Page 119 of Poisoned Kingdom
I tightened my fists at Ri’s quiet rebuke, briefly pausing on the stairs to look at him.
‘How the fuck could I have told you if I only learned about it in Ostrava myself? It was past midnight when we got back, and I thought it could wait until the morning.’ My jaw flexed at my lapse in judgement. ‘Besides, Sana told me the geas would help. She wanted reassurance . . . I thought Ciesko had set everything up for her.’
‘When did she tell you that?’ Tova asked, taking the stairs two at the time to keep up with my pace as I rushed towards the courtyard.
‘On the journey home. Discussion can wait. I need information,’ I said, and he dared to roll his eyes at me.
‘Of course. You talked while Irsha and I inhaled road dust at the rear,’ he grunted. ‘That’s why she didn’t fight them . . .’ He shook his head. ‘I should have stopped them. She told me not to, but I should’ve ignored her.’ The guilt in the dwarf’s voice echoed my own.
‘That’s not the point,’ Riordan said. ‘She’s a vivamancer! Even with my grandfather and Ciesko there, those arseholes could still execute her. Or she could kill them . . .’ He trailed off as we walked through the courtyard. ‘Gods, what else don’t we know? What if she’s a chaos mage? She could destroy the fucking city or turn it into a primaeval forest if we torture her for her geas,’ he muttered to himself as we reached the horses.
My stallion’s forehoof dug into the courtyard, the large iron horseshoe striking sparks as it hit the granite stone. He stopped when I put my foot in the stirrup. Before I could mount, Riordan’s hand landed on my shoulder.
‘If, for even a moment, they think she’s a chaos mage, your authority might not be enough to save her,’ he said. ‘If that happens, I’ll set up a ward so you can take her out of Dagome. Maybe she’ll be safe at your brother’s court.’
‘They’ll shackle you in augurec if you take the side of the king against your kin,’ I said. We both knew that was true.They would place him in a collar that would cut him off from the aether, condemning him—a high mage—to a life worse than death.
‘I’m not siding with the king. I’m siding with a friend and the woman he loves. You would do the same for me.’
‘It won’t happen,’ I said. ‘Besides, chaos mages don’t exist anymore.’
But what if . . .
A sudden wave of fear washed over me, making me stumble back until I grasped the pommel of the saddle.
Fuck, what if I’m already too late?
Even during the war, I hadn’t felt such fear. My hands shook violently before tightening into fists. My mind blanked, and for a split second, I felt as if I was seeing my city from above, my focus centring on the white ornate building of the Court of Aether.
No.I shook my head. Whatever this strange feeling was, I couldn’t allow the berserker to take control, not now. I was surely going insane because I felt something ancient sweep through me, dissipating as quickly as it came, but with its passing, I was once more in full control.
In the blink of an eye, I was on the horse, surging forward into a gallop while those in my way jumped to the side. I didn’t look behind to check if anyone followed.
I needed to get to Roksana. They would not strip me of the only light in my life. I swore to the gods right then and there.
If they hurt my Sanika, I would bathe this city in blood.
The sleek fae arches and opulence of the Court of Aether passed by unnoticed as my instincts guided me onwards. When I heard the screams, my legs were already propelling me from thesaddle, the impact as I hit the ground nothing compared to the pain I heard in each agonised cry. My snarling face emptied the corridors as I rushed towards the sounds until Riordan caught up and guided me in the right direction.
‘Where is she?!’ My roar fused with the torment in Roksana’s voice and the thunder that rumbled through the sky as a dragon’s shadow swept overhead.
Her voice, so clear even through the thick walls, unravelled my sanity. We practically flew, jumping down several steps in our desperate rush into the bowels of the building until Ciesko blocked my way, pacing back and forth with a worried expression.
‘You’ll pay for this,’ I growled, grasping the collar of his robe and dragging him up into the air.
‘It was the only way, sire.’ He didn’t fight me, his face filled with regret and sorrow. But even my rage at his betrayal wasn’t enough to snap the neck of the defenceless old man.
My gaze drifted to the door. I dropped the healer to the ground and reached for the brass handle, yanking on it.
‘The doors are sealed by magic. None can enter until it’s done. Trust me, Your Majesty. Roksana will survive. She must,’ Ciesko babbled as my fists hammered against the solid wood, hoping the pain would ground me enough to remove even a fraction of my fear.
Another torturous scream shattered the silence.
‘Trust you? You’ve lied to me for weeks. All this time, you knew the council would seek her life!’
‘But they didn’t,’ he said. ‘I gave us the time to build a defence and demonstrate her principles. Once we gain her geas, no one can touch her. The council—well, the majority—voted to let her live.’
Instead of calming me, his statement angered me even more.
