Page 95 of Courting War
Morrigan glowered. “If you would do your job, we could go. We have some things to discuss amongst ourselves.” Her disrespect rattled the floor, sucking all the air out of the room. No one dared speak. The audience was so silent they could hear each other’s heartbeats.
“I should flay you alive for your mouth, girl.”
“Then do it.” Morrigan put her hands on her hips. “But you can’t because of rule fifteen of the Sacrifice accords.”
“I’m sure that’s the only reason I wouldn’t . . .”
“With you, one never knows,” Morrigan breathed.
“Has your hatred grown so much?”
Hatred? A muscle in Kellyn’s jaw ticked, and a bead of perspiration crawled down his spine.
“What do you think?” Morrigan asked.
“But you’re doing so wonderfully.” Nefeli blinked her thick white lashes, framing her clever eyes. “The teamwork you displayed was quite brilliant. You’ve done well, my child.”
“Not well enough.” Morrigan’s voice dropped below a whisper, “Never enough, Mo—” The last words were indistinguishable.
Nefeli clapped her hands. “Alright, the scores.” As the words left her mouth, eighteen numbers burst like fireworks into the air above the gods’ heads, and ink sank its teeth into Kellyn’s wrist.
All roads lead to me.
Without another word, Cecile stomped past the gods and into the heart of the palace, offering one last glare at Morrigan as she went, the lava light framing her beautiful retreating form.
“Fuck,” Morrigan groaned. “We should go after her.”
Kellyn grunted his approval, and they moved to follow, but barely made it two feet before his parents accosted them.
“How dare you,” his father growled in his fiercest bass tones. “You’ve brought dishonor to our house.”
In a quieter voice, his mother added, “Kellyn dear, you know the consequences of the public discovering your secret.”
Kellyn opened his mouth to respond, but Morrigan beat himto it. “Because it would be so terrible for your son, for a Theoden heir to be different—to have different strengths.”
“Don’t speak of things you do not understand, girl.” He lifted his hand as if to backhand her but thought better of it at the last minute. “Theodra would be ashamed to have you representing her, Kellyn.”
“Don’teverspeak on what Theodra would or wouldn’t approve of.” Morrigan’s composure slipped, her voice dropped to depths deeper than the underworld, and rivulets of fury leaked from her pores. Ravens squawked in the distance, and Kellyn could have sworn the temperature dropped a degree.
Gooseflesh rose on Kellyn’s arms, and fear skittered through his stomach.
Morrigan embodied power, and her threats were laced with unbreakable promises.
“You’re not worthy of having him as a son, and I speak for Theodra when I say it is you, not him, who should be ashamed of your actions.”
Foolishly, his father didn’t back down. “You will not speak to me like this, you gutter—”
“You will not finish that sentence, father.” Kellyn cut in, his stance towering and mighty. “Call me all the names you want, but you will not besmirch Morrigan.” Confidence burrowed into Kellyn’s heart. “As for the throne of Theoden, I don’t want it if you’re not going to accept me as I am.”
His mother gasped. “Then what are you going to do?”
“I’ll figure it out,” Kellyn said, grasping Morrigan’s hand and striding away with his head held high.
“That was brilliant, Kel.” Morrigan squeezed his hand and peered at him with bright eyes.
“Thank you for your support. It means more than you know.”
“Anytime,” she grinned. “But never mention it to anyone. It would ruin my reputation as a shrew, and I’ve worked hard to develop that.”
