Chapter 13
Raiden
Most of us have made unimaginable sacrifices to be here, but none more than the man on the throne before me.
I owe him everything. He left his family behind to run the Underground for me, not knowing it would mean losing so much.
He does not leave the tunnels, and we do not speak of him above ground.
In this way, we have managed to keep his family safe from suspicion.
My hand hangs less than an inch from the door. Even from out here, the laughter within reaches my ears. They’re so happy. Even with The Smog hovering, they’ve found joy. I debate, once again, whether I have any right to ask this of him.
My father’s voice in my head urges me forward, “Konnor is a good male. The only male I would trust to advise me in moments when ruling a kingdom weighs heavy.”
He is the only male I can trust. He will help me.
I rap on the door three times.
I was too young and much too angry to run the rebel forces on my own.
And he was one of the only people I knew my father trusted.
He agreed to be our leader but made me promise to watch over his wife and child.
I agreed without hesitation. Neither of us could have known his daughter would capture my attention in such a way.
Shame washes over me when I think about having to tell him. But that can wait.
I’ve never seen this force of a man cry, but his jade eyes that match Arina’s look to be on the verge of tears now.
He clears his throat before speaking. “Raiden has brought us a guest. I’m told she is a gifted healer.” Pride shines through him, and he is all but beaming at her. “She will be joining us, and I expect you to make her feel at home.”
“What if I don’t want to stay here?” she demands.
The instant the words leave her lips, the room erupts with angry shouts from all sides. These people, my people, do not tolerate disrespect. A chorus of demands and outrage rings in the air, and I swear some rubble falls from the ceiling. That’s unsettling.
“Quiet!” Konnor shouts, hitting his staff to the ground with two loud thuds, and silence blankets the Rhiza.
Konnor can control a crowd.
He was enraged when I returned, carrying the limp body of his estranged daughter in my arms. Enraged and then overcome with something mirroring gratitude.
Together, we decided it best for him to keep his distance. And we prayed none of them would recognize her as the one responsible for Dolan’s demise. Another thing I had not considered carefully enough in all of this.
Arina is wound tight, ready to pounce at the hint of a threat. I don’t pray, but I say a silent prayer now that she will not provoke them further.
“You will welcome her.” The Commander’s voice echoes against the obsidian that makes up the throne room.
I think the old man has made his point, until a voice calls out from the crowd, “Why should we?”
The girl doesn’t so much as flinch at the question. She just stands there, eyes trained on her father, as if the rest of us don’t exist.
“Because if you don’t, you’ll answer to me,” I say, my tone bored and even. It’s best none of them know how much she means to me.
I don’t care who said it. They all know not to get on my bad side. If Konnor doesn’t scare them, I definitely do.
“She’s not one of us. We each chose to come here on our own. We sought you out. She’s been forced here against her will with no knowledge of our ways. We cannot trust her,” one of the higher-ranking officers complains.
“I heard she cut Dolan down off that wall!” another calls. So much for that plan.
“This was not meant to be a trial nor a hearing. Your opinions are not welcome. Besides, she’s gifted with rare skills which we have a pressing need for,” Konnor explains again. “You will be gracious.”
A murmur of agreement passes over the crowd, and I think they’re mollified.
Until Shreya, Dolan’s lover, steps out of the crowd and begins to circle Arina like a predator. Her gray-blue eyes study the healer, scheming.
Silence, aside from Shreya’s soft, deliberate footsteps, fills the air. Arina stares past the woman, her eyes fixated to some spot on the dais.
“You say it’s not a trial, but maybe it should be.” She flicks her attention to Konnor, her white hair swaying with the movement.
“Mind yourself. Your leader has given an order,” I growl.
“You hold no station here, spy,” she spits, and my hand twitches with the desire to silence her. She knows just where to twist to get under my skin. With Konnor playing the part of leader, we agreed my role in this would be kept quiet.
Only a select few know who I am, and we will keep it that way until I take back my throne.
Still, when they call me a traitor or spy because I am the only one who can move in and out of the Smog with ease, it stings. I want to scream in her face who I am and force her to bow to me, but I take a breath instead.
“Enough!” Konnor bellows. “I will not hesitate to assign you to digging duty, Shreya. Or maybe you’d like to go with the next troop to Ophis Isle?”
The threat of hard labor or days of endless marching is enough to quiet her. She and the handful of Rhiza she calls friends stalk out of the room to slither into their holes.
“That goes for any who are less than welcoming to our newest member.” Konnor waves his hand, dismissing the room.
Arina attempts to move in Konnor’s direction, but I wrap my hand around her upper arm and pull back gently.
“Not tonight,” I say quietly in her ear, and she glares up at me but allows me to guide her through the crowd.
When we reach her quarters, she turns to look at me.
“You call me little snake,” she whispers, and the words are laced with accusation.
I open the door for her with a flourishing bow. Gods, she isn’t going to make this easy.
Something flashes in her eyes, like maybe she recognizes she’s being seen for who she really is. “Besides, I thought it was obvious. You belong here amongst the rebels and serpents, do you not?”
“No,” is all she says before slamming her door in my face.
The cold metal of the dagger tucked in the back of my leathers weighs heavy against my skin.
I need a drink. Now.