Like a rag doll, Leo thought distantly.
He should have wavered. As blood sprayed on the ground, he should have sunk to his knees and begged forgiveness. Given mercy. But as Leo watched his men wield their swords against the sacred priests of the order, he felt nothing.
No fear.
No pain.
All these suns, he had made a show of worshipping the Phoenix. Paying dues to Her Prophet and holding on to the belief that maybe, just maybe, the stories of Her magnificence were true. But now he saw, with brutal clarity. The Phoenix was nothing but a myth, Her Prophet a fanatic. The only true thing that he could believe in with his own two eyes was the Eternal Fire. It was an ancient seat of primal power that, frankly, even his ancestors did not truly understand. But instead of revering it like him, they had created a god and a protector to explain what they could not. A protector who did not even have the courage to face him.
If burning the sacred order before the Eternal Fire was what it took to root out the Prophet and protect his kingdom, then so be it. May today be a reminder of her cowardice. Her silence.
If you are watching, he thought,know that the servants of your god are suffering, and you can do nothing.
One priest turned, a wild, desperate look twisting his face. He charged toward Leo, but Majnu stepped in front of his king and struck the attacker down. He yanked the priest up so that his eyes met Leo’s.
“Do you know what happens to those who try to hurt their king?” Leo asked softly.
The priest shuddered.
Leo closed his hands, smothering the flame. A pang shot up his arms, and when he opened his palms, a ring of ash marked where the fire had died. He took the bloodied slingsword from Majnu.
“Your Majesty,” Arish said, stepping forward, but Leo waved him away.
The king never bloodied his hands. But the high priestess and the heavens were watching. They had sent him on a wild shobu chase, and Leo wanted them to pay.
He placed the edge of the blade against the priest’s neck. The man closed his eyes, whispering a prayer, and then Leo slashed down. Blood sprayed across the ground. It splattered across Leo’s face and his black coat as the priest’s head hit the grass with a dull thud. His eyes stared up at the sky, wide and sightless.
Leo dropped the slingsword. His body suddenly shook, and he gripped his knees. Blood stained his shoes.
Let them see.He pushed back the bile in his throat and straightened.Let them know that I won’t cower.He unbuttoned his coat and shook out the ceremonial robes he wore underneath, clean and unblemished.
“Do you see, Saayna?” he asked.
The high priestess stared at the horizon, but her eyes were strained as if she held back tears. She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles bleached to a bone white.
“Their death is not on my hands,” he said. “It is on yours. All the blood that has been spilled today, and all the blood that will spill after, is because of you.”
Finally, she turned. Finally, she met his eyes.
“I am merely doing my duty, as you are doing yours,” she said.
Through the trees, Leo spotted a black dot on the horizon. A hoverpod. Elena was early.
“Clean this up,” he said to Majnu, but he saw his Spear pause. “What is it?”
“The men, Your Majesty, they’re beginning to grow squeamish. There are still twenty or so priests left—”
“Then get the Yumi,” he snarled. “Make her do what the men cannot.”
Majnu bowed his head, his voice small. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
Arish picked up the slingsword and wiped it clean with his handkerchief. “We will still need enough priests for the ceremony. Seven to be precise. Shall I lock up the rest in the tunnels?”
Leo nodded and then held out his hand to Saayna, palm outstretched, the ring of ash grey against his dark skin.
“Come,” he said to the high priestess. “Let us do our duty.”
CHAPTER 20
