The Lost Knight (Volume III) The Lost World

Chapter 35: The Truth

My heart races with excitement until I remember his betrayal, and then it cramps up. I'm desperate to see Jonah and hear his side. I want him to explain how all this could sound like a lie but isn't. I want him to tell me that he's told the truth this entire time. Of course, that would be a lie. But maybe that one lie would be okay. I want to go back to my friends and forget.

The red light appears again. I take a deep breath and force myself to look at him. Jonah pulls his hood over his eyes again, and the light goes out, but I can still see his shadow flattened against the far wall. He brings his finger to his face, signaling me to be quiet.

His behavior is strange until I remember that he's on enemy turf. Even though I'm not in danger, there is still a war going on. I may be angry with him, but I don't want him hurt. I'm mad that he'd put himself in danger. Didn't he trust me to return to Cromsmead? Did he truly believe I would hear the truth and leave without ever giving him the benefit of explaining himself? His lack of faith wounds me, and that makes me angry.

I follow him to the tack room in the middle of the stable. By the time I enter, he's already three-dimensional and waiting with wide, sad eyes pinned on me. I want to give him the cold shoulder, but as soon as he opens his arms, I jump in them. I love these hugs, and I love Jonah. I missed him. The pain of his betrayal makes me cry. It's unfair that the person I want most to comfort me is the person who hurt me the most.

I want to ask a million questions, the first being how'd he get here? Has he been waiting for me? How'd he know I'd be here? Has he been tracking me this entire time?

"Are you alright?" he whispers to the top of my head. The fear and concern in his voice are unmistakable.

Guilt for not returning to Cromsmead and letting everyone know that I was okay crushes me. Then I remember why I didn't go back. All of my questions almost jump from my mouth, but I won't ask them because I don't want to give him the opportunity to lie to me.

"Yes," I answer curtly, breaking our embrace and pushing him away.

"Were you harmed?"

I want to be short with him, but he's worried, so I mumble a terse response. "I broke my wrist. And a few ribs. Got a nasty cut above my eye, and the whole back of me was black and blue. Oh, and I sliced open my knees."

His eyes go completely round. Why do I feel bad that he feels bad? I shouldn't have even been there or seen the Liisoole or been told all that stuff he lied about. I press my lips together.

"You looked healed. Are you better?" He pauses and adds, "How did you get here? Are you planning on staying?"

He gets a glare for that. He's trying to draw me out by asking multiple questions. I decide to answer his question with a question.

"Did everyone make it home?"

His eyes narrow to slits. I don't know what that means. "Yes, everyone is safe."

I shrug. "So Stratagor Ziras is not the liar."

That makes his eyes go wide with surprise, and I almost laugh. Almost. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact the Jonah is the liar, and Stratagor Ziras is the honest one. It's like my brain is being slammed in a car door. I hope it's a tumor or something that's cut off my ability to understand things, and Jonah's exactly who I thought he was. But I know that's not true. I know who Jonah is now.

His eyes go back to round and sad. "Agatha," he whispers. "This is one of the few rooms I found that isn't under surveillance. We don't have a lot of time. They'll send Detti to retrieve you if you're gone too long."