Page 55 of Storm of Fury
“I fulfilled my part of the bargain between your father and myself. I gave him two sons—”
“And Father gave you a throne.” He took a menacing step toward her. “Tell me, was it worth it?”
Zorja tilted her chin regally. “You understand nothing. Do you think I did this for a crown? I did this because I was saving a child Queen Amadea had sentenced to death. You were my son, but your father would never have hurt you. You were his gift to the world, his reason to live, and he would never have let you go with me. The child had no one and nothing. I did what I did to save her.”
Ishtar.
He could still remember his father bringing the squalling child into their rooms, determined to put it to death on the queen’s orders. His mother had raged against Stellan, arguing that the Goddess had given the girl life.
“She’s just a baby,” Zorja had told Stellan. “This is wrong, and you know it.”
It was the only time Sirius had ever seen his father falter as he looked down into the face of the screaming child in his arms. “She’s so little,” he’d whispered, before his face had hardened. “So little and sowrong. We cannot allow this monstrosity to live.”
Zorja had sent Sirius to bed, but he’d heard them arguing for half the night.
And in the morning, both his mother and the child were gone.
His father never spoke her name again. He never even mentioned the child. And Sirius had long thought the odd moment of guilt he saw in Stellan’s eyes had to do with murdering an innocent baby.
He had never dared dream that his mother had stolen the child and vanished into the winds, while his father kept the truth to himself.
“So you left me with him,” he whispered, staring into her face. “I don’t think you understood my father at all.” He stepped forward until he towered over her. “He tried to kill me. Do you see the mess of my eye? My father allowed this. My aunt ordered it. And you left me there, defenseless against her twisted influence.”
For the first time, the defiance in Zorja’s face gave way to doubt. “I thought you would be safe. He adored you.”
“You didn’t care about me or Magnus at all,” he corrected. “We were but your means to uphold a mating contract. You never even tried to contact either of us once you walked away.”
“That wasn’t true. I tried. Your father wouldn’t let me.” For the first time, doubt turned her blue eyes stormy. “She was a baby, just a little baby. I couldn’t let them kill her, no matter what I had to do.”
“You expect me to believe there was a single hint of a motherly heart in your chest? You expect me to believe my father stopped you from taking us? You are Zorja of theIkkibuclan. I’ve heard your name whispered throughout thedrekicourts. The Queen of the Iron Teeth. The Queen Without A Heart. To fly against you or yours is to risk annihilation. You have never shown your enemies one ounce of mercy.”
“Says thedrekithey call the Killing Frost.” This time, it was her chance to stab a finger in his chest. “Where do you think you got your merciless reputation from? Your witless father, wrapped as he was around his sister’s finger? You were more my child than you ever were his. And just as you forged your own reputation, so did I. I did it to keep my court safe. And I did it to protect a child, though Tiamat save me, I regret my actions now.”
For a brief second, he felt a flutter in his chest, but one look in her eyes soon quashed the emotion. Her regret wasn’t for him.
No, she was speaking of the princess.
“You cannot let her fly free. She will destroy the world, curse you.”
Sirius leaned closer, so she could see the intent in his eye. “Good. The girl should know freedom for once in her life. She’s been nothing but a pawn in the game you, my father and Amadea played, and I know what it feels like to be caught in such a position.”
Lightning crashed on the horizon—answering the call of its queen—but he knew she’d never dare strike him down.
“Don’t follow us, Zorja,” he said, in a lethal tone. “Don’t try to recapture her. Because I will stop you and any warrior you send against me. I will destroy them all and cut them from the skies with a mere hint of my will. You think I am your equal when it comes to mercy? You are mistaken. I will ruin you and your court, and my heart will know nothing but joy to see you cast down.”
A sharp breath escaped her as he took a step back.
“You’re a fool,” she said bleakly. “I am not the one you will stand against. The Keepers of Order won’t be frightened by such words, and it is them you face and not I. I have done my part. I have tried to grant the girl mercy. I have tried to repay the debt I owe Fate. I am done. The fate of the world lies on your shoulders now, and you should know…. Fate is a cunning bitch, and she always wins.”
“Until now. She’s never played against me before, and I don’t play by the rules.”
“No?” The word was a soft one. “You have more to lose than you think, Sirius, unless I have heard wrong. They tell me she’s a sweet girl, your mate. No warrior maiden, but one who believes in dreams and fairy tales. One with a soft heart and a vulnerable spine.”
Cold chilled his core. “If you ever make a move against Malin—”
Zorja turned away from him, her shoulders straight as she walked into the wind. “Not I, my son. Not I. But as I said, the Keepers are not known for their mercy. And you just set yourself between them and the prophecy they have sworn their lives to. I truly hope your lovely mate survives.”
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