Page 76 of The Court of Secrets
Morgana let out an exasperated sigh. “You should have let me die.”
“Like you should have me, but apparently, neither of us listen to reason.” I licked my lips, rolling my eyes. A storm was brewing behind the window. “He threatened Magaelor. He’d have brought plague and disease. I don’t need a centuries-old, vengeful necromancer who’s motivation is to destroy my kingdom. I had no choice.”
She sat upright, rubbing her temples. “You don’t need to.” She stopped me from brushing her strands.
“I want to,” I said, brushing out her curls. “I’ve missed you.”
“You still haven’t told me what you promised him. Winter.” She gave me a discerning look. “Tell me everything I have missed, and don’t leave out anything. I need to know.”
I looked down at the steaming cups. “For that discussion, we might need something a little stronger than tea.”
I finished filling her in, and she nodded along, taking everything better than I would have. I explained how I needed to kill Vahaga and what André had told me and my mother, about the spirit realm, what the necromancer wanted me to do, the attack on me at my coronation, and my offer of a treaty to Kiros.
“You sent a peace treaty, to Berovia?” She entwined her fingers. “We would have a better chance at kidnapping Neoma if I were going to allow the plan to go ahead, which I’m not.”
Dismissing her statement, I clicked my tongue. “Kiros might say yes.”
“He will not.”
“He might.” I charged with hope. “I’ve seen it, glances of him reading the letter. He smiled.”
“That could mean many things.” She furrowed her brows. “I see your foresight has come in. Or, shall I say, you have finally allowed it in.”
“It’s not like I was purposely shutting it out before.” I smirked, delighting in our back and forth, like the old days on Inferis.
“You shut out more than you will ever know.”
“Very cryptic.”
A hint of a smile curved her full lips. She lifted her tea to them and sipped.
“Blaise and I are together.” I looked up. “It’s complicated.”
“When is it not with you two?”
I arched an eyebrow. “You knew?”
“Of course I did. It was always meant to be him.”
A snugness settled into my chest. “How are we going to find these souls? I mean, one of them can be Vahaga, but—”
“Winter!” She scowled. “You cannot even be tempted by this offer. You should never have agreed to it. While I appreciate the sentiment, it will cost you your soul. You are our queen and cannot be a murderer.”
“I already am.” I referred to my father. “What am I supposed to do? This is a hundred lives to save a million, to save us too. Magaelor needs you.” I didn’t like feeling vulnerable, but she was my family. She’d been there when no one else was. She had rocked me to sleep after André died. She was the one who kept me glued together when I was falling apart on Inferis. She taught me knowledge was power and made me feel like I was worth something. Moreover, she’d always believed in me, and I wasn’t ready to let her go. “I need you.”
The sharpness on her features softened. “I will carry out the task for you. It will be my burden now.”
“No!”
“You will not question me.”
“I’m not going to let you do it alone. I’m helping. Queen or not, I am your friend, and this was my promise. It’s my kingdom to save.”
She let out a long shaky exhale. “Then we must do it together.”
“Wait, Morgana…” An idea flitted into my mind. “The spirit realm reaches only to the tip of Magaelor, correct? Not beyond.”
“Yes.”
