Page 32 of Vengeance of the Gods

The mines. Tolevarre’s electric grid, fueled by the criminals too powerful to kill for their crimes.

Instead of death, they were sentenced to a fate much worse—the rest of their existence tied to the mines, becoming property of Tolevarre. Only kept alive to benefit the world Marlena had built on the ashes of their old ways.

“We shouldn’t be punished alongside those people. The rebels…”

“We have never had to follow the same rules as the territories. Why would we start now?”

Marlena’s nails dug into the railing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the worker behind the camera hesitate, unsure if he should keep the feed rolling or not.

“We’re better than them. We’re like you.” The words sounded like they’d been spoken in slow motion. “Just as important.”

Marlena’s vision blurred at how quickly she spun to face the idiot who’d said that.

A portly man without much hair left leaned against a pillar, looking entirely too comfortable after placing himself in the same category as Marlena Caelum.

There was no hiding the look of disgust the cameras caught and broadcasted for all the realm to see. She’d expected to get pushback, expected the spoiled and powerful people of Stella wouldn’t like being controlled the same way the rest of Tolevarre was.

She hadn’t expected such confidence from a man of his status.

The crowd below her hushed, catching the shift in Marlena’s mood. The air grew colder, but it stood still, not a breeze or a whistle in the distance.

Marlena hadn’t realized she’d stopped the wind from moving, creating an eerie silence the longer she said nothing.

At least he had the decency to look scared. Terrified, even, when Marlena leaned against the railing and glared down at the dumbest man in all of Tolevarre.

Collectively, the crowd seemed to take a deep breath, and no one let it out.

No one breathed.

No one moved.

They all waited.

She felt her lips pull into a smile, and it must have looked genuine, because soft sighs of relief could be heard traveling through the crowd.

Their relief was short-lived.

“Someone’s cocky.” Marlena sneered, her temporary sweet-girl facade fading fast. “To think you”—she motioned at him lazily—“have ever been anything close to me is laughable.” She let herself chuckle, holding her heated annoyance at bay. “But more important?”

Marlena disappeared, stepping through the balcony, into the in-between, and back out the other side. She emerged directly in front of the man, standing nearly half a foot taller than him in her heels.

Sweat dripped down his brow, his head cocked back to look up at Marlena.

“Believing that isn’t confidence. It’s stupidity.” She loved watching this grown man quiver under her stare. It filled Marlena with joy, knowing no one could or would ever hurt her again.

They can’t hurt you.

With a shaky jaw, the man went to say something but gaped at Marlena instead.

“I’m feeling generous,” Marlena purred. “I won’t kill you for insulting me the way you did. I’ll let you live and walk out of here with the reminder of your status below me.” Where he’d stay forever.

He finally found his voice, but it was much meeker than it was the first time. “Oh, Marlena, thank you. You’re⁠—”

“I wasn’t done speaking.” The air tightened inside the square, stealing the good oxygen.

His mouth snapped shut, and Marlena could hear him attempting to swallow his fear. He didn’t dare speak again.

She looked down her nose at him, chin tilted upward.