Page 27 of War Of Fire and Fortune
Her voice cut through the tension. "When all of this started, you knew it was going to be difficult and that we would have to make sacrifices—whatever it took, remember?!"
Her words ignited a fire within me, burning away the last shreds of my loyalty to her cause.
"And that was my mistake," I snarled, my voice dripping with venom. "I lost sight of why I did this to begin with." I paused, the weight of my failures crushing down on me. "I did this for her. Not you or anyone else. I wanted to give her a peaceful world. I refuse to sacrifice her any further. And now I'm afraid it may be too late for me because you saw the way she looked at me. You saw what condition Ace was in.
“I listened to you a little too long, kept my distance, and Valla got her. Luckily, I got her away from there, no thanks to your commands, but she was still tormented." I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in my throat. The words continued to pour out of me. “And then she was in the fucking palace, and every day I was there, I had to lie to her. Every day, I would feel the panic of having her so close to my father, to Valla, to the monsters that made me. She had to fight in the ring and ended up killing a Sky Elf, and I watched how that broke her too. I felt the burn of betrayal down our bond in my chest because of my lies when I finally told her the truth, and then, I continued to listen to you. And it has almost cost her the only person she has left." The rage and anguish I'd been holding back finally exploded out of me. “I AM DONE!” I roared, my shadows erupting around me in a maelstrom of darkness.
Atreya’s eyes flashed, and I thought she might back down, but she didn’t. “No, we are too close to the end of all of this for you to fuck it all up. Those are all the sacrifices that have been made to make it to where we are now. Why can't you see that!?” she seethed, and her words felt like a slap in the face.
"You're no different than him," I hissed, surging forward until we were nose to nose. My voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried the weight of years of pain. Pain she fully understood. Pain I’d watched her go through.
Atreya blinked, her mouth falling open. For a fleeting moment, I saw the hurt flash in her eyes, saw her impenetrable armor crack. My words had found their mark, piercing straight through to her core.
But it was gone in an instant, her stern exterior snapping back into place like a shield. I watched her swallow hard, steeling herself against my words. How had I never seen it before? The similarities between her and my father were suddenly glaringly obvious. Both of them were willing to sacrifice anything—anyone—for their cause. One for power, one for vengeance.
A dark shape materialized from the shadows. It was Rhet, stumbling out of his Hollow with eyes wide and hair disheveled.
"Whoa, what the fuck is going on?" he demanded, striding toward us.
Atreya cleared the emotion from her throat, breaking the tense silence. "Just discussing what to do next," she said, her voice carefully controlled. But I could hear the slight tremor beneath her calm facade.
"I'm not going back," I declared. I met Rhet's eyes. "I can't do it anymore." Rhet's expression softened, a flicker of sadness passing over his features. He didn't ask why. He didn't need to. All those nights we'd spent talking mind to mind, sharing our doubts, our fears, our growing disappointments—they'd led to this moment. I waited for his response. Would he try to stop me? Change my mind? The thought of my little brother not being on my side made me sick to my stomach. But Rhet just nodded slowly, a look of understanding in his eyes.
"Okay," he said, his voice steely. "I'll take your place." Beside me, Atreya stiffened, her sharp intake of breath mirroring my own shock.
"What?" we exclaimed in unison. I stared at my brother, searching his face for any sign of jest but finding none. "Have you lost your mind?" I hissed, grabbing his arm. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"
Rhet met my gaze. "I know exactly what I'm saying, brother. You've carried this burden long enough. Let me shoulder it now." He spoke matter-of-factly, like this had always been a thought in the back of his mind.
My throat tightened, a mix of gratitude and guilt threatening to choke me. "Rhet, I can't ask you to—"
He cut me off. "You're not asking. I'm offering. You deserve a chance at freedom, Kade. At happiness. I have watched you sacrifice your life for this cause. I will gladly take your place."
I looked at my brother and saw the same stubborn set to his jaw that I knew was mirrored on my own face. Rhet squared his shoulders, his expression hardening as he turned to face Atreya now. "I'll take Kade's place. I'll pick up wherever he left off, and I'll communicate what Father's next moves will be," he stated.
"It won't be that simple," she snapped. "How the hell will you explain Kade and Ace both coming up missing at the same time?"
"Well," Rhet began, his voice rough with tension. "I could Hollow back before breakfast, leave a letter for Father telling him we’re leaving to find the rebellion and the Peacebringer, and take Kade’s main ship from the docks. Maybe grab a handful of soldiers. Make it seem like we left before the day started." The words tumbled out. "And as long as Kade Hollows to the ship every so often to make an appearance, the soldiers will be none the wiser. Besides, we spent most of our time on the seas anyway. It's not like Father ever cared where we were, as longas we were doing his bidding. If he thinks were going after the Peacebringer again, he’d have little reason to argue.”
"Okay, and what about Ace not being in his cell?”
“I have no knowledge of that, do you, brother?” Rhet cocked his head in my direction and shrugged his shoulders. “As far as I know, we got on the ship and he was still locked away, isn’t that right?” Rhet snarked and grinned at me, making Atreya rub at her temples.
"It's risky," I muttered, more to myself than to them. "But it might work . . . .” Before I could stop myself, I pulled Rhet into a crushing embrace. His familiar scent of sea salt and leather enveloped me, memories of our childhood flooding back. How many times had he been there for me after I’d faced our father's wrath? How many times had I hidden him from his abuse?
As we stood there, locked in an embrace that spoke volumes more than words ever could, I felt the familiar whisper of Rhet's shadows in my mind. "Go be with Emelyn," he urged as he pulled back.
“I will, but first I need to tell you everything that I found in Father’s office. After that, I’m done.”I spoke to his mind.
“Alright, what did you find?” he asked out loud, knowing Atreya needed to hear this too. I told them everything, the soul magic, the odd-looking ship blueprints, the map. I explained what I feared Valos’s plans were for Emelyn. Afterwards, I pulled my brother in for another quick hug.
“Thank you.”
“No thanks needed. Now, go be with your mate, brother.”
I pulled back, meeting my brother's gaze. A weak smile tugged at my lips. With a short nod, I turned away, my feet carrying me in the direction Emelyn had gone earlier.
As I walked, I could feel Atreya's eyes boring into my back. But I couldn't bring myself to look at her.
