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King Windre’s smile fell on one side, a single eyebrow quirking in a way that made his face look crooked too. “We’ll see. I hope not, for your sake.”
“Can I see my Nymph?” My question was barely even a whisper, but I kept my chin up.
“This is why I think somewhere inside there is a good guy.” His hands clapped loudly together. “She may be allowed to visit at her own will when she is up to it.”
His cloth shoe-looking slippers spun in the dirt as he turned away and disappeared up the stairs. Silence echoed around me. The ringing sound of silence surrounded me in an uncomfortable blanket.
All my life, I had clung to my gut feelings. Now my gut was muddled and confused. This wasn’t my war; I wasn’t here to help or to imprison Nymphs. My mission was Randsin and to destroy the token. I shouldn’t have any feelings of loyalty to the fucking princess of the Obtune Court. I shouldn’t be worried about Red.
“Focus on Tierasia, Milo,” I said to myself.
Power pulled my spine taut like I was nothing more than a puppet on a string. The all-consuming call of my queen set me aflame. I ground my teeth together, ready to admit defeat, ready for my queen to put a price on my head. All the torture devices on the wall glowed crimson. The image of her face appeared in all of them in some way, until together they made up a single image of her face.
“Well, that doesn’t look good,” she chuckled.
“I’ll get out of it soon enough,” I groaned, trying to wipe any dirt away from my face and look presentable.
“It’s too late for that. I’m sending Barthalow.”
I sucked in a breath, knowing what was coming. Stylica didn’t know it yet, but a butcher was about to walk through their lands, cutting down anyone in his path, and I was likely to be tossed aside like an old, used toy.
“But,” Atarah said, holding a finger up, “I’m making deals today. I’m feeling generous.”
“Thank you, my Queen.” I bowed my head. Anticipation built in the following silence as she watched me.
“I will grant you what you want most, Milo. If, and only if, you get that token before Barthalow.”
“And what do you think I want the most?”To be rid of you.The thought crossed my mind and I prayed it didn’t show on my face. I wanted Tierasia to have the rightful king on the throne. I wanted the myths of his survival to be true and I wanted Atarah tried for her crimes against the kingdom.
“Freedom.” She hissed the word, and it stung me directly in my chest, ringing through the blood oath like a promise. “I’ll end your oath. No sacrifice will be needed.”
It had never been spoken before that she could end it at her will. Everyone knew that for the oath to be broken you had to give up the closest being to your heart.
“You’re lying,” I stuttered. “It can only be broken one way.”
“I never lied.” She fanned herself. “I merely omitted part of the truth. The oath can be broken both ways. Either by sacrifice or by my will. Do we have a deal?”
I was still here. I was so close to the token already, but if she had it she had a chance at all of the power that could destroy everything. However, if I was free I could leave. For once Queen Atarah wouldn’t have to be my problem. I didn’t have to stick around to feel the need to free all of Tierasia. I could just free myself.
“It’s a deal.”
No sooner did the words leave my mouth than Queen Atarah’s wicked grin grew before her image melted away. The emptiness of the room felt heavy on me. I leaned back and laid down on the ground, tucking my hands under my head. The ceiling was carved stone and not much to look at, giving me mental space to focus my racing thoughts.
I didn’t know if King Windre was telling the truth, I didn’t know if he was a good guy. What I did know is that I wanted to be free. Since I had arrived, I was only trying to stop myself from getting the token, to fight the urges that welled from the oath. Now with independence in my foreseeable future, I was going to change everything.
And no one here needed to know that.
Leaving Ryker was the hardest part. Now that I had her, I didn’t want to spend a second without her. She had finally fallen asleep after talking for hours. I knew I was losing my own chance at rest but didn’t care. I’d just have to be tired in my meetings tomorrow. It was worth it to hear stories about her childhood and the smallest good memories she had here in the Heathern Court with Daethian. I’d listen to her talk forever if I could.
Carefully, I brushed the slightest bit of hair from her face and listened to her heart beat slow and steady. My lips brushed her cheek, a final kiss before I left, but I dared not wake her up. The slight bruising on her neck was starting to fade already; it would be nearly gone, if not completely, by morning. If Daethian wasn’t her best friend I would be hunting him down and ripping him to shreds right now.
Instead, I focused on my magic. I focused on the Twinity Court. The power covered me, taking me over miles of land in the briefest of moments.
The crisp, copper tang of blood greeted me. Both eyes snapped open and the hairs on my arms stood on end. Bent limbs and bloody bodies lay scattered about.
Blue armored men were face first in the fresh snow, white already covered their backs as it continued to fall. Just as in my dream, large red puddles had oozed out around everybody. Sprinkles of blood dotted the snow farther away.
Ice crunched under my boots as I spun, taking everything in. “No, no, no,” I whispered to myself. Men were slumped over in death, leaning against walls or folded over the high walls that surrounded our castle. Panic, worse than the fear I remembered in my dream, welled inside of me. The witch was as silent as she was deadly, and she had left the castle completely unprotected as she took out every perimeter guard.
