Page 15 of Of Blood and Banes
“I don’t know yet.”But the truth is sitting there in front of me. Not wanting to be ignored and needing to be confirmed. I follow the path from earlier to the massive community dining hall, partly shocked none of Sethan’s soldiers have been assigned to follow me. The drawbridge entrance is still closed, and after explaining to the guards my need to speak with Sethan, they lower it for me. Every set of eyes in the hall turn toward me as I stride into the building from such a grand entrance. The enormity of it already makes me feel smaller than I am. Ignoring eye contact with anyone along the several crowded tables, I approach the one where Sethan sits.
He pauses mid-conversation, pops a piece of potato into his mouth, and turns toward me expectantly.
“Can I…” I toss awkward glances toward Sethan’s soldiers. “Can we speak in private?”
The room falls eerily silent, my skin prickling under the intense quiet.
Sethan stares at me, his jaw working in circular motions as he chews and considers. After he swallows, he says, “Whatever you need to discuss with me, you can say here. I don’t hide information from my people.”
I narrow my eyes. Is this his way of leading with respect? A willingness to converse with Arterians out in public?
Though, what’s the difference between Cole and me?Or is he scared of me the way the others are?It’s obvious the rest of the rebels shy away, giving me extra space whenever I walk by. Watching my every move. Even last night’s stint where Corvin questioned Sethan’s commands because of me. I swear Daeja would purr if she witnessed how much of a threat she is to them. Even when she isn’t in the room.
But with Sethan, it’s tricky to decipher where he stands and what he thinks. He hides it all behind his stone-cold mask and well-composed responses. If Daeja truly is a moon dragon, she might hold more power than I ever could have possibly imagined. And I’m willing to bet he knows it, too. I imagine it may work in my favor.
I clear my throat. It feels silly to ask, but I do it anyway, “Why do you think my dragon is a moon dragon?”
He tilts his head to the side. “Let me ask you a question first. Have you ever seen a black dragon?”
“Well…no. But I haven’t seen many dragons, either.”
He nods, as if it answers my question. A muscle tics in my jaw—he didn’t need to be so damn condescending. Especially not in front of an entire audience. Gods, even if he is Melaina’s father, I can’t bring myself to like him.
I try again, forcing myself to level my tone. “Earlier, you spoke of a prophecy…and that the prophecy is tied to Daejabecause it mentioned air and night. Why do you think it’s me, though? What else did the prophecy say?”
He leans back. “The one son?—”
All together, as if they’d recited it for years, the room joins in a collective whisper,“The one son, chosen to lead them all. Wasn’t a son but a maid. Until binds of death did that grave deed bade. In death blood is shed. But from blood there is life. Restored by air and night to end all strife.”
My blood runs cold. I’ve heard those lines before. My mother often recited it. And despite having heard it so many times throughout my childhood, it’s the first time I’ve ever given any of the words space. Or a second thought. It’s the first time I’ve ever considered they were more than a string of ramblings from an unwell woman.
All along, it meant something.
All along, it was meant forme.
CHAPTER 5
FEAR OR RESPECT
Sethan doesn’t question why I need to take a seat in the closest chair. He even signals for the entire room to clear out. Quickly, quietly, soldiers clear the crowd of Arterians and rebels out from the community hall, leaving Sethan and me alone.
“You’ve heard it before, haven’t you?” he whispers from across the table.
I nod, still staring blankly at a random spot on the stone beneath my boots. It can’t be about me. I’m no one. Nobody. It must be a mistake. If it were true, how come I couldn’t save my family? How come I couldn’t save Hornwood?
“That prophecy has been around for hundreds of years, Katerina. And it is the single most important translation the elders brought back from the old libraries.”
I break my staring contest with the ground and meet his brown eyes. I’d heard it before. Back in Arterias, Marge mentioned elders translating old tomes after King Aaric took the throne. “Why don’t you want us to leave? What’s the actual reason you haven’t killed us yet and want us to stay in the Dragon Lands?”
“You know the answer to that already. Why even bother asking it?”
“Because I need to hear you say it.”Darian must be a red herring.Sethan doesn’t want us to stay in the Dragon Lands because he needs Darian. Or…maybe he still wants possession of Darian, but there’s something greater. Something far more valuable.
Me.
Sethan looks me up and down, assessing me. “Because you are the one the prophecy speaks of. And if we lose you, we lose the war.”
His threat of killing us if I didn’t decide in two days was all a bluff. I snort. “And if I want no part in your war? If I refuse to side with you?”
