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He grunted in confirmation as he pulled his sword from its sheath. “I need to make sure you’ll be safe here.” He disappeared around the corner.
I tried to ignore the noises that still sounded from behind me, ignore the fact that they were the undeniable echoes of footsteps, thatsomeonewas coming, though they were still far away. The stone wall was cool against my back, but the blisters on my hand still ached and my head spun in every direction with questions.
Who shot the arrow at Kauvras? Did it kill him? Where was Castemont? Where was Calomyr —Belin?Where the fuck was Ludovicus? What answers had Miles been after? Where were we going and why? What would people expect from me? To be their ruler? I didn’t know the first thing about leading people, let alone a realm.
The questions could’ve gone on forever.
I braced myself as footsteps approached from around the corner, Miles’ imposing silhouette interrupting the daylight. “Every single soldier here is loyal to you, Petra.”
My breath caught, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of what he said or the way his voice wrapped around my name.
“This is the Oxblood Outpost. We’re at the base of the Iron Rise.” He started for the light, waiting for me to follow him. When he realized I wasn’t, he turned back to see the confusion plastered on my face. “The Iron Rise is the highest peak of the Rhedrosian Mountain Range.”
I fought to keep my eyes from widening at the name. “Rhedros,” I said flatly, not a question nor a statement.
“His passage to Hell,” Miles muttered, staring hard from behind that Saints damned mask. “What Castemont said,” he mumbled quietly, stepping toward me. I panicked. Did he know what Castemont told me about my father? “Was it true? He said he pulled you from…” He trailed off for a moment as if he were considering speaking at all. “A shit hole?”
Okay. Not about Rhedros. “Yes.”
“And he said your education was lacking.”
My stare bored into the mask as I spat through my teeth. “Yes.”
“My education was shit, too.”
I didn’t appreciate his pathetic attempt at whatever he was trying to do… Soothe me? Relate to me? This hot and cold was exhausting. “Okay,and?”
He took a small step back as if the venom of my words had stung him. “I only ask because it sounds like you’ve never even heard of the Rhedrosian Mountains.”
“What reason would I have had to know they existed?”
“Because the Iron Rise is where Rhedros is said to enter and leave Hell. You know, the lore of the Saints.” I looked at him with a raised brow. “You’ll see.” He started walking for the light. I fought the dread that rose in my gut, the urge to run.
The tunnel grew brighter as we took the last few steps, the world yawning open as we turned the corner. I blinked rapidly, the white-yellow light of what appeared to be the late afternoon sun stinging my eyes. There were a few small stairs up, and I ignored Miles’ outstretched hand as I clumsily ascended them.
Figures began to take shape around me as I spun in place, trying to make sense of my surroundings. A few small structures stood on the patch of even ground, the dirt packed and solid. I could feel the mountain looming above me before I saw it, and even though the sun illuminated its side, what rippled off it was dark and heavy. Thin wisps of black smoke rose from the mountaintop in an angry column, as if the mountain itself burned low and slow from the inside.
“Petra,” Miles’ voice rasped.
I spun to see three dozen soldiers, all in the distinct black armor of Cabillia, all lowered to a knee, a fist across each of their chests. None wore masks, their words clear as they began to chant, “Daughter of Katia.” Over and over and over again.
I continued turning, assessing these new surroundings, and that’s when I saw it.
It looked like someone had simply taken a brush and painted a massive swath of violet across the ground at the foot of Taitha. The fields of leechthorn pulsed like they had their own heartbeat, moved in the breeze like the waters of Pellucid Harbor.
My eyes moved from the bottom of the small cliff we stood atop of, across the fields that had been obscured from view when we walked into the city yesterday. The soldiers behind me still chanted, the noise becoming a hum in the back of my mind. The fields were mesmerizing, so much so that I almost hadn’t noticed what loomed above them.
Taitha wasburning.
Massive plumes of thick black smoke barrelled to the sky — the same color that billowed from the Iron Rise. Crimson flames ate away at the towers of the castle. My heart lurched in my chest at the thought of Calomyr — Belin — still in there. Solise. Ma. And I realized that the men behind me, the men pledging their loyalty to me, probably had families within those burning walls too, and I was ultimately the reason it was on fire.
Emotions welled in my chest. “Get up,” I snapped, taken aback by my own tone, overwhelmed with, well, everything. The soldiers didn’t blink before rising, standing straight backed as the mountain that soared above them. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, scrubbing my face with my hands. They were silent, patiently watching. Waiting.
Miles leaned in close to me. “They’re waiting for you to say something.”
I pinned him with my stare, the feelings brewing inside me close to boiling over, a confusing and terrifying mix of emotions. I was no longer flooded with conviction as I had been walking down the aisle. Now I felt small, the guilt pushing down on me making me feel even smaller. I took a step forward, closer to the men who were now loyal tome.“Um, hello,” I said, far too quietly.Get a fucking grip.“Just Petra is fine. Please.”
I did my best to avoid eye contact as I shifted from one foot to another, the stupid fucking wedding gown suddenly feeling like it was made entirely of lead. “I… I didn’t know I was the Daughter of Katia. Not until yesterday. Never even knew that Katia had a daughter.” I let out a choked laugh and rubbed my jaw, staring at the ground, the reality of the last few days, the last fewyearsslamming into me full force. “I’m sorry,” I whispered again. No one moved. “I’m sorry your city is burning because of me.”
