Page 138 of Savage Is My Kingdom

“He’s not the only one lying.” I gave a short run down of our encounter with Torin. “Torin is trying to build a new world, but the Oracle wants to return to the old one. If the Oracleisone of the Old Gods…what does a god want from us?”

Chaos,chaos and fire and death. I shoved those gruesome thoughts from my head and focused on the problems at hand, of which there were plenty.

“The Old Gods…that world is thousands upon thousands of years gone.” Raz ran his fingers along the edge of the mantle, but he looked uneasy.

“Maybe the Old Gods never died. The Soul Reapers were their abominations, from before the Fae rose to power. What if they never left? What if they’ve been waiting this whole time?”

“Waiting for what?” Raz asked quietly.

“I don’t know. Not exactly.” But I couldn’t shake this feeling that I was right. As if somewhere, deep inside me, the truth hovered, close enough to touch, yet just out of reach. “The day Iaccidentlywent to Tempeste, the Oracle said something that never made sense. She claimed she and her brother had existed since this world was born. Chaos, she said, is even stronger than magic.”

A shiver went down my spine at how quickly Zor straightened, how deliberately Raz turned from the to face me.

“The Oracle has made kings, then killed them, when they were not of any use to her.” Raz went pale and I swallowed against the dryness in my throat. “She plans to replace both kings and unite the two realms. She intends to have someone rule her new, united realm, but before she does…she will burn the old ones to the ground.”

I couldn’t tell them that someone was me.

Didn’t want to even consider the possibility, not now, not when the picture she’d painted was so horrifying.

“You’re just now telling us this?” Zor drew his hand over his face, “It’s been weeks, Anaria, since that day.”

“I couldn’t decide if any of it was real. She talked in riddles, in hints and clues, and it wasn’t until we saw Torin that I realized…everyone has their own agenda. But…what if the Oracle is orchestratingeverything? She started this, after all, when she gave Julian the prophecy.”

“That prophecy was the catalyst for an entire chain of events.” Raz blew out a long breath, his gaze flicking to Zor’s. “Julian believed it with all his heart. So did the king, fuck, we all did. That prophecy gave us the only hope we’d had in centuries. But the prophecy came true, Anaria, you’re living proof…”

The door blew open and Tavion burst into the room.

I didn’t have enough time to scream before Raziel fell on him, fists flying, both of them careening back through the door and out into the yard. The bonfire was nothing but embers, and they rolled right through, Tavion’s fancy cape smoking when they shot to their feet, circling like ravening wolves.

I took one step and Zor blocked me, pinning me between the doorjamb and his body, even though he shook from the effort.

“Let them fight this out, it’s been a long time coming.”

“I can’t watch this.” I muttered, a lie, since I couldn’t take my eyes off them.

Tavion was tall, but Raz was taller and stronger, his muscular shoulders bunching beneath his shirt, Tavion discarding his cape in the dirt, followed by his fancy vest and knives, scattering them through the dirt like they didn’t matter.

“I’m going to kill you.” Raz said matter-of-factly, making no move to strip or ready himself. “For every cruelty, every monstrous thing you’ve done to Anaria, I will peel your head off your shoulders.”

Heat flushed through my body.He was doing this for me?

“You’re more than welcome to try.” Tavion’s leering grin was all the invitation Raziel needed. He hit him like a bull, the bone-aching thump of their bodies colliding knocked the breath out of me.

Then they were on their feet, fists swinging, and I should have looked away, but couldn’t. Tavion’s fist caught Raz’s jaw and blood splattered, painting Tavion’s white shirt red before Raziel flipped him onto his back and straddled him, paying him back tenfold, until Tavion’s face was a battered mess.

I expected it to be over, but Tavion flipped positions, fastened his hands around Raz’s throat and squeezed. Even Zor couldn’t stop me, I gripped the back of his shirt and yanked, but only managed to shred the fine linen to pieces before Raz flipped Tavion onto his back again, his fists pounding like hammers.

“Fucking enough.” Zor elbowed me aside, ripped Raziel off and shoved him against the side of the shed. Raz pressed his bloody knuckles against his mouth, his wild eyes flicking up to meet mine.

I went perfectly still. They were wholly black, not a shred of white in them. He blinked, and they were dark brown once more, while I wondered if I’d been seeing things.

Only the Oracle had eyes that black, I didn’t want to think about what that meant. What powerful magic that collar contained. Magic I’d never seen a hint of.

Tavion climbed to his feet. “Would you rather she was in the Stormlands with that bloodless fucker Gravelock?” He wiped his dripping nose on his sleeve. “Be glad I overheard Lyrae mention yesterday’s meeting. Otherwise, Anaria would be beyond our reach.”

“I would have been alright with Julian. But not you.Never you.” Raz snarled and I recalled what the king had said earlier.

I’d rather it be your brother, but you’ll do.

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