Clover steps up beside me, and the crowd sees her. The roar changes and they start chanting her name.
Today, I’ll be the kind of king I always should have been.
The kind of kingsheneeds me to be.
CHAPTER 30
Clover
The last time a crowd cheered for me, it was because they’d just found out they were bidding on a virgin.
The sound still makes my stomach twist as I step onto the ramp beside King Lix’tuk. My king. Thousands of voices crash over me, shouting my name, chanting the words President Highton tried to use against us. No more sons. No more daughters. No more Clovers.
Maybe I should feel powerful. Maybe a part of me does. But another part of me is still standing on that auction stage in a dress I didn’t choose, with strange men staring at me like I’m just a thing they can purchase, take home and use. My hands start to tremble, but I ball them into fists.
“You’re safe, my love,” King Lix’tuk growls, low enough that only I can hear. “These people are looking at you the way orcs used to look at me when I walked through the streets of Uzrirgard,”
I stare at him. I don’t know how people look at a king or queen, but maybe he’s right. All I really heard, though, was that he called me his love.
“Clover!” a voice rises above the crowd, redirecting my attention, and I recognize it instantly.
“Mom!” I scream back, waving at her.
My mother comes running down the steps of the Presidential Palace and I start moving toward her as fast as I can. Even an angry mob knows not to stand between a mother and the daughter she thought she’d never see again. They part on both sides and we meet in the middle of them.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” I cry, glancing at the top of the steps where my father is still holding President Highton on his knees.
“You can’t believeI’mhere!?” she screams, hugging me. “We were already angry at President Highton for using your name like that. When we heard your speech… we knew we had to do something.”
“I think you did a little more thansomething, Mom,” I say, hugging her tighter than I’ve ever hugged her before, her arms squeezing me so tight I’m worried she’ll break a rib. “Are Beverly and Abigail okay?”
“Yes, they’re fine,” she reassures, finally releasing me from her embrace. “As soon as we realized there would be trouble, we sent them back to Troona to stay with the neighbors. Not my first choice, but at least I know they’re safe.”
“Good,” I say, then I remember I have a hulking orc standing beside me. “Mom, this is King Lix’tuk. King Lix’tuk… this is my mom.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am,” King Lix’tuk says respectfully, then he points at President Highton. “As much as I hate to interrupt this reunion, I believe there’s business we should attend to first.”
The three of us turn our attention to President Highton and start walking up the steps. He looks at us with a bitter expression on his face and an angry look in his eyes.
“You fuckingbitch!” President Highton snarls, spitting at me. “This is treason!”
“That’s my daughter you’re talking about,” my father says angrily, twisting President Highton’s arm until he howls in pain.
“You’ll all be executed for treason! Every single one of you!” President Highton yells. “The senate will never stand for this!”
“There’s not much left of your senate,” my mother sneers. “Half of the senators are already dead. The rest are in hiding, hoping they’re not next.”
“My army is on the way! Just wait! They’re coming!” President Highton screams, looking past the protestors.
“Those who didn’t remove their uniforms in disgust have already been dealt with, former President Highton,” King Lix’tuk growls.
“I bet you love this don’t you? Filthy fucking orcs,” President Highton snarls. “These people are fools. Why don’t you tell them what happens next, huh? How you plan to burn this city with your troops surrounding it, so nobody can escape!”
“There was a time when that’s exactly what I would have done,” King Lix’tuk intones. “I would have stood outside Concord City and smiled while I listened to the screams.”
The crowd seems uneasy with that declaration. I’m not, because I know he’s not that kind of orc anymore. He may not love all humans, but he loves me, and he’s seen what generations of hatred brings.
“Hear that!? That’s what happens when you commit treason!” President Highton yells. “All of you are going to be killed by orcs!”
