I see it in her face, what that hope did to her.
And I know who that ruler was.
“Thiago said he would help me learn to bind away the creature inside me and control it. He would take me into his kingdom, take me under his wing, and if I broke again—if I lost control—then he would bear the burden of my execution.” Eris releases a shaky breath. “It cost him the border lands. Your mother was the only one who refused to consent until he offered her the one thing she desired most, just to save me.”
I’ve always wondered how Eris came to be the shadow over his shoulder, the threat that cows the world.
My mother used to say that Thiago leashed “that bitch,” and it was the worst mistake she’d ever made—allowing it.
But it’s not a leash.
And I love him all over again for being the kind of ruler who can inspire his people with such hope. They will all die for him and give their lives gladly, and my mother doesn’t understand that.
“He gave me a reason to fight,” she continues. “If I lost control again, then it was no longer merely my own head on the executioner’s block, but his too, and through him, an entire kingdom. But more than that, he gave me the greatest gift anyone has ever offered me in my fight. I’d given in to despair, and the monster feeds upon despair. It choked me with loneliness until there was no reason not to give in. But when he believed in me…, I was no longer alone. I was no longer lost in the dark. There was a hand reaching through the darkness for me, pulling me to my feet, offering me strength.
“Finn, Baylor, Lysander, even Thalia….” Eris turns her ancient eyes upon me. “They’re my family now. We are all broken in some way. We are all considered monsters or outcasts. There’s no other place for any of us to go, but he gives us a home. He gives us hope. And all it costs us is loyalty. There’s a reason he was drawn to you, Vi. It’s the same reason he was drawn to all of us—because he sees a piece of himself in us. He sees the boy that he was, and the choices he was offered, and the things he was forced to do to survive—and he sees that same desperation within us.”
I think I understand what she’s telling me.
“You’re not alone, Vi. We are your family—no matter what happens. And he’s your husband. Don’t let your inner monster win.”
I rest both hands on the parapet and say dryly, “My inner monster sounds a lot like my mother.”
Eris gives a rough laugh. “Mine sounds like my father.”
I look at her at that, but from the expression on her face, she’s done sharing.
Indeed, her attention shifts to the wind. “Can you smell smoke?”
I’m about to shake my head when I catch a whiff of it. Far too strong to belong to a hearth fire. “Yes.”
There’s no sign of flames in the bailey. No hint of light flickering out in the night.
“Stay there,” she urges, tossing me her knife, and then she turns and strides along the battlements.
I pace for long minutes, breathing in the acrid scent. It’s getting stronger, and there’s no sign of Eris.
“Eris?” I call softly.
The fae might flee from her in fear, but that doesn’t mean she’s invulnerable.
And the smell of smoke is getting stronger. Something’s wrong.
Don’t get involved. She told you to stay here.
But a soft grunt echoes through the night, and then something clatters as if a sheet of metal hits the cobbles.
Or a sword.
What was that?
“Eris?”
I can almost imagine the tongue-lashing I’m going to receive if I disobey her and she’s fine, but there’s a tingle along my arms that doesn’t feel right. It feels like magic. It feels like a cool breath blowing over the back of my neck.
Rounding the tower, I stop in my tracks.
The library’s on fire.
“Fire!” I call, scurrying down the stairs toward the library tower. Ravenal’s guards have been following me and Eris around like flies buzzing over a corpse ever since we got here, and now is the one time they decide to go searching for the water closet? “Is there anyone there? Fire!”
Silence.
Where are the guards?
“Eris?” I yell.
There’s no sign of her.
A tiny figure darts across the courtyard, flapping her hands at the flames. “No, no, no, no, no!”
We both skid to a halt, but I can tell Imerys barely sees me. The wall of heat makes me lift a hand to protect my face. I can’t believe how quickly it’s going up. When I first saw it, flames were licking at the door and through the windows, but glass shatters as I watch, and a fireball blooms through the window.
“Fire!” she screams. “Halvor! Endarryon! Where are you?”
Imerys takes a step inside the building, and I grab her around the waist, hauling her back from the flames and the smoke.
A cough tears from my throat. “You’ll burn!”
“The books!”
“Books can be replaced.” She’s strong for such a lean woman. I slam her against the staircase, forcing her to look at me. “If you go in there, you’ll die!”
“You don’t understand!” Horror stretches her face. “My great-grandmother’s collection is the best in the world. All the remaining history from before the wars is shelved in that tower. It’s irreplaceable!”
“Think about it! There are no guards,” I hiss. “There are usually guards in this section of the bailey, aren’t there?”
After all, I’d spent enough time working out
