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No one dared stand up against Rhazien in this place.
I couldn’t just let this happen. Hoping to glimpse rebels among the sea of faces, I searched the throng, ready to step in and save these people. I couldn’t just watch as they killed the poor quivering slaves.
There. Gavril stood in the crowd, a hood covering his distinctive horns.
Thank Ydonja, they were here. My heart leapt with joy at the sight of him, but it was short-lived as he shook his head, warning me not to interfere. My mouth fell open and his features twisted into regret. I couldn’t catch my breath, my chest tight as my body reacted to something my mind refused to process. Roza stood beside him, tears running down her face as she silently watched the woman calling for mercy from the platform.
I wanted to cry too, to rail against this injustice, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. Nothing I said would stop this terrible act from taking place today; nothing could save these people now that they’d been caught in Rhazien’s cruel trap.
But even if we couldn’t save them today, I could still kill him and put an end to this vicious cycle of violence and oppression once and for all. My resolve hardened. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would stop me from killing this monster. I didn’t care how I had to debase myself, as long as it ended with him dead at my feet.
As Rhazien made his way to the stage, my attention was drawn to Theron, who was being summoned by the ruthless governor himself.
“Oh shit,” Raenisa murmured, “This is bad.”
Herrath’s hands gripped the railing beside me, his thin fingers like white tarantulas as he squeezed. A chill ran down my spine as Theron walked up to the execution block. What did Rhazien want with him?
As I watched in confusion, Rhazien approached Theron and whispered something in his ear. The words were too quiet for me to hear, but the way Theron’s expression changed made it clear that whatever was said was not good.
My heart pounded in my chest as Rhazien turned to the crowd.
“Loyal subjects of our benevolent emperor,” Rhazien began in a loud, clear voice. “Today, you bear witness to a demonstration of loyalty to our beloved Empire. Those who serve and obey shall be rewarded for their loyalty; those who betray us shall find themselves at the mercy of my justice.” He paused, letting his words sink in as every eye in the crowd trained on him.
“Those who choose to go against me are few,” he continued. “But they suffer unimaginable consequences. Betrayal is an unforgivable crime, and those foolish enough to attempt it will face a fate worse than death.”
Rhazien’s menacing stare swept across the crowd before landing on select faces on the viewing platform, his competitors as the emperor’s heir, no doubt. A tremor ran through my body, the gravity of his warning pressing down on me.
Theron stepped back, a look of grim resignation on his face. He met my gaze briefly before turning away from me as if he couldn’t bear to look at me anymore as his brother handed him an ax.
Chapter 15
Theron
Iheldtheax,its weight heavy in my hands, and looked down at the three slaves before me. They were dirty and ragged, their eyes filled with fear and hate. These weren’t the rebels I’d caught. They were innocent.
Rhazien was forcing me to do this. Wanted me to execute these slaves in front of a sea of their peers as a show for the emperor. But not as an example of how he inspires terror in the populace. Nothing as simple as that. No, this was Rhazien showing Varzorn how he scaresme. How he controlsme. Stripping away the authority I’d won on the colosseum sands when I’d defeated him. What was one battle when the true test of power was forcing someone to do what you wanted? The other potential heirs watched, their expressions shrouded, knowing that it was just another way for Rhazien to torture me and illustrate his might.
I looked up at the platform, hoping to find some shred of comfort in the faces of my harvestmen, but all I saw was her. Kael, standing in the back with her white hair blowing in the wind. Her expression was unreadable as she watched me, just as she had stared down at me when I fought in the colosseum.
I closed my eyes, sending a prayer up to Atar, and took a deep breath before bringing the ax down quickly, putting each of the slaves out of their misery in one swift motion. It was a mercy that they would not suffer drawn-out torture and death at Rhazien’s hands—I’d seen him make an entire day of it, painting himself red with blood in the blistering sun—but it still felt like an act of betrayal. The slaves’ families wept as their loved ones were taken away forever; their cries echoed like ghosts through the air.
Rhazien’s smirk was palpable from across the square as he savored his victory over me once again. Staring straight ahead, refusing to look at him or anyone else in the crowd, a roar filled my ears as I stepped down from the execution block, ignoring how a head rolled into the sand with a sickening thud.
My body was numb as I forced myself to walk to the viewing platform, my shoulders back as if unaffected. All this because Rhazien wanted to prove his dominance over me? I’d learned long ago that my family was made of senseless cruelty and blind ambition and there’d be no escape from them. But this was... it was the Fall of Caurium all over again.
Rhazien stood with his arms crossed, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips as he looked down at me. “You see, your majesty,” he said, gesturing to the emperor, “loyalty is everything. Without it, a man is nothing.” He turned his attention to me, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Wouldn’t you agree, Theron?”
I clenched my jaw, gripping my fists at my sides. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to show our Varzorn that I was weak and that I lacked the loyalty necessary to lead. But I refused to give him the satisfaction, even if I didn’t want to be the heir.
“I believe in loyalty,” I said through gritted teeth, “but not blind obedience. A man should make his own choices.”
Rhazien’s smirk widened. “Ah, yes,” he said, “the rebel prince. Always so eager to defy authority.” He turned to Nyana, who stood beside Varzorn, watching the interaction with a cold detachment as she tapped her nails on the railing. “Isn’t that right, Mother?”
She looked at me with the same hint of disdain that had always colored her gaze when it fell on me. I didn’t know why she even bothered stealing me from my father. “Rhazien is the more loyal of my sons,” she said. “He understands the importance of order and discipline.”
I suppressed a growl, a surge of anger rising within me. It was always the same with her. Rhazien was the favorite, the one she doted on and praised, while I was left to fend for myself.
As if sensing and enjoying my frustration, Theodas let out a chuckle. “Looks like Theron’s still struggling to win Mother’s approval.”
