Page 128 of The Cruel Dawn
Orewid Rolse takes a moment, then asks, “And what if shedoesn’treturn? Or what if she slips by like she did before and kills more of your men?”
“Then you will go down to Gasho and stop her there.”
Orewid Rolse glares at Zephar. “Since you didn’t stop her before?”
“I was away,” Zephar says. “He was one of my best archers—”
“And shestillkilled him. You had a chance to end her when she first landed outside of Gasho days ago, and you did nothing. Then, when the urts and cowslews invaded the city, your warriors had her surrounded and you did nothing. She keeps walking when she should be dead.”
I gasp, recalling those footprints in the red dirt, the swords drawn on me as I was fighting those otherworldly on my first day in Gasho.
Fuck!Iknewit.
Zephar tilts his head. “You don’t trust me? She’s nearby. You’ve seen how she looks at me. She’ll do anything for me. Now, it’s your turn to follow through.”
When he doesn’t speak, Zephar spreads his arms. “How many times must I say it? I believe in your mission. I believe we must remain pure and separate from the other orders to do our job—to wreak destruction as Supreme wants. I believe this with my whole heart.”
Not only have the Crusaders invaded my Sanctum, they’ve also infected Zephar with their outrageous beliefs.
I didn’t imagine that feeling of being an enemy in a place that’s supposed to feel like home. The Mera who’d shot at me was supposed to kill me.
“Kaivara Megidrail is now the last one,” Orewid Rolse says, “and she embodies everything that we stand against. She must die—and that seems to be underway already. She must die, and then she must live again for our cause.”
Live again?
Zephar frowns. “I don’t disagree. When she comes back to the Sanctum, then…” He waves his hand at the undead Mera standing behind him.
I creep alongside the tent until I gain a wider view.
The Diminished stand in two groups. Those standing with Shari had repaired Gasho the last time invaders came to the city. On that day, they’d cleared the aqueduct with good cheer. Just seven dawns ago, they’d burned the corpses of otherworldly and showed the Gasho children their swords and markings. Worry now shines bright in their eyes. Do they want this? Are they complicit in my murder—and resurrection?
Standing on the other side of the pavilion are warriors who’d been injured, who were once moments away from death. They wear their original Destroyer markings, but a new brand burns red hot in the middle of their bare chests.
Fiery crossed swords.
They stand there swaying, their eyes muddy, their unbranded skin mottled brown and green, like the scummy surface of a neglected pond.
My hands burn, and the urge to scream bubbles in my chest, like my heart might explode at any moment. I don’t want to wait for help to arrive. I want to destroy them right now, Zephar included. But what would be the point?
I’m here on Vallendor for a purpose. The mountain can’t sink into the swamp. If I fight alone, what would I gain?
The Crusaders are just one more problem on my growing list.
My relationship with Zephar is no longer an issue. We said goodbye a long time ago. I just didn’t realize it.
“Tonight,” Zephar declares, “I’ll fuck her until all strength has left her legs. Then I’ll take the amulet and the armor—I’ve already destroyed any protective clothing she’s stored in these trunks—and she’ll be as naked and powerless as the day Lyra Laserie gave birth to her filthy abomination.”
Filthy abomination?
“You’ll sleep with her even though she’s betrayed you with the traitor’s son?” Orewid Rolse says.
I reel in shock. Zephar knows about Jadon.
His face is still as stone. “She has no idea how close I’ve come.”
Zephar lowers his head, his nostrils flared, his eyes shining with tears. “I’ll do my part. I won’t hesitate. Her infidelity just makes this easier for me. For all of us. My unhappiness isn’t new, nor is it caused by the traitor’s son—I’d taken a step away from Kai even before the Adjudicator deposited her in that forest outside of Maford.”
I can’t believe my ears.We were still together then. We were still in love.Weren’t we?
