Page 36 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
Lie,the god roared.He’s lying.
"I am not lying. I-I don’t know where she is. She—" Terin gulped, his eyes darting to the others.
The bars of the mental cage rattled, the metal creaking, heating. Smoke filled Graeson’s lungs as the god tried to break free.
"Sheleft, Graeson." Dani’s words came at him like an arrow piercing him in the chest.
Graeson’s vision quaked. The nerves in his fingers went numb. Pain spiked along his spine.
In an instant, Terin fell to the ground, his knees smacking against the planks. The prince nearly tipped over the dock, but he narrowly caught himself, curling his hands around the edge of the wooden planks.
Every inch of Graeson’s body felt like it was burning from the inside out.
"What do you mean, sheleft?" Graeson demanded, his control slipping.
"She ran away," Dani said.
"Do you really blame her?" Emmett mumbled near the boat. "You’re frightening the shit out of me right now." He took a step back and waved a finger at Graeson. "Your eyes are doing that weird glowing thing."
"They do do that, don’t they?" Sylvia asked, hands propped on their hips and head cocked.
"Shut up!" Graeson yelled, the rumble of his voice shaking the very platform they stood on. Every bone, every muscle vibrated with rage as the people in front of him gawked at him with fear in their eyes. The only people foolish enough not to avert their gazes were his friends. But right now, he wasn’t sure if he could call Dani and Terin that.
"If someone doesn’t tell me right now where Kalisandre is, I’ll?—"
"You’ll what? Hmm?" Dani challenged, inching closer.
"Don’t, Dani," Terin warned.
"No. I want to hear this. What are you going to do, Gray? Because I don’t think Kallie will take too kindly to an outburst. Did you stop and think that perhapsyouwere the reason she left? That maybe she left because you can barely control yourself?" She tilted her head to the side, eyeing him.
Under her scrutiny, the god pushed at the barriers of his cell.Do not listen to them. They preach only lies, only falsities.
Yet Graeson couldn’t help but wonder if there was some truth to Dani’s claim. Kalisandre might have comforted him when he had nearly lost control that day in the woods, but maybe she had finally gained some clarity. Maybe she finally saw the monster he was, the danger he was.
Barnithian’s voice swept across him, spinning around him.You were born to tear this world apart, to burn it to the ground.
Dani smirked. "It gets worse and worse every day, doesn’t it? You’re hanging on by a thread. I can see it; weallsee it. I bet Kallie sees it too. So let her go." She was toe-to-toe with him now, and the god peeled back his lips, snarling. "Life isn’t some fairytale, Graeson. You have always known that there was only a small chance that the two of you would be together in the end."
Graeson bit down, his jaw cracking.
"You pretend as if love conquers all, but it doesn’t. Some things you cannot change. Some things have already been decided by fate, and the sooner you realize that, the easier it’s going to be. You’re not some hero who can save everyone. If you try, even more people are going to die."
As Dani went on, a warning bell rang in his ears. Something Dani had said swirled in the back of his mind. What had Kalisandre told him last night?
This isn’t some fairytale, Graeson
Their phrasing was too similar, nearly exact. There was no way it was a coincidence.
The bars of the cell bent back, and the god slipped an arm through the gap.
When Graeson spoke, his words were clipped. "What the fuck did you say to her, Danisinia?"
"I said what had to be said. I said whatyouwere too afraid to admit to her."
Movement behind Dani caught Graeson’s attention. Medenia twisted her hands together, and a look of sorrow drenched her expression. His gaze slipped to the people around her.
The witchling,the god hissed.She’s not here.
