Kael gives a small nod, accepting her words in earnest. But his heart thuds to a different tune, and asks the question:will he?
The Decay flickers to life deep in the pit of himself. He doesn’t knowhowhe knows, but he is certain the Decay is laughing.Mocking him.
He pushes it down. “I will come back to you,” he vows, but the words taste wrong. Like he’s not the one in charge of making such promises. Like he realizes love and certainty are not the same thing.
Elyssara draws back, smiling at him.
“Then it is settled,” she announces. “We take back Dravara’s history tonight.”
Dravara’s history. Her kingdom. Her throne. Her people. Memories of it all.
That’s what tonight offers—a chance to remember the history of a kingdom, a royal lineage wiped from memory, a once-great nation given an opportunity to rise.To rebel.
Kael clears his throat. “Maireth is known for her elaborate performances and displays at events such as these. We wait for a distraction, and we slip into the halls.”
Elyssara nods once, her mind cataloging the moving parts, organizing it into neat, orderly plans. “I don’t suppose Laryn or Rhaema got us a map of the castle?” she says, sucking her teeth.
Kael flashes her an easy smile, “Where would the fun be in knowing exactly where to go, El?”
Fuck. He knows they need it, but he doesn’t want her faltering.
Her shoulders sag at the blow, but she rolls her eyes. “You’ve been spending too much time with Ronyn.”
Kael chuckles richly. “Not knowing anything is kind of our thing, El. You should know that better than anyone.”
She swats at his arm playfully, a soft sigh slipping from her throat.
Her head tips back in surrender, her cascading auburn waves falling to her waist.
And gods, she’s beautiful.
The sight of her bare and surrendered would send any man to his knees.
“We definitely keep proving that it’s our thing, don’t we?” she says, a playful edge to her tone.
But the tender exchange doesn’t last, it trails off, leading into a silence so absolute it’s deafening.
Kael lets it occupy the space so wholly, he almost chokes on it.
Then he cuts through the silence with the only words he has left to say. The only words he can say to prepare her for what she’s stepping into.
“You don’t know her, El,” Kael says, the words rumbling through his chest like a warning. “She’s fucking brutal, cruel, clever. My father could never best her, so he submitted. Kept on peaceful terms, supplied aid when necessary. Anything to evade her wrath. She is the kind of creature even monsters step aside for.”
But Elyssara doesn’t flinch. She stares him down, all steel and savagery. “And you, Kael? Will you step aside?”
He grunts a sadistic laugh. “I’ve been a monster my whole life, my love. I’m not about to stop now.”
The Light at her chest flares, washing the space in a soft, golden hue. “Then we have that in common. If Dravara needs a monster to be remembered, then I’ll become the kind monsters fear too.”
There’s fire in her eyes. Resolve he doesn’t want to test. Because if Elyssara knew what Maireth did to her people…
If she knew she sterilized the women on the Outside to breed out “weakness”, threwComply or Dieparties to watch insubordination punished by dehydration and sun-sickness in the desert instead, would her resolve falter?
He doesn’t want to know. So he lets the fire in her eyes ignite. Lets her focus on the plan.
“We need costumes,” he says, standing up and offering her his hand.
She grips it, standing before him. Her lean, tall build only reaching his shoulder. “I already know what I want.”
