Instead of leaving, he approached the dais once more. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”
“Do you even know if I can kill you?” I shot back. “And do you want to find out?”
“If you wanted to find out, you would have already tried.”
“True.” I laughed.
Aydun didn’t look humored. “You have those you do not wish to have on edge.”
“Hmm?” I murmured.
“There are talks of…neutralizing you,” Kyriel shared.
I yawned. “Is there? And those you speak of?” I lifted a leg, resting the ankle on my knee. “Are they other…” I lowered my voice again. “Ancients?”
That muscle along Kyriel’s jaw was working overtime now.
“So, they are afraid.” The corner of my lips twisted up. “They should be.”
Aydun sighed. “Casteel—”
“That’s not a threat,” I cut in. “Just an observation.” I tapped my thumb off bone. “Do you want to neutralize me, Aydun?”
His brows lifted. “That sounded inexplicably dirty, but I wouldn’t be here if I wanted that.”
I glanced at Kyriel. “And you?”
“Considering it.”
I chuckled. “At least he’s honest.”
“I was honest, too,” Aydun claimed.
No part of me trusted him. “I am curious to know what exactly has them so bothered.”
“Really?” Aydun replied dryly. “You leveled Pensdurth.” When I didn’t respond, he took a step toward the foot of the dais. “And then destroyed a large portion of the Blood Forest.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Are you asking for our personal or professional opinion?” Kyriel asked.
“Honestly, neither,” I replied. “I really don’t care.”
“Personally, I don’t think either is bad,” Aydun answered anyway. “Professionally, I believe your actions are a reason for concern.”
“What part ofI don’t caredon’t you understand?”
“Your inability to control your powers when angry will result in tragedy,” Kyriel picked up the conversation thread when Aydun snapped his jaw shut. “Something many of us have had to learn the hard way.”
“Well, that’s…sad for whoever had to learn that.” I shifted, lowering my boot to the floor. “However, I wasn’t out of control.”
Aydun’s head tilted back as if that might help him process what I had just said. “Have you looked around yourself recently? What about the homes you can now easily see from the courtyard because you destroyed the walls?”
My thumb stilled. “I wanted to level Pensdurth, and those homes you speak of were either vacant or occupied by Ascended who fed on cruelty.”
“And what about the Blood Forest?” he challenged. “The wall?”
“Unintended consequences,” I said with a lift of one shoulder. “If I were out of control, you would not be standing here.”
