Fennrin was worried, to say the least. He couldn’t believe Ainreth had somehow managed to discover what he and Daryan had done. But he tried not to panic. That was the last thing anyone needed right now.

“Are you okay, my dear?” asked Daryan. He and about a dozen guards were walking with him to public speech Daryan had to give to try to calm down the questioning citizens—a task Fennrin didn’t envy him—but Fennrin had barely noticed they’d left the palace.

“I… No.” Fennrin decided to be truthful. “This is a terrible situation.”

Daryan put his arm around his waist, stopping briefly to hug Fennrin. “Do not worry about anything. I will handle this.”

Fennrin took a deep breath, clinging to Daryan for a bit before pulling away and nodding. Of course. He didn’t need to worry about this. He just needed to trust in Daryan.

“Of course.”

“Good.” Daryan nodded at him, keeping his arm round him as they started walking again. “I have something I need you to do.”

“Oh?” Fennrin blinked, but he was immediately ready to complete whatever task Daryan had for him.

“I need you to arrest Ainreth. You are the only one who can,” Daryan said, making Fennrin swallow as he tensed up.

“Yes, of course,” he said, even though he didn’t feel all that ready to do this. Ainreth wouldn’t go with him of his own free will, so he would have to fight him. And the thought of that made him feel sick. But knew it had to be done.

“Thank you,” Daryan said with a kind, warm smile. It made Fennrin smile back, no matter how anxious and upset he was inside. “Take a few guards and raid the warehouse you found. Search the city if he is not there. But he must be brought to justice.”

Fennrin nodded but grimaced as he did, torn a little as he whispered to Daryan: “Is arresting him warranted, though? That man was technically innocent.”

“My dear Fenn,” Daryan said, his voice surprisingly stern, though still kind. “I need you to stop second guessing me and yourself. Don’t you trust me?”

Fennrin nodded immediately. “Of course I do.”

“Good, then let me worry about these things. I will tell you what to do, and you won’t have to worry about anything else.”

Fennrin nodded, feeling very silly now for doubting him. He really shouldn’t question what Daryan did. Daryan was the Herald, not Fennrin. And if not for Ainreth figuring out the truth, it would all have worked.

“Of course. Good luck with your speech,” Fennrin said, sighing.

Daryan leaned in to kiss his forehead lovingly. “Do not worry about anything. All will be well. You’ll see.”

Fennrin nodded again, kissing Daryan briefly before turning into a shadow, heading to the baracks. He’d grown so used to doing that—just melding into nothingness and traveling around Kyr-Toryl. More and more often, he didn’t wish to be perceived by other people than Daryan, and since he had the power to avoid that, he used it.

There were only a few guards at the barracks given the state things. Fennrin was almost surprised that there was anyone here, but that was good. It saved him the bother of going around the city trying to find guards to help him. The soldiers couldn’t get here soon enough, though from what Fennrin had heard the first wave of them should arrive very soon.

He didn’t need to say much aside from explaining what his mission was. The guards readily went with him. Unfortunately for him, having other people with him meant not being able to quickly travel the city as a shadow anymore. And he needed to figure out how to attack the warehouse to make sure no one got hurt and that Ainreth didn’t get away.

The best approach that he could think of was him going to investigate the warehouse while the guards waited a bit away, hidden until he went back to them and shared with them what the situation was.

The guards readily agreed with this, and so Fennrin once again melded with the shadows around him while the guards dispersed into the nearby alleys.

Fennrin quickly slid along the back of the house, getting underneath a door and sliding inside. Or at least he tried to before hitting an impenetrable wall of light. And since there was no shadow connecting to the one under the door, Fennrin couldn’t go further.

He would have huffed if he could as he withdrew and looked for an alternative entrance. Fennrin circled the building, at last finding a crack between the planks making up the walls. It was just enough to slip through, and darkness embraced him on the other side.

Fennrin slid around the floor, noting that he was in a small room. No one was inside of it, so he approached the door and slid under it into a much larger space, one lit up by candles, but comfortingly dim otherwise.

And concerningly empty. Fennrin move on, inspecting the entire place, only to find out nobody there. So it seemed either Ainreth and his allies had changed the location of their base, and it was imply something they did, or someone had notified them that Fennrin had discovered their location. Perhaps he’d been seen.

He truly hoped that wasn’t the case. Deciding to search the rest of the place before leaving, just to make certain, he slid along the wooden floor to the one other door he could see what was in there. Unfortunately he hit another wall of light.

Getting back from underneath the door, Fennrin decided to turn physical, not seeing a reason why he shouldn’t since no one was here anyway.

Or so he thought until he swung the door open, only to be sprayed in the face with a liquid smelling of herbs.

He blinked in alarm, scrambling to get over his shock to defend himself, but his eyes were so heavy all of a sudden, his knees so weak.

All Fennrin managed to do was recognize Petre standing in front of him, holding a vial of something, while Fennrin fell to his knees and then onto the floor, passing out.

++++++++

Fennrin woke up with a groan, blinking hard, his vision blurry. His mind felt sluggish and fuzzy, too much so to grow properly concerned when he tried to move and himself tied to a chair, with his fingers clamped.

It didn’t take him long to realize what was going on, though, as in the next moment he startled, trying to get free of the ropes binding him.

“What….”

“Hi, Fenn,” said Ainreth, making Fennrin flinch. He looked up at the lightweaver, scowling at him, even though inside he was a nervous mess.

What was Ainreth planning on doing with him? He didn’t think Ain would hurt him, but the simple fact that he was now stuck here and captured, was not only a problem because he failed at what Daryan had asked of him, he was also now most likely going to be used against Daryan somehow as a bargaining chip. He needed to escape.

“Let me go,” Fennrin said immediately, even though he knew the chances of that were slim at best.

“Sorry, Fenn, I can’t,” Ainreth said, his eyes actually growing sad. It made Fennrin’s heart twist, but he refused to give into any of this. He felt nothing for Ainreth anymore, and Ain had pushed him away first, so clearly neither did he.

“You had no right to kidnap me,” Fennrin reminded him, knowing it would be useless. He just had much frustration to work through, and Ainreth was a large source of it. “Unlike you, I haven’t broken the law.”

“Oh, you haven’t?” Despite his words, Ainreth didn’t look mocking or even very pleased by this. “What about helping Varilik stage an assassination attempt? I think that could be considered treason.”

Fennrin gritted his teeth. If Ainreth wanted to try to hurt him, then he would do the same in return.

“And attacking the High Herald is worse, and definitely treason,” Fennrin snapped at him.

Ainreth sighed. “Why are you supporting him, Fenn? You have to see he’s evil, right?”

Fennrin glared at him. “Evil? He’s just doing what he has to to protect Lys-Akkaria. And I am helping him with whatever he needs. If it weren’t for you, none of this would have been necessary.”

“I told you he wouldn’t listen,” said a man from behind Fennrin, making him flinch.

He’d had no idea there was anyone else in the small room with them. He craned his neck to look at him, only to recognize him as Aram Tyr-Haran, one of the leaders of the protesters.

“Yeah, and I told you we shouldn’t have captured him,” Ainreth said, huffing. Oh, so it had been Tyr-Haran’s idea? Fennrin supposed that made more since, given how unenthusiastic Ain seemed to be.

“Without him, Varilik has significantly less power. It made no sense not to do this when the opportunity presented itself,” Tyr-Haran replied calmly. Fennrin glared at the man, even though he couldn’t do it properly with where he was standing.

“You are all going to be arrested now,” said Fennrin, look back at Ainreth.

“That would have happened anyway,” Ainreth said, shaking his head. “Varilik was planning on blaming all of us for what I did, wasn’t he?”

Fennrin scowled. He didn’t like the implication that Daryan was just looking for excuses and wouldn’t follow the laws. “No, he specifically said I should arrest you and only you. Even though I suspected that Petre had been with you in the prison.”

Fennrin grimaced, his tongue running over the hole where his molar used to be. At least Petre hadn’t hit him again this time.

“And instead we caught you,” Tyr-Haran said as he walked around Fennrin so they were facing each other. The man said nothing more, just studying him, unaffected by Fennrin’s glaring.

“And what do you plan to do with me? Torture me for information? I guarantee that even if I wanted to tell you something, I know nothing,” Fennrin said, glaring even more harshly. But Tyr-Haran just stared back at him.

“You don’t need to say anything. Not to allow us to claim you did,” Tyr-Haran said, making Fennrin frown. And also swallow nervously because this couldn’t be good.

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“What does that mean?” Fennrin demanded, looking from Tyr-Haran to Ainreth. Ain just sighed, his shoulders sinking a bit further.

“It wasn’t my idea.”

Tyr-Haran shook his head, as if diappointed. “When we were tipped off to you having found one of our hideouts and going over there to arrest Ainreth, we hatched a plan. And that plan is currently in motion. You were asleep longer than expected.”

Fennrin gritted his teeth, not liking any of this. “What did you do?”

“We sent Varilik a letter,” Ainreth explained, sighing once again. “We told him you decided to betray him after all. That you told us everything about his dark secrets.”

Ainreth made a pretend dramatic gesture with his hands while Fennrin’s eyes went wide with horror. No, surely Daryan wouldn’t believe that. He would never betray him like this. Not to mention that he didn’t know any dark secrets Daryan might have. There were no dark secrets, he was sure.

“We suspect he doesn’t tell you much at all, does he?” Tyr-Haran said, his voice not really mocking or condescending, but the words made Fennrin angry anyway. If he weren’t bound, he’d be swinging his fist at the man this instant.

“He tells me what I need to know,” he growled at the man, narrowing his eyes.

Tyr-Haran let out an amused huff through his nose. “We thought so. That’s why we made sure to phrase it as you having found out without telling him.”

Fennrin shook his head. This was ridiculous. “Daryan has no dark secrets.”

Ainreth let out a sad laugh, shaking his head and staring at the floor while Tyr-Haran clasped his hands together behind his back.

“Anyone who lived as long as he has must have some. It’s inevitable. The question is if his secrets will be enough to make him panic.” Tyr-Haran leans in a bit closer. “Do you think he will believe you betrayed him?”

“No,” Fennrin growled at him. “I would never do that, especially not for people who kidnapped me.”

Tyr-Haran shrugged, looking at Ainreth again. “Are you ready to leave?”

Ainreth nodded. “Yes. I don’t have much I’ll mind leaving behind.”

Tyr-Haran snorted. “Aside from your books?”

“Hey, they’re my babies. I’m not letting Varilik burn them out of spite,” Ainreth snapped at him. “Write something and then judge me.”

“You’re leaving?” Fennrin asked, unable not to. He felt as thought he’d been asleep for weeks with how everyone was talking. “Where?”

“Oh, you’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” Tyr-Haran snorted. “You, Varilik’s attack dog, won’t find out anything from us. Your only role here is for the Herald to tear the city apart looking for you so he can stop you from spilling everything while we make our escape.”

Fennrin glared at him. He hated being talked about like he was just a mindless killing machine for his betters. He just wanted to help Daryan win the war with Orinovo, and then finally enjoy some piece. He had no interest in attacking anyone without it being necessary, and he hated the implication that he just did whatever Daryan told him to.

“Keep an eye on him. I need to go check on everyone,” Tyr-Haran told Ainreth, walking out of the room. Fennrin glared after the man, trying to fight the ropes binding him, his fingers attempting to move in the clamps.

He needed to free himself. It was clearly already too late, some damage was done, even if he doubted that Daryan had any secrets he wanted to hide. But apparently he was frantically looking for him, and Fennrin didn’t want to worry him like this.

His heart clenched when he thought about whether or not Daryan might believe that Fennrin had betrayed him. But surely not. Surely he had to know that wouldn’t happen.

“Fenn,” Ainreth said, pulling a chair in front of Fennrin’s so they can be eye to eye. “You could come with us.”

Fennrin immediately shook his head. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, Ainreth, but this is making Lys-Akkaria worse. You’re making the tension worse. And now kidnapping me?”

“That wasn’t my idea,” Ain said, sighing. “If you didn’t come looking for me—”

“You will not blame me for being sent to arrest you,” Fennrin immediately cut him off, huffing. He was just so angry all of a sudden. At everyone and everything. “I am the only one who can effectively fight you. Of course I was sent. And I was just doing my duty. You are a criminal now.”

“Yeah.” Ainreth looked away, sighing heavily. “But you know why I did what I did. Breaking the law is justified sometimes.”

“Before then you attacked Daryan, unprovoked, and you would have killed him if I hadn’t stopped you,” Fennrin shot back, gritting his teeth. He still couldn't believe that Ainreth had done that.

“Because I was worried about you!” Ain snapped at him in very temporary anger, his glare waning very quickly in favor of an expression of tired sadness. “But don’t worry, I won’t try to stop Varilik from hurting you ever again.”

Ainreth paused, but Fennrin didn’t take the opportunity to say anything. What was there to say, anyway? They’d already had this conversation several times.

“I thought…well, this might be our last chance to talk. I thought maybe I could make you see that Varilik is a misborn,” Ainreth said, making Fennrin huff.

“I’ve made my choices, as have you. And this is hardly the first time we had this conversation. Do what you think is right, but don’t expect me to understand why you think turning this country against itself is a good thing,” Fennrin said, pointedly looking away.

Ainreth didn’t say anything to that, just nodded. And then they sat in silence for a while. It was stifling and uncomfortable, though it was less so when Ain got up and started pacing.

Fennrin didn’t look at him, though, just staring at the floor as he tried to wiggle out of his bonds. It was no use, though, he couldn’t even get out of the ropes, nevermind the hand clamps.

“Next time we meet, we’ll have to fight each other,” Ainreth said after so long that it nearly made Fennrin flinch. “You realize that?”

“I know. I will do what I have to,” Fennrin replied, hating that it still made his heart clench to think about it. But he’d come arrest Ain, fully expecting to be forced to fight him, and he’d managed that. That brought him some hope that he’d manage it.

“Then I will do the same,” Ainreth replied, still sounding sad but also resigned to their fate.

And that was how Fennrin felt as well, albeit he was much angrier about all of it. He hadn’t wanted this, any of this. But he and Ainreth disagreed fundamentally, and there was no clearly convincing each other. Fennrin couldn’t support Ain’s actions, and so there was nothing to debate.

Before he could say anything else, though, Tyr-Haran burst in through the door, a serious, determined look on his face.

“They’re here. We have to go.”

Ainreth nodded at him, walking to the door. Tyr-Haran stopped him by grabbing his shoulder, though.

“We should kill him,” he said, staring directly at Fennrin. Fennrin glared back fiercely.

“No,” Ainreth immediately refused. “No one is killing him.”

Fennrin blinked at that. It made sense. If they killed him, then Daryan would lose a very strong soldier and give Ainreth and his allies an advantage.

“Very well. But every life he takes will be on your conscience,” Tyr-Haran told Ainreth, walking out again.

Ainreth shook his head. “Goodbye, Fenn.” And with that he left too, disappearing through the door, leaving it open. And then there was only silence.

Fennrin swallowed. He felt so strange about all of this. He should be relieved that he wasn’t to be killed, and yet he didn’t feel that way. Instead, as he heard the heavy footsteps of guards approaching, all he felt was dread.

He had to explain everything to Daryan. He would do whatever it took to prove he hadn’t betrayed him.

He nodded as the guards found him at last, though none of the people Ainreth had been working with seemed to have been found. Fennrin had certainly not heard anything to prove the contrary.

“Thank you,” Fennrin said as he cut the ropes off, only to make an alarmed noise when he was roughly pulled up, his wrists once against bound together, this time with shackles, which were then locked roughly.

“What are you doing?” Fennrin cried at the guard giving these orders, just watching otherwise.

“You are a suspect. Until it is clear that you were not involved with these rebels, you are to be treated as one,” the woman replied coldly, jerking her head before exiting the room. Fennrin gritted his teeth as he was dragged along by the other guards, forcing him to follow.

This was completely unnecessary. They could have simply left the hand clamps on if they were truly worried that he’d betrayed them. It wasn’t as though he was capable of escaping without his powers anyway.

But he trudged on without another comment, deciding to make this easier for everyone and just go with it.

He refused to look at anyone and anything until they reached the palace, and even then he waited to be faced with Daryan.

“Fennrin.”

Fennrin looked the man in the eye, but then quickly ducked his gaze. He wanted to explain what happened, assure Daryan that he’d done nothing and that it had all been lies. But before he could say anything, the guards reported on the situation on how they’d found Fennrin. And then Daryan spoke instead.

“Then by the moon, take off those shackles and clamps. They wouldn’t have left him here tied up if he’d decided to join them.”

The guards quickly freed Fennrin, who grimaced as he rubbed his wrists, running his hands over the bracelet Daryan had given him. It brought some comfort to do that.

“Good. Now leave,” Daryan said, pulling Fennrin close to him by an arm around his shoulders.

Fennrin melted against him a bit, so relieved that Daryan clearly still trusted him. He hugged back, shutting his eyes for a moment as he took a few deep breaths. It didn’t feel like he could actually take proper deep breaths before.

“Sir, are you certain?” the leader of the guards asked, but Daryan immediately confirmed it and started leading Fennrin away.

“I was so very worried about you, Fenn,” Daryan said as they reached his chambers. “It was a lie, correct?”

Fennrin immediately nodded. “Of course. I would never betray you.”

Daryan smiled as they stepped inside of the familiar space of the bedroom. Fennrin closed the door behind him, sighing heavily.

“And you didn’t tell them anything?”

Fennrin frowned. Did Daryan have some secrets, then? Regardless, Fennrin wasn’t owed them, but it did make him curious.

“No. They didn’t even question me. I was drugged, and then after I woke up, it didn’t take long for the guards to find me.”

Daryan nodded along with him as he led him to sit, kissing his forehead. He looked very relieved. “I am very happy they did not hurt you. Or worse.”

Fennrin nodded, choosing not to mention that the only reason he hadn’t been killed was because of Ainreth.

“However, because of your actions, Ainreth and his allies had managed to leave Kyr-Toryl.”

Fennrin winced. He couldn’t be angry with Daryan for blaming him, though. It was perfectly fair because he was guilty. And he knew it. “How did they manage it?”

Daryan sighed, not looking at Fennrin. “While the guards were looking for you all over the city, they were stretched too thin. And the protesters were far too well organized, much more than I expected.” Daryan scowled at the wall opposite them. “I suppose I should call them traitors now, though, not protestors. Or perhaps rebels.”

Fennrin felt quite awful that this was all his fault. He’d not meant to give Ainreth and his allies the opportunity to escape, but that is what he’d done.

“I’m sorry. I…they ambushed me. I didn’t—”

But Daryan raised his hand, fixing Fennrin with a firm stare. “My dearest Fennrin, you are one of the most powerful people in existence. You can become a shadow. There should never be an ambush that works with you.”

Fennrin opens his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but he can’t. Because Daryan was right. He should have been unbeatable. He’d just gotten careless. There might have been another way to enter that room Petre had been waiting for him inside of. He’d just…assumed no one else was present. And that assumption had cost them dearly.

“Can I trust you?” Daryan asked, making Fennrin blink.

“Of course,” he replied immediately.

“What will you do to prove it?” Daryan asked, staring Fennrin down. Fennrin swallowed, but he didn’t hesitate with his answer.

“What would you have me do?”

Daryan leaned in to kiss the top of his head. Fennrin didn’t get to question his lack of an answer though as sharp pain started to stab through his wrist, burning fiercely.

Fennrin gasped, looking down at his wrist in alarm, his eyes filling with horror as he noticed that thorns were stabbing into his skin, piercing and making him bleed.

He wanted to cut the bracelet open with shadows, rip it apart and get the source of his pain away, but Daryan grabbed his hands, his fingers tapping against his right one.

And finally, Fennrin realized what was happening. It was obvious, and yet Fennrin hadn’t put it together. Daryan was doing this. He was making those thorns appear and hurt him.

“You can easily stop it, I know,” Daryan said, his voice comforting and soothing even as Fennrin’s eyes stung with pained tears, blood dripping from his wrist. “But you want to prove to me your loyalty, don’t you?”

Fennrin understood now what was expected of him. He nodded, gritting his teeth and making a small whimper. Daryan let go of his wrists and instead hugged him tight. And Fennrin clung to him immediately as at last the thorns stopped moving.

Daryan then proceeded to get a cloth from the table and wipe the blood off Fennrin’s wrists, making him grimace and groan.

“W-will you get rid of those thorns?” he asked meekly. It hurt more than he would have assumed.

“Of course. In a while longer,” Daryan said, kissing him and stroking a hand through his hair. “Show me how loyal you are. Surely a little pain won’t stop you from doing what’s right. From doing your duty.”

Fennrin shook his head. He would be strong. He wouldn’t fail. Lys-Akkaria needed him to be strong.

“Don’t fail me this time,” Daryan said into Fennrin’s ear. And Fennrin nodded, not even letting himself hold his injured wrist. He wouldn’t fail Daryan. He would do everything in his power to do what he wanted him to.

“I know you didn’t wish to fail me,” Daryan continued, hugging Fennrin again. Fennrin immediately hugs back, wincing as he moves his wrist. “But you did. And it caused quite a mess. And pain. Share some of it. Use this time to reflect, hm?”

Fennrin nodded. Daryan was right. He needed to be more careful. What he’d caused was a disaster that had set them back.

“I need to go deal with the other Courtiers now. We need to plan what to do now that Ainreth and his people have left the city, heading the moon knows where,” Daryan said, pulling away. “Wait for me here. When I return I’ll return your bracelet to normal.”

Fennrin nodded again, feeling like such a failure as he watched Daryan leave the room, closing the door behind him.

He looked down at his sluggishly bleeding wrist. He deserved this. He deserved to be punished. Maybe next time he decided to be careless, he would look at the scars these thorns would give him and remember to do better. To help instead of hinder.

Fennrin sat down on his and Daryan’s bed, taking a few deep breaths. He wouldn’t fail again.

He would not.