Just when Evelina thought her heart couldn’t break any further, an irreparable crack splintered down the middle of it. Tears slid down her face as she looked at her mother, the brave queen who had always been the picture of strength.
Her own land, which she loved so dearly, was slowly draining the life out of her.
“What can I do?” Evelina asked, though she knew it was a futile question.
Her mother patted her hand. “You can sit with me awhile.”
But something had to be done. There had to be a way to fix this.
“I can’t let you die,” Evelina whispered. “Perhaps the Keeper knows, or we could go to the temple and pray for a council with Eurydice.”
Her mother shook her head. “There is only one possible answer now.”
Evelina sat up straight, her heart quickening. “What is it?”
She would do anything for her mother, weather any storm or fight any opponent to get her what she needed. She was ahealer,for goddesses’ sake. If anyone could find a remedy to prolong her life long enough for them to find a real solution, it would be Evelina.
“Carwyn is already ruling in my stead, preparing herself to take the crown.”
“That doesn’t help you,” Evelina snapped. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. “That doesn’t save you,” she tried again, softer this time.
Queen Embry frowned. “There is no saving me. Even if the land was saved, it has already taken too much of a toll on my body. My Essence is close to being entirely drained, feeding into the land to keep it alive.”
Another bone-rattling cough abruptly shuddered through her chest, cutting her words off. She pointed to the smallbedside table with a shaky finger. Evelina fumbled for the glass sitting there, bringing it to her mother’s mouth and holding her head up so she could drink. As her mother caught her breath, Evelina glanced out the window, noting the way dark clouds had gathered in the once-clear sky.
“This is Moros’s doing,” Evelina hissed.
He was leading the rebellion, raising an army that had invited the darkness into their land. She had lost so much in the past twenty years. Her father, her best friend, a countless number of her people. And now she was supposed to sit by and watch him take the one person who was supposed to lead them through it all.
It was all his fault. And yet she’d always felt entirely hopeless to stop him.
Queen Embry drifted to sleep, no longer able to stay awake. Evelina held her mother’s hand, her grief turning quickly to a silent rage.
When she left this room, there would be only one thing on her mind.
Vengeance.
Thirty-Four
Daimon
Queen Embry was dying.The heaviness of that reality hadn’t fully sunken in yet. Not as Carwyn led the strategy meeting with Senna at her side. Not as Daimon had to briefherinstead of her mother. He liked Carwyn well enough, but he had served Queen Embry for years.
And then there was Evelina.
He swallowed, his throat tight thinking about what she must have been going through.
“Our victories have been short-lived with how often the rebels have been trying to push past the border,” Senna said. He was on Carwyn’s right, standing beside her comfortably.
Daimon watched the naval commander with interest. He and Daimon might both have been commanders, but they couldn’t have been more different. Senna was revered with a pristine bloodline, while Daimon had clawed his way to the top.
“There’s been more skirmishes on the coast. We should consider shifting some of the ships closer to the border to strengthen our presence there.”
Carwyn nodded and looked at Keir. “Thoughts, Commander?”
The door to the strategy room creaked open as Evelinastepped in. Daimon straightened, only catching a glimpse of her face before looking away. She had been crying. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were red.
“Evie?” Carwyn said with a touch of surprise in her voice.
