Page 96 of The War of Wings
Miles nodded. “You can tell her the truth after I’m gone.” And as painful as it was keeping anything from Petra, as hard as it railed against every fiber of my being, this was one truth I hoped I never had to tell her, because I didn’t want Miles to go anywhere.
Chapter 38
Petra
Today would be the day I died, and in that lack of control was an overwhelming sense of peace.
The note I left for Cal this morning had enough detail I knew he wouldn’t come after me. He’d find it when he and Miles returned from their morning training session. Tyrak had stayed out of my way. He knew my plan, I was sure of it. And Queen Irli had been fussing over Nell since she’d arrived.
Everyone was where they needed to be.
I hoped when the time came to end Malosym’s life, my power wouldn’t rock the castle. I hoped they could have one final day of being none the wiser to my self-destructive plan before they reaped the benefits of the peace it provided.
That same damp scent assaulted me as I descended the stairs to Malosym’s cell. Shame that would be the last thing I ever smelled. Or maybe it’d end up being the smell of burning skin as I incinerated Malosym. Was that better?
I was halfway down the stairs when a hushed voice filtered through the stone corridor. I wasn’t sure why my steps froze. Malosym wasn’t alone in the dungeon. There were other prisoners and guards. But the low timbre murmuring through the hall was definitely Malosym, and I narrowed my eyes. The echoey corridor wasn’t conducive to a quiet conversation, no matter how low his volume was, but I still couldn’t make out a single word. Was he talking to himself?
No, there was another voice. A guard, most likely.
I inched forward, keeping my steps as silent as possible. And though I was surprised to see Malosym’s cell door hanging open, I was even more surprised at the sight of two bodies laying motionless on the ground outside it. My hand flew to my mouth as I took in their limp forms, the key ring strewn on the ground beside them. The guards were both breathing. Unconscious, not dead. What the fuck?
The voices became clearer as I grew closer, but they were still too muffled by the echoey corridor for me to pick anything out.
It better not be fucking Cal. This was the kind of shit he’d do, too, try to interrogate Malosym so I didn’t have to. How irritatingly noble of him.
“So why have you returned, then? To make penitence for your wrongs?” Malosym asked, his words just clear enough for me to hear them. I couldn’t tell whether his tone was placating or if the question was genuine.
Carefully, I pushed forward, stepping over the first guard’s hand to wedge myself between the open cell door and the wall. Who the fuck was in there?
“The only wrong I committed was getting involved with you,” the other voice answered.Familiar.I’d heard that voice before.
Chains clinked softly as Malosym must’ve shifted in his seat. “So what, are you here to strike me? Break my bones?Shoot another arrow through my back? Tell me, how are you going to punish me?”
“The deepest pits of Hell would be far too kind a punishment for the things you’ve done.”
“Take the revenge I know you believe you deserve.” Malosym’s words were a taunt.
“Why would I waste a single breath punishing you?”
“Because I took everything from you.” The chains rattled and clinked again, and I imagined Malosym leaning forward, egging on the stranger. “I took your rightful crown. I took your family. I took your education, your home, and the woman you loved. I took your verysoul.”
Whowas he talking to?
“Though it seems I have my soul once again.”
“Not all of it,” Malosym responded smugly. “A fragment of it will always belong to me.”
Silence fell for a beat before the stranger finally spoke again. “What the hell do you know about souls?”
“She never loved you,” Malosym said matter-of-factly. I didn’t need to see the look on Maloym’s face nor the stranger’s reaction to know it had been a low blow. Malosym was inflicting emotional pain, trying to rebuild his strength. “How did it feel to watch her die and know her death was at your hand?”
My eyes widened as the rigid silence expanded. Though I couldn’t see the man Malosym was talking to, I swore I could feel his anguish pulsing from inside the cell.
The stranger took a deep, steady inhale. “You killed her. Not me. You.”
“Face the truth, Vic–”
“Now you want to call me Vic?”
