Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Scarlett
I took the precious stone from Zandri, turning it over in my fingers. This blood ruby was the brightest of them all, glistening a vivid, brilliant crimson.
There were hundreds just like it, each brimming with inner fire. Many more filled the shelves of the cavern, from decades past. But the others had darkened to the reddish black of congealed blood, their fire long since burned out.
‘I don’t understand,’ I said coolly. I had been in the middle of combing the palace for Severin, and didn’t appreciate being pulled away from my search – particularly when my mother phrased her request like an order. ‘You brought me here to admire your treasure trove?’
‘Of course not.’ Zandri’s tone was dismissive. ‘This,’ she said, her arms widening to indicate the cavernous space around us, ‘is how we take Kalure.’
An answering hunger rose up inside me, but my eyes narrowed. ‘You already had the chance to strike a blow against Kalure. You were supposed to stop Mira before she set sail – that was the plan.’
‘Yes,’ Zandri agreed mildly. ‘It was.’
‘So why—’ I took a step closer—‘is Mira still breathing?’
Zandri regarded me with a cool, assessing gaze. Something stirred behind her dark eyes – a power that made my chest constrict. Then she looked away, and I could breathe normally once again.
‘Mira is still alive,’ Zandri continued, ‘because she is still useful. It would be a waste, not to take advantage of her unique position. Not only will she draw the loyalists out, but she’ll finally allow me to deal with the Temple.’
I said nothing for a while, weighing her words. No matter Zandri’s justifications, letting Mira leave still seemed like a dangerous risk. ‘But she’s a threat to my rule,’ I protested. ‘She’s a threat to everything we’ve worked towards. And now she’s gone – out of our reach, far from our control.’
Zandri merely smiled, her eyes lowering to the blood ruby she had given me. Against my skin, I could feel the faint vibrations of a pulse: the distant thump of a heartbeat. It warmed at my touch, the fire inside the ruby growing brighter.
‘Mira is right where we want her.’