Page 42 of Season Warriors & Wolves

“It would have been so simple,” he whispered harshly, resting a hand on my cheek and brushing his thumb over my skin, his eyes bearing into mine. “To obey me. You would have had the life you wanted. I can still give you it. You want to burn, then burn. Every life you would have wanted I would have given you permission to take. Power to rule, I was going to hand it to you.” His grip grew stronger. “I can still hand it to you. The throne was made for you. This could be yours. The new world I create can all be yours. No more Adriatians. No more of those that can hurt you.”

I pushed his hand off and wiped my cheek. “I don’t want your throne. I want to watch it burn. Preferably with you still sitting on it.”

“My king,” Elias called, and I stilled. “Could I have a word?”

I turned to face my friend and ally. “My condolences for your loss.”

His face hardened, jaw ticking with what looked like anger. Ignoring me, he turned to my father again who was intently watching our exchange. To my luck, he had thought Ivar was the one to make the deal with me. “I do not want this to delay us, Silas. The first chance we get, I’d like for us to leave for Breshall.”

Us? Breshall? The sceptre was in the isles?

“We will, son. It looks like the weather is also clearing up for us,” my father said, throwing a look west, toward the distance of the Venzor shores that were unnaturally bright and clear compared to the skies above us.

“True, and the Mahara channel has been easier to cross. Do I join the troops east or wait to join you? The seas are home to me like all the Venzors before, you might need me.”

East? What troops? Wait. Had my people stopped guarding the channel?

Father glanced briefly at me from the corner of his eye. “No, I predict we could leave as early as the end of this week. You don’t need to abandon your squadrons, they need your lead, your guide through our forests is the best among our men. Demir will sail with us along with Melanthe.”

“Good to hear, Your Majesty. I will let my squadron know we will not be joining and remain guarding east.”

Sailing? We were going to sail there? There were camps east now?

“Don’t be hard on yourself, Elias,” father offered, patting his shoulder and throwing me a look. “It was an unfortunate loss.” The second Elias was out of earshot, he turned to me. “You’ve ruined more than her life.”

Did he really think I cared? “They would have made very ugly babies. Did him a favour.”

To resist temptation and strike me in front of everyone, he turned and headed where his court members had gathered.

Mission accomplished. Peace at last.

I craned my head around, observing the grieving bunch that had gathered, and found a surprising observation—almost all were staring at me. So I raised a hand, wiggling my fingers and offering them all a gentle smile.

“Ybris. Exiled princess. Mistress of bloodshed,” an old, gritty voice said from behind me, and I turned to face Cerelia Krigborn. “Now kin slayer. What will they call you next?”

“I’d say queen slayer,” I said, raking my eyes over her frail looking corpse, “but it looks like someone else has been doing all the slaying for me.”

“I come in peace.”

“All white flags flung around me usually and eventually turn red. Yours is already drenched too far in the blood of my kin.” A stuttering laughter shook my entire body when she didn’t flinch at the accusation and became ready to deny her partake in it as usual. “You knew all along.”

She searched around for a moment, blinking. “Knew what?”

“What your youngest son was doing. He was always your favourite, wasn’t he? You used to spoil that dry brain cunt rotten. You knew he kept Thora and Eren alive. If Eleonor was aiding Aryan, that means you knew, too. My, my. What will father think of this treachery? Most importantly, how will he react?”

“Nonsense. You’re telling nonsense,” she whispered harshly, peeking a look at him. “It is all nonsense.”

I clicked my tongue. “Poor Eleonor, to die at the hands of the brother who adores her to pieces.”

She began shaking a little uncontrollably. “Nonsense.”

I wrapped her pearls around my finger until they were choking her. “Every day that I think this soiled blood cannot be more spineless, I keep being proven wrong.”

She clutched my hands and pleaded, “Do not do this.”

I leaned forward, giving her a smile. “Why should I not?”

“You want something.”