Page 129 of A War Apart

I paused, taking a breath. “If you had shown mercy in just one of those instances, you might have been able to hold our trust. But every opportunity you had to show kindness, you insisted on showing strength. You’re no better than your brother was.”

“I’m not the only one who betrayed the trust of our people, Han.” He turned to me, his eyes cold. “Do you think the people will respect you when they learn the agreement you made with the Drakra? The heathen creatures from the mountains, unleashed by you on their lands. And you gave them free rein to take slaves from among our people. Do you think they will remember that I gave that order? Or will they blame you when their brothers, their fathers, their sons are forced to serve for years under those pagans, tortured and brutalized with unholy magic?”

My stomach clenched, but I shook my head. I couldn’t allow myself to be baited. I hadn’t made that decision. I’d followed orders, done what I thought was right. I could do my best tomitigate the effects of my actions, but I couldn’t regret what I’d done.

“This is why you’ll never be tsar, Borislav.” My voice was quiet but firm.

“Otets will judge between us.”

I turned away. “Make your peace with Him tonight. Your execution is scheduled for dawn.”

My heart weighed like a stone in my chest as I left the dungeons. I hardly noticed the guards saluting as I passed. Mila. I needed to see Mila.

I found her in our room in the palace, writing something. She didn’t look up at my entrance. Her eyes were trained on the paper, and she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. I watched her in silence. How could she be so strange and so familiar at the same time?

She’d be back in her old body in the morning. I’d almost forgotten. Borislav had told her the spell would last until he removed it…or he died.

She flinched when she caught sight of me. It wrenched at my heart, seeing the fear and betrayal on her face, but we would heal. She would realize that everything I did, I did for her. She’d understand that I had no other choice.

I wrapped my arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re here with me,dorogusha.”

She tried to pull away, but I held her tight to me. She was mine, and I was never letting her go.

*****

I woke in the early morning darkness. Mila lay in my arms; even in sleep, I held her close, though she faced away from me.

But I had an execution to attend now. I extracted my arm from beneath her, careful not to wake her. She didn’t need to see Borislav’s death. She’d seen enough carnage to last a lifetime.

The day was relatively warm, hinting at the coming spring, though gray clouds covered the sky. Despite my heavy fur coat, I shivered. The air felt oppressive, like Otets was angry.

I shook off the thought. I’d done what I had to do. Otets knew that. This execution was merely justice being served.

I found Radomir waiting in the small, enclosed yard behind the palace dungeons. “Captain.” The new tsar nodded a greeting as I approached.

“Your majesty.” Strange, to think of Radomir as the tsar, after knowing him for so many months as prince.

A raised platform stood in the center of the yard, a discolored block of wood in the center. The yard was empty except for me, the tsar, and a couple other commanders. Radomir had insisted on a private execution. “The death of a tsar is nothing to be gawked at,” he’d said.

Two guards led Borislav out of the prison and onto the platform. The executioner followed, his ax by his side.

Borislav knelt before the block without prompting. He wore a simple linen shirt and black pants, and he shivered with the cold, though his expression held disdain.

Radomir approached the platform. “Even now, you can repent, cousin. Accept your Disinheritance, and I will spare your life.”

Borislav merely looked at him, unspeaking.

He pursed his lips. “If you have any last words, now is the time.”

“Otets will condemn you for this.” Borislav’s voice came out calm and clear. Venom filled his eyes. “All of you.”

The executioner approached, taking the ax in hand. “When you are prepared, place your head on the block.”

The two cousins stared into each other’s eyes, unblinking. Borislav laid his head down on the block without breaking eye contact, and the executioner swung the ax.

***

Mila

---