Chapter 49 #2
“Ah, is this the infamous best behavior you were telling me about?” I asked, directing my question towards Laryk. “She sure seems the champion of camaraderie.”
Laryk’s jaw ticked as he turned to face Narissa. “If you plan to keep your place as a lieutenant in my Faction, I suggest you stand down now.”
Anger flickered in Narissa’s eyes as she glared at Laryk, nostrils flaring. “So, you expect me to leave for Stormshire tonight?” she hissed.
“First thing in the morning. Until then, return to your chambers. I can’t allow your personal grievances to paint my faction in a bad light, especially at a time like this.”
“ I’m painting the faction in a bad light?” Rage echoed in her laughter, “You’re the one fucking a Riftborne. How do you think that looks?” She paused, “How do you think that makes me feel? You know what they did to me. To my family.”
“Ahh, there it is. Glad to know you have such bigotry heading your faction, Laryk . That’s certainly a great look.” I crossed my arms, nodding toward Narissa. I was going to let her bury herself.
As his first name rolled off my tongue, her eyes lit up and she finally turned toward me. “That’s General Ashford to you, whore. All of you are the same,” she spat, moving her face close to mine. I smiled back at her, unmoving.
Laryk grabbed her arm and shoved her away from me. “Narissa. Go. Now. Before you really piss me off,” he growled. “I’ll have you shipped off to another base and demoted if you say another fucking word.”
Narissa’s eyes were still burning with anger, but I saw a flash of sadness wash over them.
She looked back and forth between the two of us and paused, opening her mouth only to close it.
She turned on her heel and bounded off toward the stairs.
I could practically feel the heat coming off of her as she strode past.
“Fia. I told you to stay at the table,” Laryk said, placing a hand on my back and guiding me through the crowd once again.
“You know I’m not the best at following orders.” I shrugged, a smile still plastered on my face.
Laryk sighed. I could hear his eyes roll as we neared the table.
“She’s usually not that vicious,” he stated, pulling my chair out .
“I told you she thinks you’re together,” I said, sitting down.
“And I know you’ve probably done things to lead her to that conclusion.
” I felt a pang of nausea hit me. Is that what he was doing to me too?
Could I be sure he hadn’t, at one point, told her she was important, that she was the key to winning this?
Laryk turned his full attention on me, narrowing his eyes.
His hand moved to my thigh, sliding up the slit in my skirt.
“You know we’re not,” he murmured, leaning over to nip at my ear.
His breath left my face flushed. I shifted in my seat as his hand traveled further up my leg, his eyes piercing into mine.
And then the trumpets started, announcing the arrival of the King and Queen. He dropped his head, pulling away his hand as we both turned our attention to the doors in the back of the hall.
I watched their familiar, imposing silhouettes glide across the room, making their way to their thrones. They were surrounded by their personal security—guardsmen in emerald uniforms. I dipped into a bow with the rest of the room, only rising once they had stepped onto the dais.
The King turned to face his subjects, lifting his hands in a triumphant gesture. “Be seated.” His voice boomed through the space.
“We now face perhaps the greatest threat that our kingdom has ever seen,” the King said, lowering his head. He paced across the dais.
“Aossí of all kinds have given their lives to protect the Isle against an enemy that is imperceptible, unrelenting, and savage in their quest to destroy our home. But we will not let them win. We will fight to the very end for Sídhe. We will not succumb to the darkness.” He lifted his chalice high in the air, and the room all joined him, pressing their drinks towards the cathedral ceiling.
The sound of a wooden door creaking open pierced the cheers. Then silence.
A chill ran through the room, followed by a subtle breeze. And one by one, the candles were snuffed out. Only the filtered, green moonlight remained. Everyone was still, eyes darting around the space.
One of the Royal Guards accompanying the King and Queen stepped forward, placing his hands on them, and with a wave of energy, their forms disappeared from view.
My breath caught in my chest.
They were here.
They were not going to Stormshire.
The Wraiths were coming here the whole time.
That’s why I saw them passing the crescent tower.
My pulse quickened, and for a moment, I felt like I might faint. But I couldn’t. The time had come. This was the war, and I was right in the middle of it.
Laryk grabbed my arm, gripping it tightly as the energy shifted. A snap sent our eyes flying to the back corner. I could hear the breaths of every soul near me.
Shadows pummeled through the room, shifting and expanding, shrouding it in complete and utter darkness.
A mind-shattering scream echoed through the halls, and a familiar metallic smell filled the space around us.
Blood.