“What did you offer them, Kakias?” I asked, voice light.
“Did my son enlighten you?” The moon cast shadows on her high cheekbones, a wide grin splitting her lips.
“We worked together.”
Those words hit her, her eyes flaring wide for a brief second. “He was always too weak for my plans, wasn’t he?”
I wasn’t sure if it was a question for me or for herself.
“Barrett is stronger than you are.” I held her gaze. My arms fell to my side, body indulging in the magic of the mountains to heal where it had been battered. “He saw the atrocities you were planning and sacrificed his standing—his title and birthright—to save his people from unnecessary bloodshed. That is a sacrifice you wouldneverhave made, for you arefartoo selfish, Kakias.”
“Don’t you dare speak to me of sacrifices.” Her voice was sharp and jagged, lips pulling back from her teeth.
“Why? You’re forcing them on my people tonight. On your own.” I thrust a hand toward the city, the movement jarring myaching body. “You may be afterme, but those are not only Mystiques screaming below.”
“And yet, here we are.” She gazed wistfully over Damenal. “Things set in motion centuries ago finally falling into place.”
“All blood spilled tonight is on your hands.” I set my feet, fingers finding the cool leather at my thigh. “Except this.”
The dagger flashed from my hand, but instead of nesting in her heart where I’d aimed, it grazed her collarbone, tearing black lace and flesh. Only a thin line of crimson showed that she was even hurt.
Her expression didn’t flinch as she lifted a hand to the spot. Carefully, she caught the drop beading on her skin, lifting it to eye level.
Fear—that was what flashed behind her stare, quickly replaced by frenzy.
The blood was swallowed up by her ebony gown. She lifted an arm, hand aimed at me. Kakias squeezed her fist, and invisible fingers clenched around my throat, cutting off my airway.
I clawed at my neck, trying to tear them off, to get air back into my lungs, but nothing was there.
“Don’t fight, Ophelia.” She stalked toward me. “This—the bloodshed—it will all be over much quicker if you simply let me win. Think of all the lives you’d save with your noblesacrifice.”
She drove my back into the wall, lifting me against the cool marble and artwork. The corner of a frame dug into my spine.
“What—” I wheezed. I kicked the air fruitlessly. “What—did you?—”
“That thing you think makes my son stronger than me?” She pressed closer, nearly nose to nose with me. “That thing that aches for the people dying below.Thatis what I traded.”
My…strength…what—I couldn’t make sense of it, not with the spots clouding my vision. The riddle she presented of her sacrifice to the pools swam through my mind.
My head was cemented against the painting. Needles drove themselves into my lungs.
Life slipped from my body, darkness begging to take me in its gentle embrace, and I forgot why I was even fighting the queen.
Chilled numbness wrapped itself around my limbs, soothing thesparking pain in my lungs and removing the needles one by one. It tempted me to succumb to the release of oblivion.
And so I did.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Malakai
Vale’s gripremained firm as she dragged us away from the battle and into an empty market. The door hung on a hinge, dim mystlights filtering through dark aisles lined with wooden fruit boxes and bottles of liquor.
How the fuck she thought this was a good idea right now, I didn’t know. Did she not see the Engrossians infiltrating our city? Outnumbering our own. She wasn’t Mystique, but I’d thought she was an ally.
Whatever she needed had to be very fucking important to justify pulling the two of us from the plaza.
When she set her olive-green eyes on me, mystlight flickered over her resolved expression. Hesitant eyes and lips pressed together, considering.
