Page 208 of Spoils of war
“You could’ve died.”
I turned my face away. “At least then you’d be safe.”
But Licia reached for my hand, her fingers closing tight around mine.
“No.” she said. “I’m safebecauseof you.” She took a breath. “And so is Kalani. And Aran. And Will. We’d all be dead without you, Kera. Yousavedme. I thought... I thought I’d rot in that place. That I’d never feel the grass beneath my feet again. But you... You got me out.”
Tears blurred my vision, and I shook my head, barely able to speak.
“At least I could save someone,” I rasped. “At least I finally got it right. Because I couldn’t... I couldn’t save myself. I couldn’t save my family. I couldn’t save Novil.”
Licia’s gaze softened. “I know. I saw it.”
I choked on my breath. “You’ve seen the sacking?”
She nodded.
“Then why—” My voice broke apart. “Why did I survive if I couldn’t save them? Why couldn’t I save them?”
“Novil was never yours to save.”
She didn’t look away, just held my gaze.
“If you had stayed,” she said. “You wouldn’t be here. And I wouldn’t be. And I couldn’t tell you what I’ve seen.”
She paused.
“You want answers. You want to know what you are, right?” Her voice dropped lower. “You want to understand. And to do that… you need to remember. You need to remember what really happened that day. The day I found you.”
I stared at her. “I don’t know if I can.”
“You can,” she said. “You weren’t meant to save Novil,” she continued. “But you’re destined to stop the Eredians. That’s why you survived. You made a vow, didn’t you? To avenge your family.”
I shook my head hard, the words spinning through me. She’d seen it. All of it. Me crawling out of the burning house. Me sobbing beside my parents’ bodies. Me praying, to the gods, oranyone who might be listening.
“How do you—No. I can’t. I could barely fight three men. How could I—”
“It’s going to burn without you,” Licia cut in. Her voice was trembling now. “They’ll take and burn until there’s nothing left but ash. And they won’t stop there. You think those Vultures will stay in Vestance? You think Alevé will be spared?”
Her grip tightened around my hands.
“Nowhere will be safe. Not unless someone stops them. And we can’t afford to play fair anymore.”
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“The gods chose you for a reason,” she said.
I stared at her, my heart thundering in my chest.
What was she talking about? Chose me for what?
“The gods?” My voice rose. “You mean the ones who’ve been trying to kill me? The ones who killed an innocent woman because she wouldn’t? Did you see that too?”
I paused. The memory hurt more than I expected.
“They should make up their minds. And they’ll have tochoosesomeone else—because I’m not going back. I’m never going back.”
Licia didn’t argue.
Instead, she let go of my hands.
The moon had risen, casting silver across everything it touched. Licia stepped to the railing, lifted her face to the sky like she was listening to something only she could hear.
Then she turned.
Her eyes found mine through the dusk, and she smiled. She smiled like she understood something I didn’t, like she’d always known.
“You weren’tjustchosen by the gods, Kera,” she said. “You’re one of them.”
