“Kai’lon, see reason and set the girl down,” Fallione urged. “She has no part in this.”
“She has every part in it.” Kai cradled her head. “We were at peace. She was drawing in her nursery when the alarm sounded.Our people screamed. Fire rained from that woman’s beasts.” His gaze cut into me. “It is her future you’re burning, Sunspear.” He pressed his cheek to her hair, glaring at us with petulant fury. “Have you come to kill those you claimed to love? Those you swore to protect? I see homes engulfed in flames. Innocents butchered. Well, here’s another. Will you take her life too? How far you’ve fallen, Chosen of Elohios.”
“Fallen?” Kallias echoed. “Did you not oversee the men you condemned for treason? Did you hide here as you hide behind Mai? Had you faced me like a man, you would remember why I rule Radaan.” His arm swept toward the window, and I caught the shift in his weight.
Smoke churned past the glass, black clouds rolling thick. Kallias moved with purpose, measuring distance, searching for a way to separate the girl from her unraveling father. Did Ronan know where we were? Could Gyrak break the window and still spare the woman and child?
“You are king because no one dared challenge you!”
“I was challenged by the gods and proven worthy!” The butt of Kallias’ spear cracked against the marble. “Tell me, does Tallon wear the mantle? Which god did he seek? Which god would you trust with the future of your city, the future of your daughter?”
My boots edged closer to the woman. Fallione tracked the movement from the corner of his eye.
“Tallon has already secured peace with Vellos. Something you barely achieved after years of bloodshed!” Kai loosened his hold in his fury as he turned fully toward Kallias, twisting the child aside. “Her future was settled until you came crashing in!”
Please, Gyrak. Distract him.My lips pressed together as the prayer burned silent.
“And how was thispeacewon?” Kallias demanded. “What promises were made? Have you forgotten the sacrifices of your men? The greed of the Velli, their raids along the Craggs? Wefought them for years. Bargained with them. Now, in a handful of days, Tallon claims victory. At what cost, Kai? What will your children pay for your comfort?”
“You call this comfort!?” His shout sent his daughter into sobs. She clawed at the lapel of his coat as she slipped lower. “You just burned my–”
The window exploded in a burst of fire.
Greaves lunged forward, tearing the girl free. Kai released her with a startled cry, doubling over as he glanced back. Gyrak’s claws ripped into the frame, a single paw forcing entry as wood and stone shattered.
The child flew toward me. I caught her against my chest, shoved her into her mother’s arms, then turned in time to see Kai draw his dagger and charge Kallias.
Everything blurred.
Gold flashed. Blood arced through the air, splashing scarlet across my white dress.
His head fell.
“Papa!”
The sound tore through me. I moved before thought could form, stepping between the girl and the slumping body.
“Papa!” She screamed, again and again, thrashing against her mother’s grip.
Horror hollowed the woman’s face, eyes blown wide, whites stark as her fingers dug into her daughter’s arm.
A tiny finger stabbed toward me as Mai wailed.
I stared at the blood staining my dress, stumbling for balance when Gyrak hurled himself from the building with a defiant roar.
Kallias faced me, his piercing gaze shadowed with fury. My mouth hung open, lungs locked, air refusing to come. His nostrils flared, darkness flickering across his face as he straightened.
He just killed a man in front of his daughter.
Chapter Twelve
Kallias
Ash steamed in heaps, scattered among charred beams. A stone arm holding a spear cracked beneath a smoldering rafter, but the statue of Elohios remained intact.
Anger surged up my throat, strangling my breath.
This was the temple of my god—the one who blessed me—and it burned in dragonfire. I caused this by bringing the beasts here. They were meant to protect, to dissuade the Velli from crossing the Craggs, yet instead they decimated this city and the places of worship dedicated to the deities who had always served us.
