Page 128 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
First, I had to destroy them. Their power, their reputation, their reach. Have all their allies turn against them.
Only then could they be struck down.
If only my parents had known the real reason Banu and Valuta had deigned to save me. I wasn’t entirely sure they hadn’t orchestrated the assassination attempt in the first place. I’d found no evidence; Banu and Valuta were masters at hiding their tracks.
Removing them from power would be the fight of my life.
They’d played their cards well, and I’d only started to notice their manipulations during my teenage years. By then, the damage had been done.
Then Kaya had confirmed just how wretched her parents truly were.
Adara’s grinding stone hissed against the blade once more. “Be careful not to make bigger mistakes in your quest to not repeat Zavoya and Eldryan’s.”
Ice ran down my back. I kicked myself away from the door. “Youknow.”
Of course she did, nothing got past Adara’s scrutiny. It explained her sudden change, the one that had rattled Evie so much, and the way she’d been avoiding me since my return.
“I figured it out while you were gone.”
“Did you tell her?” I asked, desperate to know the answer. If Evie knew and hadn’t cursed me to Xamor, that meant she understood and–
The blade hissed. “There’s something foul in the Protectorate. She talks with her cousins. I don’t trust them.”
Neither did I. From what my Brothers and Sister told me, their fiances weren’t the brats we thought them to be. But Adara was right. Something was very wrong within their Clan. Silas on the throne, their armies dwindling, their magic faltering.
Until we found out who was responsible for the blithe, nobody could be trusted. Even a drop of information leaked to the wrong person could tear both of our Clans and lead to war across all of Malhaven.
“Did youtellher?” My voice echoed against the flames. I heard the urgency in my own voice.
“No.” Hiss. “I haven’t dedicated my life to saving our Clan just so I could endanger it with one careless word. Neither should you.”
“I know.” As much as it pained me, as much as I regretted it, I saw no way out where someone wouldn’t get hurt.
Hiss.
“But I am not the one marrying her,” Adara said. “You can’t break the oath without killing yourself–”
Hiss.
“–you can’t warn her without endangering your Clan and hers–”
Hiss.
“–and if my suspicions are correct, you can’t stay away from her, either.”
Hiss.
“So tell me, Dragon…”
Hiss.
“What do you think the Blue Queen will do when her second wedding will be worse than her first?”
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
EVIE
