Page 16 of Crown of Darkness
Lysander is the first strike.
Andraste’swarningme.
Thiago slowly removes his gloves as he stalks forward. “You brought us here for a reason. Let us hear it.”
“It’s easy,” Andraste replies with a small shrug. “There doesn’t have to be war between our kingdoms.”
“I think it’s far too late for that, Princess. Your mother murdered a queen and tried to have me executed. She attacked a sacrosanct meeting—”
“And she is prepared to make amends.”
“I don’t see her here,” he snarls, “on her knees, begging for mercy. Or is that why she sent you? Did she think I might be somewhat more lenient if my wife’s sister pleaded her cause?”
My eyes narrow. “It’s more that Andraste is meant to be the distraction while Mother slips around behind our backs.”
“So trusting, little sister.” Edain laughs. “We are here because your Mother doesn’t trusthimto contain his daemons if he saw her.”
“Of the two of them, Thiago’s shown remarkable restraint,” I grind out.
“Has he?” Edain offers Thiago a little smile that seems to suggest otherwise. “Indeed, he does seem to have himself well in hand. Far more so than I was warned to expect.”
What does that mean?
“Oh.” Edain feigns surprise. “He hasn’t told you….”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Thiago replies.
“Mmm.” Edain sips his wine with nonchalant grace. “We shall see.”
I don’t look at my husband.
I can’t.
Because I won’t give Edain the satisfaction of knowing his arrow hit its target.
Instead, I rest a hand on Thiago’s sleeve. “You always did like to hear the sound of your own voice, Edain. Even though your conversational skills are terribly boring.”
“We’ll see. A gift from our queen,” Edain whispers, holding his fist up to his face. He opens it and blows the black dust held there directly toward us.
Within a second we’re enveloped in a cloud of shadows. I cough as it hits my lungs, fist clenching around the sword as I shove free of the dust. The bitter taste of it sinks into my tongue, but I breathe a sigh of relief as I realize what it is.
“It’s harmless,” I say, waving a hand in the air in front of me. “It’s merely a binding agent intended to lock a curse to its target.”
Too bad mine was broken completely. There’s nothing there for it to grab.
Eris locks eyes with Edain as she waves the black cloud from her head. “Permission to kill him?”
Edain merely smiles as his knife slips from his sleeve into his hand. “I would love to dance, sweet Eris. I’ve heard so much about you.”
I grab her arm. “Not now.”
Second strike.
There has to be a second strike.
“Nothing to say, Your Highness?” Edain prowls toward Thiago.
And I realize the arm beneath my hand has tensed.
