My own words, turned back on me like a blade.
Was it deliberate?
A message?
Fates.
What was wrong with me?
She was standing there, shoulder to shoulder with my enemies.
She’d hurt Lythandra.
Mocked me.
Used me.
And still, still, I searched her face for the woman I loved.
Still, I told myself there had to be a reason, that she was playing a part.
That the Maelis I knew hadn’t disappeared, just… buried herself beneath something necessary.
But maybe that’s the lie I told myself so I wouldn’t have to face the truth.
How do you recover from something like that?
When the person you trusted most hands you the knife and smiles as you bleed?
At some point during dinner, someone decided that looking at me, rotting away in my cage wasn’t a good sight for the sensitive feelings of the dinner guests and had placed a sheet over my cage.
In the dark, I contemplated my options.
They were going to harness my powers tonight and transfer my magic to Maelis.
It probably wouldn’t kill me, but it would leave me defenseless for a while.
I also had no idea what would happen to Maelis when she received my hekas.
She was only a mortal after all and to my recollection, harnessing a God’s power had never been done before.
I decided to eat, just a little bit at least, to try and keep my strength up.
The room had cleared out earlier and the guests were probably taking their places for the ceremony in the courtyard.
Someone entered the room and removed the sheet from the cage.
The priest stared down at me and took a deep breath.
“I am going to write history tonight. The Fates help me! Take him out of the cage,” he ordered a young servant.
Straightening his gown and wiping the sweat from his forehead, the priest left the room, waiting for the servant to follow with me.
As we entered the courtyard, the guests were already seated.
I was led to the front and pushed into the circle of crystals.
I wanted to laugh as Maelis and Somnaris appeared at the end of the aisle and started walking towards me.
