I set my hands on my hips. “Immortal doesn’t mean they can’t die, Seth. If that were true, the entire foundation of our faith would crumble. Valtheron, Gaelric, and Lysia? They were all immortal gods, and they died at the end of the Third Age, saving us all.”
A murmur rippled through the gathering.
“You’ll wait until you’re addressed, Seren. Unrestricted commentary makes for chaotic council meetings.” But he couldn’t ignore my point. “For an immortal to die, it usually involves being killed by a god or a weapon of the gods.”
“Or decapitation and dark magic,” Olivia said from the council’s seats. Her tone was clipped, but the fact that she’d spoken up at all made me hopeful. She wasn’t on my side—but she wasn’t entirely on Seth’s either.
Seth cast her a withering glance before turning back to Rykr. “Did you use any of those means to kill this vuk? Because that would be relevant.”
“No.” Rykr’s arrogance dripped, cold and flat.
What in Solric’s name was Rykr playing at? He had to know this wouldn’t help.
“So, you entered Viori territory for sport?”
“How is this Viori territory? You have no lawful claim to these lands. The Dreadwood belongs to Lirien and is forbidden to all.”
I gritted my teeth, wishing I could stop Rykr from saying anything else that might turn the council against him.
Seth smirked, delighted by the resistance. The more Rykr showed loyalty to Lirien, the easier Seth’s job would be. “The treaty of King Anders granted these lands to our people.”
Shockingly, Rykr laughed in his face. “The treaty makes no such provision. It prohibits Lirien citizens from occupying the Dreadwood. King Anders wanted to protect Liriens from deadly creatures like skinwraiths and wyverns and, after forcing the monsters into the Dreadwood, he warded the border to keep them out. That’s all.”
Shit. I tensed.
Seth glowered at Rykr. “You dare call me a liar?”
Don’t play into his hands. Stop.
Rykr’s eyes swept the council with calculated detachment, and he shrugged. “Just ignorant. You clearly haven’t read the treaty.” A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “I have.”
Seth lunged. As his hand grasped Rykr’s throat, my blade pressed into the vulnerable spot at Seth’s waist.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
“Get away, Seth,” I snapped.
“I’m merely reminding this Lirien of his place. Which, to begin with, isn’t as a member of our tribe.”
Rykr didn’t flinch. Didn’t back away. He looked Seth coolly in the eye. “I think my wife would say otherwise.”
Shivers went down my spine.
The casualness with which Rykr said it—so firm, so certain—sent startling heat through me.
Seth’s eyes bored into mine. Maybe I didn’t understand Rykr’s motivations, but I still felt some small triumph at knowing he’d allied himself with me.
“Your wife.” A cruel smile came to Seth’s lips, and he lowered his hand. “Then may you have a long and happy marriage. Considering that her appetite led her to our enemies, that might not be possible. She always was hard to keep satisfied.”
My fist slammed into Seth’s face before I could stop myself. The impact snapped his head back, blood gushing from his nose. Humiliation seared through me. Fucking asshole.
And even though my friendship with Darya had completely withered, I still felt bad that he’d said that in her presence, too.
A firm set of hands gripped the waistband of my pants, dragging me back. Rykr’s breath was warm on my neck. “I don’t like being tied to anyone, least of all someone who dragged me into a fight I didn’t ask for,” he said in a low voice. “But if I’m stuck here, I’m not going down so easily—and neither are you. One of us needs to prove he’s abusing his power, and this won’t help.”
My left hand throbbed—I’d punched Seth with it thanks to the dagger in my right—and I scowled as I shook it out. Was that what all this arrogance was? Strategy?
“If you had a plan, maybe you should have discussed it with me earlier,” I hissed.
