Page 71 of Betraying Korth

A ragged breath sounded, then Garrik coughed once, lifting his face from the ground to look at me, a dribble of blood running from the side of his mouth.

“Dahlia…don’t—don’t let the rebellion die too,” Garrik whispered before his eyes closed for the final time as his head fell to the floor. He didn’t move again.

My entire body trembled as I stared at him, distraught. Odette tried once more to pull away, but I redoubled my grip and pressed the dagger hard enough that she gasped in pain.

“I dare you to try me,” I whispered menacingly in her ear. “Give me an excuse to kill you and I swear I will.” The rage turning my vision scarlet had a mind of its own, urging my hand to fell the quick blow that would rid me of Odette forever. She deserved it. From all the cruelty and abuse she and her father dealt out to her complete lack of regret…she deserved to die. The animalistic fury that was consuming me after Garrik’s death applauded the thought. I could end this, right here and now.

I hoped my father would find and kill Curdy. He deserved it, too. His betrayal in Haven Harbor had been a blow, and this second betrayal turned my stomach. Such is the danger of dealing with one whose allegiance can be bought.

“There’s no chance of you winning,” Raquel sneered at me. “The guards will be on their way.”

“Big words from a man who’s tied up. How fitting that this is your final throne.” I nodded at the dilapidated wooden chair. “You have nothing.” My hand itched to silence him and his daughter both.

He sneered. “You’re wrong. I’m a king. It doesn’t matter if you take my throne and my crown; I’ll always be worth more than you. You’re simply an imposter with a blade. I was born to lead; you were and always will be a nobody.”

I let out a harsh bark of laughter. “So much bluster for someone whose daughter is at my mercy. Here’s my offer: publicly revoke your claim to the throne when the guards come, and I’ll let your daughter live. You can choose to cling to your crown or protect her.”

Odette whimpered.

“You must be mad,” Raquel sniffed. “You think threats will change anything?”

I glared at him. “It’s no threat; it’s a promise. The people are suffering under your rule. They deserve a leader who cares for them, not one who bleeds them dry for his own gain.”

Raquel laughed openly. “You think you and your little band of rebels can do any better? You have no idea what it takes to lead.”

“We certainly couldn’t do worse than you have. Answer me, or I’ll kill her.”

“Kill her, then.”

Odette let out a gasp of horror and I froze. “Wh-what?”

Raquel’s smile broadened. “Kill her. You think I care for one girl’s life more than the fate of the entire kingdom? I don’t negotiate with traitors and terrorists, and my guards will be here any moment. I knew Curdy’s plan would work. Once they see the dead bodies and me tied up, you’ll have no chance of escape.”

“Once I kill her, I would kill you next.”

“Prove it, then. Show me your commitment.”

“I’m your daughter!” Odette cried. For the first time, I heard genuine pain in her voice.

“She won’t do it,” Raquel told her with a yawn. “You aren’t at risk. Real power is never given; it’s taken, and your handmaiden there lacks the proper will. I see it in her eyes.”

I tightened my grip on Odette, but my knife hand shook. The world would be a better place without her or her horrible father. I could strike a fatal blow against them. The rebellion would succeed. Our coup would be victorious. It was all within reach.

“Dahlia,” Odette whispered. “Please don’t.”

“I have demands!” I shouted, my trembling growing worse than ever. “You will reunite the families you’ve torn apart, slavery will end, and we will restructure the government to givepeople a stronger voice.” When would Father get back here? Or would Curdy kill him, too?

Raquel laughed openly. “You think I would ever listen to your pathetic pleas? You know nothing.”

An icy, invisible hand had a death grip on my heart, twisting and wrenching it as I grappled with my morality. How far was I willing to go to achieve what I wanted? If I didn’t stay my hand, how was I any different from Raquel and Odette? I had told Korth that I didn’t regret my actions from before, and that was true. My gaze settled on Garrik. Did I want to avenge him enough to act on the temptation tugging at me? I screwed up my face. It was wrong to take a life. Even if they deserved to die, I didn’t want to be the one to strike that final blow. No matter how long a list of crimes I had, there had to be an end.

Raquel was sneering at me. “I told you she wouldn’t. These commoners are all talk. They claim they want control but are too weak to seek it.”

Valuing life was not weakness. Listening to my moral compass and wanting to do the right thing, even if others refused to, was not weakness. Could I commit the ultimate sin on the quest for righteousness? I had come so far—victory was within reach. But now that the time for action had come, I felt paralyzed by indecision.

“Dahlia,” Odette whispered once more. “Please.”

The icy hand around my heart dug its nails in, shredding the very fibers of my being. Everything I’d ever wanted was within reach. One quick cut was all that was required, and Odette would be silenced forever. I could do it. For once, everything was on my side. We were alone. They were guilty, and I had the upper hand. And yet…if I killed Odette and the king, what would that prove? That we were the exact type of bloodthirsty rebels we were painted to be?

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