Page 255 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

We have found the Adriatian sceptre piece.

Snow wanted to search for the Adriatian piece.

Her expression finally cracked, not in the way I thought it would. A smirk tilted upward in her lips. “Brilliant work, witchling. Prepare what I need.”

Alaric stood and raised a hand for Visha not to leave. His shadows mottled with distress. “What is going on now? We are not in the need of any other sceptre piece and Adriata is well guarded now. Silas will find it difficult to raise the guardian.”

“That is correct,” Snow said, leaning back and directing a scathing look toward Alaric. “Silas will not awaken the guardian. I will.”

Silence echoed in the room, stunned at her revelation. And so was I.

Alaric looked around the meeting room, pleading for someone to object, but the tribe leaders ducked their heads in agreement with Snow. No one was opposing Snow’s words. Not even his father.

Alaric shook his head. “I will not allow you to play god, Snow. I will not sit around and watch you become Silas.”

Snow cocked a brow up at him. “You can stay standing up if you wish and it appears that I am god, Alaric.”

“I am Regent—”

“You’re no longer Regent, I’ve demoted you from that position.”

“Snow, my love,” I interfered.

“Cai is now acting as my Regent,” she said without missing a beat. “Seeing you have been incapable of providing your queen with the correct intel. I need a hand of support not a backstabbing one. There is plenty out there already.”

“Son,” Alaric turned to Cai. “You cannot agree to this.”

“I already have,” Cai said blankly.

Eren leaned forward, resting a hand over Snow’s. “May we discuss this a bit more, Lin.”

The older brother winced a little when she turned her cold stare at him. “There has to be a discussion to discuss.”

He shook his head. “What do you intend to do once you awaken Aurora?”

She pulled her hand from his. “Finish what I started years ago. Wipe Adriata and Isjord out of the map. If I am feeling up to it, perhaps some more.”

Thora jumped from her seat, her mouth gaping in disappointment. “Snow, you can’t…you can’t be serious.”

“Though the thought that I will get to see them set on fire makes me amused, this is not a joke,” she said, cocking her head back to give her sister an indifferent stare. “You will find that I can be serious at times, little sister.”

Thora’s assessing gaze bore on her sister as if trying to work out what was going on inside her head. “Why would you want destruction when we fought so hard against it, when we endured what we did? Why are you giving up now?”

“You fought so hard against it. I only followed sloppy instructions,” she said. “The same instructions that had me watch our mother bleed a bloody death because I had to hide what I was. Which by the way happens to be divine. Can you just believe that?”

Her sister recoiled, hurt and speechless. Her voice was meek when she asked, “It won’t bring her back, Snow. You know that. What will dipping your hands in more blood bring you or this kingdom?”

Snow blinked boredly. “When I do it, I’ll let you know what it will bring me, Thora. It certainly will be something.”

It was Nia’s turn to object, “You have everyone here. Everyone you fought to have beside you.”

Snow measured her friend’s words. “Yet I am unsatisfied.” She turned her gaze to me. “Our bargain broke. We owe one another nothing. Consider this the warning for what is to come.”

I shook my head. “I’ll keep my end of the deal till you find the Adriatian piece. I know my land better than any. I’ll help you get that and then you’ll be rid of me.”

“No. What makes you think I trust you to help her now?” Cai almost accused.

Lazarus shot to his feet, feathers ruffling. “Yes, what makes you think you can do that now that she is free of you?”