That must have been Elariya’s father. I hated the confirmation of that.
Silence crashed over the room.
The bone rod pulsated and the corpse began to convulse violently.
Kaem tightened his grip on the bone rod. “We’re losing him.”
“How long has this been going on?” My final question. “How long have you worked for my uncle?”
The corpse shuddered. “Ten years.”
Ten fucking years.
While I’d fought enemies at our borders.
While I’d hunted the ring.
While I’d bled for this kingdom.
Dreynthor had fed rebellion from within.
The corpse spasmed violently, then collapsed into stillness, the animating threads dissolving into ash.
Kaem waved a hand and the rebel disappeared, fading from before us as if he was never here.
Silence reigned after.
Dreynthor.
I’d been fucking right. It was him. Him all along. But rebellion?
I never saw that coming. It was a fucking distraction.
He had needed chaos. And my father’s death had provided both.
That day when I told him war was coming, he already knew, but it wasn’t the war I’d thought.
When I told him about the magic that bore no signature, he already knew about it.
He probably wanted to know how much I knew.
And if he knew aboutallthose things, he knew the truth about Elariya too.
He was aware of what she could do. And what she meant to me.
The fucking asshole played the part well, acting concerned about the kingdom, wanting me to marry into Thalyrius, and trying to appease the lords at the High Table.
I didn’t need to ask what his price was. I knew it all along.
The kingdom. He wanted to rule the kingdom.
But who else was he working for?
The rebel had echoed the Seer’s words. And whoever these people were, they had kept certain secrets from their own.
War was coming indeed, but it was worse than I’d thought.
There was only one thing I needed to do now.
