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“Fine. He did it because of his own misguided notions of love, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’d make a terrible king.”

“You watch yourself, Warlord,” Ravis says. His voice sounds strained, as though it comes between clenched teeth. “I will notput up with such disrespect. I am your king, and you will give me the deference worthy of that title.”

“You’re no king. And you’re certainly no warrior king. That display back there proved as much. You think you’ve got an edge on the rest of the royal children, but what happens when the northern continent decides they want to inhabit our lands? What about when the western isles build a strong armada and want to see if we have anything of value?”

“Then you’ll fight them off, as is your job.”

A pause. Then from Kymora: “Yes, I will. What I’m struggling to figure out is why you need to be in the equation at all.”

Another pause. “I—I have an army! I have the birthright! I’m—I’m—”

Kymora lets out a bored sigh. “Did you actually think I did all of this because I wanted to serve another king? Do you think I built myself up, gathered and trained loyal soldiers because I wanted to hand them over to you? Ravis, I always intended to betray you. I used you and your connections because you were the most power-hungry. I let you rouse the nobles of your territory to your cause so I could reap the benefits. And now that the army is gathered in one place, all the support and money it needs here right now, I’m struggling to see why I shouldn’t just dispense with you now instead of later.”

A weird, pained breathing comes from the prince before he says, “Strax! Arrest the warlord.”

There’s a scuffle, though brief. Strax and his men clearly don’t think that Kymora will get the better of them, especially while she’s manacled. Yet, I hear bodies fall, and I know none of them belong to the warlord. The fight ends with the wet sound of a blade sinking into flesh.

Kymora tsks. “That was the only loyal man you had in this entire castle. Now you’ve gone and got him killed.”

“I have near t-two thousand still under my command.” Ravis’s voice has grown weak.

“And you pay them for their loyalty. Most are my soldiers, who will rally to me once they know I’m alive. We will take Ghadra without you, and if the rest of your men are smart, they’ll ally with me. Goodbye, Ravis. Tell your father I said hello.”

Another wet sound.

A muffled cry.

A body slumping to the floor.

And then Kymora’s voice ringing clear. “I don’t care about Skiro. I want that smithy. The soldier who brings her to me will get riches untold and a place of honor at my side as we take the kingdom back.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

It’s been several minutes since Kymora moved on.

Yet Kellyn and I haven’t moved an inch.

I’m too stunned for movement. Either Kellyn feels the same way, or he’s simply holding me up. My brain is working far too fast, and yet not fast enough to put everything together.

Kymora has been working with Ravis from the start.

She just killed him.

Kymora is free and now possesses her own army.

She’s coming for me.

She’s coming for us all.

She means to take everything, and now she has the manpower to do it.

Should she capture me, then she’ll have everything she needs to stay in power forever. Especially if she gets her hands on Kellyn or Temra.

Temra…

“We need to get to the portal,” I say. “Now, before Kymora and her men find it. It might already be destroyed.”

Kellyn nods. “I’m not sure if we’re lucky or unlucky that she’s not looking for it at the moment. Because she’s looking for…”