Page 45 of A Dream Shrouded in Fury
“The princess.This whole rebellion.”She puffed out a breath.“Look, I know the king is a waste of air.He treated us like garbage.He sees everyone in his circle as beneath him, he’s cruel, and he probably doesn’t deserve to wear that crown.But to go after his daughter?I understand the logic, but it’s cold.Zath had his reasons, and maybe if we’d succeeded that first night, I’d feel differently, but this seems...”She sighed.“Hate me for saying it if you want, but I don’t see the point.All these years, I’ve been so mired in hating that man that I haven’t seen any other way forward.Spending time with Ria and Birch?Cooking for them?Watching their expressions change when they discovered what real food tastes like?I’d forgotten how much I love cooking.I hadn’t thought it was possible to find that kind of joy again, but it turns out I just needed to leave Soldara.”
I worked my jaw, hearing her but not sure I wanted to.“What are you suggesting?That we walk away now that we’re here?”
That I do what I’d said I would after those first days with Kalla and put my revenge behind me?Somehow it felt too late for that.Would Kalla accept me into her fury now?Would Thorn even allow it?Or had I fucked things up so badly that my only option was to continue with this horrible, impossible plan?
Hethyr pressed her lips together and stared down at the princess’s campfire.“Why not?Now that Zath isn’t whispering in my ear and getting my blood up, this fight doesn’t seem worth it.Given the choice, I’d rather change the world with spices than with blades.”
“And leave Soldara under Leonine’s rule?”I was scrabbling at the foundations of the earth shaking beneath me, trying to hold on to my reasons for being here and for turning my back on Kalla.
Hethyr shot me a look of strained patience.“You know most of our people don’t see him the way we do.Soldara’s prospered under his rule.Sure, the poor are poorer, but do we honestly think that will change because we boot his ass out of the chair and put someone else in it?”
“It will,” I argued, though I struggled to put heat into my conviction.“It will because he’ll know who caused his fall.He’ll know the people he tortured were the reason for his destruction.”
It was everything I’d dreamed about since Zath had rescued me from the palace and put a dagger in my hand.
“Will he?”Hethyr pushed.“If he does, will he care?Or will he laugh because even with his death, the world will carry on as it always has and we’ll lose anyway?”
I wanted to lash out and remind her why we were here and what was at stake.
But just as my legs had refused to take a single step forward—just as my hand had refused to draw my weapon—my tongue refused to peel itself off the roof of my mouth.
“What’s the hold up?”Pimmin hissed as they and Corban crept out of the shadows behind us.
My dagger was in my hand, my vision sharpened, and my blood rushed in my ears.I hadn’t noticed them crossing the trail.They must have gone down quite a ways before coming over to our side, which I hoped meant they hadn’t been spotted.Already our plan was going to shit and we hadn’t gotten close yet.
“I’m asking our leader some serious questions,” Hethyr said, still staring me down.
Pimmin’s eyes widened.“Oh wow.I didn’t think you’d work up the nerve.”They looked at me.“What do you think?”
The two had clearly held the same discussion at some point along our journey, and from the way neither of them flinched at my now being in the loop of their sedition, they felt strongly enough about it not to bear any shame for their doubts.
“What serious questions?”Corban demanded.His knives were in his hands, and he struggled to stand still, everything about him eager to launch into battle.How could he be so ready to die?“Why the fuck are we wasting time?If we wait any longer, they’ll leave.Once she’s in the carriage, it’ll be that much harder to gain access to her.We should move now.”
I stared at him, taking in his passion for this mission and thinking about his response to Kalla’s challenge.His answers to Ria’s questions hadn’t sat well with me, and I felt the same now.Everything about his behaviour made me question his motives.All this time, I’d believed his rage against Leonine was greater than mine, but now I had to wonder if his ambitions ran stronger than taking the king down.If his true goal was to take leadership for himself, there was no way I would let him do it.His rule would be the dawn of a new age of oppression—a rule of anger and vengeance.Blood would spill and from more than just the high-ranking nobles who had laughed while Leonine tormented us.
“What happens after Brynna is dead?”I asked.
He scowled at me.“What do you mean?We go back to Soldara, wait for the war to decimate the armies we hate, and rip that fucker from his throne.”
“And if someone other than you wants to sit on it?”
Corban snorted, his glower raking me from hair to boot.“Like who?You, ledsha?You don’t have the spine to rule.”
“What about me?”Hethyr asked, her voice calm but her eyes burning.“Or Pimmin?Or anyone else in the Coynfare?”
“If anyone else in the Coynfare wanted to lead, they’d be here,” he snapped.“The cowards who stayed nice and cozy at home while we got our blades bloody don’t deserve the position.”
“Considering how things have gone, they were smart to stay away,” I said.“We’d probably be wise to do the same.”
Shock gave way to rage as Corban pulled his lips back.“So now you’re a coward as well as a magicless hack?”He spat.“Who do I have to thank for this change of heart?That vampire bitch?The way you two came back mooning over each other tonight, I should have known you’d pull some shit like this.Do not turn your back on this mission, Jael.If you even think about it, the first thing I’ll do when we return to Soldara is direct the city guard to her precious fury.”
“Corban,” Pimmin warned.
He scoffed.“What?You think I wasn’t paying attention to where we were going?I know every dip in the ground.I’ll order the entire mountain be razed, let the dragons find a new home.”
“Right, because you have such sway with the guard,” Hethyr said.
“Don’t I?”
