Page 74 of Curse of Darkness
A country to protect.
A war to win.
“Speaking of Prince Kyrian, do we know where he stands in regards to this war?” I hate to bring it up, but he didn’t come to the burning of the pyre, and Thiago was his closest friend.
I can’t help feeling as though Kyrian’s long-ago words were a prophecy that came true.
“You will be his ruin,” he once told me. “His death.”
And with Ravenal abstaining from war, we need Stormlight at my mother’s back in order to keep her away from our throats—for just long enough for me to beg the Mother of Night for Thiago’s body.
“Leave Kyrian to me,” Thalia sniffs.
“We need him as ally,” Eris says, no longer looking like a sleek panther reclining on the bed. Tension marks her frame.
Thalia sets the brush aside, a dangerous gleam highlighting her uptilted green eyes. “If I have to haul that smug pirate to his knees and force him to side with us, then I will. Stormlight will grant us the warriors we need. And Eris is going to make an appearance at the border today so that your mother’s attention is focused there.”
“And Finn? How’s Finn?”
The second I think of him, he’s there in my mind. Steel flashes. A sword weaving through familiar patterns. The point of it pauses, as if he senses me thinking of him, and then he flows into another sweeping lunge toward an imaginary opponent.
Thalia and Eris share a look.
“He’s in the training yard,” Eris mutters. “He’s been there since daybreak.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Thalia says swiftly.
Eris arches a brow. “He won’t tell us. But he’s clearly bottling some sort of emotion.”
“Is he—?”
“You just focus on Thiago,” Thalia chides. “Finn needs a little bit of time alone. He needs to hit the punching bags, slay a few imaginary foes, perhaps even trade a fewactualblows if our dearest Eris would get off her ass and go down there and offer to hit him a few times.”
“Subtle,” Eris grumbles.
“Something I’ve never been accused of. Work it out of him, E. That’s an official order.” Leaning down, Thalia rests her chin on my shoulder as our gazes meet in the mirror. “As for you, you look beautiful, Vi. But you smell. Now go and take your bath. Bring our prince home, and don’t worry about the rest. Finn, Baylor, Eris and I have it covered.”
I screw up my nose. “When did she ever get this bossy?”
“I thought your memories were nearly all returned?” Eris arches a brow. “She’s always been this bossy.”
“Someone has to keep you all on your toes,” Thalia replies briskly. On edge, and trying to control everyone and everything around her in order to contain it.
I kiss her cheek as I stand, and she blinks in surprise. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Here.” Eris reaches behind her neck, unclasping the locket that contains Thiago’s soul.
It spills into my cupped palms. The wisps of silvery soul within the glass stir restlessly.
“I’m going to bring him back,” I tell them, looking up fiercely as I drape the chain around my neck and tuck the locket safely against my skin. “I’m going to bring Thiago back. I promise.”
“We know.” Then Thalia blinks and seems to realize Eris is still standing there. She claps her hands sharply. “Off you go. Make Finn sweat.”
16
The Mother of Night waits for me.
