Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Our prediction was right. Because of Isera’s torture session in Orion’s dungeon, Emperor Bane was too injured to fly back to the Ice Palace straight away.
They’re most likely waiting for Rin to get here so that she can heal him, and probably Gremar too, if they’re feeling merciful.
Regardless, it means that Lavendera is still in the Seelie Court as well.
And that means that we can finally kill her.
“Why don’t we just kill her from a distance?” Orion asks, for the third time in as many minutes. “It feels like we’re making things more complicated than they need to be.”
The trees around us rustle restlessly as a warm wind sweeps through the thorn forest. Shielding my eyes from the sunlight that filters down through the canopy, I watch as Lavendera walks along the path from the Golden Palace and towards the city to do whatever it is that traitors do.
Five dragon shifters in silver armor follow her.
I recognize them from the fields outside the Green Clan’s mountain.
They’re part of the Icehearts’ elite guards.
“I’ve answered this twice already,” Draven replies to Orion’s repetitive question.
“She has tree magic. I have never, not once in the two hundred years that I’ve known her, seen a ranged attack on her actually hit her.
She always manages to block it with her tree magic.
It’s like she has a sixth sense or something. ”
“I still think luring her to us is unnecessarily risky,” Orion counters.
Draven scoffs and flashes him a mocking smile. “Yeah, well, we can’t all be cowards.”
Orion’s eyes flash. Taking a step closer, he locks a stare full of challenge and suspicion on Draven. “You’ve been pushing pretty hard for this plan. How do we know that you’re not leading us into a trap?”
“Why would I lead you into a trap? We’re on the same side, asshole.”
“Are we?” Suspicion glints like blades in Orion’s eyes as he comes to a halt right in front of Draven and looks him up and down. “How do we know that you’re not wearing dragon steel again? They could’ve put it back on you while you were in captivity and ordered you to lead us into a trap.”
“They did put dragon steel on me while I was in captivity. But she took it back before she traded me for Bane, remember?”
“There could be a second piece. Hidden somewhere.”
“That doesn’t—” Draven’s retort is cut short as he sucks in a sharp breath.
I snap my gaze to Orion to find his eyes glowing. Anger surges through me like fire. Grabbing his arm, I yank him towards me instead. “What the fuck are you doing?”
He yanks his arm out of my grip while his eyes continue glowing. “I need to be sure.”
“Back the fuck off,” I order while summoning my own magic in warning. “He has been through enough.”
His eyes continue glowing for another couple of seconds before he finally releases the grip on his magic. After a hard look in my direction, he lifts his toned shoulders in an unapologetic shrug. “He’s clean. No dragon steel apart from the piece Jessina took back.”
Draven grabs him by the collar and yanks him closer before growling in his face, “If you ever rifle through my head like that again, I will fucking kill you.”
To my surprise, it’s not anger or threats or even indignation that flashes across Orion’s face. It’s frustration.
“I had to be sure!” he snaps, his voice laced with exasperation.
Raising his forearm, he shoves Draven’s hand away from his collar. Draven lets him. That strange expression of helpless frustration remains on Orion’s dangerously beautiful features as he smooths his fancy shirt down again and looks from face to face.
“I’ve staked my entire court on this!” he snaps, and there is a hint of desperation in his eyes as he looks at us.
“On you. On six insane idiots who have nothing left to lose. Well, guess what?” He stabs his hand against his own chest. “I have something left to lose. I have an entire court whose safety I’m responsible for.
” His hard eyes shift to Draven. “So I had to be sure.”
Next to me, Isera cocks her head slightly and watches him with a considering look on her face. Draven says nothing, just stares back at Orion. The Unseelie King blows out a frustrated breath.
“I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for that damn bargain you forced me into,” he continues, sliding his gaze to Isera.
His eyes narrow slightly as he watches her.
“And I’m still waiting for you to actually prove that you’re a descendant of the Seelie Queen’s second daughter.
The fact that you also didn’t know about the kill box wall in your own castle is very suspicious, little viper.
It’s not the first time. And it’s making me think that there are a number of things that are not adding up about this. ”
My heart skips a beat. If we lose Orion and the Unseelie Court, we’ll be back to square one.
We can’t let that happen. We can’t ever let him find out that Isera lied about being royalty.
Luckily, though, there is no way to fully prove it either way.
Isera might not be able to prove that she is a descendant of the Seelie Queen, but Orion can’t prove that she isn’t either.
“Guys,” Alistair says before Isera is forced to answer. “Lavendera has reached the city.”
Clothes rustle as everyone turns back to watch Lavendera walk through Golden Gate and into the city.
While Orion’s attention is elsewhere, Isera slides a grateful glance in Alistair’s direction and dips her chin.
Alistair, who is a lot more perceptive than people give him credit for, just suppresses a small smile.
Behind him, Lyra is grinning openly, her orange eyes glittering in a ray of golden sunlight as she watches Alistair while he can’t see.
Galen just shakes his head with a knowing look on his face.
“Alright, get everything ready out here,” I begin. “Alistair and I will go into the city.”
“I’m coming too,” Draven announces.
Turning towards him, I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “That’s not part of the plan.”
“It is now.”
“We’ve already agreed. You will stand out too much, so you will stay here.”
His eyes gleam, and he steps closer. “How interesting. That almost sounded like an order.”
I raise my chin. “That’s because it was.”
“I see.” He slides two fingers along my jaw. “Would you like me to remind you what usually happens when you try that?”
A pleasant shiver rolls down my spine. For a few precious seconds, I can see him. I can see Draven in his eyes. The way he used to look at me. The way he used to touch me. The way he used to tease me and flirt with me and banter with me.
Then the hatred snaps back into his eyes, and he yanks his hand back down from my face as if he had been burned. Taking a step back, he gives me a vicious look.
“I’m going into the city as well,” he declares. “Wanna know why?”
My head is still spinning from the sudden switch in personality, so I don’t manage to respond. Draven answers anyway.
“Because you always ruin everything,” he says. “And I don’t trust you not to screw this up.”
Pain spears straight through my chest. It couldn’t have been a better precision strike if he tried. I truly do always ruin everything. My parents. Him. Us. Everything I touch.
And I will never get it back. I will never get any of it back. So now, all I want is revenge.
That all-consuming rage inside me burns like black wildfire as I turn away from Draven and start towards the city. Alistair quickly jogs to catch up. Unfortunately, Draven does follow as well.
I get a suddenly overwhelming urge to use my magic to create an emotion. Just so that I can feel that wonderful pleasure that comes with it. But I manage to suppress the urge as we sneak in through North Gate and make our way across the city.
We intercept Lavendera and her guards a little sooner than we had planned for, so we stick to the shadows and trail them while we wait for them to reach the location we have preselected for our ambush.
I can feel Draven glaring at me from where he looms behind me, but I don’t even care anymore.
I just want someone else to feel the pain that I constantly have to live with. And soon, I will.
Lavendera has stopped at the edge of a small square.
People are hurrying across the open space, desperate to finish whatever task they’re in the middle of.
Others are seated at the worn tables that have been placed out in the sunlight.
Empty cups litter the tabletops as they try to drink their hunger and sorrows away.
All of them cast fearful glances at the dragon shifters in silver armor, but no one seems to realize that they’re there for Lavendera since she is standing a short distance away.
“Stop,” she suddenly snarls.
The people around her jump in surprise. Then they notice who said it, and the fear is quickly replaced by ridicule. They all still believe that she is just a weird person who lives out in the thorn forest. They have no idea who she really is. What she really is. A traitor.
“Enough!” She blinks hard and shakes her head. “It’s so fucking crowded!”
Next to me, Alistair stares at her with his eyebrows raised.
“Huh,” he whispers. “So it wasn’t just a cover to fool us. She really is crazy.”
Since I came to the same conclusion earlier as well, I just nod and reply, “Yes.”
Waves of burning rage crash inside me as I watch her and the soldiers from the Silver Clan stand there out in the sunlight. The people who chained Draven’s wings together. The people who murdered my parents.
Regret hits me like a gut punch.
I should have prioritized them. I should have gone to see them while I could. And now, it’s too late.
Those black waves crash over me again, threatening to suffocate me.
Panicked, I pour more fuel on the burning hatred and rage inside me until it’s so intense that it overshadows the sickening regret again.
Alistair cocks his head as he studies Lavendera from across the street. “I wonder what the Icehearts put her through to make her like this.”
I drag my gaze to the strange woman who I thought was my friend. Merciless death roars inside me.
“I don’t care. She needs to die.” I jerk my chin. “Get the plan in motion.”