Page 69 of The Blade in the Ashes
So fucking risky.
That book could give us the advantage we needed, though.
“Oh,” Veric’s mouth curved into a grin. “She also said that she hopes you’re not too attached to your castle. She’s thinking it might be time for new accommodations when all this is over.”
I chuckled under my breath. Yes, when all this was over, I never wanted to walk through those halls again. There wasn’t any fondness left in my heart for those halls. My parents died in that castle. Thea nearly died there on more than one occasion.
No, when this was all over, she and I would build something new.
A new castle.
A new kingdom.
A new era.
“Anything else?” I breathed.
We hung on their every word. Even Camilla and Elaina both seemed as invested as I was. Two women who didn’t know Thea well, but knew her enough to worry.
Veric’s smile was a burst of warmth in a freezing world. “She sends her love. To all of you.”
Chapter Nineteen
Thea
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I woke feeling ready for the day. There was a sparkling sensation of hope in my veins. Hope and purpose.
I had a plan—a big, beautiful, meticulously thought-out plan.
And step one involved doing away with guards that answered to Caldrius.
Two of them remained stationed at the end of Hyrax Hall, barring any visitors from coming to me and stopping me from leaving without an attendant. As I pushed open the heavy door to my suite, their eyes snapped to me, tracking my movements as I marched towards them. With every step, my heels clicked in a steady rhythm against the marble floor.
“Your Grace?” The one on the left asked, resting a hand against the sword on his hip. Their armor was dark, gleaming onyx, so unlike the uniform that they’d previously worn under the banner of Athenia. “Do you wish to take another walk?”
I almost laughed at the grimace he couldn’t hide on his features. A glance out the nearby window showed snow falling in sheets from the sky.
“I have a request, actually.”
He frowned. “Perhaps you should discuss this request with your husband first.”
I let my glare harden, let all the anger and rage I felt show plainly across my features as I rolled my shoulders and stood tall. “Is my husband the heir to the Mortal Realm, or am I?”
He sputtered, turning to his companion, who only ran a hand across his jaw. “Well-”
“Shall I be clearer?” My voice had a harshness that I’d rarely ever used before. Actually, I sounded quite a bit like Camilla. “Iam the heir to the Mortal Realm.Iam the daughter of Hyrax.Iam the Goddess of the Veil. And who are you?”
Another shared glance between them. “We are—”
Again, I interrupted them. “No one. You are no one and nothing to me.”
Gods, the words felt hollow. I’d borrowed them directly from Hyrax, and though I’d layered them with the same conviction he’d had when he first said them, they felt inherently wrong coming from my mouth.
The guard averted his gaze. “Of course, Your Grace.”
Carefully, I let my attention fall over the both of them, scanning as I folded my hands behind my back, fingertips brushing against the blood-red scarlet skirt that flowed around me and puddled on the floor at my feet.
“There seems to be some confusion.” I sighed impatiently, shaking my head. “Allow me to clarify how someone likeyoushould treat a Goddess. You see, you’ve irritated me, and so the proper course of action would be to ask for my forgiveness and pray that I am a benevolent Goddess.”
