Page 2 of Lies That Blemish (The Ember War #3)

Aisling

Watching my little sister walk into the Wilds alone in the middle of a war was the hardest thing I’d ever done. I wanted to run after her, drag her back to the car, and drive away with her where I could keep her safe. But that would do nothing to help our situation long term, which was worsening by the day. Since the last letter Maxim sent, which stated he would give me three months to submit to his insane demands, Luska had gone eerily quiet on the war front. Which was a good thing because I was fighting that traitor Kohen every second I got. It also meant I only had one month left to get our fleet strong enough to pummel Luska so that Maxim could never follow through with his threat—to kill my sisters and take my lands if I didn’t marry him and relinquish my country.

Just thinking of that bastard’s letter made my blood boil, but not as hot as Kohen’s betrayal. My heart still ached somehow, even though it was currently a pile of ashes inside my chest. Kohen killing my father, admitting it, and then killing me was enough to deaden me inside.

‘Valor will be okay,’ Liana said into my mind. ‘She’s strong. Stronger than you know.’

I tried to take solace in Liana’s reassurance, but it felt empty, as empty as I was inside. Elaine and I had argued for two weeks back and forth about giving Valor a map and information about where the Talanagi were in the hopes she could bond one. But in the end, we both decided against it. She was fourteen, for crying out loud! And emotional. She screamed in anger during drills and growled and grunted her way through sparring practice. She wasn’t focused like I was. She wasn’t ready. We had to hope she would bond a lion or a wolf or something decent. Then we had to pray my people would follow her if I died.

‘Who would employ a lamb as a guard after having a bear?’ Liana asked me.

She was on team, “Give Valor a map to the Talanagi.” Liana and I were at odds a lot lately.

‘You think because I’ve now set the bar of being empress with a firebird, that my sister will have to have an equivalent creature to rule?’ I asked her.

‘I do.’

Damn. I hated her advice. It was harsh and out of my control now.

‘Well, then… I’ll just have to live and reign forever,’ I snapped, walking away from her and over to Elaine and Tetra.

They both spoke in hushed voices and quieted when I came near.

“She’s going to do great,” Tetra said.

“Absolutely,” Elaine said.

They were both acting fake so that I wouldn’t crack. That much was clear.

I glared at the guards. “I wish the admirals would have permitted me to fly over and at least track her.”

Elaine nodded. “That’s special treatment, something you never had. She has to prove she’s fit to lead this country.”

She wasn’t, though! Not yet. She was a child who’d barely just started her period. I hated that my father’s death had propelled us all into roles we weren’t ready for.

And that was Kohen’s fault.

Sometimes at night I went crazy, replaying some of the insanely romantic things he said to me. But lately, it was this: I’ll burn this entire world down before I let a hair on your head be harmed . He said that before he had someone blow a poison dart into my body and kill me!

I wanted to cleave his head from his shoulders myself, but honestly, I wasn’t sure I could do it.

“Come now. We have your engagement party to attend,” Elaine reminded me.

I groaned.

Alek . Sweet and loyal Alek, who was marrying me for the good of our people. He was like a little puppy dog, always there waiting for my affection, which I had no intention of giving him. No, this was strictly business. I’d rather die than allow another man into my heart again. I’d learned enough about love to know that it wasn’t for me. Not the romantic kind. Only love for Elaine, Tetra, my sisters, and Liana would last. And even that was a challenge at times. I thought of how Valor had just said those three words to me and smiled a little. I wasn’t a parent, but I might as well be, and I was proud of myself for teaching my sisters that it was okay to say that. Something my mother had said all the time and my father had poisoned.

‘People who can’t love, who have no empathy for others, they scare me,’ Liana said.

My gaze flicked to where she stood. ‘Are you talking about my father?’ I hated it when she intruded on my thoughts. ‘He wasn’t incapable of love. He just didn’t like to say the words,’ I told her.

She didn’t respond. I didn’t like how Liana and I had been at odds over things lately. I normally wanted to hear her opinion and guidance on everything, but where Kohen and my father were concerned, we disagreed. She thought there might be something to what Kohen said about my father and that I should find him and question him further, but I knew better—I knew better than to let his beautiful lips utter any more of their poisonous lies. If I let him speak, I’d probably fall under his spell and believe whatever he said. No . I didn’t trust myself where he was concerned.

The facts remained: he admitted to killing my father, and that was punishable by death.

I slipped onto Liana’s back, and we headed for Riverine to my engagement dinner, where all of the high society mucky mucks would be watching me. They wanted me to have a strong husband by my side, someone loyal to the capital. And that’s what I was going to give them.

They already thought I was a failure for losing half of our country to Imbria. I wasn’t about to have a coup on my hands. I’d smile and dance and hold Alek’s hand. Whatever kept my head on my neck and my sisters safe.