Page 66 of Blood Feast

She knew it was one of the most self-sacrificing things Lio had ever done when he silently watched her and Mak be taken away.

It took all ofLio’s Will to hold back his power. The barrels and shelves around them rattled as his Grace’s aura was torn from him. He felt like his heart was dragged through the forge’s brutal wards with her.

“We can’t linger here,” Lyros said, “but I…can’t face Argyros right now.”

“Neither can I.”

They stepped out of Nike’s forge and back to her statue. Lio let out a howl of frustration over the cliffs, his magic crashing down to join with the choppy waves below.

Lyros sounded numb. “I don’t know how I managed to misjudge so badly. I was never in favor of Mak’s weapon smithing, but I’m his Grace. I supported him unconditionally. I thought, ‘When this goes wrong, we go down together.’”

Lio was on the brink of falling into his own spiral of self blame. But how many times had Lyros been the one who pulled him back up again? Tonight, Lyros needed Lio to do the same for him.

“I know.” Lio gripped his Trial brother’s shoulder. “I am angrier at myself than anyone right now. But our regrets are of no use to Mak and Cassia. They need us to think clearly and act decisively.”

“All my thoughts and decisions were wrong. I followed Mak down this path to try to protect him, and now look where he is. His parents trusted me to be a good influence, but my Grace-mother just had to arrest her own son, and I have to go speak with my Grace-father about his defense. Hespera’s Mercy. Some kind of strategist I am.”

“We can salvage this. Mak and Cassia made this sacrifice for us. We can’t let it be in vain.”

Lyros rubbed his face. “Goddess. That’s true. I’m sorry.”

Lio squeezed his shoulder. “No apologies.”

“Right.” Lyros drew himself up. “They made sure we went free, and we won’t squander that. We need a plan.”

They gave each other a long look.

“I have no interest in waiting on legal proceedings at an immortal pace,” Lyros said.

“And I don’t care if we are also wanted criminals by the time this is over,” Lio told him.

Lyros held out his hand. “We do anything to save them. No matter what it takes.”

Lio clasped his wrist. “I’m with you, Trial brother.”

NONNEGOTIABLE

The room was bareand lit by a single, dismal spell. Hard benches lined the gray stone walls. Cassia thought it must be the only place in Orthros devoid of comfort and beauty.

Worst of all, wards smothered the room. She felt deaf to the Blood Union. Especially when she tried to listen through the implacable veils over Aunt Lyta’s emotions.

But the legendary warrior was not actually very good at hiding her feelings. There was care in her hands as she released Mak and Cassia’s arms. Pain flickered in her eyes. Every tense line of her petite, muscular frame revealed her anger.

Cassia didn’t blame her. She was so angry at herself for putting Aunt Lyta in this position.

“Mother,” Mak said. “I’m sorry.”

Aunt Lyta opened her mouth to speak, then shook her head. She closed her hands around the weapons hovering before her. She stepped away, the artifacts disappearing with her.

Mak sank down onto a bench and put his head in his hands.

Cassia paced the length of the chamber. She shook her wrists, hating the feeling of the Blood Shackles. They weighed on her veins, dragging at her every time her arcane senses twitched.

Some Lady of Schemes she was now. She had managed to slip out of the King of Tenebra’s grasp every time, and yet she had just entangled her immortal family in a tragedy.

Hespera help her, how could she have made such a catastrophic mistake?

She pivoted and paced back the other way. She would think of how to make this right. She would.

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