Page 64 of The Empty Throne

Cohea shrugged one shoulder. "I like the wayhe loves me, even if it's unconventional. If you had told me yearsago that it was Bittersea I'd fall for, I'd have laughed in yourface, but… he is it for me, even if it's like loving broken glassor a wild animal. He Bound himself to me, which is more of adeclaration than I ever expected."

Sobeki snorted. "I don't know that I'd becomfortable with the whole 'if I can't have you, no one can'mentality, but it's also not my business. I said it before and I'llsay it again: if you're happy, then I'm happy for you."

Oskia made a face at them both before turningher attention back to the door, the distant sounds of battle thatwere steadily drawing closer. "If this is to be our laststand…"

"We'll give it everything we've got," Cohea."Bittersea is out there, and his body count will be high. If we canlocate Fazekas and his highest officers, we can end this, but thatnasty little rat will be at the rear and well-protected."

"His ego will bring him forward," Sobekisaid. "They'll breach the palace soon, and he won't be able toresist coming to the front of the line to gloat. I'm here, so he'llhave to come here, and the moment he arrives, we'll have himpinned."

Cohea really should have figured that outsooner. "Nicely done, Your Majesty."

"It'll be nicely done when it works."

Oskia and Cohea sighed in agreement.

A soldier came bursting through the doorbehind the throne. "Terekians at the gate, Your Majesty. We'vecounted twenty fire mages, and roughly thirty other mages, thoughwhat kind precisely has been difficult to determine, though mostare elemental of some kind."

"Thank you, Sergeant. The remainingstaff?"

"In the basement."

"Guards?"

"At stations, ready to fight."

"Thank you. To your post."

The silence that fell as the door closedweighed heavily. Cohea itched to go see things for himself, but ifhe left, there was no guarantee he'd be able to get back to Sobeki,and above all else, they needed to protect Sobeki. "I really wishyou'd at least go to the fucking basement with the other importantpeople," he muttered.

"Quit it."

Cohea rolled his eyes and huffed but gave up.He and Oskia moved to take up their positions in front of thethrone as the noise grew closer. On his hand, his ring stillsparkled brilliant red. The ache in his chest told him thatBittersea was close by. He must have fought his way to the palacetoo, taking as many out as he could along the way.

The doors to the throne room were sealed andbarricaded, but it wouldn't slow the invaders down for long.

"This never should have happened. It nevershould have come to this," Sobeki said grimly. "It's all sofuckingstupid."

Cohea looked at him, at Oskia, in silentconversation. It was stupid. It waspointless. Cremisio wasa small kingdom that bothered nobody, and all they'd ever asked inreturn was the same courtesy. They didn't restrict travel, theydidn't levy heavy tariffs, they didn't doanythingto impedetheir neighbors from working with each other. They'd more thancompensated everyone over the years for the damage caused by thedead sea.

So many people dead, so many families ruined,because Terek and their—cronies weren't content with the power theyalready had. The citizens of three whole countries would besuffering now, from the deaths caused, the property destroyed, thelivelihoods lost… for what?

He hated it. He hated every single bit of itso fucking much.

The sounds of war were close now, voicesdiscernable, if not the words being shouted. He could hear doorsbeing forced open, furniture and other objects being destroyed,other horrible sounds he couldn't pin down.

"Ready," Oskia said as the noise drew evercloser.

"Ready," Cohea echoed grimly.

Then a crash of shattering glass came, and helooked up just in time to see balls of billowing smoke coming downat them to swiftly fill the room.

Eighteen

They were too late. Kite had done everythingin his power, forsaken sense and even reason to make it back toCremin…and the city was in shambles. Smoke, ash, so many bodies hewanted to cry. "Let's move," he said, leading the way through thebroken section of wall they'd come across and into the ruinedcity.

Blood and ash rested heavy on his tongue,saturating the air so heavily it was impossible not to taste it.Gore was smeared everywhere, twisting his stomach into knots as hefought not to hurl. This was hardly his first time seeing thedestruction that war could bring, but it was by far the worst. Atleast most of them didn't seem to be their people, though that wasa poor consolation at best. None of these soldiers had wanted this,had wanted to die. Friends and enemies alike, these people werevictims of the power hungry, people who already had so much and yetit would never be enough.

His class of people, because he could notexempt himself, not with all the wealth and power he possessed.

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