Kestrel and Micah helped each other to stand and face the wrath of the soon-to-be King of Irongate.
The sun had already risen behind him, casting Leighton’s figure in a dark shadow in the doorway. He was so tall he had to hunch over just to fit inside, making him look all the more menacing. Kestrel wasn’t ready for another threat yet. Her heart was still thrumming, her foot bleeding. And Leighton was far too cunning, too unpredictable for her rattled mind.
Judging from the unwavering way in which Micah stared down his brother though, she supposed he felt differently.
“I did what had to be done, Leigh,” he said, wiping his nose with the back of his forearm. “What should’ve been done years ago, if we’d only?—”
“You did what had to be done?” In two swift strides, Leighton was inside the kitchen, grabbing Micah by the collar of his blue tunic and hoisting him across the room. He slammed him up against the wall, the stones rattling. “I told you I had this handled! That our father’s curse would be broken if you had just stayed back. But you couldn’t help yourself, could you?You just had to meddle and do whatever Micah wanted to do, because Hollows forbid you ever just follow the rules!”
With a scowl that made even Kestrel recoil, Micah grabbed Leighton’s hands from his collar and peeled back his fingers. She wasn’t sure if he was stronger than his older brother, or if Leighton had simply relented, releasing Micah to fall down to his feet.
Regardless, the ire was not done burning within him. Leighton shot a hand back toward their father. “Look at what your interference cost us. Fatherless now, because of you!”
He shoved him again, Micah’s back slamming into the wall so forcefully the wind gushed from his lungs.
“Don’t you dare!” Kestrel shot back, face hot with rage. She stormed closer, her foot throbbing with each pounding step, and Leighton actually flinched at her proximity. “Because of Micah, I’m still alive. If he had listened to you, your father would be feasting on my bones now, and I’d be dead, so either way you’d still be fatherless.”
She watched the sting of that word whip him across the face. But she didn’t care. After everything he’d done, he deserved to feel an ounce of the pain he had caused her.
Leighton was shaking his head, eyes pleading. “I don’t understand. Your magic, it should’ve saved him. It should be the cure?—”
Kestrel threw her arms in the air. “And maybe it is. But I’ve never used magic a day in my life. What makes you think that I’m just going to suddenly learn how to undo a decades-old curse when I’m having to run for my life?”
Behind him, Micah nursed the ache in his chest and gave her a nod of approval.
She ignored it. As grateful as she was that he had saved her, she still wasn’t fully ready to forgive him for letting Leighton lead her to her doom.
Kestrel glared up at the older brother, waiting for a reply. Part of her wanted him to argue back. To fight with her so she could continue screaming and unleashing all of her pain upon him. But instead, Leighton’s bloodshot eyes were just staring at the heap of pale skin and tattered cloth that had once been their father.
Dejected and limp, Leighton shoved past her, ambling until the corpse was at his feet. A lifetime of hope that now lay shattered before him.
And despite herself—despite everything he had done to her, every lie he had whispered into her ear, every falsehood he had led her to believe—despite it all, she actually felt sorry for him. She was familiar with the pain of losing a parent. Even if she had never met her mother, there was still a hole in her heart that belonged exclusively to her. And she couldn’t imagine how much deeper it would be if she had spent years awaiting her mother’s return.
This man didn’t deserve her pity though. He likely didn’t even want it. So instead, she remained silent. Watchful.
Picking himself off the wall, Micah joined his brother’s side. “I’m sorry it ended this way. But your plan wasn’t working. Kestrel showed no signs of magic, and I couldn’t just let her die. If she is who you think she is, then?—”
“I know,” Leighton cut him off, nothing but quiet surrender in his tone now. “I’m…I’m glad she’s alright.” He glanced over his shoulder to meet her gaze, eyes full of sorrow and regret. “I’m glad you survived. I’m?—”
Kestrel recoiled, worried for a moment that the prince was about to utter a useless apology. Like that little word would mean anything to her now. He only felt sorry because his plan hadn’t worked. He hadn’t approved of theinterferenceon her behalf, no matter how much he tried pretending otherwise now.
For whatever reason, Leighton swallowed the apology.
Tentatively, Micah put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You’ll be a great king. Irongate will be better with you on the throne now.”
Kestrel might have scoffed if they weren’t all still standing around their dead father. She didn’t know much, if anything, about what it took to be a good king, but she was pretty sure Leighton’s actions today suggested he would be anything but. Kings were supposed to be just. To protect the lives of innocence. He had done the opposite.
Kestrel noticed the open doorway and the sunlight shining through. She didn’t want to be in his company anymore. Didn’t want to witness the two brothers making up and planning for Leighton’s ascension to the throne while she was still roiling with rage and injustice.
Spinning on her heels, Kestrel practically ran out of the gloomy fortress and into the light of day. Or at least she tried to. That blasted foot of hers was going to be a problem—and now she had no shoes either since she had thrown them at the beast to create a distraction. It didn’t matter, she told herself. She would figure out how to bind her wounds and protect her feet later. For now, she just needed to get away from them. Needed to find Thom. She had so much to tell him, and so many questions she hoped he would finally answer.
“Hey,” shouted Micah. He chased after her with those stupidly long legs of his, and caught up to her in no time. Grabbing her shoulder, he spun her around to face him. She had no energy in her to fight him “Where are you going?”
“Back to Mutiny Bay. To find Thom—or Darius, or whatever his name is. I don’t care. I should’ve never left him and I should’ve never trustedyou.”
She aimed the last part like an arrow at Leighton who was ducking out of the larder behind them. But if the word wasmeant to strike, he appeared utterly unimpacted as he said, “You won’t find him in Mutiny Bay.”
Kestrel’s breath quickened.
