorious.”

As Tamsin pulled the door closed behind them blocking the two prisoners from view, Trik let out a tired sigh and shook his head. “I’m getting too old for this.”

Tamsin chuckled. “You and me both.” He paused and looked back at the door as if he could see beyond it to the dark elves. “You’re doing the right thing,” he assured him.

Trik nodded. “I couldn’t let them live, but I don’t have to rip them to shreds either. We leave at first light. I’m tired of waiting. I’m ready for Lorsan to be destroyed and to know that my Chosen is safe as well as our people and the humans.”

“I’ll make sure everyone is ready,” Tamsin assured him.

“Tamsin,” Trik said before the light-elf king could walk away, “thank you.”

“Did you kill them? GAH!” Cassie growled. “I feel like all I do is ask if you are going to kill someone or if someone thinks you should kill someone.”

Trik paused as he stood in the open door to her room. He looked at his obviously frazzled Chosen and couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was, even in her stressed out state. She stood staring at him with wide, earnest eyes and he knew what she wanted to hear, but it wasn’t what he could tell her.

“They are scheduled to die,” he finally said as he shut the door behind him. He walked towards her and when he was within arm’s reach, he pulled her to him and held her close against him. He knew in that moment it was more for his own comfort than hers. He could not give her what she wanted, no matter how disappointed it might make her in him.

“Trik,” she pulled back and looked up at him, “Honey, I’m not disappointed in you. Is that really what you think?” she asked him, obviously having picked up on his thoughts.

“I know you don’t want me to be a killer,” he told her.

She took another step back from him putting space between them that he didn’t want. She held her hand up to keep him from stepping closer and he frowned at her.

“Wait,” she said sternly, “you need to hear this. I am NOT disappointed in you. I’m the opposite. I’m so freaking proud of you. I’m in awe of you, and, yes, I’m scared for you. Don’t you think I’ve seen inside you? You’re constantly telling me that you’re an open book to me and that you don’t hide things from me. Well, news flash, quiver boy, I’ve looked. I’ve seen. And I know that you don’t want to be who you once were, and my only worry was that if you killed those men then the darkness that I’ve seen you battling inside would gain new ground.” She took a deep breath and then let it out as she brushed wisps of hair from her face. “Please don’t think that you have disappointed me. Please know that I stand beside your decision and I get it; I understand.”