“I yield,” he said calmly, and the words the gods had agreed upon were carried over the winds to the thousands of soldiers and Godforged that had been arrayed.
The King of Flames and Queen of Earth had defeated Marek’s champion, yet they’d undone all the care they’d taken for forty-nine years. Lysara would have her champion.
That was the last day that Maeve Arden and Cole Cyrus would take the field against any of the Godforged. While they understood the purpose of this war, they refused to fight for Lysara ever again. She’d tricked them, and never again would they have the heart to fight of their own volition. While they’d been loyal, there had been no oaths, and the King of Flames and Queen of Earth had never taken her power for themselves. She could not force them to fight.
But shewouldforce their son.
Chapter 15
“There is one who will help you with Finding.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because I haven’t killed you.”
~Unknown
Fiona
I step into our secret prison cell and Ainslee looks at me, a mix of anger and relief washing over her face. She’s leaning against a wall, her feet and arms crossed. Darian and Rhion are playing cards, and they smile at me, but Ainslee’s fury is almost a physical force. I remind myself that she’s a champion, and they are an extension of their god’s personality here on Nyth.
“My father restocked my supplies,” I say. “I have just as many resources now as I did when I first arrived.”
“I hope it was worth it,” she snarls. Then she shakes her head, and the anger seems to fade a little. “You realize I told your father that you were safe, don’t you? I’ve informed him of most everything that’s happened.”
“Not about me talking to Azric,” I say dismissively. “I’m sorry, Ainslee. I’m not your subject, and to be completely honest, I don’t trust you or your advice nearly as much as I trust my father. You’ve been a valuable ally, but at the end of the day, you will take care of yours first and mine second. My father will choose Sylvantia first every time.”
She pushes off the wall and walks toward me with the air that only someone who knows they’re the most powerful person in the room can have. “That’s true. He will choose Sylvantia first every time. I, on the other hand, will choose you currently.”
I shrug. “I’d choose Sylvantia over myself as well, so you’re not really convincing me of anything.”
She shakes her head. “First it was Maeve. Now it’s you. Why is it always a stubborn human that ends up being so damned important?” She takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. “Fiona, you see such a small part of the world and the game that’s being played. Your eyes are so focused on the tiny part you’ve always played that you can’t seem to see the true board we’re all standing on.”
I don’t say anything. The time with my father has me feeling very renewed, and Ainslee’s frustration doesn’t bother me at all.
She sees this and stands up a little straighter. “It doesn’t matter. Your father is gone, correct?”
I nod to her. “He is.”
“Then why don’t you come sit with us?” Rhion calls. “You can play the winner.”
I glance at Ainslee. Her expression is hard and unyielding, but she doesn’t say a word. I move to where Rhion and Darian aresitting across from each other. “We’re playing Khorra,” Darian says. “And Rhion’s lost the last three games to me, so maybe you’ll pose a little more of a challenge.”
Khorra is a card game played to simulate a general’s decisions on the battlefield. At the beginning of the game, terrain cards are drawn and change the battlefield, giving advantages and disadvantages to troop cards. Each player then draws cards and is given a chance to place them.
It’s a game I’ve played occasionally, though my father and Cedric are some of the best in Sylvantia. “What are we playing for?” I ask.
Darian grins at me. “I doubt even your father has enough coin to buy a few minutes of dear King Rhion’s time, so unless we’re going to play for clothes, we might as well just play for fun.”
I glance at the High Fae I’ve become tied to and see the smirk on his face. He’s just joking. Mostly. I don’t have a chance to respond before Rhion says, “I doubt your sister wants to see you naked, Darian. Fi probably wants to see your ass even less.”
“Judging by how the past three games have gone, I’d be more worried about yourself, dear brother. Who’s to say what Fi wants to see. You don’t know what’s happened while you two were off dealing with important matters. There are only so many stories to be told, and this room gets chilly at night.”
This man… “Let’s just play for bragging rights,” I say.
Darian laughs and shuffles the cards. “You’re right. We’ll save the other options for later when our chaperones aren’t around.”
I stare at the cards on the table before glancing at Darian again. Rhion and Ainslee left hours ago, and we’ve continued to play Khorra since there’s nothing else to do. “You won again, didn’t you?” I ask.
