Page 5 of Vicious Is My Throne

“So you…what? After all those years, you had a change of heart?”

Another one of those stiff shrugs. “Maybe I grew tired of all the killing.”

“It didn’t look that way when you shoved your sword through Crux in front of the entire royal court.”

Her lips twitched. “I never said I didn’t enjoy killing that bastard. I said I got tired of killing everyone else. There’s a difference.”

“You’re making it hard for me to trust you, Lyrae. Why did you help us, and don’t tell me another sad story. Or another lie.”

She bristled. “Neither were lies…but fine. Crux got what he deserved and so did the king.” Her pale-blue eyes turned nearly white in the stark sunlight. “I’m helping you so when the time comes the Oracle gets what’s coming to her too.”

She tugged back her sleeve to reveal a long, hideous scar running from her wrist to the bend of her elbow. The raised scar wasn’t new but was still red and painful looking.

The location was familiar enough to turn my stomach.

“Over the years, I became as trapped as my sister in that prison cell. The king sold you to fund his war. What do you think I faced every fucking day as a female in his court? And I realized there was a difference there too. Unlike you, nobody was coming to save me.” She yanked her sleeve back down.

“Your friend Ember…she reminded me of my sister. Stuck in a situation she could never get out of. Stupid, I know, but there it is, and after Ember died in that alley, I knew I’d gone too far. I tried to find a way out. I paid good coin to a mage in Southwell to burn the Oracle’s mark off me.”

Holy gods, Lyrae was marked as well.

“Did the mark go all the way to your heart? A circle with some other symbol in the center?” I asked, and when she nodded, I winced.

Every time I brushed my fingers over my mark, the sensations became…uncomfortable, to say the least.

Taking fire to that mark…I blew out a shaky breath.

“When Torin approached me to join your little uprising, that was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. And the fact I got to pay Crux back for everything he’d done to me was icing on the cake.”

Her voice was raw when she added, “I’m glad he’s gone.”

“Me too.” Because for what Crux had done to Ember, even though the Reaper hadn’t really been Ember, I was glad Lyrae had slaughtered him. I took a breath and shoved my bloodthirsty thoughts back down.

“I don’t think removing the symbol worked, not entirely.” Lyrae absently rubbed her fingers over her chest. “More like…dulled the connection, though I haven’t sensed her presence since that night we fought in Southwell. Do I have you to thank for that?”

“She’s locked away. For now. That’s all I’m willing to say.” My head snapped up when Zorander shouted for us to hurry.

“But I don’t know how much longer she’ll be…gone. Which is why we’re moving out while we can, to get a head start. Don’t fuck us over, Lyrae,” I warned her as I mounted my horse and gathered up my reins. “Torin and Cosimo are in charge of Blackcastle. Raziel’s men will keep what’s left of the army under control.”

We were leaving Raziel’s freed former soldiers in charge because Zorander didn’t have time to vet the three thousand men that remained, the ones with no families or homes to return to. But Raz trusted his men, and now we had seventy-seven of the fiercest, strongest males I’d ever seen positioned around the Keep and throughout the city.

“And what am I supposed to do while you’re gone?” Her eyes brightened. “I could come along if you could use another sword. It’s been years since I’ve left this fucking shitehole. I could use a few weeks in the mountains.” The offer seemed genuine, but we had no idea what dangers we were riding into. I shook my head.

Trust, which had never come easily, hovered out of reach when it came to Lyrae.

No, better to guard myself than allow anyone to take advantage.

“You don’t want to go where we’re heading. You know this city and its people. Keep them fed. Make sure Torin is informed of any plots. Let her know what you hear through your grapevine of spies.” Lyrae pretended to look affronted, and I grinned.

“With luck, we’ll see each other again.”

“Don’t die, Princess.” She groused. “One revolution is enough. I don’t have the patience to deal with another.” Then she prowled away, head held high, people shrinking out of her way as she passed.

“Let’s go. We can reach Nightcairn by dark if we stop fucking around.” Zorander cursed, especially grumpy today, and looking at the shadows beneath his eyes, I wondered if he’d gotten any sleep last night.

“Coming,” I yelled, and I urged my horse beside Raziel’s. “Who pissed in his ale today?”

“We’re leaving while the city is in chaos and Zor doesn’t handle chaos well.” Raziel’s expression was troubled. “Corvus is coming, the forest is a tangled mess, and we’re riding into…fuck.” He looked away, shoulders stiffening.

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