Page 156 of Rise of the Siren Queen
I turned to Adrian, placing a calming hand on his arm, though his body remained taut beneath my touch.
“I ordered him to do it,” I muttered, my voice laced with as much calm as I could muster.
Adrian’s gaze snapped to mine, his hazel eyes blazing with anger and disbelief.
“Youorderedhim?”
“Yes,” I confirmed, gently tracing soothing circles on his arm. “It was necessary.”
Ronan’s voice broke the silence, his words raw and sincere.
“I wouldn’t have done it if there had been any other way. But Elora’s life was on the line, and…”
His voice faltered, and for a moment, he seemed utterly lost, his usual unshakable confidence replaced by something brittle and broken.
I turned my attention back to Ronan, my heart aching for him.
“Ronan,” I hissed, my tone firm butcompassionate, “you don’t need my forgiveness. You’ve always had my back, always done what was necessary, even when it was impossible. I don’t blame you for a second.”
Ronan’s shoulders sagged, but the guilt didn’t leave his eyes. He looked up at me, the steel in his gaze softened by something that looked painfully like regret.
Adrian, however, wasn’t so easily placated.
“You think that excuses it?” he snapped, his voice like a crack of lightning. His anger flared, raw and palpable, filling the room like a storm brewing just beneath the surface.
“Adrian,” I said, my voice firmer now, my hand squeezing his arm in an unspoken plea for restraint. “He did what Iaskedhim to do. What Ineededhim to do. This isn’t something to blame.”
Adrian’s jaw clenched, his fury still simmering, but he said nothing, his gaze darting between me and Ronan.
“I would do it again,” Ronan said, his voice steady now, though it carried the weight of his guilt. “If it meant saving her life, I would do it a thousand times over. But that doesn’t mean I don’t regret it.”
The room was thick with unspoken emotions; the tension pressing down like the deep ocean’s weight. I reached out, touching Ronan’s shoulder briefly.
“You have always been loyal, Ronan. And for that, I will forever be grateful.”
He nodded once, his lips pressing into a thin line, before rising to his feet. The flicker of sorrow in his eyes lingered as he stepped back.
Adrian’s anger didn’t fade, but his hand moved to mine, gripping it tightly. It was his way of grounding himself, of trying to accept what he couldn’t control. And for now, it would have to be enough.
“What else do you need to discuss?” My voice held steady, but a knot tightened in my chest. I already knew the news would be grim.
Ronan’s gaze lifted to meet mine, and the pain etched across hisface made my heart clench. His gaze, usually hard and unyielding, flickered with anguish beneath the weight of what he had to say.
“The poison that bastard used on Elora… its effects are unthinkable. It’s not just a weapon—it’s a threat to every siren and triton in Aetheria.” His voice trembled slightly before he steadied it, exhaling deeply. “Combined with the torture she endured, it’ll take time, possibly a long time, for her to fully recover.”
The raw torment in his tone broke through the room’s tension like a wave crashing on jagged rocks. He clenched his fists tightly, the veins in his hands standing out as he continued.
“We need to end this. We need to find the witch who developed that poison and destroy the formula before it’s used again. It’s too dangerous.”
The fire in his eyes burned bright, fueled by vengeance, a fire I knew too well. He wasn’t just speaking as a soldier. He was speaking as someone who cared deeply for Elora, someone who had failed to protect her when it mattered most.
Someone like me.
“If I may,” Sienna interjected, her voice soft but firm, a calm midst the storm of emotions swirling in the room. Her lavender eyes glistened with restrained sorrow.
“This potion in enemy hands could destroy entire kingdoms, Your Highness. When Thalor made me drink it…” She hesitated, a shadow of pain crossing her face, but her resolve held. “It severed my connection to the Goddess, nullified my powers, and… it severed my bond with the pod.”
The room fell into stunned silence.
