Page 99 of Autumn Queens & Shadows

“Can’t we sit down and discuss this like two grown adults?”

“I’m not the one wearing the linen, sweetheart. Besides, I’ve seen your disappearing tricks.”

“That wasn’t me. It was just ice.”

I grinned. “Figured that. What about the nights we spent together? How did you tie your magic so far from Tenebrose? There isn’t a chance you’ve left that room with me in it.”

“It was Elias. He’s learnt to mimic me well.”

The sound of his name was starting to hurt my ears. “How did this start?”

“Well—”

“The short version. I can tell pretty well when you want to distract me and then run off when your soldiers get here.”

“Snow and I read about an old Isline story about a veiled spirit we found in the library where Atlas works. The White Veil had once been a soldier in king Edric’s army, said to have been buried with him as one of the most powerful Aura to live at the time. Isjordians and Isliners alike had claimed to have seen him roam their villages at night long after he’d passed. I might have obsessed over it for a while, learning every little detail about it until I was confident enough I could act as it.”

“Snow knows?”

Thora winced. “She’s…been the White Veil a couple times. Before she was pregnant.”

“Ah, family quality time only how the Skygards know.” I leaned down until our faces were only inches apart. “The men. How do you control them? How do you move them like puppets? I’m sure I never taught you how to do that.”

“Science.”

“Now I need you to elaborate.”

“Ice is water. Blood has water. Therefore, something I can also control. I studied. Meditated. Watched other Aura bend their magic. The closest to what I wanted to achieve was fire. It moves like liquid. But a Scarlet can also turn fire into thick lava, control it, too. Took me a while, but Karl Modr helped me master aspects of ice that I didn’t know. A few old Verglassers actually used to control water in every form, too. Mist. Ice. Verglassers were also healers a long time ago and were masters of the body, using blood as a mechanism to hack at human health. Krig and the God of Waters are also brothers, so it made sense that water is familiar to us. I learnt how to turn water and blood cold enough to easily control it without killing the person. Also, our training together came to great help, learning how to tether my magic onto things.”

Stunned, I just looked at her for a long minute. “Why? Why do it like this?”

“I don’t want them to be afraid of me. And they would be. But they can be afraid of their God, and their God was on my side.”

“If they fear you, then you have what you want. They will bow to you.”

“Not how I want them to. I want their respect, their trust, their hope, not their fear. Otherwise, I’m just my father. What happens when they are no longer afraid of me? What about my heirs? Do I have to teach them to be vile and cruel to make people respect them? I refuse to become him. I refuse to let the other generation become like him.”

“Thora, you are not Silas.”

“They want Silas! They want someone like him. And that is why they are accepting Iskyla.” She breathed fast. “Have you wondered why they are not revolting against the terror she’s caused in these lands? They are accepting their kin being slain only because they believe they deserve it to happen since they are ruled by a weak queen. It has left me no choice. I will not match their cruelty, Malik, but I will not bow before it either. Times have changed. I will force Isjord to change one way or another. Even if it makes me look weak.”

Sighing, I pulled her hood back on. “Hellion.”

Her emerald eyes rounded and blinked up at me all innocence. “You’re not going to tell me off?”

“Why? It’s a brilliant idea.”

“It is?” She frowned, almost angry, pushing her hood back to glare up at me. “Then why have you been chasing this around?”

“Because I wanted your secret. Shame you didn’t come forward yourself. Made me quite sad to be excluded.”

“You knew from the start?”

It almost hurt my feelings. Almost, but she was so cute all upset and angry. “Even if I couldn’t hear and see, I’d recognise you anywhere, little bird.”

Her eyes rounded like saucers. “You think anyone else has?”

Were they all this obsessed with her, too? If they were, then yes. “I don’t believe so.”