Page 255 of Between Two Kings

Caspen took a long time to answer. But Tem was used to this; she knew how to wait him out. Finally, he responded.

There is a council meeting tonight. He can attend.

Tem tried to control her expression, but it was impossible. Not only did Caspen want Leo to come to the caves, but he expected him to attend a council meeting? That was far and away more dangerous than just meeting Caspen alone, which was already well beyond Tem’s comfort zone. A council meeting meant that Leo would be outnumbered by the most powerful basilisks under the mountain.

Are you joking?

I am not. He should apologize to us all.

Caspen. You’re being unreasonable.

His presence loomed larger. Am I?

His mind overtook hers, and a vision of dead bodies flashed before her eyes. Tem saw from Caspen’s perspective as he knelt over them, touching their cold skin. She felt his grief. The sensation was horrible; Caspen’s heart was a raw, aching wound. He harbored such anger toward Leo—not just for the deaths caused by the weasel attack but for the pain that Leo’s family had inflicted on his for generations. Caspen’s next words cut through her mind like a knife:

He can come tonight. Or he will not come at all. That is final.

Tem felt as if she were going blind with anger—most of it Caspen’s. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Fine. I’ll ask. But I don’t know if he’ll—

Caspen cut off their connection. Tem opened her eyes with a gasp.

“Tem? What’s wrong? What did he say?”

Tem stared down at her plate, attempting to get her bearings. Caspen was in a volatile mood, and the last thing Tem wanted was for Leo to go anywhere near him when he was acting like this. But she had no choice.

“He wants you to come tonight,” she said, looking up at him. “There’s a council meeting you can attend.”

“A council meeting? What happens at those?”

There was no reasonable answer to that question, so Tem opted to ignore it. “Will you come?”

Leo didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” he said simply.

Tem was struck by how quickly he’d answered. “Don’t you need to run it by Evelyn?”

Tem shouldn’t have asked that. It was a blatant attempt to get the answer to the question she’d been bursting to ask all night.

“No,” Leo said just as simply.

Tem sighed. Still no clarity.

Leo looked determined—an expression she’d seen on him before. She knew he wanted to make things right. But he didn’t really know what he was getting into. His only experience in the caves had gone relatively smoothly, and this time was bound to be different. This time, Caspen was not weakened by the effects of the crest. Leo was. This time, they would be surrounded by not one but many basilisks, in a place where Leo would be at a deep disadvantage. He would have no weapons against them, no defense. Tem was his only ally, and even she had a foot in both camps. Leo’s life was her responsibility. It was a precious burden, and one she did not bear lightly. No harm would come to him under the mountain. Tem herself would get hurt before Leo did. She would keep him alive. She would keep him safe.

“When is the meeting?” Leo asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

“Later,” she said. “We can go…after dinner.”

Neither of them had been eating. Another minute passed before either of them spoke again.

“You should know,” Leo said. “That there will be no more bloodletting. It is no longer necessary.”

“How is it no longer—”

“There’s no need for it.”

“But how are you going to pay for things? For food for the villagers? Where will you get your gold?”

Leo shrugged. “I will do what you suggested. I will get a loan.”