Page 126 of The Chains You Defy

Our travel through the darkness appeared to be endless, the void not nearly as welcoming as the dark plane had been during my dream as Feroy’s captive, and when we finally resurfaced, I leaned forward in Dion’s grip, trying my best not to retch. “Gods, princeling, a warning would have been nice.”

“Couldn’t risk someone overhearing us.”

“Everyoneelse around us was busy being threatened by you.”

“Yet their ears were working.”

“Dion. What in the gods’ names?”

“Can we not have this conversation now? We’re on a bit of a schedule.”

“No, you’re going to answer me a few questions first.”

“Naya—”

“Don’t Naya me.” The more convinced I was about my ability to keep my dinner down, the more biting my tone became. “What if Galrach hadn’t stayed back? Would you have killed everyone?”

“Yes.”

Well, I’d asked. A frustrated groan left my throat. “You can’t slaughter—”

“I can, and I will. My grandfather is as obsessed with power as I am with you. Without loyalists, he has no true leverage anymore. So, I sent him a sign. Should he dare to mess with you and me again, I’ll take his sovereignty away.”

My mouth opened, closed again, then opened once more. “That’s not keeping a low profile.”

“I changed my mind about that. Galrach can go fuck himself for all I care. So what if I can’t attack him? Let’s see how he’ll enjoy ruling a barren court.”

“No, Dion. That’s not the way to do things. And I definitely won’t have any part if you mass murder the entire—no, Dion, gods. There must be another way to handle your grandfather without punishing innocents. Also, can we maybe concentrate on saving the worlds first before waging a war?”

“There’s a good chance both are connected.”

“But we can’t be sure. Will you please hold yourself back for a while? Yes, you had the upper hand today, but who knows how Galrach will twist everything. You mentioned how cunning he is. Maybe he wanted you to believe that you’ve gotten to him? We need to be more clever.”

Dion’s jaw worked before he dipped his chin. “I’ll talk to the others about leaving Alaiann as soon as possible. Can we let this topic rest for now?”

Uneasiness danced in my stomach, but I nodded. Only time would tell how the High King was going to retaliate against his heir’s rebellion. Boxing up those worries neatly, I stored them deep in the overcrowded attic of my mind, then proceeded to examine our current location.

In front of us was a giant temple structure bearing the symbols of the Triad. Just like Alaiann Palace, the building appeared more organically grown than artificially made, and I marveled at the sandstone construction.

“What is this place?”

“This is Galanta’s main temple for the Divine Triad and the best location imaginable for the First Act of Courtship, especially since no one without a holy purpose is allowed inside, not even royalty. But I’m going to smuggle us in.” Dion’s eyes had regained their excited spark—the glow had been dimmed during our discussion since he loathed it whenever I criticized him—and somehow, his almost childlike enthusiasm was endearing.

Dion tugged me up a broad staircase, staying as hidden in the dark as possible. My brain had finally given up on trying to make sense of the entire night, and Iconcentrated on the here and now. Sneaking into a temple sounded like a harmless adventure.

In front of the carved entrance doors stood a single guard under a floating set of lights, but even I could discern that he wasn’t alert at all. For a moment, I was nervous Dion would live up to his usual bloodthirsty self, and I readied myself to intervene should he act stabby. Luckily, my worry had been unfounded because, in the end, passing the warden unnoticed was insanely easy, and getting into the temple was equally so. If I wanted to keep people out, I wouldn’t let the door stand open, but this might just be another fae tradition my tiny human brain couldn’t comprehend. What did I know?

Dion held his finger against his lips and grinned at me as he pulled me deeper into the silent building.

We’d almost reached a small hidden door on the left side of the giant hall when a female voice whipped through the air.

“You’re not allowed to be here.”

Every muscle in my body tensed, but Dion was still relaxed as he tugged me casually under his shoulder. “No one stopped us on our way in, so according to the divine traditions, you can’t deny us access to the Grand Crypt if our purpose is connected to one of the Cardinal Rites. We’re even dressed for the occasion. See?”

The female—a priestess, I concluded—stepped closer, but her face was veiled, her hair hidden.

She reminded me of the time when Rewi and I had been very young and had stolen my neighbor’s bed linen to pretend we were ghosts.