Page 55 of A Dawn of Gods & Fury

Abarrane shrugs. “We go to Kier.”

“When?” Kazimir blurts, urgency filling his voice. Atticus is obviously important to him.

“You are not going anywhere but to the rift to help Islor defend itself,” Abarrane snaps. “Something your king should have done instead of ignoring pleas for help and giving traitors room to tear our realm apart.”

“That began long before Atticus sat on the throne and you know it,” Kazimir throws back, defending his friend. “And he did not ignore anyone. He sent half our army here to aid you, weakening us for the battle in the east. That is why Kier was able to defeat us.”

He’s not wrong on all those accounts, but this is not the time or place for this fight. “Our focus has to be on the good of all people, not just one.” I add more quietly, “Even if he is Zander’s brother.”

Kazimir’s jaw clenches, but he doesn’t lash out. “And what of the people in Cirilea? I hear the situation is grim and they”—his eyes cut to Abarrane—“will tell me nothing.”

“You deserve nothing,” Jarek retorts.

That he seems to care draws my sympathy. But it’s another update I still need from Zander. “We helped a lot of them get out before the rebellion, but many more remain.”

“There were children in the ballroom—”

“They are safe now.” Playing tag with pot-bellied nymphs until recently.

“He gathered them there so they would be protected,” Kazimir counters. “He feared they would be dosed with the poison if he did not.”

“We wrote to him! We told him that the poison wouldn’t matter after Hudem.”

“And why would he believe you? You’ve never given him any reason to.”

“Because he should have wanted to believe me!” My voice cracks with my eruption. “He should have looked for any excuse. But instead, he killed all those people. I saw them! I saw their bodies hanging in the streets!”

“Romeria …,” Jarek whispers.

I take a deep breath, trying to rein in my emotions. What good does yelling at this guy do? He didn’t make these decisions, and what’s done is done.

“For what it’s worth, Atticus struggled with the right path forward, and near the end, he did try his best to protect the mortals,” Kazimir offers. “Really, his biggest mistake was relying on Boaz to oversee the problem.”

“It’s a good thing Her Highness killed Boaz then, isn’t it,” Abarrane says.

A twitch of Kazimir’s eyebrow is the only sign of his surprise. “Good. I never liked him, anyway.”

I sense we’ve gotten all the helpful information we will from this one. “If there’s nothing else useful you can share about Atticus—”

“What of the baker?” he interrupts.

“Who? Gracen? She helped me get the children out. She and her family have left Cirilea and they’re also safe.”

He sighs. “That is good news. Atticus was … fond of that mortal.”

If I had to guess, Atticus isn’t the only one fond of Gracen, but I’m not surprised. She wins hearts without trying.

“Well, unless you’d like to give me some of that special healing, I think I need more rest.” He lies back on his cot and closes his eyes, effectively dismissing us.

Abarrane’s face contorts with fury, her hand reaching for her blade.

I shake my head at her. I know these types of assholes; the reaction is what he wants. We duck out of the tent.

Elisaf and Lord Rengard march toward us.

I look to my old night guard and my first friend in this inhospitable world. The very idea that Elisaf could have been another body in that pile of bones has me throwing my arms around his lanky frame.

“Not the greeting I expected, but I will take it,” he murmurs, squeezing me back.

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