I could understand that. Sometimes—even if only for a few seconds—I wished I could turn back time and never know just how Sabium deceived us.
Vicer had already finished his plate, and he leaned back in his seat.
“You’ve seen the people here,” he said. “Seen how much magic they have. Most villagers like us will never visit the city. They’ll live their whole lives firmly believing that the gods only gave them back a tiny sliver of magic. And those who do visit? They’re told the gods gave the city people back more magic for a reason. The people here are simply more worthy.”
If I’d thought I was bitter, it was nothing compared to Vicer’s acerbic tone. And I could understand why. I’d only been here for a few hours. What must it be like for people like Vicer? I didn’t know what kind of power he had, only that it was the kind considered useful. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of villagers had been brought here to be of use to the crown, and I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to continually see just how well people in the city lived. The wealth and power here would be inconceivable to those who had never left our village. If Vicer had tried to tell them about the horseless carriages, most would have laughed.
I took a deep breath. “If hybrids are so powerful, how does the king kill us so easily?”
Vicer leveled me with his hard stare. “It takes three things for magic to grow. Use, time, and training. Raw power is one thing, but hybrids must learn to wield that power.”
A dull fury made my hands shake. We never had a chance to grow our power because wielding it was a death sentence. The king’s great-great-grandfather had ravaged our kingdom. And now Sabium continued the slaughter to cover his crimes.
Vicer’s eyes met mine. “I know you still have your power.”
He hadn’t changed. He still enjoyed keeping people off-balance. I just nodded. “Tibris told me you knew.”
“And yet, even trusting us as he does, your brother refused to ever tell us what power you had. I must admit I’m curious.”
I forced a smile. “Maybe I’ll tell you. But…I need to know if you can help me.”
“You want to get on a ship.”
“No. Well, yes. But not yet. Asinia is a hybrid too. And she was taken.”
Vicer’s expression turned mournful. And that was true grief in his eyes. He’d known Asinia even longer than I had. “I’m sorry to hear that. If she’s been scooped up by the king’s guards, she’ll be in his dungeon.”
I forced my voice to stay steady, even as desperation clawed at me. “I’m getting her out.” And I was counting on Vicer and whatever connections he had to help make that happen.
“We’re getting her out,” my brother said mildly.
“And how do you think you’ll do that?” Vicer’s words dripped with sarcasm.
“My power allows me to stop time for a few moments.”
Margie dropped her cup, staring at me. Then she startled, seeming to come back to herself, and her face reddened. “I’m sorry.” She stepped away to find a cloth, and Vicer studied me.
“You can stop time?”
This was the moment when I had to pretend to be much, much more confident than I really was. Vicer wouldn’t involve himself in my plans if he thought my power was undeveloped. “You want a demonstration?”
His eyes lit up. “Of course.”
I reached for my power, and it jumped into my grasp. Time stopped, and I held it just long enough to get to my feet and take a few steps closer to Vicer.
I released the thread, and everyone else unfroze. Vicer shot to his feet, the blood draining from his face.
“You— I— We—”
Tibris grinned at me. “You’ve done the unthinkable. You’ve managed to make Vicer speechless.”
“Well,” Vicer said, and his entire body bristled with energy, color returning to his cheeks. “This changes some things. I have someone who can get you false work papers. We currently have two people in the castle. They’re attempting to update our intel, help us map the castle, and undermine the king when they can. But none of our people has ever been able to get into the dungeon. You would be the first.”
For the first time since I’d vowed to get Asinia out of the dungeon, hope fluttered its wings in my chest. My body felt oddly light.
“Just how big is this…rebellion?” I asked.
Vicer gave me a cool look. “If you’re serious about getting into the castle, you know I can’t tell you that.”