Page 237 of A Queen's Game
Thank the gods; she was alive. “Am I on the right path?”
“That depends. What truth have you found?”
“My husband lives, but he created horrid machines. Keyain had lied, as had Valeriya.”
“Yes, but what else? Dig deeper.”
Marietta thought for a second before she answered. “They kept Tilan alive after faking his death. He lives, but I don’t understand for what purpose.”
“Another truth you must seek. What else?”
Her mind drifted back to the Queen. Deania’s voice came back to her. The last time the Exisotis had heard from Valeriya had been a month and a half ago. She had said she delivered them last week. “The Queen wasn’t just working with just the Exisotis. Brynden—Valeriya’s threat of knowing his real name. Gods, she was working with the Chorys Dasians.”
“Another truth, one that will cost many lives.”
Marietta’s breath hitched. “Because of me. Many lives will be lost.”
“You had your hand, yes. But redemption will come if you follow the truth.”
“Is returning to Enomenos possible? Will Coryn and I make it?”
“It is one of many possibilities, but one that comes with much consequence.”
“What does that mean?”
“Your decisions come with the cost of lives. Your goal is to save and heal through seeking the truth. Do you think you’ll be effective away from those who suffer? Or at the center of those who decide the fate of many?”
Her heart stilled. Therypon meant remaining in Satiros. “But Keyain will take me away. Or the King will kill me. If they know I’m Iros, they both will kill me.”
“Fates change as we make decisions. No future is set in stone. If you go back, you will face your hardest decisions yet but be closer to the truth of everything.”
“Is that what I seek? The truth of everything?”
“Yes, the truth that will set many free. The fabric of fate is woven into you because of this truth. The decisions you make will be the decision of many. For that reason, you are my chosen. My hero. Seek the truth, heal the world.”
Therypon’s last words echoed through her head as the warmth left her body, her mind sinking back to the pain. Marietta bit against the stabbing as it racked through every inch of her body once more. Sweat slicked her brow and above her lip, but she would endure.
That pain was just the beginning. Through the power of Therypon, she would keep seeking. She would find all the truths kept from her. She would save as many people as she could.
Time slipped into a void. There was only the sound of Nosokyma, the prick of the needle, the crashing pain through her body.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Through calm breathing and the lingering warmth in her chest, Marietta focused on nothing, clearing her mind of all thought, all sensations, accepting the pain for what it was.
Chapter Ninety-Three
Elyse
Days at the library proved ought for little. Hours spent searching, making Wynn sit around, only to find one book. At least it was the one Sylas said to prioritize.
Frustrated, Elyse looked forward to another day of combing the library shelves, but Wynn sent her a message, waking her while she slept.
“Don’t leave your room—danger happening. Will get you when safe.”
