Chapter 70
Chapter
Seventy
EVIE
W e dressed in a flurry, the leather armor slipping harder onto my damp, heated skin, and raced out into the bedroom.
Zandyr hadn’t bothered with a shirt, the top half of his body glistening with water; it made my warm cheeks even redder.
An entire crowd was waiting for us, Adara the master of ceremonies in this panicked display.
She breathed out, awestruck at seeing Zandyr walking and breathing.
“You two will be the death of me.” She shook her head, even as a smile tugged the frown off her face.
“It’s good to see you too, Adara.” Zandyr tilted his head in greeting.
“We were just taking a bath,” I squeaked out, as if anybody had asked, highly aware of how puffy my lips were.
“Kylian, Myron, we found them!” Adara called out the open door, before turning back to us. “Kaya came in here to talk to you and she ran out screaming–”
“There’s a body,” Kaya said, standing as far from what was left of Nylen as possible. “A beheaded body. And no sign of you. I panicked.”
Honestly, I would have panicked, too.
“We sent warriors looking for you throughout the stronghold,” Leesa said. The gash on her forehead was already beginning to scab over.
“And we searched the entire house,” Goose said urgently. “Obviously not the entire house.”
“Don’t do that again.” Adara sheathed her daggers. “I almost lost you once, I don’t want to turn this into a weird tradition.”
“Now, Adara, you know I can’t promise that,” Zandyr teased.
“Where is he? I swear I am going to actually murder him for almost giving me a heart attack twice . Three times if you count the war. I’m young, but not that young.” Elysia dashed through the door. The grimace on her face evaporated and she grabbed onto the doorframe, shocked at actually seeing Zandyr.
“You’re standing,” she whispered. “You’re actually breathing, you bastard.”
“Thank you for your help, Viper,” Zandyr said. “I understand you treated me. You honored your namesake today.”
Elysia waved off the gratitude. “I just splashed some potions on you. And if you get yourself into that kind of trouble, I won’t be doing it again. Got it?”
“Of course. That threat sounds very believable and I will heed it.”
“She really was concerned. Frantically so,” I said.
“The war opened some old wounds for her.”
“Dax and her together will be…interesting. If the two of them will ever get over themselves.”
Until the two of them had a chance to scalp each other, all of us were in deep trouble.
We’d mercifully survived death, but the advisors–and whoever was helping them–could still weave their tricks and treason.
It was time to get rid of them. Forever.
“We will,” Zandyr said with unflinching certainty. “We have the element of surprise on our side .”
Finally. I was getting tired of the advisors swamping us with shock after shock. It was our turn to play the same game.
“Good. I’ve had enough assassination attempts to last me an eternity.”
Kylian and Myron marched in after Elysia and only stopped once they reached Zandyr. They placed their fists over their chests in their ceremonial greeting, bowing deeply.
“Thank the gods, Dragon,” Kylian said. “Our Clan needs you. The people are restless.”
The change in Zandyr was immediate. His spine straightened, the angles of his face sharpened, and his side of the bond turned colder. This was The Dragon who led his troops to victory. “Tell me.”
His presence was so powerful, the entire mood in the room shifted along with him. Everyone turned more serious; even Kaya looked on, as if waiting for a new order. She’d dolled herself up beautifully, draped in enough gold to divert the attention of the strongest skeptic.
“The news of the Blue Queen’s imminent demise has escaped the stronghold and reached the Capital,” Myron said, rising.
“With the guards stationed here, it’s no wonder,” I said. “All they needed was a palaver portal.”
“The civilians are getting ready to mourn,” Kylian went on.
My brows rose. “I didn’t think I meant that much to them.”
Though it was tradition, after all.
Zandyr took my hand in his. “They remember you took care of them when nobody else would. It’s not just tradition.”
I squeezed his hand back.
“This pamphlet going around isn’t helping.” Myron took out a crumpled piece of parchment which had seen better days and handed it to Zandyr. “The civilians are scared their houses might burn down in the dead of night, like Owyn’s has. They’re calling for The Dragon to come protect them.”
The Dragon’s mighty frown softened as his eyes jumped over the page. “Is this your doing?”
I snatched the parchment from Zandyr. Isalyth might have not signed her name, but it was clear she’d used the information I’d sent her way right before we left the Capital.
I growled. She shouldn’t have printed this yet, but maybe the news of my death had scared her enough to act.
The angry red symbol we’d seen on Owyn’s house stared back at me. We might not have been able to discover its origin or decipher it, but it was still useful. I’d drawn a crude rendition on it on a napkin, making sure the lines were a bit wonky–just in case someone got inspired . The symbol needed power to be activated, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
Caution to All Capital Citizens!
Beware of the crimson curse which might befall your home. It has already made two victims while The Dragon was off to war, and now that he is gone, who will protect us–
“Guilty,” I said to Zandyr sheepishly, before turning the pamphlet toward Goose. “At least we know it worked like we intended. I told you all that studying would help.”
Goose’s cheeks turned an endearing shade of red, which only deepened when Leesa congratulated him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Care to explain?” Zandyr asked, sounding amused more than anything else.
“I fought fire with fire. It’s always good to have a fallback option, especially with the advisors alone in the Capital. They can’t do much if the people are panicked–panicked and asking for The Dragon to protect them.”
A wicked grin twisted Zandyr’s lips. “My little schemer.”
I shrugged, tucking the pamphlet into my pocket, as if that little piece of paper hadn’t caused general mayhem back in the city.
“How are Banu and Valuta dealing with this?” Zandyr asked in that unflinching tone of his.
“The advisors’ guards are once again patrolling the streets. They’ve imposed a curfew and searches at every gate,” Myron growled. “The civilians don’t like it and tensions are high. We’re coming off a war, an explosion, a member of the royal family on their deathbed, and now this symbol.”
Banu and Valuta had smelled blood and wanted to mark their territory as fast as possible.
“We can use this chaos before Banu and Valuta use it against us,” I said. “We need to strike now.”
“You truly are a menace.”
I shrugged demurely. “Only to those who deserve it.”
Elysia rolled her eyes as Zandyr and I kept staring at each other. “Gods, you two are revoltingly charming together.”
“I’ll remember that for when you’re mated, Viper,” Zandyr said pleasantly, then jutted out his chin at the warriors. “The troops?”
“Armed and ready in case of an attack,” he said.
“Good,” Zandyr said.
Even as he said that, I felt a curious mix of emotions stir within him. He wanted to get rid of Banu and Valuta even more than I did, if that was possible, but he didn’t want any more deaths, especially not in the Capital, his home.
“We must avoid bloodshed,” Zandyr announced. “Our objective is to free our Clan, not destroy it.”
The advisors still had supporters. The risk of a civil war wasn’t too far off and the Blood Brotherhood could not withstand one right now.
“This is a different kind of battle,” he went on. “You all need to know what you’re getting yourselves into before we return to the Capital.”
“We’ve known who Banu and Valuta are for years,” Adara said. “It’s time to annihilate them once and for all.”
In the corner, Kaya flinched, but didn’t say anything as Vexa rubbed her back soothingly. I still needed to talk to her–she might become the puzzle piece that brought down the advisors once and for all.
A restlessness spread through the room, tinged with the kind of anticipation which had spread on the day before the Blood Brotherhood went to war.
“We’ll win,” I said, the drum of adrenaline beating inside of me. “Banu and Valuta have played with this Clan for too long. It’s time for our victory and vengeance.”
The question was how.
“Banu and Valuta must have a contingency plan. We might have to fight our way out,” Zandyr said.
“The question is how will we get back to the city without the advisors sniffing out our plan,” I said. “I’m supposed to be on my deathbed, remember? Me walking up to Phoenix Peak as if nothing happened might make them retaliate in the worst way.”
“At least they won’t try to kill you again in the meantime. Nobody knows Nylen’s dead yet.”
“Banu and Valuta will have a double surprise then.”
A shiver raced through the bond, as another insane idea, just like the ones that had saved us so far, sprung to life.
“How about we give them the shock of their life.” Zandyr turned to me with a wicked glimmer in his eyes. “What if you had really died?”