Page 66 of Shadows of the Crown

A toothy grin. “On your knees, of course,” he taunts, searching my face for any reaction.

He’ll find none.

“If I recall…it was you who got on your knees for me. Actually, I have been curious…” I saunter leisurely in his direction. “Was the healer able to repair every part of your cock? Or are you even more of a disappointment now?” His lip curls, a manic expression coating his eyes and features.

“You stupid bit—”

“Ah, ah,” I lilt, holding up a mocking finger. “You’d do well to remember the consequences of such words.” I’m sure his thighs press together, though I am too focused on his snarling face to check.

He lunges for me, swinging his arms like a crazed beast. Under normal circumstances, it would be easy to block him—but these are not normal circumstances, and my feet slip on a sheet of ice just as he reaches me. I fall back into the snow, grunting when Jeth's weight drops onto me. He snickers, and I expect him to pull out a weapon or hit me, but he does neither. Instead, he reaches for the buttons on my pants, yanking at them frantically as he mutters about the things he's going to do to my dying body. Idrive my knee into his ass hard enough that he screams and use his distraction to slam my fist in the center of his throat. He chokes, scrambling to the side as jump up and run to grab my blade.

“I do not have time for your stupid games—it is too fucking cold,” I bark, grabbing his hair and dragging him to his feet. “Give the Angel my worst wishes.” He makes to grab for me, but I drop my hold on him to kick his chest hard enough that he falls off the side of the mountain. His piercing scream is the best thing I've heard in the last day.

“Oh shit,” Ally whispers as she steps next to me and peers over the edge. “Please don’t do that to me.” I almost laugh.

Strands of my hair whip around my face as a strong updraft curves over the mountain’s mouth, as if to thank us for the sacrifice.

Perhaps it will allow us to descend now.

The sun rises, the snow finally ceasing—my breath catches. I knew the Elysaran Mountains swept across days worth of travel, but I think it is impossible to imagine the kind of beauty in front of me. Ranges of summits that stretch significantly further than even the Angel could see, creating a valley where part of the river runs through. The barely peeking sun highlights opposite sides of the mountains that surround the river, their ridges blinding. I spin—each direction but one filled with the same vastness. Above, not a single cloud threatens to cover the orange morning light.

I wonder if my mother ever saw this….she always loved being outside. She’d tell me stories of grand adventures in the lands and homes resting in the clouds themselves—they were never but fables to me, but now I’m not so sure.

I clear my throat when another gust of wind stings my tired eyes, and I turn left to continue walking.

“Thank the fucking Angel,” I announce. Ally startles at the coarse sound in place of peaceful silence. I snort—as if anything about this is peaceful. I wave Ally along when she pauses to look at me, eager to finish the last bit of our journey off this merciless mountain. The rows of buildings that make up Valoria are much closer than I’d expected, so there is maybe an hour left before we reach the base.

The snow melts to jagged terrain, the muscles in my legs trembling by the last step before I drop onto the path that connects Grenport to Valoria and Meridian. I rest my hands just above my hips, greedily breathing in the significantly warmer air. I squint at the mocking sky—it’s barely morning, yet now so hot that beads of sweat slide down my neck. I sigh at the crunch of footsteps next to me. What to do with her…

“Okay, how do you—” my question ends on a gasp as sharp pain radiates through my upper arm. My blade is in my hand before I spin to block Ally’s advance, slicing deeply down her forearm. She screams and pulls back, clutching the wound to her chest.

“Really? You actually thought to try something so foolish?” I reach over my chest to pull her blade from where it impaled me, wincing at the sting.

She laughs as her teeth pull a piece of torn fabric tightly around her arm. “You truly think so highly of yourself…Valoria’s Silver Wraith is someone to be feared, they told me.She’s the deadliest, most skilled killer this realm has ever known, they said.” She cackles, sliding a handful of star blades from her pockets. “You know what I see? Someone who makes everyone else think she is this strong, fearsome assassin, but is only just a weak whore of a woman who throws herself on every royal cock she can find.” My brows raise as a giddy smile tugs at my lips—she has my attention.

“Is that so? Well, certainly feel free to kill me now, as I am tooweakto defend myself.”

Someone else settles in Ally’s light eyes…no, this is the real her. The person she’s been hiding behind some feeble, idiotic mask as she feigned ignorance in everything.

She smirks. “When the king came to me with his offer, I would have agreed without the promise of a throne. Your reputation is a topic of everyday conversation in the rest of the Kingdom—the people, they’re scared of you, but they love to talk about you. It’s disgusting…so many lies spoken of yourtalents.

“Anyway,” she sighs, stretching her neck from side to side. “When the king asked me to get close to you before finally killing you…it was one of my happiest days.Iwouldbe the one to show the kingdom just how pathetic you actually are. Show them that your name truly means nothing; just scary stories woven by fools with nothing better to do.”

I am still stuck on one thing she mentioned. “He promised a throne?”

Her eyes brighten as if she’s been waiting to tell me her next words for so long and is giddy to finally do so. “Oh, yes…I know how much you love your pretty prince, but the king promised me his hand—and bed—for your secrets and death. And now I'm going to bring him your head.” I refuse to acknowledge the nauseating rage that simmers in my gut from the image of her in Caspian’s bed.

Fuck if I wouldeverallow her near him.

But… “And you believed him? You didn’t take one moment to consider why he asked you, of all the people in the kingdom, to do his bidding? You’re from a distant guild, brought to a city where no one knows you…any way you die could easily be blamed on the competition, Ally. He was never going to allow you Caspian’s hand…you were just easy to convince and even easier to rid of when he’s done with you.”

I step closer as she shifts, her forehead creasing deeply. “No,” she whispers, shaking her head. “He said I’d be the prince’s wife if I did this!”

“Did he?” A resolved nod—she’s getting angry. People make mistakes when they’re angry. “Where is the contract he had yousign? Or the witnesses to the conversation he had with you?” Another step, and she notices my slow advance this time, holding a star up threateningly.

“None of that matters! I’ll just tell—” she pauses, realization drooping her features.

“Now you get it,” I say sweetly. “Even if you were to live through this, who the fuck would believe you over the king? And even if the king admitted to saying that…who is going to force him to follow through? The Angel?

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