Page 85 of The Throne's Undoing

More than anything, in that moment, all Kallie wanted was power over herself.

"No!" The single word ripped through her lungs and poured out her mouth like a torrent. She didn't care if the word shredded her dry throat or if it mutilated her vocal cords.

Fire erupted through the darkness. Its golden tendrils and brilliant flames wrapped around her, melting the ice and bringing life back to her frozen limbs.

Within the wild flames, black and white eyes sparkled. In a flash, the fire was swallowed whole.

Then, there was nothing.

Chapter 26

GRAESON

A boot nudged his side,and Graeson groaned. He tried to pry his eyes open, but the light bleeding behind his eyelids was too bright and painful. His head throbbed as if he had drunk his weight in alcohol despite not having had a single drop.

"How long?" a familiar voice asked.

"An hour or so," another said, their voice slightly muffled as if Graeson's ears were clogged. When he opened his eyes to identify the person, the world was a blur around him. "We tried to stop him, Your Majesty, but he wouldn't listen."

"Typical," another person said with a snort--Ellie, perhaps? "Do you think he was impacted, too?" she said.

After a beat of silence, another person, whom Graeson recognized as the queen, said, "It is possible. One cannot be certain, though. Get him up and take him to his room. We will have to wait until he wakes to see what damage has been done, if any."

Several sets of footsteps sounded around Graeson. Then, hands were upon him, lifting him and placing him on what he presumed to be a stretcher.

"Were you...were you successful then?" Someone--Terin, Graeson thought--asked.

The queen let out a heavy sigh. "That remains to be seen as well."

"He will not be happy when he wakes up," Terin mumbled.

"We only did what you asked. If we were successful, he will be thankful," Cetia said.

"And if you were not?"

"Then we have bigger concerns than his inflated ego."

"When do you think she will be awake?" Terin asked.

"Whenever she decides to. She fought me the entire time while I tried to unweave the damage the bull king and the girl had done. Her mind was an absolute mess. I must say, the girl did a number on your sister. That, tied with the training she received from the king over the years, made it difficult. While we did our best to untangle the coiled threads, I will not give you empty promises."

Graeson groaned, his limbs and tongue heavy, yet he forced the words out of his mouth anyway. "If you hurt her--"

A hand pressed down on his shoulder, and sharp nails immediately dug into the space between his shoulder and collarbone.

"Are you threatening my queen, Graeson?" Ellie demanded. "Because I know you are not that foolish. If Kalisandre was hurt, it is her own fault."

Graeson pried his eyes open and squinted at Ellie. His vision was slow to focus, but he could see her black, void-filled eyes staring down at him, unblinking.

An inaudible roar sounded in the back of his mind as she continued to glare at him.

Then, someone pulled her back, forcing her to step away and unpeel her claws from his shoulder.

Cetia's blazing white eyes were unfocused as she gripped Graeson's shoulder. "Sometimes we must experience pain to be set free." She cocked her head to the side. "You felt it as well, though, did you not?"

Graeson huffed. He attempted to push himself up onto his arms, but his limbs were weak, the energy drained from him. "Yes," he gritted out.

"You experienced the pain because you, too, have been holding back a part of yourself. But where Kalisandre's mind was manipulated, yours is simply ignorance. I can sense the twisting of your mind, the confliction and hesitation. You hold yourself back." Cetia raised a curious brow. "Why? Do you fear the truth? Do you fear what you may become?"

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