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Zerek’s mouth went slack for a moment as he stared at her before stalking to her side once more, as if afraid she’d attempt to jump from the height to reach her people.
Raenisa hadn’t looked away from me the entire time, shock still written over her features.
“I understand if you don’t want to be involved with this,” I told her, my voice softer now. “But I have to do this. For Kael. For all of us.”
She shook her head slowly; her gaze never leaving mine as she stepped closer, so close that the molten flecks in her eyes seemed to move.
“No.” In a growl barely more than a whisper, she continued, “You can’t do this for Kael. If you want us to stand beside you—for me to follow you in this fight, then it has to be becauseyouwant to be emperor. To help our people. Not just keep her.”
“I don’t want to be emperor—“ Her eyes narrowed, and I held my hand up to stop her argument before continuing. “I will be king of Athain. Nothing more.”
“Wait. What are you talking about?” Zerek whipped around, his golden eyes wide. “What in Atar’s flaming balls did I miss? There’s a fucking army at the gates and we’re up here chatting?”
I studied each of their faces, a hollow pit forming in my stomach. It was one thing to risk my life, but asking others to do it when there wasn’t an order coming from above was harder than I expected. “I’m going to overthrow Nyana and dismantle the empire.”
Silence hit the room like a crashing wave, their shock tangible in the surrounding air. Then chaos erupted, a whirlwind of voices filled the space, each one of them struggling with their disbelief and reservations as they shouted over each other.
“Are you insane?”
“The Niothe will slaughter us.”
“What about the rebels?”
Zerek paced back and forth, raking a hand through his hair. “This isn’t some common uprising, Theron,” he spat out, his voice fraught with tension. “This is... this is treason. The punishment is...”
“Death,” I finished for him. “I know. And I understand if you won’t join me.”
Herrath, normally the most composed, had been silent until now. His fingers twisted as he messed with the fabric of his shirt. “And if we fail?”
I met his gaze, unflinching. “Then we die together.”
I turned from them, their eyes burning holes into my back as I looked over the city to the desert beyond. I walked over to the balcony once more. With each step, a weight lifted from my shoulders. The uncertainty, the doubts, the fear—it was all dissolving into a calm resolve. The path ahead was dangerous and filled with the unknown, but I knew it was the right one.
“We let our arrogance destroy everything. Not just the gods and the other races, but ourselves.” I turned to face my Harvestmen, the people I trusted the most in the world. “We killed all the Sálfar and stopped building things. We’ve grown complacent in our own superiority, believing that because Atar gave us this power to shape Maeoris as we wished, it meant it was ours to take. But it isn’t ours to keep.” I took a breath, meeting each of their stares. “I want to restore our people to where we belong—to be protectors of this land, not its rulers or exploiters. To remember what it is like to create something worthwhile with our hands and minds instead of taking advantage of others’ hard work for our gain. To never forget that while we have been blessed with immense power, that comes with responsibilities—responsibilities we have failed to upkeep far too many times in the past... But I will not make those same mistakes again.”
“Theron... What you’re asking? It’s impossible.” Lines that hadn’t been there before seemed to carve Zerek’s face. “How can we stand against the Niothe? Trevyr is already on his way. It’s a death sentence.”
Herrath frowned, tilting his head to the side as he thought it over, smoothing his clothes back into place as his nerves faded and his analytical mind took over. “It may not be…”
Raenisa folded her arms over her chest. “Most of the Niothe are overseas trying to root out the Zerkir Remnant strongholds,” she began, and a smile spread across my face. She scowled at me. “I didn’t finish, idiot. Even if we could defeat the companies on their way to fight us now, the rebels can’t be trusted.” She ran a hand through her red and black hair. “Once we’re out of Adraedor and they’re at our backs, they’ll betray us. We’ll be alone and surrounded.” Her eyes were stark. “We can’t win a war with allies we can’t trust.”
“They won’t,” I said, certainty filling my voice. Between Kael and Haemir, I knew they’d lead them to the end. But that wasn’t something my friends would believe. “And we’ll gather more allies. The Taelyrs will join us, won’t they?” After Varzorn’s father had killed his brother, the heir to the throne, and Pitre Taelyr’s husband, the Taelyrs held a blood debt against them. “The Rorels will stand by us. Most likely House Cairis too. And that’s if we can’t win over the Sarro-Amyntas alliance.”
She stared at me for a long moment. “You’re serious about this?”
I nodded, my expression unwavering. “I am.”
Herrath stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Then I stand with you, Theron. Whatever it takes.”
Raenisa let out a sigh, but I could see the flicker of anticipation in her eyes. “Alright, I’m in. But we need to move fast.”
Zerek dipped his chin, his gaze never leaving mine. “I don’t know if we’ll survive this. But I trust you. And I’ll fight by your side to the end.”
I smiled at them, grateful for their loyalty. “Thank you, all of you.”
Roza watched us, her sea-colored eyes darting between us before landing on Zerek. She frowned, as if unsure how she felt about his declaration.
“What now?” Raenisa said in her usual brusque manner. “Are we all going to go hold hands and sing around a fire?”
