Page 154 of Children of Fallen Gods

Zeryth stilled, almost thoughtful, letting out a faint scoff. “Mercy, hm? Is that what they want?”

“Your war is over, and you won,” Max said. “Take your victory, and let it be.”

Those words seemed to snap some thread of restraint in Zeryth, because every angle of his body went hard, eyes flashing, mouth twisted into a sneer.

“My war is notover. Not when I’m surrounded by Ascended-damned traitors. My war has barely begun.”

My stomach dropped.

Nura stepped forward, her eyes darting between us.

“We discussed this, Zeryth—”

“We?” he snarled. “There is no ‘we.’ Don’t think that I don’t know whatyouhave been up to, my dear, loyal Second. Don’t think I don’t know exactly what yourhelphas done to me.”

Nura’s eyes widened.

But Zeryth was back to me again before she could react. He moved in fits and starts, like a collection of limbs held together by fraying strings. “Execute them,” he commanded.

And with those words, the bind of my pact tightened around me like a noose. My fingers were forced closed around the hilt of the knife.

{He deserves this,}Reshaye whispered, and it would be so easy, but—

No, I didn’t want to do this. No matter what Vos had done to me.

“No,” I choked out.

Still, every muscle in my body pulled to obey Zeryth’s command. I held it off for seconds.

Then Zeryth rolled his eyes, let out a scoff, and the next thing I knew, the dagger was no longer in my grasp.

“Fine. Then stay there.”

Two smooth strides, and he was behind Lady Erksan, yanking her up by her hair, and her scream was splitting the air, and then there was blood everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, spattering across my face, the floor, the window. Her scream became a gargle. Zeryth’s beautiful white suit was awash in crimson.

The body fell in a heap. Vos scrambled away from it, slipping on blood.

Do something.

But Zeryth’s command froze me:Stay. Stay. Stay.

Zeryth reached for Vos, the blade lifting—

And then Max was between them, his hand catching Zeryth’s wrist.

“Is this really how you want to start your reign?” he said. “Hiding from the people you rule and drowning in paranoia?”

“That’s a rich statement, coming from you. After you lied to me as you have.” His gaze darkened with feral hatred. “You told me the stories from Threll were exaggerations. And you tell me that I’m not surrounded by traitors, when youareone of them?”

“I never—”

“You lied to me.” The two of them were locked like that, each pushing against the grip of the other. Magic began to crackle at Zeryth’s skin — strange, sickened magic unlike any I had ever seen. Pain flickered across Max’s face.

“I thought I needed you,” Zeryth sneered. “Needed your name, your nobility. So pathetic.”

Nura began to approach and Zeryth barked, without looking away from Max, “Don’t you fucking move.”

She lurched to a stop. She couldn’t fight his commands, either, whether it be due to his magic or her own pact, or both. His magic was toxic in the air, so thick my vision blurred with it.

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