War was coming and Kleonos was getting ready for it.
“Given our luck, he will become the next Serpent general,” I said.
“You didn’t invite us here to talk about that monster.” Zandyr’s eyes tensed with worry. “What is going on?”
Usually, I welcomed the heavy, expectant stares of people. As a leader, they were inevitable, so I had learned to relish each one. It was an intoxicating feeling to know you’d proven people could count on you.
This time, however, I hesitated.
The Blood Brotherhood was already in danger, and I was about to complicate matters even more.
It took Calyx nudging my ankles with his cane for me to open my mouth. “One of my daggers killed Alaric.”
No point in softening such a huge blow.
“This dagger, to be specific.” Calyx retrieved the blasted weapon from one of his secret drawers, which refused to open to anyone else’s touch. It glinted purple in the hazy sunrays, Solkar’s magic still coursing through it, but its blood pommel was empty.
No new kills, no blood to soothe it.
“Why are we finding out about this just now? The Protectorate leader was killed months ago,” Soryn bit out. “We could have used this information.”
“How, exactly?” I asked, my voice just on edge as his.
Soryn remained obstinately silent, but his judgemental air wafted through the portal.
“I wanted to make sure it was truly my blade and not a copy aimed to implicate our Clan.”
“Or just you.” Zandyr’s gaze darkened. “Did you kill him?”
“No,” was all I said. My Brothers and Sisters relied on my word. “I know where each one of my weapons landed that day, and none of them was aimed anywhere near Alaric.”
“Does The Huntress know?” Elysia asked.
I rolled my shoulders back. “I’m still standing, so no.”
I didn’t know how to even begin to think about how to explain that her father had died by my weapon, but not by my hand.
Allie’s trust was fragile and I feared I would shatter it. A part of me, and a large one at that, worried she wouldn’t believe me. That in her mind, despite the whispers, moans, and promises, I was still the enemy.
Only malevolent gods such as ours could tie my fate to hers in such a cruel way. We were obligated to marry for peace, but our destinies had been tied through this bloody crime for eternity.
A stinging shiver raced up my spine, settling at the base of my skull.
I had not caused this death, but I still felt responsible. If I would have protected my weapons better, if I had paid closer attention during the massacre, if I’d arrived in the center of the maze quicker.
All decisions which had haunted me since the wedding.
Yet what made my chest constrict and kept me awake at night was Allie’s beautiful face crumbling when I’d tell her the truth. She’d already endured so much, I didn’t want to be the catalyst for another pain.
Another betrayal.
Another mystery to unravel.
And if Allie wouldn’t believe me, then all would be lost.
“Someone could have picked up one of your weapons in the chaos and killed him. To incriminate us, of course,” Zandyr said.
I shook my head. “I left that island with the same number of daggers in my baldric as when we first reached its shores. Twelve.”
