Page 145 of A Crown of Lies

“Look around, Isaac,” Eris said quietly. “You cannot fight them all.”

Even if she fought alongside him and the rest of their guards, they were impossibly outnumbered, and there was no telling what sort of magic Michal might be armed with if he had the grimoire, or how quickly he could cast it. All it would take would be a second, maybe less, for Isaac to be distracted and it would be over.

But if she knelt, they could live. All of them. Live to grow, to be born, to love. To fight another day. Brucia could be won again, but their lives… Once those were lost, they would never get them back. Their lives were more precious than the walls, the buildings, the castle, or any crown.

“Swear it,” Eris said, voice wavering. “Swear by the Eight Divines that you will allow all of us to leaveunharmed.”

Michal nodded slowly. “You will have one hour to vacate the city, and one week to leave the Free Cities. Obey, and no harm will come to you. I swear it by the Judge’s gavel.”

Her hand slid down Isaac’s arm, into his palm, gripping tightly.I should have listened to Isaac. I never should have come to this place.

“Eris, no,” the knight pleaded as she gathered her skirt.

But there was no choice. Not if she wanted to save as many lives as possible.

She went to her knees with a wince of pain and lowered her head.

Isaac and all the other guards followed a moment later.

“Queen Eris Telari,” Michal said, his voice thick with amusement. “The warrior queen who slew her own knight, who murdered a prince, who loved an elf. No one will remember you for any of these things. Instead, history will remember you as the queen whoknelt.”

Eris lifted her head, defiance sparking in her eyes. “Enjoy your crown while it lasts,” Eris said. “It is a very dangerous time to rule.”

Michal’s face blanched, but only for a moment. “Get out of my empire.”

Isaac quickly pulled her up, so fast that it felt like her insides nearly dropped out of her. Even as she found her feet, everything seemed to have settled lower in her stomach somehow. The baby kicked frantically, and Eris instinctively grabbed for her stomach as they turned.

The Thousand Cuts standing in their way parted to let them through.

Isaac held her hand as they ran, fleeing for their lives.

Forty-Three

“Areyoucertaintheywere Shikami?” Niro asked, leaning heavily on the desk in front of him. His tunic hung open, and his hair hung in messy strands around his shoulders, only half pulled back.

Guilt tugged at Aryn’s heart at the sight of him in such distress. If they hadn’t been in bed together, maybe he would have noticed. He should have been paying more attention, should have realized the immense risk. Instead, he’d chosen to pursue selfish pleasure. After so many years, he should know better.

They had gathered in Niro’s office just minutes before, when Ruith and Isheda arrived, summoned by messenger. At least Ruith had the foresight to leave Will and Faelyn back at the Deepfrost clan house under heavy guard.

“If anyone knows Shikami on sight besides me, it’s Mercia,” Aryn offered.

“Fuck!” Niro shoved himself away from the desk and paced around his office, his hands on the back of his head.

“They will use her as leverage,” Isheda said. “If they wanted her dead, they would have killed her instead of taking her.”

“Leverage for what?” Mercia fidgeted with the hem of her rumpled dress.

“The election,” Aryn explained. “It’s hard to say how. They might try to force you to drop out of the race, or to add something to your platform that benefits them. Or they could use Saya to expose him.”

“Expose him how?” she asked.

Aryn looked to Niro. It was up to him whether he wanted to bring Mercia into the loop. Despite how close he and Mercia were, Aryn did not share other people’s secrets with her.

Ruith answered in Niro’s place, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “However they can.”

Niro sighed and ran his hand through his hair. His brows pinched together, and he looked at Aryn, eyes pleading. “Will they hurt her?”

Aryn shook his head. “Not before making demands. They’ll give you a chance to comply. Once the demands come, they will come with a deadline. The minute that deadline expires…” He sucked a deep breath through his teeth. “They will break her to get what they want.”

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