Page 32 of Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades #2)

Mikail

The Western Pass, Khitan

We trek back to the sleigh. Sora doesn’t complain about a single step, even though three of her toes have frostbite. We need to find winter gear for her before we reach the ice caves. Luckily, Loptra isn’t far.

Loptra is a new-style city, without a single building over a hundred years old, because the Marnans burned it all to the ground on their march to Vashney a century ago.

Once we reach the sleigh, Euyn gives Sora a spare set of his clothes. He is around half a foot taller than she is, so they hardly fit. They’ll work for now, though, as all she needs to do is rest.

Sora goes behind the sled and changes out of her gown. As soon as she’s finished, she lies down under the fur blankets in the back. That leaves me alone with Euyn in the front.

I repaired the harness when we caught up to the sleigh, and I’m glad I did because the Western Pass can be treacherous. The road mostly winds through the mountain valley, but there are sections of narrow paths carved along the cliffs. I’ve taken the pass back to Yusan a few times, and I can’t say any of those treks were easy.

Euyn drives through the light snowfall. He is a decent coachman, cautious and attentive. He is also, undeniably, a bad person.

To be clear, I never thought Euyn was a good person. I did think that removed from the opulence and decadence of Qali, he could be, especially after he was banished and lived among commoners in Fallow for years. But after our conversation about the priest, I see I was wrong. The Baejkins are rotten to their core.

Euyn loves me—I believe that. He’d give his life for me and has proven that several times now. But as much as I look for the good in him, it’s not enough. Not enough to hold absolute power. The throne only makes immortality greater, only deepens character flaws, and he has too many to exploit. His Baejkin thinking will prevent him from ruling fairly and ultimately from freeing Gaya. He will always be able to justify suppressing others if it benefits Yusan.

His rule will only be more of the same. Or worse. Euyn being given immortal power has the makings of a disaster.

I wish I knew where that left us. I suppose we’re in the same place. We need to convince Quilimar to start a war, to kill Joon, and then we’ll worry about the aftermath later. If it’s not a Baejkin ruler on the throne, the nobles will battle for the crown, and I can’t say Seok or Rune would be better than Euyn. The eastern count, Dal, is dead, and I swear on Gaya that Bay Chin won’t live long enough to see a regime change.

Stars, are there no good noblemen in Yusan?

I stare up at the sky as we ascend into the mountains. Gayans believe the stars guide us, but the snowy night obscures their light. I might as well be in Idle for all the constellations I can see.

As soon as I think about Idle, Tiyung springs to mind. Maybe Ty could be our next king. He is a nobleman with a conscience, and there are very few of those. The issue, of course, is that he’d have to survive prison first. And come out relatively sane, which is no easy feat.

Before we left for the temple, I received confirmation that he was alive, but things can change quickly in a dungeon. I will have to make arrangements to ensure his safety. When I first met Tiyung in Rahway, I never thought we would need him, but he just might be the one who saves all of Yusan.

I tap my fingers on the varnished wood of the sleigh as I think through the logistics.

Installing a new king means finding Joon and killing him first. Zahara is the acting spymaster, and she doesn’t know where he went, which means he told no one. The mystery haunts me. Where did he go and why? Qali is the safest place for him. Only one assassination attempt ever succeeded there—when he murdered his own father.

I searched for answers in the temple earlier, but who knows where to look for the motivations of a king? I read scrolls on historical Yusanian rulers. Generally, they only left the palace for diplomacy or war. There is no war, and I doubt it’s diplomacy, so what is Joon’s reason?

The only thing pressing enough could be the Sands of Time. And Lord Yama help us if he locates that.

I shiver, but it’s not from the cold wind. The crisp mountain air is refreshing. No, Joon acquiring any other relic would be disastrous.

When we reach Loptra, I will be able to gather more intelligence on Joon and send messages to my loyal spies. I also have another source there—Fallador’s cousin, Gambria. I’ll arrange a meeting with her before we leave.

I smile to myself—she’ll love that.

She decidedly will not.

Euyn keeps glancing over at me as we ride into the night. I’m sure he’s wildly confused as to the distance between us. He can’t fathom why I take issue with genocide or slaughtering a priest we promised to aid.

I sigh and shift on the padded wood bench. I won’t be able to change Euyn. I’m not certain anyone ever changes for the better. At best they alter themselves to fit the situation. So the question is—will he still love me if I don’t give him the throne? Or will it be one betrayal too many?

We ride until we see the telltale lightening of the predawn in the distance. Against all odds, we lived to see another day. There’s always hope with the sunrise that the new day might be better than its predecessor. I have to believe that, believe in hope, or there’s no point to living. There would’ve been no reason to survive the Festival of Blood. I made it through those horrors to put an end to all of this. Euyn was a distraction along the way who I wanted to believe was the solution. It is clear that he is not.

It’ll be time to wake Sora soon, and for Euyn to sleep—or at least pretend to. I’m about to suggest we stop, and then I hear it: a crack high above us. It sounds like a hundred branches breaking, but I know that’s not what it is. I hold my breath, hoping I’m wrong. But next comes the distinct rumble of snow.

I glance up at the mountains as the ground begins to shake. We’re going to die.