Page 37 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Ellie would not have missed sending them off. She gave Graeson so much crap when she didn’t receive a proper goodbye the last time they visited Tetria.
"Medenia, where is Ellie?" Graeson asked, his temperature rising.
"Where she needs to be," the princess stated, her lips set in a firm line.
Graeson took a step back, slamming his eyes shut. The betrayal of his closest friends hit deep in his core. He shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, they had gone behind his back to rifle through Kalisandre’s mind, so why wouldn’t they keep this away from him too?
"Please," he begged, his worst fears rising, "just tell me she didn’t go to him. That she’s not planning on doing something reckless."
Silence answered him.
With his heartbeat pulsating in his throat, he opened his eyes. Hanging on to the last dredge of his control, he looked at each one of them. "When did she leave?"
Terin released a heavy sigh, defeat dragging his shoulders down. "Last night."
Graeson cursed and stormed forward.
Emmett immediately retreated several steps, hands up. "If it’s any consolation, I have no fucking clue what’s going on," he whispered.
Sylvia scoffed. "And for a good reason."
Graeson ignored them both. He snatched his bag from the canoe, but Terin reached for it at the same time.
"Have faith in her, Gray." Terin tugged the strap, forcing Graeson to halt.
"He will kill her!" Graeson ripped the bag from his best friend’s fingers.
"She’s stronger than you give her credit for."
"I know she’s strong, but Domitius cannot be bested. Not like this. He will suspect something is amiss the moment he sees her. This isn’t—" Graeson stumbled over his words. "This isn’t fair."
Terin sidestepped in front of him and blocked his path. "She wants to do this, so let her. It’s what she would want."
"No, it’s what she thinks she deserves," Graeson corrected. "There’s a difference, and if you can’t see that, I pity those you will rule over one day."
Terin’s jaw fell open, but Graeson didn’t stop to see if he would pick it up off the ground. He shoved his way through the crowd. Kalisandre already had a half-day’s head start. He had to move.
"Graeson, where are you going?" Medenia asked, following him.
"To find Kalisandre and be some ignorant hero, apparently," Graeson shouted back.
"Heroes sacrifice themselves. But if you try to stop her, you’ll only be the villain in her story," Dani yelled after him.
Graeson didn’t stop.
The history books could call him whatever the historians wanted. If there was a story to write about, that meant at least one of them would survive this. And he would be damned if Kalisandre simply became a martyr.
Chapter 15
KALLIE
Silence wasa constant companion as Kallie and Ellie traveled through the swamps of Tetria. The horses made their way slowly, finding the least treacherous path and weaving between the cypress trees with ease.
Ellie had advised Kallie to let the horse lead while in the queendom, but Kallie had not seen the advice for the warning that it was. Now, she regretted not having listened to it more closely.
The moment Kallie had tried to sway her horse one way, Winter released a disgruntled whinny in protest. Kallie should have listened at that point, but she hadn’t. Instead, she was too determined to put as much distance between them and Graeson before he inevitably came running. She hadn’t realized her mistake until Winter reared, her front hooves pawing the air. And by then, it was too late. Kallie rolled off Winter’s back and landed in the muck with a splat.
It took over three tries and two near face plants before she could get her feet out of the thick mud.
