Page 54 of The Last of the Dark Lords

"I wish to go back to when I had a grandmother who loved me, and parents who were not murderers."

You would live in ignorance? You would give up Cyrus?

The blues and greens were back, and now the colors were thick, like blankets wrapping around me, squeezing me, comforting me. It took me no time to come to the answer.

"No." The admission called forth more tears. They confirmed what I already knew. "It’s better to have the truth. My marriage to Cyrus has the potential of real, true love between equals. I don’t want to go back to the lies of my family.”

Images appeared once more in the water around me, this time of Greatfalls, of a drier and more humble version, with Safehold filled to only half of what it was now. Of a leaner, rationed people.

Greatfalls may have to sacrifice. Your family may suffer. You will be called upon daily to make the hard decisions, and some may die because of those decisions. That is the nature of it. Are you willing?

I nodded. I'd made my choice.

Very well.

The water around me sprang to life with amber light, the orange and the aqua dancing and shifting together. It took me a moment to realize that it came from the crown on my head.

At this moment, your husband stands at the gates of Greatfalls with an army behind him.

An image of Cyrus appeared in front of me, atop his steed, on the plains beyond the outer wall. Manod was by his side, Bertio sat on his shoulder, and behind him were legions of soldiers. On top of his head, there was a crown, like mine but unlike, more angular and intimidating than the Crown of Seeing. It shone with a blue light.

Go.

With that word, the water around me swirled, and sucked down, farther and farther down, to the place where all light died, and I went with it. Soon enough, the water was gone, and I was back on solid ground. The dirt floor was cold underneath me. I’d been deposited back in my cell.

The lock on the cell made a sound like a bone snapping. The door swung open. Beyond was the passageway, the lantern flickering, but there was no sign of the guards. I peeked my head out. The hallway was empty.

I ran.

Chapter 17

I was almost flying through the tight tunnels of the underground prison. This was Vazzart's domain, and he pulled me through it with a crackling, chaotic energy.

Cyrus waited for me above. The thought of seeing him again sparked a pulse inside of me, of hope and nervousness and maybe something deeper. It drove me to go even faster. I followed the thread of Vazzart's directive, right, then left, then down a long tunnel ending in a fork. I stopped at the split. I could feel the pull in both directions, equally as strong either way.

Vazzart had granted me use of my crown, so I used it. I closed my eyes, willing it to show me the two paths. First it followed the left-hand way, a long stretch that ultimately ended in a short stairway up to my grandmother's anteroom in Prime Hall. The door there was hidden by a large tapestry.

Then the crown showed me the right path, a curving tunnel that went on and on, following the wall of the reservoir. The way ended in an imposing metal door that opened into the control house of the dam.

My Grandmother would be in Prime Hall, keeping tabs on any fighting, but I needed to get to the field of battle. It was time to test the loyalty of the people of Greatfalls.

I moved as quickly as I could down the long passage. I reached the door, brown and green with rust and patina. I opened the lock, turned the handle, andpushed.

I stumbled forward into the lower level of the control house. I'd never been in there before, and from the looks of things, few people had. The room was piled with old equipment and tools for the maintenance of the dam. Above me, I could hear shouting and the sounds of battle.

I hurried to the top level, leaving the control house and finding myself on top of the wall, overlooking the field between the dam and the outer gates. Below, soldiers bearing the flaming insignia of Ashfuror fought with the clumsy swordsmen of Greatfalls.

My brother was a distance from the fighting, shouting commands from the edge of the fields, where the forest began. His face was red with fury and frustration. Things were not going well for Greatfalls, and it was his fault. To reassign half the Archers to hand to hand combat was beyond foolish. With a full complement of Archers, Cyrus could never have breached the outer wall in the first place.

The remaining Archers were stationed at the edges of the field as well as on the wall of the dam, to the right and left of me. They were not shooting. I stared at them for a long moment until it struck me. Athard had purposefully not given the command. He wanted victory to go to his infantry.

My mind boggled at his stupidity and ego.

Down by the gates, I caught glimpses of a figure, his crown alight with an intricate pattern of azure flame, weaving through the soldiers on horseback. Combatants threw themselves at him, attempting to unhorse him. As they did he held his hands out,and balls of blue energy sparked between his palms. He threw them at the soldiers, and when one hit them it pushed them back and off their feet. No one could even get close.

Cyrus was glorious. Now I had to do my part. As I'd done so many times, long before I knew the truth about my family and my city, back when it was only me and the good people under my command. I took in a breath and called to my Archers.

"Archers of Greatfalls, fall back!"

---