Page 82 of The Prince's Sacrifice

It sounded completely ridiculous, but it wasn’t like Tor’s plans were ever particularly wise.

Besides, Pel had heard it from Tor’s own mouth, so it wasn’t like it could be questioned. Tor had planned to seduce Pel in the hopes of making a fuss and ruining the desired courtship with Princess Terila.

It made Pel feel like such a fool.

He stared around himself. He was pretty sure that he should have found the river by now, but it wasn’t like he was in a fit state to talk to Beluna, Cavun, and Denil. What was he going to say? How could he explain anything that had just happened or how incredibly naive Pel had been?

Pel found the nearest pub instead, relieved by the dim interior. He asked for an ale and drank it far too quickly, as though that would make him feel better. He grimaced and ordered a second so that he had something to do with his hands.

He found a corner table where he could sit and stare into the ale’s depths as though it had any of the answers he was seeking.

Although, really, that wasn’t the problem. There were so many answers, and they were all staring Pel in the face. He had to acknowledge what Tor had really been doing in Tond.

If only he could do so without it feeling like someone had plucked his heart out of his chest and stomped on it.

Chapter Fifteen

Tor

To say that none of this had gone the way Tor expected would be the grossest understatement in the history of ever. He leaned his head back against rough stone and closed his eyes. He’d known intellectually it might not go well. He’d realized weeks ago that his brother wouldn’t be impressed with Tor’s attempt to circumvent his orders, but never in his worst nightmares had it crossed his mind that Varex could truly believe for even a single second that Tor would conspire against him.

Even in the remotest unlikelihood that Tor would ever conspire against the High King, he wouldneverconspire against his brother. How could Varex not know that?

And yet, here they were. Tor had thought things strained between them. Instead, he’d found them shattered utterly, to the point that Varex had bound his magic and thrown him in the dungeon.

The dungeon! Tor huffed an aggrieved breath and shifted a little, trying to find a more comfortable position on his pallet on the stone floor. He supposed he should count himself lucky he wasn’t shackled to the wall. There were iron rings protruding at intervals where that could be done. As children, he and Varex had played here after the war ended. Ada had joined them sometimes, too, and they’d delighted in tying one another up and locking the doors, because that had made the elaborate rescues they concocted all the more daring.

They’d never been afraid, not even before they Manifested, because they’d known no harm could come to them.

Now, Tor should have been strong enough to break out, should have had access to his shield and his avatar, both of which could have been used offensively against the bars that were trapping him.

Instead, he was as powerless as an Unremarkable, an aching, hollow void where his magic was supposed to be. He rubbed at his chest, but of course that was useless. This hole was deep inside him and untouchable. Only the ruler to whom you pledged your Fealty had the power to bind your magic. For obvious reasons—not so obvious anymore?—it had never occurred to Tor that it was a fate that could befall him.

It burned, a hot spark of anger and incomprehension in Tor, because if thiswashis fate, it infuriated him that it was forthisreason. Twelve people had died because of Tor, a terribledrunken mistake, and yet he was being punished now when he’d saved thousands of lives?

It felt like the world had flipped on its head, and Tor didn’t understand anything. But everything else was continuing on, and it was only Tor who’d managed to destroy most of the important relationships in his life in one fell blow.

Varex believed Tor could commit treason against him.

Poor Rin had to undergo Terila’s wrath in a desperate attempt to stop a nonsensical war.

And Tor had hurt the one person he’d never meant to hurt. His terrible words hadn’t even swayed his brother, they had just gutted Pel.

Tor could still see the look on Pel’s face—it was blazoned in his memory—and it made shame and guilt surge in Tor’s gut. He couldn’t even blame the man for walking away. Tor knew what Pel feared, after all, and he’d blurted out his hateful truth without any explanation because he’d been so busy dealing with his own drama, he hadn’t realized how it would sound to Pel.

He’d flat-out stated that he’d gone to Tond to find the most inappropriate prince he could think of.

Part of Tor clung to the hope that surely,surelyPel wouldn’t believe that was still true. ButTorhad said it, and itwasthe reason he’d gone. And because Tor was the biggest ass in the world, he hadn’t taken the time to explain that it wasn’t the reason he’dstayed…

They’d done so much together, Tor had told Pel things he’d never told anyone, and yet—

Terila. Pel’s father. Even his siblings and whatever was going on in their weird, mostly one-sided feud…

Tor swore out loud, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

He should have kept his mouth shut in the throne room. He’d known how things were going at that point. He’d seen the expressions on all of their faces. But he’d still foolishly believedthat if only he couldexplain, if only he could get his brother to listen…!

As if Varex hadn’t stopped listening years ago.