Page 53 of Between Fear and Favor

To his credit, Lord Durand said very little, and I wondered if he thought he was dreaming. The armory was empty, but I was sure if things took a turn for the worse, it would be full with courtiers attempting to arm themselves with whatever they could find. When I unfolded my gambeson, pulling it over my tunic, the councilman rubbed his bleary eyes.

“What is happening?” he rasped, running his hands over his thinning, grey hair.

“You’re helping me with my armor, my friend.”

I’d taken a liking to the man after his defense of me while Rain was held captive in Folterra, and his cheeks turned red when I referred to him fondly.

“They’ve breached the walls then, if you’re going out there. Haven’t they?”

“Maybe. I’m not certain yet. But I’m readying myself, regardless.”

He followed me over to the rack which held the meticulously crafted armor Rain had gifted me before we performed the bonding ceremony. He silently handed me each piece of armor in the order Thyra usually did. I supposed I should have made Cal do this, but I had no idea where he was. I wondered if Durand had squired in the past. I couldn’t remember if his title was earned or inherited, but it was clear he knew what he was doing.

“Thank you,” I said as he finished tying on the vambraces protecting my forearms, and the old man grasped my hand.

“A true queen, you are. Sometimes I wonder if Vesta deserves you.”

“I wonder that myself, sometimes,” I said, though my words held different meaning. I’d done this to the people of Astana—my very presence had brought this violence upon them. And with my blood, it could have ended with so many lives spared.

Tutting at me, Lord Durand had been able to read my tone. “May the gods guide and protect you, Emmeline.”

And with that, I opened another rift, this time, to a carefully considered location. I had no intentions of going east as Rain had requested. Instead, I wanted to wait and watch. The turret I chose was situated on the northern side of the palace, and I was able to see the Wend clearly. And what I saw horrified me.

They’d breached the walls, that was clear, and it was chaos. Focusing on my connection with Rain, mildly strained by our distance, it was nearly impossible to pinpoint a single emotion. Exhilaration, fear, and anger fought for dominance; he was in the thick of battle.

I had been wise to order the evacuation of the Wend.

I didn’t allow myself to think of our people who had refused. I had to be grateful for who I’d been able to save—like Dia and Ihon. There was nothing I could do about the others. Our city was under attack, and the twining pathways that wound and curved through the Wend were full of enemy soldiers. A portion of the wall had collapsed, and they swarmed through. From this high up, they appeared as ants.

Since the wards ensured I could only rift within the palace, I waited. Despite my desire to run right into the thick of it, it was probably for the best. Because from this high up, I could see what Rain probably couldn’t. I frowned, narrowing my eyes, as the shadow barricade Nereza had created slithered through the hole in our wall. The Supreme and Nereza’s army pushed northward, almost as if they were trying to herd our soldiers somewhere.

I had a feeling I knew what was about to happen, and I couldn’t stop it. Not until I knew where she was. So I scanned the battlefield, watching for any sign of that wicked bitch. Because it was her they were pushing our soldiers toward—I was sure of it. With so many wounded, it would be easy for her shadows to find weakness, invading the injuries of our soldiers.

I prayed to the gods that Rain had no such wound.

Nearly a quarter hour later, I spotted her divinity. It took me a moment, because she wasn’t boisterous. It was subtle and insidious, the way the woman used her gifts. I couldn’t see her, but I watched as inky tendrils of shadow lifted into the air. Stretching through the densely packed streets, they swirled around fighting soldiers, searching for wounds to invade. As my soldiers fell, one by one, it was clear what had struck them.

At the same time, I felt the wards slip. Like stepping through a waterfall, the protective magick the elven folk of Astana had bestowed upon our city collapsed around us.

Swallowing, I knew what I needed to do. The Supreme and Nereza would likely think I was a coward—holed up in the palace. And would they be wrong to think that of me? All I’d done was stay safe behind our walls, away from the bloodshed. Until now, I’d listened to Rain and prioritized myself, the Beloved, to protect the fate of the Three Kingdoms.

But I could not do that any longer.

Rain had sought Cethina, doing his best to manage his forces and find their biggest threat. But he hadn’t been successful. Removing their most powerful weapon was a necessity, and I had a personal interest in bringing her to justice.

Cethina had maimed and tortured my people. Even when I’d been able to eradicate the blight from their bodies, the pain had been immense, and the recovery had been harsh. I could only assume she took joy in it, because only a sadist could inflict such wounds. Over and over again, she had chosen to destroy. Her divinity wasn’t a gift, but a nefarious blot upon our land.

For all that she had done, I would deliver her to the eternal lands myself.

Chapter 26

LAVENIA

Upon seeing Fox dart away,Smokkar let go before I even needed to compel him to drop the blade. His grip left my torso, and everything was blanketed in darkness.

“Smokkar,” I said, hands outstretched in the deep blackness. After a moment, my eyes adjusted, and I saw a glowing, squid-like body escape through the hole in the floor. Heart in my throat, I was terrified he followed Fox. Regardless of what her plans might have been, even if she would tell the Sea Queen what Smokkar had told me, I didn’t care. All I knew was I didn’t want her to get hurt.

I was unused to moving through the water on my own, and the fabric of my gown swirling around my legs made things awkward. I dove toward the hole, and as I shimmied through, my dress caught on the roughly carved opening. Just as it tore, the sting of a cut on my hip made me hiss in pain.

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