Page 28 of The Throne's Undoing

He could feel it in the way the air shifted around him, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

For years, Graeson had envisioned the moment he would save Kalisandre.

The queen had warned him that it would be more complicated than he thought. While he hadn't doubted Esmeray, Graeson had never imagined that he would also lose some of his closest friends in the process. He never imagined so much betrayal and so many secrets to reveal themselves, either.

He trained to be stronger; he trained to be better. He had done everythingright. He had gained control over the beast within, learning to lock the god inside him where he couldn't harm anyone.

Back home, everyone feared him because of the rumors that weaved their way through the kingdom. Because of that fear, Graeson hid who he was. He tamped it down. He shut it away.

He shuthimselfaway.

But Graeson was so tired of hiding who he was.

He was so fucking tired of locking that part of himself away. Because as much as he detested the god within, it was a part of him. There was no hiding from that.

In the distance, hooves and boots pounded the ground.

Graeson exhaled and opened his eyes.

Ellie and Dani crept forward ahead of him, weaving through the forest on either side of the small camp to cut off the enemy.

He once told Kalisandre that he would not be merciful to those who tried to take her away from him, and he had meant every word.

Graeson's fingers flexed around the handles of the scimitars, and a rumbling stirred in the back of his mind. Red coated the corners of his vision, but this time, instead of pushing it away, he welcomed it.

When the first soldier appeared, brandishing a longsword, metal armor shining in the sun, and the Ardentolian crest brandishing it, Graeson didn't hesitate.

He attacked.

He raged.

He became the monster he was born to be.

Chapter 8

KALLIE

Kallie gaspedand choked on the air that filled her lungs.

Her fingers dug into the ground as her heart thumped within her chest, ricocheting against her ribcage. A blinding white light covered her vision. As she tried to blink it away, fragments of scenes bombarded her senses.

The images collided together, smashing into one another and shattering into pieces. One moment, arrows were whizzing past her. Then, Fynn appeared, peering at her with his soft brown eyes as a glittering waterfall roared behind him. A second later, fire poured from the ceiling.

Various scents tickled her nose: lavender, salt, smoke, charcoal, and burnt lumber.

As she tried to make sense of it all and distinguish reality from her nightmares, Kallie's head pounded, and her ears rang, the sound sharp and piercing. But beneath the incessant ringing, she heard something else.

Shouting.

Yelling.

Thetingof metal clashing together.

Kallie squeezed her eyes together, willing the pain and noise to vanish, to free herself from whatever torment plagued her bones. But all it did was cause more pain to spike her head.

She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy, as were her body and mind. Still, she took a deep breath and forced herself to focus. She tried to concentrate on her senses.

When she inhaled again, she noticed the smell of iron and moss tainting the air.

---