Page 59 of Hearts Lost

But if I keep that promise, will Galan believe me? Or will he turn his wrath on Aloserin?

“She’s… pregnant,” I whisper.

Shock ripples across King Galan’s face, and I remember something Aloserin mentioned. They don’t have babies down here. Pregnancy just doesn’t work in the Lands Below.

“She’s a magician,” I say, the words falling from my lips like stones. “Grathgore took her from us when she was a child. She never had a choice, she never got to have a normal life.”

I wipe at the tears burning beneath my eyelids.

“When she found out about the baby, she— She panicked. She doesn’t want to hand her child over to Grathgore. She wants a way out. For both of them.”

I take a deep breath, trying to will myself not to lose it. Not to break down.

“So, Grathgore told you he would let your sister go,” King Galan says. “In exchange for… what?”

I blink, then rub my eyes. Might as well tell them everything, I decide.

“He said you would try to bring down the barrier,” I begin. “I had to stop you, with— those.” I wave my hand at the sideboard and the leather pouch containing the two remaining silver spheres. “And, if that didn’t work, I was to kill Princess Elanerill.”

Galan sucks a breath over his teeth. Orryen crosses his arms over his chest.

“Wow. Grathgore’s an asshole,” Orryen growls.

Despite everything, I feel a smile tugging at the edges of my lips. Stars and moon, it feels good to tell someone about this. Even if they’re still going to kill me, it feels good to have someone else recognize King Grathgore for exactly what he is.

“Aloserin never played a role in any of this,” I say. “He just happened to be standing next to me when the thing went off.” I swallow hard. “When I set the thing off,” I say, correcting myself.

Orryen and Galan exchange another look.

“Aloserin said he was unconscious for his first five days in the void,” Orryen says, staring at me.

I shift on my green cushioned settee.

“Um, yeah,” I answer. “That’s true.”

“Lythienne thinks your weapon made Aloserin’s sleep magic backfire on himself,” Galan says. “Is there a reason you didn’t kill him?”

I blink. Galan is still staring at the fire as though he’s only mildly interested in my response.

“I— Why would I kill him?” I stammer.

Galan shrugs. “He was unarmed. Vulnerable.” He turns to me, and there’s something hard and cold in his eyes. Something that almost reminds me of King Grathgore. “He’s from the Kingdom of the Fall.”

I squirm. “So? I wasn’t going to kill him for that.”

Orryen clears his throat, tugging my attention back to him.

“Aloserin told us he wouldn’t have survived in the void without you,” Orryen says, almost casually. “He said you could communicate with the void beasts.”

My heart does a painful little twist. Is that all he said about our time in the void, I wonder? I swallow thickly as Orryen and Galan stare at me.

“Yes,” I say. “Those shadows, they’re just animals. Like any other animals. They were afraid of us at first. Once I convinced them we weren’t a threat, they left us alone.”

“Aloserin said you followed them,” Orryen continues. “He said that’s how you got away from the black shores of the void.”

I twist my hands in my lap as my cheeks burn.

“Uh, yeah,” I answer. “We did.”