Page 79 of The Prince's Sacrifice

“What isthatsupposed to mean?” Tor snarled.

He was losing his temper, and it looked like his brother and Yomil weren’t far behind. Queen Fernila looked pale and worried.

“Pardon me, Your Majesty,” Pel said at his most polite, taking a step closer to the dais. Suddenly, he had everyone’s attention. It was more than a little disconcerting. He swallowed and continued with every bit of conviction he could muster. “High Prince Torex has offered an accurate account of what occurred. I was there. After saving everyone’s lives at great personal risk, he chose to make it possible for the children and other civilians to retreat to their own land. It was also prudent to leave the mountain as quickly as possible, given the landslide we’d all just survived thanks to Torex. There’s no saying what would have happened if anyone had remained and fought. It would have endangered civilians and may well have proved fatal for the Tondian guards.”

It wasn’t like they’d been on a clear field on a lovely day. Another landslide could have buried them.

“And you are?” Yomil asked, voice dripping with condescension.

It was like they’d only just realized he was even in the room. Pel might have laughed, under other circumstances.

“Prince Pelun of Tond.” He offered another bow. “King Forex’s middle child.”

“So you’re conspiring against your father and your realm?” Yomil demanded.

Pel could see why Tor didn’t like the man. Perhaps fortunately, Pel had been spoken down to for large portions of his life, so it didn’t faze him.

Keeping his voice calm and matter-of-fact, Pel said, “I was present when Prince Torex saved over two thousand lives, most of whom were civilians, but there were hundreds of Tondian guards as well. That was reacting to an emergency situation, not a conspiracy.”

“Are you the method by which he’s been communicating with the exiles?” Yomil accused.

“I’ve never even spoken to the exiles,” Pel said, stunned.

He’d hoped to help, and he seemed somehow to have made the situation worse.

High King Varex was now staring at him with hard suspicion, and it wasn’t like Pel could possibly prove his assertion, certainly not from here.

In a not-very-quiet aside to the High King, Yomil said, “There are rumors that someone in the castle must be informing the exiles of the guards’ movements.”

Pel hadn’t heard rumors of any such things… but if he were being perfectly truthful, he’d occasionally wondered about the possibility. King Forex had sent out more and more patrols as the raiding had continued, and yet they were rarely successful. Which… was obviously not helpful to point out now.

“I can only reiterate that I’ve had no contact with the exiles,” Pel stated clearly. “Although word may not have reached you here in Alossa, we’ve had increasing trouble with the exiles foryears. Up until a couple of weeks ago, these raids weren’t violent and didn’t result in more than theft of property.”

“Thatoccurred while Prince Torex was in Tond!” Yomil said triumphantly.

Pel shot Tor an apologetic look. He hadn’t meant that at all, but Yomil seemed determined to twist everything either of them said. Tor shook his head slightly.

Still standing tall and straight, Tor declared, “I haven’t done anything to incite raiding or to support the exiles—beyond rescuing an evacuating force including hundreds of children. I would do it again, and I will not apologize for it.”

“You claimed an emergency and stole magic from the High King!” Yomil exclaimed.

Tor looked at his brother. “Var, there were children screaming, about to be killed. What was I supposed to do?”

High King Varex was staring at his brother very seriously, and there was a taut moment where it seemed to be a tug-of-war between the two of them, Tor pleading for understanding and the High King considering him.

Please, please, please listen.

The High King’s expression hardened, and Pel heard the short exhalation from Tor.

“Since you have disappeared, Torex, in direct contradiction of my intended orders, you have destabilized two of our realms and precipitated what could turn into an all-out war.”

“I wasn’t the cause of what’s happening in Tond!” Tor snapped.

“You destroyed the bodies of Tondian guards who should have been returned to their loved ones and blocked an essential trade route between Tond and Filon,” Yamil pointed out.

For an unflattering moment, Tor gaped at the man. Then an expression of fury crossed his face.

“Iprotectedeveryone on that mountain. When I had to shrink my shield to keep everyone alive, there were bodies that wound up outside of my shield—where they were lost in the landslide that would have killed everyone without my shield. Thelandslideblocked the route to Filon, and that was caused by the storm we were caught in. Unless you’re suddenly accusing me of having power over the weather?”