Page 84 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
This was not how their plan was supposed to unfold.
Kalisandre was supposed to manipulate the king and his guards—and she had done so beautifully in the beginning. Yet Domitius had broken free of the command. And now she, too, would feel the weight of his mother’s death.
"My son, I never stopped loving you," his mother said, voice still impossibly steady as Graeson lifted his head. "Know that there was nothing you could have done differently. I sealed my fate a long time ago.Thiswas the only way."
Tears blurred his vision, and for a second, he thought he felt his hand tremble, yet it only rose higher and higher.
"Set yourself free," she whispered.
The dagger hovered over her chest, where he could faintly hear her heartbeat, its rhythm calm. Steady.
"Now!" Domitius commanded.
The blade jolted forward. Graeson’s arm wrapped around his mother’s back. He dug his fingers into her blouse and hugged her tightly to his chest. Her weight shifted, and the wet gurgle of blood filled her lungs as she took a quivering breath.
When the god of the Beneath came to fetch her soul, Lysanthia did not scream.
She did not cry.
She did not fight.
His mother died in silence, one hand wrapped around Graeson’s and the other gripping his shoulder.
Somewhere a scream pierced the air, sending the birds in the field and in the trees scattering.
Graeson glanced at Kallie. Tears spilled down her face, but the scream had not come from her. No, the scream had come fromhim. It rushed from Graeson’s throat like a roar. Rough, raw, and guttural.
Ice-hot fury poured through his veins as his mother’s life bled into him. Every muscle, every nerve, every ounce of blood inside Graeson screamed out in pain and sorrow and frustration. His mother’s lifeless body slipped through his hands, but he couldn’t catch her as the rage overwhelmed him. His entire body burned as the grief and guilt and fury strangled him.
He fell, his knees and palms crashing against the ground. His bones twisted and contorted, cracking and breaking. Pain and panic surged through him. Dirt piled underneath his nails as he tore into the ground.
Every bone hurt.
Every muscle screamed.
His throat tore open as a feral scream left his lungs, an endless outpouring of rage.
The sky melted into a violent ruby hue, his vision bleeding red.
Finally,the god whispered.
Then Graeson came alive.
Chapter 34
KALLIE
The roarthat poured from Graeson’s mouth pierced Kallie’s ears and shattered a piece of her heart. Even Domitius had retreated several steps at the sound.
As he screamed, Graeson collapsed to the ground, his back arching and limbs trembling. The fabric stretched across his arms, his sleeves tearing at the seams. His limbs jerked in unnatural ways, and Kallie could have sworn she heard several sharp cracks as bones snapped.
Panic seared through her, draining her complexion. What did Domitius do to him? Had he or Lysanthia stabbed Graeson with whatever poison they used to create the drakonises?
Kallie tried to yell out to him, but her scream caught in her throat and expanded as if she had swallowed a bone. Moris' spell was still wrapped around her limbs, keeping even her mouth sealed shut. All she could do was watch as Graeson transformed before her eyes.
Her heartbeat thundered, each thump crashing against her ribcage.
"What the fuck?" a guard sputtered.
