Page 157 of The Throne's Undoing

"You know, you could be a little"--Laurince grunted as he lifted Rian--"more helpful."

"Sorry," the king mumbled as he held onto the iron railing with a white-knuckled grip.

When they finally reached the top of the steps, Laurince looked over at Myra. "Keep him steady, all right? I really do not want to do that again if he goes tumbling."

Myra nodded and wrapped an arm tightly around the king as Laurince pressed an ear to the door. Rian leaned against her, groaning in pain, and Myra prayed to the gods that the medicine would soon wear off.

Laurince twisted the handle and pushed the door open an inch, peering through the crack. Then, glancing at Myra and holding up a hand, he stepped out and shut the door behind him.

As Myra and Rian waited, a thick silence filled the space. The only noise that cut through was their ragged breaths.

The seer's words echoed in her mind.

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

But how could her brother be gone?

The woman didn't say he was dead, but the way she spoke and the haunted look in her eyes made Myra worry that whatever happened to Mynhos was much worse.

She only had herself to blame.

She had believed King Domitius when she knew she shouldn't have. Why did she think that Mynhos was safe from him?

The seer told her not to go looking for him, but was her brother truly better off here?

Myra looked down the stairway soaked in shadows.

Perhaps she could help him. She had seen the creatures within the tunnels beneath the temple. They were feral and wild, but maybe her brother could still be saved. Surely, there was something she could do...

"Everything will be fine," Myra whispered.

"Are you telling me that or yourself?" Rian asked, looking down at her with a raised brow.

Even in the shadows, Myra noted how his brown skin was pale with a slightly green hue and red veins were stretched across the whites of his eyes.

Myra knew she should lie to the king. She knew she should keep a smile on her face and pretend that everything would be okay. But as the minutes ticked by, she was losing the little hope she had left.

Pretending hadn't helped Kallie. Not in the end, anyway.

"Both," Myra admitted.

As Rian's lips parted, the door was thrust open. "Let's move," Laurince whispered.

In the castle's silence, their footsteps were thunderous claps that echoed off the marble walls and tall ceilings.

They just had to get out of the castle, Myra reminded herself. Laurince had already prepared horses for them. They only had to make it to them.

Myra didn't want to think about where they would go next. They hadn't discussed it in detail, but she did not believe Frenzia was the safest place to go despite Rian being the king. With Sebastian working with Domitius, neither Ardentol nor Frenzia would be safe.

They would have to leave their homes, leave everything they knew.

But what choice did they have--

"Leaving me again, sister?"

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