Page 290 of Commanding Scythe and Sky

“Kade,” the newcomer supplied, flashing a dazzling smile that made his aqua eyes twinkle. Familiar. Something in his gaze was so godsdamn familiar that ice sluiced through my veins. He extended a pale hand, that grin hooking boyishly to one side. “Please. Call me Kade.”

FIFTY-SEVEN

A FOOL’S SENTIMENT

BLYTHE

The city streets are clean—no trash, no vandalism. Behind rows of manicured flowerbeds, buildings tower above us, modern steel scraping its fingers over the clouds as sleek trams rush along the lines below. Humans in crisp white garments stride beside souls, carrying bags, rattling off lists of to-dos, holding doors and fetching drinks.

Idyllic.

Futuristic.

Peaceful.

An absolute bullshit utopia only a fool could possibly fall for.

As quickly as the vision slammed through me, it vanished. Kade’s lip curled in disgust as he waved it away like smoke on the wind.

“Pretty words and pretty ideals for a tyrant currently showing none.” The Scottish lilt thickened around his words like molasses, deepening with his frustration.

Frustration I was certain he wouldn’t have voiced outside the wards of Moros’ soundproof bubble.

The rest of the party chorused beyond the shimmering dome of magic. People danced. Heads tipped back in laughter. Bellpost partied like normalcy still existed while the royals politicked just out of reach. I envied them. Their levity. Their obliviousness to the agony rendered inside these walls.

“You know as well as I do, son of death, that compliance cannot be acquired without sacrifice. To gift them the mercy of weightless existence, we must first ensure obedience.”

“Hence all the raping and pillaging.” Kade flashed a challenge of a smile—crooked, arrogant, dripping in amusement, long canines gleaming. What the hell was in this bloodline that made Kade and Adrastos so brash while staring evil in the face?

Moros ground his teeth, and I realized this was the first time I’d seen anyone besides the betrayer openly push back against the monarch.

“Once the desirable bloodlines have been secured, fear will no longer be required to maintain control. What the men do on their own time is no business of mine.”

“And once obedience is firm?”

“It’s an honor to carry celestial seed. They will come to see it that way over time. We are gods amongst mortals. Worship is inevitable.”

“So, we wash the minds of the young, and convince them that being chosen is a gift?”

“Precisely.”

“Take their customs and warp them to mirror our own with enough familiarity to keep them compliant.”

“After the war, traditions will be renewed,” Moros agreed.

Kade huffed a breath, a serpent’s smile suggesting he had far more thoughts than he intended to share. “Pare down the women to those most likely to birth magic. Fine. The species must continue. And the males?”

“We have roles for them as well.”

“As studs for hire?”

“No,” Moros scoffed, finishing his wine.

“Their lifetimes are short,” Kade pointed out, swirling his glass. “Surely you’ve accounted for the attrition rate of your servants. A blink in the scheme of things, and none will be left if they cease reproducing.”

“True. I’ve barely trained my mortal toys into place by the time they wither and die,” Marlana cackled. “He has a point, Ro.”

Maybe the witch would die first, and I’d be granted the gift of watching. With that cheerful thought, I knocked back the rest of my wine.