He wasn’t wrong, but he was insane, and if only to prove him wrong, I moved behind him and, widening the cut with my dagger, pulled on the arrow.
Blood gushed from the wound, trickling over his back. He gasped, leaning forward, but didn’t ask me to stop. It was a slow, gruesome process, but I pulled it free. Jagon collapsed on the floor, a crimson pool forming beneath his body as his breathing turned ragged.
I moved to stand up, but he grabbed my hand again. Unable to speak, his eyes pleaded for me to stay. I hated him, nothing would change that, but he’d saved me too.
From fire on the steppes,
From Tivala’s dungeon.
From Tangra.
He was a monster, but I couldn’t let him die alone.
‘Fine,’ I said, sitting on the cold floor. He inched closer, and cursing my weakness, I let him place his head on my lap, more for me than for him. The kernel of darkness tainting my soul that hadn’t existed before Tivala’s torture – I couldn’t let it grow.
Dusk settled over the stormy sky, peppering it with the twinkling of stars. Even the sea quietened. The waves crashing into the cliffs below calmed, as if sensing that something in my soul had shifted. Time, measured by Jagon’s laboured breathing, slowed as I hummed a wordless lullaby, tears falling from my eyes. I mourned the woman I could have been and all those years I’d lost hating and fearing this man.
Calm settled in the cave, broken only by my voice when a nightjar flew inside, the gods’ messenger coming for the soul. Its churring call harmonised with my song, and I knew Jagon was gone before his hand grew cold in mine.
When the bird flew away, I was ready to look down. There was peace on my enemy’s face, a gentle smile, while his eyes, even glazed by death, still looked at me.
And the hatred, which I’d carried for so long, slowly died.
Chapter 37
Reynard
The opulent royal council chamber held a chill that the winter weather could not explain. Servants rushed past me, setting the fire in the enormous hearth, while I stood waiting for the council members to arrive.
Marble is good for washing away blood,I thought, knowing that some would leave this room in chains or, if they resisted, wrapped in a canvas sack.
So, you’ve finally stopped thinking like a general and started thinking like a king?Cinared said with amusement.
And what does that mean?I asked my dragon, who decided being cryptic was the height of wit.
You no longer want to please them but to rule them. I wonder what brought about that welcome change? Is it thanks to the woman I see in your thoughts?
No, it’s because I have a sarcastic lizard in my head telling me what to think. Through our bond, I sensed his rumble of laughter, but maybe he was right.
When I’d arrived in the capital, the first thing I learned was that my Sanika had taken it upon herself to travel to the enemy’slands. After I discovered she’d only taken the Master of the Blades, something inside me broke. Now, I was no longer the king who would tolerate traitors in my court.
Cinared decided to add his opinion.If she is as resourceful as you claim, she will survive. Shouldn’t you trust your mate to hold her own?
Trusting her doesn’t mean I worry less or care less. If Riordan hadn’t helped me dreamwalk with her, you’d be flying your scaly arse to Tivalaran and back like a merchant pony, I snapped; the implication that I didn’t believe in Sana’s skills was incredibly insulting.
There was a flash of surprise, but no anger. The dragon’s mind wrapped around my thoughts with warm understanding.She’ll return to you, but if you need to fly to Tivalaran, we will.
Riordan walked into the room, interrupting my thoughts, his eyebrows arching when his talent picked up the threads of the conversation. I didn’t want to shut off my dragon, but keeping my mind open meant my friend, a talented psychic mage, had to make a conscious effort to shield himself from me.
‘Couldn’t you at least wait till servants warm the room before calling everybody in?’ He sighed, wrapping his robes tighter around his body while his breath misted the air. ‘And please don’t tell me you’re going after Roksana. We discussed this.’
‘Not today, but she’s been gone too long, Ri. Irsha returned two weeks ago, and despite sending every available Observer to Tivalaran, there’s still no word.’
My hands tightened on the edge of the table. There was no point in explaining my insomnia. I couldn’t even train with my warriors, not with the need to tear everything apart lurking right below the skin. Ri already knew it all. The pity in his gaze forced me to shrug and change the subject.
‘As for the nobles, I don’t care if their entitled backsides get frozen to the chair; they will endure.’ I glanced at the side door, where my surprise was hidden. ‘Are they ready?’
‘Yes, but Rey… maybe you should rethink this?’ Riordan said, but one look at my face, and she shook his head, stepping closer to the fire as we spoke.
