Page 47 of The Blade in the Ashes
I nodded, my voice grave and unyielding. “Yes.”
With a gulp, she shoved the parchment back at me, dropping it on the table when I refused to take it. “No, not me. There are several moreworthy people.”
“I do not have an established court.” I reminded her. “Typically, the Council would rule in the Dragon’s absence, but we have yet to form a new High Council. We don’t even know if the prior Council Members live.”
Gregory, Rosalia, and Clara hadn’t been among the survivors we’d found waiting for us at Hyrax Manor when we’d fled the castle. We had no way of knowing if they were alive, dead, or now serving Hyrax.
“Still.”
“Rankor and Kent have already left,” I continued, folding my hands on the table in front of me. “Iris will leave this afternoon, and I will follow shortly after her. This compound is all that remains of my kingdom, and I need it being led by someone who knows me well enough to know what I would want. For all your flaws, Camilla, you do understand how I think.”
Camilla turned away, but not quickly enough to hide the water that was misting in her eyes. For all her flaws, she was a smart woman. She knew this wasn’t a decision being made because I valued her leadership skills. I had no other choice. Camilla was the only remaining option.
“Elaina?” she whispered, rubbing at her nose.
She would have been the ideal choice, in truth. Elaina was both calming and diplomatic, but could also be strategic and ruthless if necessary. Ruling over the people here in the case of an emergency would have come naturally to her.
She wasn’t an option, though.
“I would like you to consult with her, of course. You two seem to have grown close, so I don’t suspect that will be an issue. Elaina was born to be a ruler and trained well for it. She is not, however, an Athenian citizen and therefore cannot fulfill this role.”
Camilla’s eyes went distant, her face still. She opened her mouth briefly as if to issue another protest, only to close it again shortly afterwards. Camilla was also smart enough to figure out that even though this was my only choice, it wasn't a decision I had made easily.
When I had stopped to consider how it would look to the people to have a criminal as their leader, the choice had become a million times more difficult. That wouldn’t do, and for this to work, I had to do something that made me hate myself on behalf of Lorelai and all the others who had died or been injured during Camilla’s attacks.
“You will find a formal pardon for your crimes within that decree as well.”
Camilla stiffened, jerking as if I’d struck her through with a blade. Her gaze snapped to mine once more, eyes wide with shock, before she glanced at that parchment again. Then, her chair scraped against the floor as she pushed away.
“I don’t deserve that,” she whispered. “I don’t deserve any of this.”
Strangely, her words filled me with an odd sense of relief.
I considered the woman who sat in front of me—a woman so changed by the things she had suffered. Her pain didn’t erase her crimes, but it helped us all understand them a bit more. Thea had found it in her heart to forgive Camilla and trust her once more. I could do the same.
“Perhaps not,” I agreed, standing. “But there is still time for you to earn it. The position is temporary, of course, and I’ll only be gone for a few days, but I’m trusting you with this, Camilla. Don’t let me down.”
She remained in her seat, something that looked quite a bit like fear flashing in her eyes.
“Can I trust you with this?” I asked her.
She seemed to snap out of whatever haze she was in, jerking to her feet and taking the parchment gently into her hands. “Yes. I promise.”
I nodded, stepping aside to allow her to pass by me. Only just as she got to the door, she stiffened once more, spine becoming so rigid I frowned at her in confusion.
“What is it?” I asked her.
She looked over her shoulder at me, dark hair like a curtain down her back. “Thea is okay.”
It was kind of her to say so. “I know she will be.”
Camilla shook her head, frowning, eyes going oddly distant for a moment as if she were looking through me. “No, it’s not a hope. Sheis.She is okay, and she’s doing everything she can to return to you. I don’t know how to explain how I know, but I just do.”
She left without another word, and a ghost of a smile split my cheeks when the door closed behind her. I was glad to see that Thea had that effect on others. Even so far away, she could still inspire such confidence.
Her spirit was here with us all, motivating us on, even ifshewasn’t.
Chapter Fourteen
