Chapter 33

“Well…” Jasper drew out the word from where he sat in one of the closed-off rooms beyond the Great Hall of the fortress. Delano and Lyra were trailing the Ascended to make sure they left, but the rest of us were here. “That was unexpected.”

I almost laughed, but I didn’t think that was appropriate. I was already wearing a path in the stone floor, pacing the length of the room. I couldn’t sit. Not with how my mind was racing. Not with my emotions all over the place, bouncing from sorrow to hope to disbelief.

Ian was still in there.

For him to say what he had, he had to be. And I…I could’ve stabbed him. My stomach roiled and then lurched. Ian was still in there. Good gods, I wanted to shout with joy and also sink to my knees and sob because that meant he was himself while surrounded by Ascended. What he must deal with. I couldn’t let myself think about that. He was smart and clever. Obviously, he was stronger than I ever realized for him to survive as he had.

But the implications of Ian remaining himself? Being able to put on a convincing act to survive so young in his Ascension? There could be others—many more.

“What do you think he meant by Nyktos’s guards?” I asked.

“That, I am not sure.” Casteel watched me from where he sat. “It would be hard to imagine that his guards would leave him.”

Nova frowned from where she stood by the door. “You think he spoke the truth? That this is not a trap of sorts?”

“He said he knew the truth,” I told her—told the room. Casteel had been close enough to overhear my brother’s whisper. The rest hadn’t. “He had to be talking about the Ascended.”

“He didn’t sound like he knew the truth about the Ascended,” Jasper remarked with a scowl. “He sounded like every Ascended I’ve come across.”

“That had to be an act,” I said.

“Then he’s one hell of an actor,” the older wolven retorted.

It was a good act, but we were thinking about two different situations. “Growing up, Ian made up these stories and then told them to me. He did it because he knew I was…I was often lonely and bored.” I started walking again, fiddling with the edge of my braid. “Anyway, when he told me those stories, he acted them out, adopting different accents and mannerisms. He was good at it—good enough that he’d be at home on a stage.”

“And I barely heard what he whispered to Poppy,” Casteel commented. “There’s no way the knights did.”

I nodded. “He made sure they couldn’t hear. That’s why he moved so far from them—something I could tell made them uncomfortable.”

“Truth or not, the fact that Ian even brought up Nyktos makes me think that he knows about your heritage,” Kieran began, leaning against the table beside where his sister sat perched on the edge, her feet resting on a chair. “And that means the Blood Crown likely does, as well. Which isn’t exactly a surprise, but it could mean they have some understanding of your abilities.”