Regal stiffened in his chair. The man holding me tensed. I leaned in his arms, forcing him to support my weight.
“Serene and Justin did it, but you ordered it,” I said quietly. Regal came to his feet.
“But not before we had Skilled to Verity.” I made my voice louder. The effort broke sweat on me. “Verity’s alive, and he knows everything.” Regal was coming at me, with Will right behind him. I swung my gaze to Will, put threat in my voice. “He knows about you, too, Will. He knows it all.”
The guard held me as Regal backhanded me. Once. Another slap, and I felt the swollen skin of my face split under the impact. Regal drew his fist back. I set myself to take it, pushed away all pain, centered myself, got ready.
“Look out!” Will yelled, and sprang to knock Regal aside.
I had wanted it too badly, he had Skilled what I intended to do. As Regal swung I jerked free of my guard, slipped aside from Regal’s blow, then stepped in. With one hand I seized the back of Regal’s neck, to pull his face toward my other hand that gripped the now crushed paper of powder. My intent had been to rub it into his nose and mouth, to hope against hope he’d get enough of it to kill him.
Will spoiled it all. My swollen fingers would not close on Regal’s neck. Will snatched Regal from my wooden grasp, swung him sideways away from me. As Will’s shoulder collided with my chest I reached for his face instead, ground the torn paper and fine white powder into his nose and mouth and eyes. Most of it floated up in a fine cloud between us. I saw him gasp at the bitterness and then we were down, both of us, under a wave of Regal’s guards.