Page 109 of A Dawn of Gods & Fury

“Oh! I almost forgot. Take those off.” He waves a dismissive hand at his guards, who comply without hesitation, removing my manacles.

Suddenly, I’m free, and more confused than ever.

I roll my shoulder, testing it. Each day brings significant healing where I took the ax, though I don’t know if I’m strong enough to fight fifteen guards. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.

A guard jabs my back with his hilt, forcing me forward in a stumble. I grit my teeth. Him, I will kill first. “Your men could use some lessons in manners around your guests,” I drawl, crossing the room at an even pace.

Movement in a corner catches my eyes.

Tuella is here. Observing me or protecting the king, or both. I have no idea what the conjurer is capable of, but I must assume she’s proficient in stopping me from killing her mortal king, especially since the guards remain at the door.

“Please. Sit.” King Cheral gestures at a chair.

I can’t help but frown as I slide in. This is not the start to the day I toiled over in bed last night after Satoria’s visit.

He fills another mug before setting the pot down. “An old favorite family blend. A mixture of beetroot, cardamom, and apple. Some find it bitter.” He motions to the bowl of cane sugar.

“Please do not take this the wrong way, but do you offer your favorite blend of tea to all you plan on executing? Or is the tea your method? A poison to burn me from the inside out.”

King Cheral’s eyes flash with surprise, but then he chuckles. “The tea is simply tea.” He doesn’t deny his plans for execution.

When I still don’t reach for my mug, he makes a point of recollecting the pot and filling his own mug to brimming, then taking another long sip. “King Malachi has executed Lord Adley of Kettling.”

“Did your kell tell you this?” My gaze flickers to where Tuella stands, silent.

“No, I received word early this morning. The king killed him in the throne room, with a flaming whip that appeared out of thin air.”

“Sounds like a tall tale.”

“After what you witnessed with the seeing stone yesterday, does it truly?” He peers at me over the rim of his mug.

I use the tea as an excuse, taking a long sip as I consider that. “I planned to execute Adley when I returned from the east, so this king has done Islor a favor.”

“Islor, perhaps, but not Kier. My kingdom sacrificed much to amass such an army, and now it waits for orders to invade, and I hesitate about what to tell them.”

“That is easy. Leave my realm and return to Kier. Or let them stay there to fight off the Nulling beasts when they travel deeper into Islor, which they will. I’m sure you won’t lose more than half your men to those things.”

King Cheral smiles, but there is sadness and disappointment in his eyes. “I was promised the spoils of rich lands if I aided Kettling’s cause. Something tells me that is unlikely to come to fruition now.”

“Are you looking for sympathy from me? You, sitting here in your pristine palace, drinking your tea? Because you will not see it, not even at the end of a sword’s blade. I could have told you never to forge an alliance with the likes of Lord Adley.”

“And yet you yourself did, when you proposed marriage to his daughter.”

“A terrible attempt to keep my enemies close, which is why I made a terrible leader.” I hoist my mug up to toast the air before letting the warmth slide down my throat. Fates, this is bitter.

“Politically, yes. But your achievements leading an army on the battlefield have been touted far and wide.”

“And it is where I should have stayed.”

He cocks his head. “Why didn’t you? Why did you betray your own brother? Was it the glory of a kingdom?”

“I had more than enough glory to satiate my ego. No … I thought I was saving him from himself while also protecting my realm. But it is clear now that I may have caused more harm than good.” It may have been Romeria who cursed Islor with her tainted blood, but it also seems to be Romeria who works to save it now. Which version of her, though, remains a mystery to me. “What do you know of the fates?”

“Your gods with their horns? Have you seen any grand statues around my palace?”

“During one of my many tours?” My voice drips with sarcasm.

He takes a sip. “If you were to ask a Kier or a Skatranan about Islor, I imagine they would at first claim they have never been. But then they would fill your ear with information about the people, the land, the curse.”

---