AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tendo muttered a string of curses under his breath. “How did you convince Cassia to stay?”
“She changed her mind because she realized she could have a better life with me than as the Queen of Tenebra.”
“She chose you in the end. That made forgiveness rather easy, didn’t it?”
“I’m the forgiving sort. I don’t judge you for not being so, Tendo. But there’s something you should know. Something Cassia and I learned from the Empress.”
Tendo’s eagle eyes sharpened on Lio. “Is a Hesperine ambassador about to tell a Sandira prince a state secret that the Empress has not authorized him to reveal?”
“Of course not. We’re simply a couple of former mercenary comrades drinking at the arena. I’m sure the Empress does not concern herself with what Sunshine and Monsoon of the Ashes say to one another when commiserating about women.”
“That’s camel shit, but let’s try to add as much authenticity to it as we can.” Tendo pulled out his flask and took a swig before handing it to Lio.
Lio braced himself and sipped. His Hesperines senses screamed at the strong spirits. “Bleeding thorns.”
Tendo laughed. “That’s the good stuff—ora from the Sandira Kingdom.”
Lio handed it back to Tendo. He would need it. “Cassia is not the Empress’s preferred candidate for the throne of Tenebra.”
Tendo said nothing for an instant, then, “Oh, gods.” He tossed back the flask.
“Solia doesn’t know,” Lio continued. “The Empress is about to tear away the goal she has lived for all these years, her grand cause of putting Cassia on the throne.”
“And she’ll put Solia on the throne instead.”
“Unless Solia refuses.”
“Why in Zalele’s name would she refuse?”
“Give her a reason to, Tendo.”
The shifter’s laugh was bitter. “She didn’t choose me over her royal duty to Tenebra, remember?”
“That was for Cassia’s sake. Solia never wanted a throne for herself. This is your chance to show her she could have a different life. With you.”
“I told you once before. There is no changing her course once she has set it.”
“Did you give her a chance to change course tonight? Did you ask her one more time to choose you?”
“We didn’t get that far.” Solia slammed a fist into the face of a cotton practice dummy, and sawdust puffed into the air.
“Tendo didn’t suggest you two try again?” Cassia asked gently.
With her other hand, Solia punched the dummy in the gut. “Not after I told him the truth.”
After finding her guest room deserted, Cassia had come looking for her sister in the Golden Shield barracks without much hope of being admitted into their private compound. To her surprise, the guards had waved her through as a family member and even allowed her to bring Knight. Now here they were in a tidy courtyard, watching her sister beat her undeserving target to a pulp.
Solia was back in the golden cotton wrap the guards wore under their armor. She landed punch after punch, utterly focused on the vaguely human-shaped dummy. Until it suddenly burst into flames.
Solia swore and whirled away from it, her fists aflame. Knight’s hackles rose, and he stood on alert in front of Cassia, his ears tilted in confusion.
“Hama,” Cassia soothed him.
Solia lifted her hands slowly and backed away.
“Toaa.” Cassia stroked Knight’s head until he sat down beside her, though he was poised to leap up again at any moment.
Solia wrapped one hand around her other fist, shutting her eyes. But the fire didn’t douse. It climbed up her arms.
