Page 72 of Queen of War and Ruin

He grabs my arm again and drags me forward. Another guard rattles the door to Elrick’s room as Zarek and I walk past.

“Open the door,” he yells at the emptiness of the room Elrick shared with Anura.

And the world comes into perfect clarity.

For the first time since the Dragon Mine, I remember blood pouring out of Syvan’s lips, and I feel nothing at all. Syvan was going to kill my husband, the man who loves me.

I’m glad he’s dead.

I hold my head high as the guard leads us down the staircase and into a small reception room with a view of the mountains. The door closes, locking us inside. Through the windows, the sky is the color of old cloth, and weak light spills over the fields outside the palace.

Fields that are now filled with soldiers. Pennants flap lazily in the breeze, the blue and scarlet of Vsenrog mixing with smoke rising from dozens of small fires. Zarek stares through the window, his face a perfect mask. I can almost believe I imagined him trembling in my arms, gasping for breath as I sang prayers above him.

He doesn’t show that to anyone, my mind whispers. It was like seeing him naked.

No, it was more than that.

Light begins to spill across the mountains, catching on the snow-covered peaks and turning them to gold. I stare at the field of soldiers and try to count them, but my eyes blur and the dark figures swim through the dawn.

The door behind us opens with a crash. I jump; Zarek’s hand drops to his dagger.

“Where the fuck is the prince?” the guard who hauled us from our room demands.

I swallow hard. Zarek crosses his arms over his chest.

“I haven’t seen Prince Laurance in days,” Zarek replies.

The guard growls. “Prince Elrick, you dipshit.”

“Elrick is staying just down the hall,” I offer.

“The prince of Marion was given a very nice room,” Zarek continues, in a haughty voice. “Far nicer than ours. I wonder what that says about your attitude toward Vsenrog.”

The guard looks like he’s about to spit on the floor. He curses under his breath, then turns toward the door.

“They don’t know shit,” he barks into the hallway.

The door slams shut behind him. My chest feels tight, and my hands twist at my waist as I stare out the window at the rows of soldiers. I wonder where Elrick is, how far they made it, and how fast they can travel. I wonder how long the king of Ethiria is going to keep us waiting.

I wonder if all of this would have turned out differently if I hadn’t threatened Prince Laurance with my stupid dagger.

And then the door is opened again, this time by a servant who bows low when he faces the hallway.

And King Malrik of Vsenrog steps into the room.

Chapter 38

Zarek

NOT A COUPLE

Panic screams through my body. I hold my head high, keeping my back straight. My death is close, perhaps even in this room, but I can still choose the manner in which I meet it.

And, gods help me, perhaps I can still protect the woman I love.

Malrik nods to the Ethirian guards as he enters the room. They bow back, leaving no doubt as to where their alliance lies. The door closes behind Malrik like a tomb slamming shut. Malrik turns to Lilias, then back to me.

“Well, look at the happy couple,” he finally says, his voice dripping with scorn. “If you’d just let me end it with the unity tour⁠—”