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“Courage?” I gave a very soft laugh “I find courage is just another of life’s illusions In the end, we all do e ht youeffected an escape by use of foul ics, no doubt learned frouilt that made you do it, or it could have been a final act of defiance A refusal to allow the Empress just recompense for all your dreadful deeds I’m sure scholars will ponder the question for years to corow tired of this? All these years spent in murder and cruelty? Don’t you want to be more than a slave to a monster?”
“Slave?” The crooked bow of her lips parted in a laugh “He did not enslave me These many years in his service have never been a punishment Every life taken, every seed of chaos sown, my just reward, for this world deserves all the havoc I can wreak upon it With you gone to your deserved end the Eaze will inevitably turn north, where the Unified Realth as their queen pursues her athers her fleet?”
“Spurred to do so by more of your lies, I assume?”
“She finds much wisdom in my counsel, and in time, so will her brat I’ve just about convinced her the practice of choosing an heir fro the populace is an archaic, even unwise tradition Who better to rule than a child born to those who know the burdens of power? A child born to an Empress and a Hope no less”
I took an involuntary step towards her, fists bunching in fury “That boy is not for you”
Her hand ca in theme to stop “That boy will coo on to conquer the Volarian Ehty fleet to carry Alpiran civilisation to all corners of the world Is that not a prospect to rejoice at, my lord? Your lover certainly did”
I took another forward step and she lunged, the blade flashing just close enough to force hed, shrill and delighted “He was such a clever fellow So well-read, and fascinated by the opportunities offered by those with singular gifts We didn’t corrupt him, Verniers We didn’t seduce him He came to us, but, as ever, Al Sorna’s blade contrived to co all reason, uncaring of the knife She danced aside, lithe and quick as any dancer “If you don’t believetowards the cliff-top “Why not ask hiain but stopped as so shi that flared into blinding white fire for ainto a fa over his face, all thought fleeingthe smile I kneell, clad in the simple robes he preferred to wear in private, the robes in fact he had been wearing the last time I saw him It would be preferable, and dishonest, to record that I had no inkling this was an illusion, that I was completely deluded and er’s stolen gift But, I knew this to be a phanto lured tohis name And I simply didn’t care
He vanished as I ca like a candle-flarief and bitter defeat, sinking todark The only reply was the soft hiss of the wind through the grass
I turned at a hard, choking sound behindFornella pull a knife free of Jervia’s neck, releasing a fine spray of blood as she held her upright “You should’ve taken the gaoler’s knife,” she riue obvious and unfeigned now, her smile forced and small “I owed you a life, did I not,it upright, proffering the still-gushing wound to her “Drink,” I said
She watched the blood floith detached interest for a second, then looked away “No”
“It will restore you”
“I aht”
I let the corpse slip fro her before she could fall She lay back against asps “It will be li—but still I held her close, and whispered, “Yes,” into her ear
I heard the soft trarass, a full company froe, soldierly form came to a halt at my side
“So,” I said, “the E, an edge of discomfort in his tone “She was curious to see ould transpire”
“Well, I trust this satisfies her curiosity”
“Your innocence will be proclai For now, she demands your presence”