He summoned the last regeneration potion from the limnthal and stared at it for a moment, his eyes going to the king. Selene’s father had bled out slowly from the wound on his wrist, but the blood loss wasn’t inconsiderable. Without prompt treatment, the man might die. If Lognion did die, the ramifications would be significant.
Still reeling from the damage to Cerria, Terabinia might fall victim to a fresh incursion from Darrow, especially if they were the ones who had sent the vampires in the first place. The nation would need a strong ruler to defeat such a powerful enemy. If Selene was back, she might take his place, but she wasn’t. Without a king, Terabinia would collapse into chaos and civil war.
But if I save him, I’ll die for certain. And that was ignoring the fact that he had sworn to kill the king eventually anyway.
He was fed up with stupid dilemmas. “To hell with all of it,” said Will angrily. “I’ve done enough for this goddamned nation.” Unstopping the vial, he drank its contents.
A new heat raced through him, and the burning in his legs changed to an intense sensation of electric pain. He cried out as it swept over him, and he felt the bones in his wrist and shoulder seek out their proper places and reunite. Glancing down, he saw his intestines snaking back into him, looking for all the world like parasitic worms racing to feast on his innards. Their movement was accompanied with a wave of nausea.
Once his bones were in place, Will scooted across the floor until he was beside the dying king. His healing was still intensely painful, but every minute counted. Summoning another spare tunic, he cut it into strips. I need to store some damned linen bandages in there, he thought, making a mental note. I keep cutting up perfectly good clothes. Will tightly wrapped the man’s wrist, then tied off the bandage with a quick knot.
“There, maybe you won’t die. Asshole,” he announced faintly. His head felt dizzy, and he knew he was about to pass out. Not yet.
Will summoned two blood-cleanse potions and drank one. He poured the other in Lognion’s mouth and held the man’s mouth and nose shut. “I hope you fucking choke on it.”
The king did choke a little, but he swallowed reflexively, and most of it went down. Will released him and lay back. Damn, that was probably my last chance to get rid of him. Then he closed his eyes and let the darkness take him.
***
When he woke again, he was still in the underground chamber and he could feel someone watching him. With a start, he realized that Lognion had propped himself up near the wall and was staring at him with baleful eyes.
“I see you’re awake finally,” said the king.
“You too, unfortunately,” admitted Will.
Lognion laughed, but he lacked the energy to do it properly. “That’s entirely your fault.” He held up his bandaged wrist. “Does it feel good to be my savior?”
Will closed his eyes. “I was hoping I’d wake up in a soft bed with friends around me. How long have you been waiting just so you could irritate me? Couldn’t you summon someone to get us out?”
“A few hours,” admitted the king. “I thought we should talk first. Have a little father-to-son chat as it were.”
“You aren’t my father.”
“You married Selene.”
“She doesn’t recognize you anymore.”
The king shrugged. “Too bad. I don’t give a damn what she thinks. You have to listen anyway.”
“Just get it over with.” Will sat up. He still felt drained, but he was no longer sleepy, just exhausted. The potion had had to heal a lot.
“I’m disappointed in you. You had your chance to be rid of me.”
Will shrugged. “I thought about it.”
“If you had killed me, Selene would have been crowned queen and you could have ruled by her side. I probably would have given you my blessing—”
“You’d have been dead,” interjected Will.
“In a spiritual sense. I might have felt comfortable leaving it all to someone ruthless enough to save the capital and murder me at the same time. Instead, I find myself mildly disgusted by your weakness.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think about me. Selene can’t come back just because you’re dead. I don’t even know where she is. The kingdom might have fallen into civil war before she returned.”
The king laughed again. “So you sacrificed your dream of freeing the elementals, the other wizards, your family—you sacrificed all that just so the kingdom would be safer? A stronger man might have taken the reins of power regardless of Selene’s absence. You’re powerful, William. You might have managed it.”
“Someday. You’ll be the first to know,” said Will, miming the thrust of a dagger with one hand.
“You might just be the funniest man I’ve ever met. I’ll regret killing you one day.”
“That’s where we’re different.”
“How so?”
Will grinned maliciously. “I’ll be a happy man the day I put an end to you. I won’t regret it at all.”
“Work hard. If you can manage it, I’ll cheer you on from the grave. No one has succeeded yet, though many have tried.”
“Today would have been the day. Just remember that.”
“Never fear, I’ve already got your reward in mind.”
“Which is?”
“The Duchy of Arenata. The current heir is weak. I was planning to eliminate him anyway. The reward fits the deed, and I will gain a mighty vassal in the process,” said the king.
“Piss off. I’m not swearing fealty to you.”
“You’ve already given me more reason to trust you than any of the other vipers who have sworn their oaths. I won’t ask for it.”
Will frowned. “The ceremony will seem rather odd then.”
“I’ll confer the title in private. Decorum will be saved, and you will have a proper rank to merit Selene as your wife.”
“Where’s the catch? You never do anything that doesn’t benefit you.”
“The catch is your conscience. You never do anything that doesn’t benefit the kingdom. So long as that aligns with what benefits me, you will be the finest of servants.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
“Say that in public and I’ll have you flogged to death. Remember that. I’ll tolerate your suicidal remarks only in private.”
Wearily, Will got to his feet and walked over to the king, then held out his hand. Lognion took it, and Will helped him up. When the king staggered, Will slipped the man’s arm over his shoulder. “Come on. Climbing the stairs is going to take forever. If we stay down here any longer, no good will come of it.”