A laugh, sharp and acidic, slipped out. Wood creaked beneath my fingers from how hard I clutched the back of the chair. “If anyone is spoiled here, it’s you.”
Iaoth had the nerve to look affronted.
“What happened to you out there, brother? You are so different from the male who left. Did the Seer hurt your pride by getting away?” she taunted, nose crinkling with her sneer.
At least she believed that it was Sylaira who had outsmarted me and not that I’d been too enthralled with the chase to let it end.
I didn’t correct her.
“She’s here now,” I stated, then cinched my jaw shut like the grip of those muscles could stop me from saying more.
“And you ran after her, dodging Dasha once again,” she pointed out, nails clawing through my continued silence. “Stadiel needs this to happen, Vaeron. If it doesn’t, we could lose our position here. House Elyriane will make a play for the throne if we don’t defeat the Demons soon. You better hope those Seers you hunted down recently give us something too. We need to know what their plans are.”
The whispers I’d heard on the road had only curled uneasein my gut. It was the only topic Iaoth could have wielded to get me to unstitch my mouth.
“And what has happened on the war front in my absence?” I asked, if only to distract my sister from more talk of my betrothed and my secret mate. With her current near-hysterical state, it was not the time to discuss Sylaira.
But will there ever be a good one?
I slapped the thought away. Once I had gauged the current state of affairs in Sivy, I would find a way. But I had to protect Sylaira—at all costs. Thalvireth Palace was a dangerous, dangerous place for her to be. Hungry nobles lurked around every corner, waiting for a sliver of juicy gossip to wield like a blade.
Iaoth sucked in a deep breath, massaging her temples. “Those fucking red-eyed beasts!”
The only thing that angered my sister more than my failures were the people who shared our continent. I’d gladly use them as a shield while I tried to work out my plan.
“A small force of them has continued to halt our advance south. We have far more than they do! Ishim cannot explain why he has been unable to press them. He keeps saying they don’t have enough supplies to cross the Paks Desert.”
Of course they didn’t. I forced myself to exhale, long and quiet, as she continued her tirade.
“It’s just a damn desert! Why do they not pray to the Goddess for rain to ease the crossing? Our Radiant Mother would grant us such a miracle for how hard we have fought in Her holy war.”
Iaoth had never swung a sword a day in her life. She was no more of a warrior than any Elessarum, yet she liked to pretend she was sacrificing as much as the males andfemales on the front lines.
“Their dark magic must be eradicated. It is what She wants. Why doesn’t She help us more?”
I gritted my teeth, lest the words I wanted to say slip past. Namely, that the new ring she sported could have bought a month’s worth of food for the army. Or that if she’d allowed me to continue to fight alongside Ishim rather than calling me back to hunt Elessarum and Seers, we’d likely already be in Uzhhorod.
Her gaze sharpened and pricked me again. “You won’t believe what Calrien has done now either.”
“If I wasn’t there, it’s not my problem,” I stated. He’d been part of my crew for a long time, but I’d never trusted him like Maelsar. Despite his high position, we’d always kept him at arm’s length.
Much like Sylaira had me, and would again.
A rumble of frustration rose and died in my throat as I refocused on what Iaoth was saying.
“He is under your command,” she hissed, expression hardening like she knew my attention had drifted.
“Never wanted him to be,” I pointed out. “For this very reason.”
Iaoth released a closed-mouth, exasperated scream. “You always want everything to beyourway. Have to be in control of everything.”
Sylaira had said the same. Even with my sister berating me, I couldn’t stop thinking about my mate.
“Why can’t you accept the help I give you?”
A caustic laugh nearly burst out of me. Did she really think I held sway over her? After she and her husband had forced me into an arranged marriage I didn’t want, I’d started to realize just how little influence I had with the rulers of the realm. Something Sylaira had sensed and pointed out multiple times during our travels.
To be confronted with it again upon my arrival opened my eyes further. I already knew too much truth for someone raised among the propaganda. I’d helped some of it spread at the behest of the Angel monarchs. Now, every action I’d taken grated against my nerves.
