“Echo follows the old Laws of Hospitality, and you’re my honoured guest. Any wound you suffered, she’ll give herself the same tonight.” I shake my head as a memory haunts me. “You should be thankful she didn’t ask you to strip in the middle of all your soldiers.”
He looks at me, but he doesn’t ask me why I didn’t just refuse her. Some of her missions carried her to Vyla, and he was alive during the time she was most active. He would’ve seen the destruction her squadron left behind.
“I swore to kill her one day,” he says. “And today, she saved my life.” He shakes his head as we land on the floor dedicated to royal guests. “I do hope we can make this work. I would rather have her as an ally than an enemy.”
“As I would with you,” I say as we enter the hall to find his wife.
“Why?” Dravr asks, turning his head to me. “You could have crushed us after you stormed our capital. You could’ve saved yourself today’s trouble.”
“You would’ve fought to your last breath. I have saved more of my people by waving the white.”
“We were weary. We would have given up long before then.”
“But not long enough. I am tired of losing my women to mindless war. You do not even want the throne our fighting started over, and we do not want your lands.”
“My people still want revenge.”
“As do mine, and that is the only reason we still fought. But an eye for an eye leads to nothing but a world full of the blind.”
We reach his rooms. Dozens of guards – both Razians and Vylians stand together outside of it. “Once you see her, pack up your things and my guards will escort you up to my floor. Youwill stay there until we can find out who did this or until you decide to return home.”
He nods his head. “Your hospitality is generous.”
The guards part, allowing him into his rooms. I stay just long enough to make sure he hasn’t found a dead body, then I head up to my own floor. Instead of going straight to my queen’s chambers, I stop at my own.
I could’ve lost her today. She could’ve been hit by the blast. Even if she wasn’t the target, she was too close to me. I could be holding her dead in my arms right now.
My hands shaking, I open my door, leaving my guards outside. I’m burning with too much restless energy. I need to tie her up tonight. I need to know she still wants to be here. With me.
A gentleman would let her go before this world breaks her.
But I am too much of a monster.
Turning on the light, I head into my trashed room – my “talk” with Jace the other night having yet to be sorted.
The door closes behind me on its own with a solidclick.
I spin around, a knife in my hand.
My eyes widen as a short woman smiles at me – manic and full of rage. She raises a hand and knocks on the wood of my door. “Knock, knock,” she coos. “Now be a good boy and ask, ‘Who’s there?’”
Eight
A good brownie never mourns the dead.
It would make funeral orgies really awkward if everyone was crying.
- Arienna
I try to stand from the bed to go after Richard, but my knees buckle as soon as my feet hit the ground. Marrabel stares at me, her golden eyes no longer laughing like they normally do when it’s just us three: me, her, and –
My breath catches on a little giggle, but it feels hollow, fractured,wrong. “Where’s Saragese?”
“She’s at the market, Your Majesty.”
I lurch back to my feet; this time, I stay standing. “We have to go help her. There was a fire. What if it’s spread?” I laugh louder. “And so many people were screaming. They need healing.” I head towards the ensuite to grab the healing wand, but Jace moves in front of me.
“Sit back down, Arienna,” he says, herding me towards the bed.
