“I’m attempting to get your Valtrue under control before they kill the God of Chaos.”
For the love of—hate currently—the Valories.
A shiver races through me, and my muscles twitch as dread seeps into my bones.
“Don’t call it forward.” Gladian’s low whisper has me jolting in his grasp, and my feet halt. “If you react right now, he’ll know and make it worse.”
“Don’t know how that’s possible,” I grit as he tugs me along.
“It is. He could send you somewhere much worse.”
“You mean like Hell?”
“So Creed’s told you about his hom—”
“Say something stupid and I will fuck you up. Consequences be damned.”
He cuts his eyes at me but doesn’t tighten his grip or snarl.
“Yeah, he could send you to Hell. Which is worse than this, in my opinion.”
“Well, he’s already done that once, so,in my opinion, I’d rather face an evil I already know again.”
This time, the beads in his beard jingle with how fast he whips his narrowed gaze down at me.
“Aww, what’s wrong, big guy? Your precious dictator didn’t tell you about that? Looks like you’re not his favorite when he’s doing shady shit.”
“Impossible.”
“Are you trying to tell me what I did and didn’t experience? You want to test your luck with asking Creed for the truth?”
“What are you whispering to her about?”
Mellcom’s deep voice sends a chill down my spine. I swear Mara and I must have been thinking the same thing because we peer at each other.
“Explaining the severity of her punishment.” Gladian grunts.
“I think she should face the post again. She got off lucky.”
Jeremiah’s comment lands with the same careless cruelty he’s wielded over the past year. The sting is duller now, but the strike hits. I blink slowly, only long enough to slip behind the numbness waiting for me.
“Pray tell, Jeremiah, which time did I get off lucky?”
I’d like to believe it’s my icy tone that sends even their breathing into silence. It’s more than likely the fact that we’re walking into the Assembly.
“We’re almost to the healing villas. What is happening, V?”
“Derivius will meet with the High Chancellor as soon as you’re in there.”
“This is taurnshit. He should’ve and could’ve stopped this before I even left the house.”
“Unfortunately, that isn’t…the case.”
His choppy words have my skin growing hot.
“Just use your damn power and calm them down!”
His tense beat of silence and the cool grass chill my blood. I’m running out of time.
