Avery pulled herself to her feet, watching us with wide, disbelieving eyes.
“I just wanted to love freely.” Idina’s words were hoarse, barely above a whisper.
A wicked grin crept up my face. “Always such a liar. You wantedpower. You wanted to take back what was ripped from you by males your entire life, and in turn, did just that to another female—one whose birthright was that power. To rule over the realm and protectallof its creatures. You never protected anyone but yourself.”
Tears slipped from her lower lashes then, but nothing but pure fury-filled hate lingered in her stare as she watched me, trapped between the wall and my blade.
Her gaze moved to Avery. “Why?” she croaked out. “You support her and her claim, yet I am your mother.”
For a moment, I felt awful that my sister had to see this—until she spoke.
Avery’s eyes darted back and forth between me and Idina. “And she is my sister,” she answered. “And Jameson was my father. I share just as much blood with them as I do with you. You took my father away from not only us and your other children, but the Kingdom of Velyra.”
My heart was ready to burst as I listened to her condemn her own mother in my honor.
“This is what you deserve,” she whispered ruthlessly.
My eyes locked with Avery’s then, and she gave me a subtle dip of her chin.
Another plea of terror was working its way through the queen, but never had time to escape her as I lodged the blade in her throat. Her eyes flared before they turned lifeless as I held her in my grasp, her blood pouring down her front. Once I released her, I sent her body tumbling down the steps of the dais, leaving a trail of crimson behind her.
The only sounds now were mine and Avery’s labored breathing, and my stare slowly lifted to hers as it filled with tears, slipping down her cheeks.
“I thought they were going to kill you,” she whispered.
“Me too.” I gave her a soft, tight-lipped smile.
A moment later, we lunged at one another in tandem, crashing into each other’s open arms, and tightened our embrace. We hugged each other so firmly I thoughtour bones would snap.
The day began with so many unknowns, one of them being that I wasn’t sure I would ever see my sister again, and I was thankful to Terra and every wretched god above that wasn’t the case.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
She pulled back from me then. “For what? You just saved me.”
“Everything. For this.” I gestured to Idina’s body. “And for accusing you of keeping the nature of my mother’s death from me—I regretted it the moment it left my lips. I know you would never do that, and you didn’t deserve what I did and said following it. I’m just so sorry, and since you were taken, I didn’t know if I would ever get the chance to tell you that. It’s been killing me.” The last words left me in a whisper.
She smiled at me softly. “Lia, you were forgiven the moment it happened. I knew your anger was misplaced. I can’t even fathom how you’ve dealt with everything. Let it go down in history as our first sister fight.”
A snort left me at that.
My eyes then roamed over her body—her dress was covered in onyx gore, while her skin was littered with bleeding cuts and bruises. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she breathed. “Gage? Is he alright?”
My lips pressed together in a thin line. “I’m not sure. We have to go out there and help the others,” I said.
I took her hand in mine and guided her towards the throne room doors, picking up my sword that I had lost when Azenna first attacked me and sheathed it on my hip as we left her mother’s body behind.
“Jace,” I breathed down the bond, praying to the gods that he was okay, but I felt him there—his heart beating rapidly.
“Lia!” His scream echoed through my mind, and my pace quickened, feeling the sense of urgency in his tone.
“I’m okay, and I’m coming to find you.”
His sight took over my own, and the castle walls morphed into a hazy battlefield, where males and men raged on in their fight for victory, but they weren’t alone. Centaurs, giants, and countless other creatures of the forest were sprawled throughout the battlefield, aiding the mortals in their fight for survival.
My steps faltered and a booming laugh left me, stunning Avery, whose stride halted with mine.
