Page 131 of Kingdom of Crowns and Daggers

Usually, that would piss me off. The rich only help when things get bad for them, not caring about what is happening in the Lowers. In all honesty, I couldn’t give a fuck, my whole focus on getting back at the fucker who took away my reason for living.

Alyx.

My heart constricts painfully in my chest, making me pause for a second as I steady myself against a wall. Everything I have built here, my whole underground empire was for her. My entire life was built for her. Now that she’s no longer here, everything has lost its meaning. I could easily just disappear into the sea with Alyx, but her king and guard are useless without her. She would be devastated if they were killed because she was not here to protect them, so I have taken over that duty. It is what keeps me moving—get the king back into power and get my revenge on Alyx’s brother at the same time.

What happens to me after, I don’t care, but I suspect the pain of losing her will finally consume me.

Maybe I will fall into the waves that stole her from me and let them consume my wretched, broken soul so we will be together again.

I still remember that night vividly. Every element has been etched into my mind, and when I close my eyes, it all plays out in agonising detail. I was too slow, caught up in protecting the king, and I did not get to her in time. I was just entering the docks when Atlas stabbed her, pushing her into the sea with a careless shove.

A ragged cry escaped me as I watched her fall, my heart going with her as her limp body hit the water. I have never run as fast as I did in that moment, not caring that it was dangerous or that the bastard who just stabbed her could attempt to kill me next. No, my only thought was to get to Alyx. She would be okay if I could reach her. She had to be okay. Sprinting to the edge of the dock, I leaped into the water, diving deep. The water was stained red, but the churning sea soon diluted it. I searched the water for her for what felt like an eternity. She was not there. I searched and searched, my lungs screaming for air until I realised the futility of it. She was not there. I can only assume her body was washed out to sea.

I did not even get to say goodbye.

Even just thinking about it now makes my knees feel weak, and I want to fall to the dirty ground and scream out my anger and pain for all the world to hear. That memory plays out in my dreams, and I wake up screaming. It is safe to say that I have not been getting much sleep since that day. Exhaustion plagues me, but I have my purpose to keep me going. Entering the secret entrance to my current safe house, I climb the steps down to the tunnels beneath the city. I have lived underground for so long now that it does not bother me to be far below ground. Passing through the various hidden doors, I finally get to Joha and Orion.

They both sit at the wooden table in the centre of the main room, looking over at me in expectation. It is a surprise to see the king up and out of bed, some light returned to his eyes.

Good, he will need that to get us through today.

I cannot and do not have the energy to force him to live when I am barely doing so myself. It does not matter if he doesn’t want this because it’s what she would want. This is all for her.

“Get ready,” I snap in greeting, throwing two bundles onto the table without explanation. “We’re going out.”

Orion frowns, his previously shaved head covered with hair, catching the light as he leans forward and opens his bundle of fabric. He arches an eyebrow at what he finds inside, but he says nothing, instead glancing at Joha.

The king looks at the bundles and then back to me, his confusion evident. “Where are we going?”

A grim smile takes over my expression, and I have no doubt it is evil and bloodthirsty. “To take back your throne.”

Dethrone the false king, kill him, then put Joha back into place.

It’s all that repeats in my head as they share a look.

I am nothing more than a weapon.

We move through the city like wraiths in the night. The moon is low in the sky, meaning we only have a few hours before the sun rises and takes away our advantage as we hug the shadows of the buildings. The tunnels only take us so far, and the rest of the journey is going to be above ground. We are now in the Uppers, and we just need to get to the palace walls without anyone seeing us.

The king and his guard are silent behind me, following my lead. It took less convincing than I thought it would to get them both on board with my plan.

It seems none of us care if we live or die anymore.

Getting into the palace grounds should not be too difficult, but Atlas has massively increased the number of guards that patrol inside the wall. This is going to make it more challenging, but not impossible. Reaching the wall, we circle our way around to the secret entrance I discovered when I was first stalking Alyx here.

“This is not going to work,” Orion grumbles, his body stiff with tension. “There are too many guards. We will never get past them.”

He is right, and I know he’s been taking in the changes Atlas made. While he and I could sneak past, the king does not have the same training we do and would bring attention to us. I enjoy his discomfort and I smile, knowing my expression disturbs him. The king just watches us silently, glancing between us.

“It is a good thing that I planned a little distraction.”

The three of us slip through the secret entrance, staying low in the shadow of the abandoned building built against the wall. It is the perfect place to sneak in, and I am surprised the guards have never thought of that and blocked it off.

I sit in the shadows and watch the patrolling guards when a huge boom shakes the ground under our feet. Shouts and sounds of panic fill the air as guards run towards the front of the palace and the main gates. It seems that my old friend, Mr. Singe, has pulled through with his end of our arrangement.

Mr. Singe used to be a medic for the palace and enjoyed experimenting with different remedies. He was discharged by the former king when he managed to create a chemical that exploded on impact. Several guards raided his stash and managed to blow themselves up in the process. None of that was Singe’s fault, but he was discharged anyway. When I offered him a chance to get some payback, he was up for the challenge.

“That was your distraction?” Joha asks with a raised brow. “To blow up the front gates?”

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