If anything, food would keep me strong for whatever was to come.
“Harthon and I aren’t all that different, you know,” Koerlyn commented minutes later, breaking the silence as we ate.
A piece of potato lodged in my throat. Apparently, Koerlyn was as delusional as he was evil and cruel. I’d assumed he was smarter than Ellan.
As if sensing my doubt, he continued, “He kills. I kill. He wants power. I want power. He’s…how do you say it…committed a fine number of cruelties both before his reign and now. The same goes for me. Not for no reason, of course.” He paused to take a bite of meat, chewing for an unnecessarily long amount of time. “He’s just glamoured you, whereas I have not.”
Harthon and Koerlyn werevastlydifferent men, different leaders. I shoved a hunk of tender meat in my mouth, not knowing how to respond.
“Even now, you’re still glamoured.” He grinned arounda sip of wine, like I humored him. “What do you think he plans to do when he enters the Domus, hmm? What has he told you, Etarla, dear?”
The endearment burned my ears.
“He’s going to use the resources in Centralis to help our people.”Unlike you.
“And what else is he going to do?”
I placed my fork and knife on the table and met his eyes with a steady gaze. “With access to those resources, he might become a king, a ruler of all the Territories. He’ll improve the state of things, not only for him and the elite, but for everyone.”
Koerlyn gave me a pitying look, shaking his head in disdain. “You really believe that. I can see it in your eyes. I thought you might be smarter than that. The small-sighted villager in you is showing.”
I might have been such a person once, but not any longer.
I softly smiled against the insult. “I can’t escape how I was raised, I suppose. Would you care to educate me, Princeps?”
“It would be my pleasure, darling.” He took another bite of his meal, once more chewing for ages before daintily swallowing. “Harthon was raised in his father’s mercenary group, taking part in atrocities and thereby learning what happens to those with power, and those without. When he departed from that group, he killed his father, who until then was his greatest competition. This established his merry little band as the most powerful mercenary group in the Territories. Then he killed Princeps Tamen to take his throne, increasing his power yet again through violence. Now, he wishes to proceed forward once more—to enter Centralis, to take more power, and to become a king like Donan. As I’m sure you well know, maiming and killing mean nothing to him. I’m sure violence will be involved in this next acquisition.”
I’d never thought of Harthon’s history in such a negative way. But Koerlyn was simply presenting facts in a way to intentionallyscramble my mind. Acquiring power in the ways Harthon did was necessary. It was the only way to be in a position where he could help his people.
“Harthon wants power. I want power. Neither of us care very much for anything more. Any promises he makes of benevolence are lies to gain cooperation from you or his people. The only difference between me and Harthon is that he also wants the victory of fucking you before you fulfill your purpose and he tosses you aside.”
I swallowed hard, refusing to rile at his crude statement.
“Harthon takes women and quickly disposes of them. Simply ask his minister, who once tried to win his heart before realizing it was a fruitless endeavor.”
It was like a punch to the throat. Ana—he spoke of Ana. The Ana who Harthon still spoke warmly to. My lips parted.
He hummed. “Yes, that’s right. They were together for a long time. Years, apparently. She was under the impression that she had his heart.” He scoffed. “She didn’t, of course. Anything like a relationship would weaken his power. I’m sorry to be the one to inform you, Etarla, but you are simply a means to an end for him, just as you are for me.”
His apology was a mockery. He knew exactly the response those words would elicit—watched as they hit home, striking me even as I fought to remain stoic.
He’s trying to rattle you.Or, maybe he was telling the truth.
Ana was the perfect type of woman for Harthon. I’d thought so from the very beginning. She was beautiful, smart, strong, witty, and made for his world. I could easily see them being together. And if theyhadbeen together, how could he not want to be with her forever? Why would he kiss me instead, when she still stood beside him, as beautiful and strong and perfect as ever? I didn’t compare to her. Not in the slightest. If Harthon couldn’t give his heart to her, he surelycouldn’t care for me. Those kisses couldn’t have meant a thing.
Maybe you are just temporary. A convenient body. A distraction.
Koerlyn reached for his wine. “Not that it matters, of course. Because now you’re with me. And the next time you see Harthon, I’ll make certain it’s with his head removed from his body.”
Chapter 30
In the complete darkness of the room, I held my breath, willing my heart to quit its thundering pulses. Fastened to the headboard, I’d lain awake ever since I was escorted back from that torturous dinner by a random guard.
It was hard to sleep with the bodies and their blood still sprawled on the stone beside me. Soon, they’d start to rot.
While my room had no windows, I knew it had to be well into the night. I’d been passing the time listening to the footsteps in the hallways—guards running their rounds or workers completing their nighttime duties. But those footsteps, although sparse, were always loud.
The slight patters I’d heard a moment ago were hardly audible, and my body was making too much noise to confirm that I’d heard something at all. So I stopped breathing.
