Page 163 of The Throne's Undoing

Terin peered at Kallie, a question sitting within his gaze.

Kallie offered him a tight smile. As she was about to reassure him she was all right, the doors opened, and everyone turned their attention to the group of warriors marching into the throne room.

The Tetrians wore their fighting leathers with dozens of throwing knives strapped across their chests. As the group marched down the center aisle, their hands rested on the hilts of the swords hanging on their hips.

Kallie tried to peer past the warriors in the front to see who they were guarding, but she could not glimpse the visitors.

Still, her heart hammered in her chest, an uneasiness crawling over her skin as they waited.

At the end of the aisle, one guard stepped forward and tipped her head to the queen. "Your Majesty, we found these three near the border. They claim to be seeking refuge."

"Bring them forward," Cetia said with an impatient wave.

Three other guards shifted at the command and pushed the refugees forward.

A chill crept over Kallie's arms as she observed the three prisoners. Even though their heads were covered with brown sacks, there was a strange air of familiarity to them.

They stood slightly hunched as exhaustion weighed their limbs down. They wore tattered clothing that reeked of the swamp and woods, the scent so poignant it even reached Kallie, who stood yards away. Two of the refugees were over a foot tallerthan the third. Long blond hair peeked beneath the hem of the sack top the woman's head. She twisted her fingers together, her wrists chained.

A sickening feeling twisted in her gut. But before Kallie could identify it, the guards pressed down on the three refugees' shoulders, forcing them to kneel. One of the larger individuals fought the guard behind him, but he quickly lost the fight. His knees hit the ground with athump.

Once all three were finally kneeling, the guards behind them ripped the sacks off their heads.

Kallie barely gave the two men any attention, her attention immediately snapping to the woman kneeling on the floor. Her blonde hair was strewn across her face, and her hazel eyes squinted at the change of light.

Before she could think otherwise, rage propelled Kallie forward.

Shouts filled the air, but she didn't give them attention; they were a blur in her ears, nonsensical white noise.

Someone reached for her, but Kallie didn't stop--she couldn't. She slipped through every hand that tried to pull her back, that threatened to stop her. The world around her blurred. She could only see one thing at the epicenter.

"You traitorous bitch!" Kallie screamed as she tackled Myra to the ground. Her hands wrapped around her former best friend's throat.

Myra gasped, inhaling a sharp breath as Kallie stripped the oxygen from her throat.

With wide, fear-filled eyes, Myra tried to scramble away. She attempted to force her chained hands up and push Kallie back.

She tried to speak, but Kallie didn't care to hear the poisonous words spill from Myra's mouth.

Tears spilled from Myra's hazel eyes, wet streaks cutting through the layer of dirt covering her face. But Kallie had nosympathy for the woman who had lied to her for as long as they had known each other.

She tightened her grip, and her vision blurred.

For years, Kallie had been blinded by Myra's feigned compassion and kindness. For years, she had taken solace in the friendship Myra had offered her. Kallie had confided in her and trusted her. She would have done anything for the woman beneath her.

But now Kallie knew the truth.

It had all been a ruse, a trap.

A way to weave a false story and further the king's endeavors.

It wasn't until water droplets splashed upon Myra's face that Kallie realized she was crying. Still, she didn't stop.

She was hurting, and she wanted Myra not only to feel the emotions consuming her because of the gift that nearly destroyed Kallie but also because Kallie wished it so. And more than anything, Kallie wanted Myra to hurt, too. To feel the same pain she had every time Domitius had pushed her beyond her body's limits, when he had bruised her wrists and broken her ribs.

She felt someone's arm wrap around her stomach, and she struggled against them. But even though she fought against them, Kallie was lifted into the air as someone else pried her hands from Myra's neck.

Someone said Kallie's name.

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