Page 131 of Queen of Legends and Lies
I huff. It figures that the magic rewards violence.
Before I can say anything else, Agnar knocks and enters, his mood subdued. The skin around his eyes tightens with weariness and grief, a testament to our losses. “How are you both this morning?”
“Well enough.” Sterling runs a hand through his silky hair, then quickly ties it back with a leather cord. “But there’s much to discuss.”
Two maids arrive, laden with trays bearing fruits, pastries, cold cuts, and two steaming pots of fragrant tea. They set the spread on a side table and curtsy out. Just as they leave, Bastian and Leesa walk in together.
My heart clenches at the sight of the bandage swathing Bastian’s head. Yet another stark reminder of how close we came to losing him in the battle against the traitors.
Emotion threatens to choke me as I race over to hug my brother.
Bastian returns the embrace fiercely, his solid strength an anchor against the storm inside me. Tears prick my eyes, blurring my vision.
“Hey, no tears from my little sister.” He pats my back. “I’m fine. It was just a cut. Wasn’t all that bad. Head wounds bleed a lot.”
“You also had a concussion. Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” I mumble into his shoulder.
“Yes, ma’am.” Bastian pulls back and tweaks my nose, his hazel eyes a mirror of my own. “I shall endeavor not to.”
I give him one last squeeze while sending up a silent prayer of thanks to the gods for sparing him. We can’t keep losing the ones we love to this bloodshed. It has to stop. And with the path the god illuminated for me, maybe now we finally have a chance to end it.
I disengage from Bastian to regard the assembled group, these souls knitted to mine by battles fought and bonds forged.My chest swells with fierce love and determination. Here, among this small group, I am Lark. Simply Lark. And we’ve worked together, defeating enemies and surviving no matter the cost, since well before I was queen.
A soft knock and not so delicate cough breaks up our reunion. Helene and Elijah are waiting at the door. I motion for them to come inside, noting their uncharacteristic silence with trepidation.
After recent events, the mood is a little somber.
“Thank you for coming. I know we’re all weary in body and spirit. But I’ve called you here because there’s been a development.” I take a deep breath, conscious of every eye trained on me. “I believe I know how we can defeat Narc. Once and for all.”
I now have everyone’s full, undivided attention as they become even more aware that this isn’t just some leisurely meal.
Agnar has a grape halfway to his mouth, and he uses it to gesture for me to continue.
I pause to meet each of their gazes. “First, I owe you an apology. All of you.” My voice wavers, and I clear my throat before continuing. “I’ve been hardheaded, stubborn. Pushing you away in some misguided attempt to protect you when we should’ve been facing this together. I’m so sorry.”
“No need to apologize.” Leesa reaches out to squeeze my hand, eyes soft with understanding. “You just didn’t want to risk losing people you care about, and you thought if you did things on your own, no one else would get hurt.”
My sister gets me.
“Wait, are you admitting to making mistakes?” Bastian tosses me a wink. “You feeling all right?”
I snort and just shake my head. “Well, it took the God of Lost Things to tell me I was screwing up.”
“Sounds about right.” Agnar swallows the grape, then rifles around his plate and picks up a piece of ham. “That would take divine intervention, though I don’t remember praying to that particular god for help.”
“Guess he’s the God of Lost Things for a reason.” My eyes linger on the empty chairs, heart growing heavy as I think about those missing. “Eldor, Mother, Alannah, Blair, Ezra…we can never forget their sacrifices. The sacrifices we’ve all made to get here. We fight for them as much as for the living. And I know they’ll be watching over us, every step of the way.”
Sterling’s hand finds mine beneath the table, strong fingers lacing through my own. “Enough focusing solely on defense. No more fighting in our homelands. It’s time we go on the offensive. Stand up and resist with everything we have. We’re taking the fight to them.”
His dark eyes blaze into mine. “Lark has an idea. A dangerous one, but I think it just might work.”
“Honestly, there’s a good possibility it won’t.” I squeeze Sterling’s hand, grateful for his unwavering faith in me. “But nothing worth doing comes without risk.”
“Agreed.” Agnar leans forward. “I trust you. You always find a way out, even if it’s through a haze of ash.”
Everyone around the table nods. Even Helene and Elijah.
Bolstered by their confidence in me, I square my shoulders and lift my chin. “I’m going to explain the plan in full. But I need you to wait until I’m finished before asking any questions. Can you do that?”
