Page 99 of A Pact of Blood

It’s that simple as long as I can pick the right holds to begin with and don’t lethimdown.

More worried muttering is drifting up from the spectators below. Every second we linger in our mistakes, the worse we look.

I stare at the handholds around me, the ones that have proven stable and the ones that might not be, searching for any clue that might direct me. My enhanced sight still can’t pick out anything significant. The sheer slope above us looks nearly flat in its blackness.

Closing my eyes for a second, I extend my thoughts toward my godlen.Elox, guide me as I would guide theempire’s people. Show me what I need to see to find the right path.

When I open my eyes, my gaze veers upward just as the sunlight glances off the obelisk at a slightly different angle.

My attention snags on tiny black lines that creep out from the base of the holds just above me. In a blink, the light fades off them again, but now that I know exactly where to look, I peer even closer.

I can still make out the minute crevices, ever so faintly. Without the ointment, I doubt I’d be able to pick up on the slivers of slightly darker shadow at all.

Most of the holds nearby have a spidery crack or two somewhere close to the middle of their base. A couple only have a few thin lines near the edges.

A swell of certainty rises up inside me. The holds with only outer cracks are the sturdy ones. I have to rely on the pieces of rock that are solid at their core.

I have to show I can recognize a strong foundation.

I stretch my arm up for the closest one, ignoring the deepening ache in my shoulder as well as I can. I think the joint might be sprained, but my discomfort can’t matter right now.

All I can do is climb.

“I see the way,” I tell my companion as I clamber onward. “I know how to tell which ones are too weak now. We’ll be all strength from here on.”

With each length we climb without another hold crumbling, my companion’s movements below me become more confident in turn. I pause only long enough to squint at the next set of protrusions before curling my fingers around them.

We continue up and up and up. The murmurs below fade with the distance, but they’re brightening in tone. The breeze picks up, ruffling through my hair.

My companion’s breath stutters.

“We’re almost there,” I call down to him encouragingly, and he keeps following without faltering.

I reach up once more—and the top of the obelisk is there. A choked laugh hitches from my throat. I reach to tug the banner out of my harness and halt.

No. It’s not good enough to simply lead my companion up here, especially after our early mistakes.

I need to demonstrate more than just the basics of being a ruler.

Peering at the area around the peak of the structure, I discern a shallow ridge that curves toward the steps on the far side. I ease onto it, flashing a smile toward my companion. “Come the rest of the way up. I want you to put the banner in with me. We did make the climb together, after all. You should share the glory.”

His eyes widen with shock, but his face lights up at the same time. He hauls himself across the last few holds.

I extend my hand toward him, gripping the banner. He clutches the handle alongside me. In one movement, we slip it into the hole at the peak next to Marclinus’s banner.

A roar of excitement reverberates from below. My companion lets out a joyful chuckle, his eyes outright sparkling now.

He’ll never forget how well his empress led him.

The devout is beckoning us over to the stairs. As I slide over to join him, my gaze tumbles down the tower—and lands on Marclinus standing by the altar, staring up at us.

Staring at me with his mouth twitching into the briefest of grimaces, as if he doesn’t like what he’s seen at all.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Aurelia

The potion slides down my throat with its cloying herbal tang. A small shudder passes through me, but I swallow all of the dose down.

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