Page 116 of Crown of Wrath

I don’t finish the sentence. “The enemy. I know,” she whispers before she looks into my eyes. “But he’s never beenthe enemyto me. He’s always just been Rhion. He was the Prince that always needed a little extra help when we were young. I was always with Cole, and compared to him, Rhion was a baby, always begging for attention. I was never scared of him like I probably should have been.”

“Lee, he’s Gethin’s son. Have you considered that he might tell his father everything he sees in your mind? If you’re betrothed, then you can’t truly keep him out. You’re a liability. As long as you’re close to him, no information is safe.”

She chuckles. “No information is safe from me, either,” she says with a wry smile.

I frown, not having thought of that yet. Then I shake my head. “He’s a Prince. He has more power.”

“Power that he won’t use against me. Maeve, he could have forced information from me about where we were. He could have used me against Cole by capturing me and using me as a hostage. I’ve been used against Cole before, but he’s not his father, and I love him. I spent months with him while I hunted for that book. I’ve spent a lifetime around him. He’s not the man you think he is. He won’t fight against us.”

I’m not convinced. “He’s Gethin’s son.”

“If you were Gethin’s daughter, would you fight for him?” Lee asks, her loyalty to her betrothed beginning to truly show.

“He’s fought for him plenty of times in the past.”

“He didn’t have an alternative, Maeve,” she says fiercely, and all the fear she’d embodied before seems to have fled. “Rhion is…Rhion is not Cole. I love that big idiot of a man, but he is not the kind of person who will start a revolution. He’s never been the one to strike out on his own.”

She sighs. “I wish he was, but he’s not. When you received the Painted Crown, he followed his father’s orders because what else was he supposed to do? There wasn’t a resistance. The House of Flames was going to fall. Casimir no longer held the Painted Crown, and Flames are weak to Steel. Maybe they could have held on if Rhion and Cole had both fought against Gethin, but still, they probably would have lost. Then we all fled, and he was left alone.”

I grit my teeth. Following orders is not an acceptable reason to commit atrocities. How many people have died because he did what he was told and didn’t fight back against his father?

“I…”

“You had Cole from the beginning, Maeve. You don’t know what it’s like when everyone you know is going along with it. And Maeve, you’re different. You’re…” She shakes her head. “There’s a reason that you and Cole work so well together. Not everyone is born to change the world and do impossible things. You fought the Nothing, something that was supposed to be impossible. Rhion wouldn’t have done that. I wouldn’t have either, though. Do you think I’m the enemy because I don’t have that inner whatever that you and Cole have? Or am I just an ally because I was lucky enough not to be Gethin’s daughter?”

I don’t know what to say. “He tried to kill me,” is all I can respond with. “He tried to kill Cole.”

“You almost let me die in the void, and Cole was nearly dead when you finally gave up the war against the Nothing,” she says, her voice becoming hollow.

The silence lingers between us for several moments, and my anger fades some. Finally, she says, “I believe he is a good man. I believe he is being honest about not helping his father. At thesame time, I gave you my loyalty, and if you command it, I will break the betrothal.”

The words are formal again. For a while there, Lee was talking to her friend, but now she’s speaking to her Queen, and I have to think like a Queen. I have to put everyone’s safety, the very safety of the magical world, up against her happiness.

I never wanted to have to do this. I shake my head softly. “No, Lee. I will not make this decision for you,” I say formally. “You’ve seen into his mind just like I’ve seen into Cole’s. You know his heart better than anyone else, but Lee, you need to remember what’s at stake. If you’re wrong—if Rhion is using you—your decision could be the reason that all of us die. Your heart could be the one to blame for the entire magical world’s death. I won’t make this decision for you because that’d be hypocritical after the emotional decisions I’ve made. Be sure of yourself, though.”

I pause for a moment, and my formal tone deepens, verging on the way I’d spoken to her when I’d been the Queen of Earth. “And Lee, you should have come to me immediately. It’s the eleventh hour, and I don’t have any choices now. You’ve spent how long with us? You’ve listened to how many meetings? If you were anyone else…” I leave the threat hanging, not entirely sure what I’d do if it was anyone else. Her face pales, and I know the message has been received. “I trust you, as a friend and ally, but never put me in this place again. Myfriendwouldn’t put me in this kind of position.”

“Thank you,” she says, and formally bows to me. “I am deeply sorry that I’ve made you doubt my loyalty or friendship.” Every word is as formal as I’ve seen her, and that’s probably for the best. “Thank you for giving me your trust, and I won’t break it. I believe in Rhion, and after this battle, you will too. He’s…he’s wonderful. Rhion isn’t like Cole, but I never fell in love with Cole.”

I give her a smile, but more than a little bit of worry wedges itself into my heart.

Chapter 58

Nyth is not the only world. Valinar is not the only small world. Think about it. If a dragon can create a world, then why wouldn’t others?

~Maeve Arden, The Future of Magic and Dragons

Cole

The Nothing has never moved this fast. Instead of mist, it moves like a storm. Even inside of Valinar, the people can feel the swirling of power as Brenna pushes her world and everyone inside it toward Draenyth.

The drakelings took wing from our meeting place two days ago, and they should already be gorging themselves on the power of the wards around Draenyth. I’m sure the black one is still grumbling at being forced inside Valinar for the fifteen minutes it took for Maeve to explain the plan.

The rest of us only have to wait. Rest and sleep and try not to worry too much about what is coming in the next day. Victory or death is what Maeve told us at the meeting. Kill Gethin or we all die. Maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. This is the greatest culmination of power left in Nyth. My father, me, Maeve, a human kingdom, Echo, and all the shadow walkers that are still alive. There are House of Flames members waiting for me in the House of Steel dungeons. All it will take is a few of the shadow walkers going there to free them.

There will never be a better chance of winning, and at the same time, we still might lose. I’ve made my peace with it. After thirty years of thinking almost solely about how to redeem myself for my part in the Shattering, I can’t let the chance of failure stop me from enjoying the few moments I have with Maeve. I refuse to let anything—the fate of the world included—ruin the short time I’m guaranteed to have with my wife.

My wife. The thought has me reaching for her through our bond. A gentle caress across her soul, a tickle of nails across her skin, so similar to the way I’d touched her when I’d played the part of the Shade. She sighs against the touch, and I smile. My fingers entwine with hers as I stare into the misty forest and wish we were on the top of a mountain, looking down at the clouds below us.

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