Page 149 of Glow of the Everflame

“We—themortalswere here first,” I snapped.

I prayed my slip of the tongue went unnoticed, but too many of them shifted their weight, too many eyes narrowed in.

“This realm was given to us by the Kindred,” Evrim said.

“With a mandate to protect the mortals.”

“With a mandate to rule over them as we see fit. It is no coincidence the Crown has only ever been given to a Descended. It is our divine right.”

“Mydivine right. And I will rule over them, and you, asIsee fit.”

Evrim leaned back in his chair and tilted his head to the side as he stared me down. Any friendliness I’d earned with my earlier flattery had crumbled to ash.

Garath cleared his throat. “Let us speak bluntly, Evrim. What will it take to avoid a Challenge from House Benette?”

“I want the people responsible for the attack on me found and tortured until they reveal everyone in their network.” Evrim spoke icily and without hesitation, his answer clearly settled long before today. “I want every Guardian found and executed. Publicly. Gruesomely. And then I want their families imprisoned to show the rest of them what happens if they cross us again.”

“You would have me punish innocent people?” I asked.

“I’m not done,” Evrim barked. “I want every eligible mortal enlisted in the army. They started this war, let them go off and fight it.”

“Fortos doesn’t have the resources to take on that many new soldiers,” my father’s voice rang out. “They barely have enough weapons as it is.”

I winced, proud of him for speaking up but knowing it was the worst possible thing to say.

Evrim smiled, visions of gold coins practically glinting in his eyes. “Then let them buy more. We’ll happily accommodate their orders.”

“Conscripting unwilling soldiers does more harm than good,” my father countered. “They may work against the army from within, sabotaging missions or diverting weapons to the rebels.”

“As long as they’re off Lumnos soil, I don’t care what they do. Let the Fortos King punish them.”

“The Emarion Army serves the entire continent. We can’t just think of ourselves—”

Evrim scoffed at me in disgust. “This is the kind of advisor you keep? A mortal who prioritizes other realms over our own home? Perhaps House Benette should Challenge you, after all.”

The room chilled into a deep silence. My fingernails dug into the armrests of my throne as I paused to choose my next words. Remis cut in before I could decide between diplomacy and annihilation.

“I’m sure we can find a compromise,” Remis said brightly. “Perhaps exceptions from army service for mortals who work for the Twenty Houses. As for the families of the rebels, we can give them a week’s notice to leave the realm. If they’re innocent, they will go. If not, we’ll consider it an act of solidarity with the rebels and arrest them for treason.”

Wood creaked beneath my fingers, my composure beginning to crack.Thiswas Remis’s compromise? This was the plan he expected me to sit quietly and accept?

My godhood swirled excitedly in my chest, sensing my spiraling temper.

Fight, itsvoicegoaded.

A light formed beneath my palms, followed by a wisp of smoke and the scent of burning maple. The sensation of frost and fire spread across my skin as the back of my hands began to shimmer.

Something tugged at my attention, as if my name were being called in a timbre only I could hear. I looked back to see Luther’s stare drilling into me. Sparks of his own power writhed angrily in his eyes. The air between us rippled, thick with the auras of two formidable godhoods screaming to be unleashed.

Almost too faintly to see, he shook his head. I took in a ragged breath and lifted my chin, and he did it again.

I looked back at Evrim and bit down hard on my tongue until I tasted the metallic tang of blood.

Evrim gave an offhand shrug. “I suppose I can take it under consideration.”

“As will I,” I snapped.

“It wasyourcounter-offer.”

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