Page 72 of A Kingdom of Destruction

“It’s not fair. It’s not right,” she managed to choke out, tears of rage and helplessness burning her eyes.

“Who said anything about fairness? There are a lot of things in this world that aren’t fair, little princess. This is only one in a long line.”

She threw herself into his midsection to get him off her, but Roran refused to budge.

“You are only demonstrating to those people exactly why they are correct to hate you and your barbaric kind,” he continued. “Get control of yourself.”

She shook her head, refusing to hear him out.

“Your kind has stolen the magic from our people to use against us. There are things you don’t know about this war, things that have been going on for longer than you’ve been alive.”

She swung another punch at him, and Roran ducked to the side to evade it easily. Rather than back down, she threw herself up and slammed her shoulder into his, casting him to the side. Her entire weight against his and only his surprise at the movement allowed her to gain any ground. Aven hurled herself over Roran, but rather than spare her time attacking him, she set out for the throne room.

“You insolent wretch,” Roran spat out furiously. He launched himself at her legs and brought her down hard.

Aven caught herself on her palms before her face hit the ground, then screeched when he dragged her back.

Roran covered her body with his own, his power barely constrained and the leash of his control pulled tight as he grabbed her by the arms. Balancing on the balls of his feet, he whirled her around to face him. The black thunderous look on his face promised retribution for every hit she landed on him, their anger a match for each other.

She wouldn’t give up trying to get back to the throne room, even when she knew it was too late.

The crackling of flames grew louder in the distance, and the men’s screams had taken on the keening wail of pure pain and terror.

“It’s too late, Aven,” he whispered.

“It’s not fair,” she hissed out.

None of it was fair. Not a single damn second of this life.

She might be able to understand her own circumstances, with time, but this? This was unforgivable.

“Life is never fair,” Roran argued, his icy blue eyes pleading with her to understand. “Those mortals brought their fate on themselves knowing the controversy between our kinds. They decided to take the risk anyway. The consequences were always right there in the open for them, not hidden, and the elder decided he would accept the risk when he took the bark.”

“They just wanted to help,” she snapped, her voice breaking.

“It doesn’t matter,” Roran replied, his voice colder now.

“It does. If they don’t return, the wife will?—”

“They’re already dead by now.”

“No.” Her voice cracked, her heart hammered against her ribs. She could almost see the man’s wife, alone in their cottage,her body wracked with illness. Waiting. Hoping. Not knowing her husband and son would never return. “I have to save them.”

Except she’d felt it like a tremor through her body, the moment their screams cut off. The underlying layer of scent accompanying the burning wood.

Flesh.

Skin crackling as it cooked over the open flames.

The smell hit her then, acrid and sickening. Bile rose in her throat, and she retched, her body convulsing with the horror of it all.

“What will you do, Aven, besides get yourself strung up beside them? You’re on thin ice with the King. One small step out of place and you will be the one in the fire.” His tone went as unyielding as the stone foundation of the palace.

“It’s not true.” Tears pricked her eyes, and she shook them away, scattered them.

“Listen to reason if you donothingelse,” Roran replied.

Reason? Hornets buzzed in her ears, and her pulse roared through her, wild, racing. There was no way to stop to listen to him. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

---