Page 121 of Bite The Terror That Feeds

“Who’s it from?”

I didn’t read the content and skipped to the bottom. “Clara.” I released the scroll, and it immediately returned to a tight roll.

Viper was already out the door to retrieve our brother.

As curious as I was to read the letter, I respected my brother’s privacy too much to invade it. I wanted to know if it was a declaration of love for his eyes only…or if she had something more important to say. I’d have to wait until he walked into the room to find out.

A moment later, Cobra pushed the door open so hard it left an indent against the wall. He rushed to the desk and unraveled the scroll. Then his eyes started to shift back and forth as he read her words, all the way down to the bottom.

I rose to my feet.

Viper stood by the fire, arms over his chest.

Cobra seemed to read it twice before he lowered it to his side.

Too impatient for him to speak on his own, I pressed for information. “What did she say?”

Cobra walked to me and handed over the letter, his eyes in a slight daze.

I opened it again and began to read.

Cobra,

You were right. Right about everything.

It’s after midnight as I write this, and my father is leaving Evanguard with his army to attack Grayson at dawn. I made the mistake of mentioning that Kingsnake wasn’t in Grayson when I was there… This is all my fault.

I’m so sorry.

General Therion and Ellasara plan to attack from the mountains. They’re going to shoot their fire arrows and cannons directly over you so you’ll be unable to combat them, while my father attacks your southern border.

My father has granted me the crown in the event of his passing—without a husband. If he doesn’t return and the power comes to me, I will issue a truce between our races and an apology for our hostility.

I understand I have no right to ask anything of you, not after the relentless genocide my people have committed against yours, but the men and women who follow my father into battle are as innocent as I. They don’t realize what he’s done. They don’t realize what we really are. If they knew, they would lower their swords and walk away. I ask that you accept their surrender and pardon their lives.

My father deserves no such mercy—but I ask you to grant it anyway. Take him as prisoner. I will rule in his stead and bring order to our people. Once my power is secured and our races have found peace, I’ll ask you to release him.

There’s something else you should know, something that has no bearing on what’s to come. When I came to you, I was engaged to a man I didn’t love. An arranged marriage my father secured. The moment I returned to Evanguard, I told my fiancé what had happened and ended that arrangement. I gave up on love after a broken heart, but you’ve made me realize I should never give up on myself.

I will marry for love—someday.

Fight well,

Clara

I handed the scroll to Viper then looked at my other brother.

He stood in front of the fire, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes on one of the paintings on the wall. He seemed neither relieved nor fearful of the impending news. He didn’t seem anything in particular.

Viper finished and gave Cobra a callous stare. “Why did you tell her that?”

Cobra kept his eyes averted. “It wasn’t intentional.”

“Wasn’t intentional?” Viper snapped. “The Ethereal are on the way this very moment—”

“And we have all the information we need to succeed.” With the impending battle looming over our heads, there wasn’t time to argue and blame. “We know their strategy, and we can use that to our advantage. We can place our explosives on the mountainside and kill them all once they make their move. We can put all our forces at the southern gate rather than dividing them between the two locations.”

Viper continued to stare at Cobra.