“It won’t.”
Kost waved away my response. “Certainly not all would join our cause, but every person who comes to our side is one less soldier on Varek’s side.”
“No.” My hands fisted by my side. “I don’t want to rule.”
And that is why you must.
The ghost of Oslo’s words rumbled through my mind. He’d said that very thing to me when I’d first rebelled against the thought of ruling. He’d judged me and deemed me worthy, all in the span of a breath. I still didn’t understand how he came to that conclusion. How, after everything I’d done, the mages—the gods—believed I belonged on the throne.
You two can rewrite history.
My gaze snapped to Leena. Maybe it wasn’t me after all. Maybe it was her they wanted.
She grabbed my hands. “I’m asking Charmers to risk everything to stand against Yazmin. I’m their leader now. And you, myanam-cara, have a voice, too.” With pleading eyes, she gave me a gentle squeeze. “Please. Please help them. Please do whatever you can.”
Her words tugged at me. Choosing to rule after I’d willingly abandoned my title and my country… I didn’t belong on the throne. But she did. Some of the tension that had gathered in my shoulders softened as I threaded my fingers with hers. She was strong. Determined. Caring. The compassion she showed for her people, the will she had to protect them… My former kingdom deserved a ruler like her. I needn’t be anything more than a figurehead. All I had to do was support her, offer advice, and teach her Wilheimian customs.
Gently, I brushed a thumb along her jaw. “One condition.”
Her smile stretched wide. “Anything.”
“Take the throne with me.” My chest tightened. Yes, she was my pair bond. Myanam-cara. She would always be those things—and that was enough for me. But our country needed a queen. I wanted the people of Wilheim to hear her thoughts and her opinions, always. I wanted her to look at the capital and find ways to repair it, just like she was doing with the Charmers and Hireath. And I wanted Wilheimians to look to her with the same authority as they would to me.
Cupping my face in her hands, she laughed. “Did you think I’d let you marry someone else?”
Sweeping her into my arms, I slanted my lips across hers. I’d never thought much about proposing, not even when my father chastised me to find someone suitable. I wasn’t sure how I would’ve asked for her hand if circumstances had been different, if we’d had more time. It hardly mattered when she’d already bestowed the title ofanam-caraon me. But I knew I would’ve given her the world if that’s what she wanted. I still would.
Calem coughed. “Now thatthat’sout of the way…”
I broke my kiss with Leena to glance at him over the top of her head. “We need to get to Tyrus’s and Yuna’s burial sites. After that, I can address Wilheim as the rightful heir and ask them to produce Yazmin and avoid conflict altogether.”
“And if they don’t fall in line?” Ozias asked. “It’s been years. And you said it yourself, you weren’t exactly well liked before you died.”
“Leena’s right. I have to try.”
Leena wrapped an arm around my waist and leaned into me. “We’ll figure something out, but at least we can start with this.”
Warmth filled my limbs, and I hugged Leena tighter. There was no telling if her plan would pan out. But I believed in Leena, in the good she could offer. And it wasn’t just me. My family—Kost, Calem, Ozias—believed in her. The Charmers. The gods. She was already a pillar of strength, of security, for so many. If anyone could take down Varek and Yazmin, it was Leena.
And I’d be right there with her, every step of the way.
“But first,” she said, “we need to move everyone to Hireath.”
“I can help with that.”
Gaige waited on the stairs, his arms draped over the wrought-iron railing. How long had he been there? The shadows typically masked our movements, but new recruits rarely wielded them well enough from the start to deafen their footsteps. Yet there he stood. He’d bathed and dressed in fresh clothes, but something about the ebony attire felt wrong on him. Stiff. He’d rolled the sleeves of his tunic up over his forearms, exposing a gray filigree pattern on the cuffs. Leather gloves hid his hands—and his mark.
Leena spied this, too, and she winced. “Gaige. I’m glad you’re okay.”
“‘Okay’ is a relative term, but I’m here.”
Kost stilled and looked away. “Good.”
Gaige remained impassive. “I’ll escort the assassins to Hireath. It sounds like you have places to be.”
“I’ll assist you,” Kost said.
“That’s not necessary.” A flicker of emotion raced through Gaige’s expression, but it was gone in an instant.
