AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You left them all to die.” I stare at her.
“A handful in exchange for an entire realm,” she replies cooly. “That was the choice we had to make.”
“There could have been another way.”
“That is your naïve human thinking,” she snaps. “Our sacrifice saved countless lives.”
“Your sacrifice?” I look at Fort, whose expression is neutral. “What exactly is it you sacrificed? Because while they were barely surviving, you were living in your tree, on the council, having orgies, and enjoying life.”
“I lost friends that day.” She all but growls it. “People I cared for.”
“If you cared for them, you’d have found another way.”
Affree shakes her head. “One of these days, Carleah, you will understand that being a true leader sometimes means making sacrifices you wouldn’t otherwise consider a possibility. We had no choice. There wasn’t time to get them out, and we couldn’t do it.”
“You managed to get into the dwarven tunnels just fine. Why did your elders not use the knowledge of those tunnels and sneak them out?”
She swallows hard. “Once the door was sealed, there was no opening it on either side.”
“We managed just fine.”
“Because of who you are,” she replies. “That door would only open for the rightful Queen. It was a way to protect the dwarves from ending up just as we believed our friends did. Slaughtered by those creatures.”
“You’re telling us that, not only did you and your elders send us through Dead Man’s Land when there was another way, but you also sent us in with the possibility that if Carleah was not who you thought she was, we would not be able to open the door?” Fury radiates from Fort now as he stalks closer. “Did you also know that Shadow could not fly over the obsidian? Or that the strength and speed I have due to the giant blood in my system would be rendered useless?”
Her gaze widens. “I didn’t know that Shadow wouldn’t be able to fly here, nor did I know that the obsidian would block the giant blood in your veins. As for the door, I knew Carleah was the Queen, so that wasn’t a risk. And I already told you that the elders kept the other entrance a secret until we fled our city.”
“I don’t believe a fucking word out of your mouth,” he snaps. “You called me a liar. Claimed I might be treacherous, put me through agonizing pain in your Trial of Truth, yet you’ve misled us at every turn.”
“It was not my intention—”
“It was your intention,” I snap, interrupting her. “Because you’ve been lying to me since the moment we met. Fort would have died had we not found Alysia. Did you know that?” Her silence tells me everything I need to know, and I lunge to my feet. “You bitch. You knew.”
“What would telling you the truth have done?”
“Prepared me!” I yell.
“No,” she says. “You would have given up hope, and then he would have died for sure. I’d hoped the giant blood would keep the poison at bay.”
“Long enough to spend weeks traveling here?” I shake my head. “You knew he was going to die, and you let us leave.”
“Lacrae was there to be your support should Fort fall.”
I stiffen, every muscle in my body going rigid. Both hands balled into fists, I growl, “What did you just say to me?”
To her credit, Affree realizes what she’s just divulged and pales. “He was there to protect you.”
“You sent him with me to replace Fort when he died?” I take a step closer.
Fort moves with me.
“We needed to ensure your victory.”
“Do you have any idea what we’ve gone through?” I demand. “Any idea what Fort and I have faced since the moment we met?” When she doesn’t respond, I continue, “Let me be very clear, Affree, so there is no misunderstanding.” I close the distance between us, not even caring that she is taller than I am as I look up at her. “Fort is not replaceable. And if you ever lie to me again, I will kill you even if it means losing this war. You want to talk about sacrifice? I would sacrifice everything for Fort, including the breath in your chest or the beat of my own fucking heart.”
Chapter 19
Fort
