Page 21 of Empire of Death
“It’s a long story?—”
“Then let’s get started, shall we?” His eyes were wide with both terror and anger, like he already assumed the worst of me.
“When my ship was lost at sea, we crashed into an island far out to the west. It was the one place Father told me not to ever go, but I somehow ended up there. That was where I met him…the god of the underworld.”
My brother hung on to every word I said, eyes wide, a bit disbelieving.
I was careful with everything else I shared, knowing I couldn’t tell him just how intimately involved I became with Wrath. That was something I wanted to keep to myself…for now. “He foretold the battle of Riviana Star. He said we would fall to the Barbarians without his intervention. I didn’t believe him at first—until his prediction came to pass. He gave me the ability to raise the dead, and because of that power, I was able to save Dad and everyone else.”
“In exchange for your soul?” he shouted.
“No, no, no,” I said quickly. “He didn’t take that.”
“Then what did he take?” he snapped. “Why would he gift you this power without something in return?”
“He did ask for something in return. He asked me to defeat the Barbarians because he has his own agenda against them, which he didn’t share with me.” I lied like I never had, protecting the relationship that was most precious to me.
He bowed his head as the cords in his neck popped from the strain of his whole body. He breathed hard, and both shoulders rose and fell with the effort. “If anyone else but you had told me this tale…” He lifted his chin and looked at me once again. “I would call it a pile of horseshit.”
“Trust me, I’ll prove it to you beyond a doubt soon enough.”
Now he stared at me with new eyes, like he didn’t know me at all.
“When Dad and the soldiers return home, word will spread fast about what happened in the forest. Khazmuda will tell Mom and Zehemoth…everyone will know.”
He was quiet as he turned toward the wooden rail and gripped it with both hands. He looked out at the sea as the wind moved through his hair, taking his time processing all of this. Another thought must have come to him because he stiffened before he dropped his head. “That’s why you’re so strong.” He turned back to look at me again, to confirm it was true.
I couldn’t lie to him, not when he’d already figured it out. “Yes.”
“So that battle for the crown…was a bunch of bullshit.” He pushed off the rail as his temper flared. “I didn’t fight my sister, I battled a god. You deceived me. That was never a fair fight.”
“Dad chose me to succeed him, explicitly and irrevocably, and you still can’t accept that. So I wanted to do something that you would understand.”
“You lied to me.” He threw his arms down as he stepped back. “You fucking lied to me.”
My brother and I had felt closer than ever just an hour ago, and now the distance between us was the worst it’d ever been. “Because of the gifts that I’ve been bestowed by the god of the underworld, I am even more qualified for the position than you are. I can best any man in a duel, and I can bring forth the dead to fight for my cause. And make no mistake, I still would have bested you in a duel without his strength.”
“Well, we’ll never know, will we?” he said bitterly before he turned on his heel and stormed off, heading farther into the city and away from the beach.
He was too pissed off for a reasonable conversation, so I let him go.
7
WRATH
Kennt stood before the flames of the campsite, muscular arms crossed over his chest, his golden mask hiding his features from view. Others were seated on logs or in their tents, recovering from the battle that had claimed a quarter of their fleet. His eyes were visible in the circles of his mask, and they immediately flicked up to look at me across from him the moment I appeared. “Your Majesty…” With a voice soaked in sarcasm and resentment, he regarded me as a servant rather than the monster I truly was.
“I come to honor your request.” If I didn’t comply with his request, there could be unforeseen consequences that I couldn’t afford. I’d already intervened in Riviana Star, and if the Covenant was aware of that, I wasn’t sure what the punishment would be. Bodily harm or even the loss of my soul didn’t worry me. But if they revoked my position, I would never see her again. So I had to appease Kennt to keep him quiet, even though he was the enemy of the woman I loved.
His arms dropped from his chest, and he straightened, waiting for me to bestow the gift upon him.
“If a home is what you seek, there are many vacant places in this world I could show you. There’s no need to provoke empires greater than your own.” I could choose a place far from here, keeping their golden ships away from Lily’s kingdom of dragons.
“Building a kingdom from nothing would take longer than my lifetime. No, I want what was taken from us, the warmth of paradise, riches and servants, dragons to guard our kingdom from the skies. I want the Southern Isles—and the woman with the perfect ass who sits upon the throne.”
It took all my strength to show nothing on my face, to pretend I didn’t want to rip out his neck for the comment. “This is a suicide mission. Surely you must see that.”
His smile wasn’t visible behind his mask, but it was obvious it was there. “I’ve survived worse.”
