Page 60 of The Blade in the Ashes
I was powerless.
If you don’t have power, simply take it.
A shiver ran down my spine. Caldrius had taken his power through strategy and cunning both in his life and in his death. He had climbed his way to the top and had no mercy for anyone he might have stepped on along his journey.
As much as I loathed to admit it, Caldrius was right in saying I needed to learn how to play by the rules of this new world.
He was right in saying that I needed to take back my power.
But I didn’t need to sacrifice who I was to do that.
Winning this war would never be as simple as magically defeating Hyrax. The kind of power needed to win wars came from many sources. It came from sacrifice, love, and friendship. It came from people who would fight with you,foryou.
Veric had come here to offer me that power because he believed I deserved it. He believed that I could take the power he was offering me and make it count for something. He believed I could take this power and defeat Hyrax with it.
This was the power I needed to be willing to take.
“Okay,” I nodded, squeezing his fingers in mine.
Veric smiled up at me, and the world stilled as he bowed his forehead against my knuckles.
“I vow my allegiance to you, Theadora, Goddess of the Veil, Princess of the Light, heir to the Mortal Realm. I vow to honor, serve, and protect you for all my days in this realm and beyond. From this day on, I am your servant, and I vow to be worthy of that honor.”
The air was frigid, so cold that I couldn't think past this moment in time that we both existed in. I gasped at the sudden twinge in my gut, the phantom sensation of magic now lost, as the fire crackled behind me.
Veric’s chin lifted. His eyes met mine with a newfound look of determination.
“What is your order, Your Holiness?”
A million requests rose to mind.
And as fast as they came, they faded until there was only one that remained.
“I need you to deliver a message,” I told him, surprised at how steady my voice was.
Caldrius had called this a game. He said I was playing with Gods. This wasn’t a simple sport, though. There would be no winners or losers when my turn ended.
This was war.
There would only be survivors.
And I didn’t need any magic in my bones to know what I needed to do next to make sure my people survived this war.
Chapter Seventeen
Kent
The journey from Eagirton to the small village I’d grown up in had passed quickly. Rankor had complained about the awful weather as we went, but I had been unabashedly excited to see my mother and sisters. There was nothing quite like beinghere.
I loved this town.
I loved our small cottage, which always smelled of salty seawater and freshly baked bread.
I loved the constant sound of the waves crashing against our narrow beach.
I loved it all.
“So, this is where you grew up?” Rankor asked with an appreciative whistle.
