Page 44 of Haunted

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The empress is gone from my chambers in the morning. I’m partially relieved, partially annoyed by her games. She got what she wanted last night, so why would she stick around?

I dress for court while making plans with Neifion. Tonight. I’ll plan to leave for Elidyr but instead go to Uffern.

You’re sure about this? Neifion asks.

Absolutely. I whip my boot laces together. I’m eager to see the empress. Will she pretend I don’t exist today?

I’m not sure I can stand it if she does.

The resistance will provide a distraction, Neifion says. They are ready. Each region has a little surprise for the patrolling dragon riders.

That will pull the empress’s forces in seven directions. Her eye won’t be on Uffern, then.

Yes.

I nod to myself as I throw open my chamber’s door. To my surprise, Commander Meuric leans casually against the wall just a few feet from the entrance, cleaning his fingernails with a knife. He’s dressed as if he’s ready to spar, and I don’t take that lightly. As I prepare myself for a confrontation, anger flashes from him, and he throws me against the wall and presses the knife to my throat.

I don’t fight him. I wouldn’t win a battle against the commander. He’s far larger than I am, and his beefy arm crushes my sternum as he presses his weight against me. “What do you think you’re doing?”

I grunt. “What does it look like I’m doing?” His question could mean several things. He found out about the resistance. He found out I’m a spy. He found out about my plans tonight or—

“Seducing the empress.” His spittle sprinkles my face.

“No one seduces the empress,” I hiss. “She takes what she wants.”

The commander pushes the knife point into my skin. The slightest sting tells me he’s drawn blood. “Why would she want you?”

That’s the same question I ask myself over and over. “You know how she plays games.”

“Nothing is a game to her.” He says this with his eyes narrowed. When he stops speaking, his face tenses with a scowl.

Nothing? If the empress hasn’t been playing games this entire time, then what has she been doing?

“It’s all a plot,” he says, “and you are a fool.”

I push against him. “What are you saying, commander?”

“She’s onto you.” He breathes heavily in my face. “If I were you, I’d leave while you’re still alive.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I glare into his slate-blue eyes. They’re mesmerizing, ethereal, and filled with confidence. “You don’t care whether I live or die.”

“True.”

“Then why?”

The commander releases me and steps back.

I straighten and adjust my clothes, eyeing him with curiosity as he turns away in thought. “Is this concern for her as your empress or as your sister? I mean her no harm. I would never hurt her.”

“But hurt her you will.” He whirls on me but keeps his hands to himself as his gaze sinks deeply into mine. “You plan the ultimate betrayal.”

I’m astonished that he knows I plan to take her power, but I don’t change my expression. While our gazes are locked, I dive deep into his soul, as I imagine he is in mine. It’s a dangerous gambit, but one I’m willing to make. Though my mission is locked safely away in the core of my mind, he will still sense true emotions. I am honorable. I serve her. I serve my people. What more does he need to know?

In the commander, I sense pain, an ache so alive and feverish it consumes him. He knows heartache I can’t even begin to comprehend, far more than the heartache I’ve experienced over losing Siarl, over losing family members for several centuries. Underneath all the heartache is love. He has a strong abiding love.

“Whether as the empress or as my sister, my concern is one and the same,” he says. His sight is still lost in my soul. “I will do anything to protect her.”

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