Page 62 of The Sun God's Prize
“Insurance against your rebellion,” he says, gritting his teeth.“I did not expect Jhanette to throw her life away as she did, Remalla.I promise you, that was the last thing I wanted.”
“And Amber?”Our ambassador to Winderose, also dead.“Not to mention you sent Vivenne to drown me long before my mother died.”
“An error in judgment,” he says, dark eyes narrowing.“I needed you in Winderose, but not to marry Atlas.That was meant for Vae.You were meant to fall in line.You brought this on yourself, Remalla.”
“Then I guess I’ll just kill you,” I say, “and forget all of my bad decisions made.”
“You haven’t heard a word,” he snaps, this time not retreating or showing fear when I stare coldly back.“We are on the same side, like it or not.You think me the problem, Ranaslo and Gyster tyrants, for what we did.But the Sun God is worse, I assure you.Has what you’ve endured since your kidnapping not taught you that truth?”I haven’t decided either way yet, to be honest.Because one kind of slavery or another, what did it matter when dragon magic was used to rewrite the world?“If he’s allowed to get his hands on the dragon’s magic, the whole world will burn.”
He’s desperate, that much is certain, to come to me for help.“What do you want me to do about it?”
“Kill him,” Hallick says, stepping into me suddenly, fervor startling, command in his voice as it drops in tone and volume.He raises a fist between us, dark eyes intent.“Kill the Sun God and that whelp of his, the daughter who pretends to be foolish.End their royal line and open the way for the power we hold to claim this land and unite us against invasion.”
This has nothing to do with fear of the Sun God.It’s pure greed.I feel it, see it clearly, even if he’s lying to himself about his motivations.“Next, Dorgondon,” I say.“Because the other continent, too.Just in case.”
He nods, eyes widening.“Yes, you see the vision now,” Hallick tells me.“I will let the magic take Vivenne, Remalla, and place you at the head of the armies of our people.You will lead as your mother once would have, and you will conquer the world for us.”
For the glorymight not be spoken, far too Sunnish for Hallick, but it’s implied.And proves there’s nothing altruistic about him or his goals.The question is, does the Overking agree?
Do I care?
“You haven’t thought that through,” I say, not bothering to hide my cynicism or my spite.“There will be no leading of armies for me.The Sun God’s guards will kill me before I finish the work.Unless you plan to raise my corpse, as you did Vivenne.”
He tenses, pulls back, sullen response smoothing out to the more familiar smirk.I’ve caught him in his web of lies.He’s not usually so easily unwound.“Well, sacrifices must be made for the good of all,” he says.
He’s mad.The dragon magic he bespelled is even now rotting his brain, and no one knew, no one did a thing to stop it.But I see it now.
Before I can kill him—snapping his neck will be a kindness he doesn’t deserve—he turns and strides for the door.I could chase him down, Hallick pausing in the archway, dark eyes turned to me.
“Make the right choice, Remalla,” he says, sounding for all like he has my best interests at heart.“For all our sakes.”And then he’s gone, the door firmly shut behind him, and I’m exhaling into the humid air of my chamber, jaw aching from the clenching that’s barely contained me until now.
The dark-clad warrior stares back at me, making no move against me.I hear a rustling, turn to find Sheelan fleeing, her robe fumbling around her, exiting through into the garden.I can’t follow, her shadow’s threat in a motion of one hand, the guards immediately turning their arrows on me when I try, so I’m forced to let her go.At least she’s protected by the order’s warrior, safe from Hallick’s schemes for the time being.
But not for long.
She heard everything.
I just hope she knows I have no plan to follow through on Hallick’s request.Because otherwise, they might as well fill me with arrows right now.
If she goes to her father with this, despite the kinspark and my hate for the Chancellor, I’m still a co-conspirator in the plot to assassinate the sun God.
I’m as good as dead.
***
Chapter Thirty
Escape is impossible.
I spend the rest of that sleepless night testing the boundaries of my guards, their alertness, their willingness to allow me leniency.I even wait and watch to find out when they trade off for fresh watchers, noting that they do so in stages, one at a time, and that even a single step into the garden is met with immediately drawn bows.
One thing is sure, they didn’t hear Hallick’s talk, his low tone enough to disguise what he said to me from them, if not from Sheelan and the order warrior.As for my door, two flank it, when I manage to pick the lock with a broken sliver of metal I shimmy from a decorative vase, and four more stand across from the opening, all armed and armored and acutely uncomfortable when I peek out at them.
I’m admitting defeat far too often these days, but what else can I do?But pace and fume and test, again and again, the men and women who stand watch over me.
While I wait for someone to come and kill me anyway.
So, what does it matter if I push the boundaries of my captivity?Acceptance settles, peace with impending death.One of these times, the guards might loose an arrow and apologize for it later.Or a cadre of the black-clad assassins may appear and cut me down.Whatever the truth, I’m surrounded by death.
