Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
I’d never seen these men in the Capital, and I had no idea who they were.
The man stared down Rutherford across the table and, as if he were the king, spoke first. “How did this happen?”
Rutherford didn’t have the answer, judging by his silence.
“First, they thwart us at HeartHolme. Now, they’ve taken Delacroix with two dragons. They’ll take the other Kingdoms before they turn their eye on the Capital. How do you plan to defeat them?”
It took all my strength not to react to his words, but that was impossible when my stomach clenched so tightly it made me sick. Now my eyes took in his appearance differently, especially the color around his left eye. I’d never seen one in the flesh, only heard stories told by my father, but that simply couldn’t be. It was impossible.
Rutherford spoke sparingly, and that could only mean one thing—that he was afraid. “We’ll arm our cannons and shoot their dragons out of the sky.”
The man brought his palms together on the table, his arms and hands covered by clothing. “You’ll need something stronger than cannons. You’ll need crossbows, something to pierce their scales and secure them to the ground. Have your engineers make this as quickly as possible.”
Rutherford nodded—as if he wasn’t the one in charge anymore. “Even if we take down the dragons in the skies, their combined army will still dwarf ours. We need men. We need soldiers.”
The man stared and said nothing.
Rutherford squirmed under his gaze, as if he regretted the request he’d just made.
“The Runes were only victorious in battle because of the dragons. Now that they’ve vacated HeartHolme, my men will crush them as we should have done during the first attack. We will feed on the weak and imprison the strong for later use. HeartHolme will be no more. I have no men to spare.”
My breathing increased on its own, and it took all my strength to keep it normal, to appear unfazed by the information I’d just learned. I’d fled Delacroix to act as a spy, knowing I would be putting my life at risk. But I had no idea that I would put my afterlife at risk too. Because Necrosis was here.
Right under our noses.
“You must turn to your ally in the north and request aid.”
Rutherford dropped his gaze.
“You must ask for Regar. The Runes will arrive with their arrogance, and their morale will be crushed once they see the sun and the moon are obscured by black wings.”
Black wings?
“They will grant your request,” Necrosis said. “They will do anything to keep peace in their lands.” As if the meeting was finished, he rose to his feet. The woman and the men who accompanied him did the same.
Rutherford recovered enough to speak. “Yes, Haldir.”
I returned to our bedchambers, finding Effie standing at the window that had a view of the water.
She turned when she heard me and faltered slightly when I crowded her against the wall. “What happened?”
I pressed a single finger to my lips, asking her to lower her voice. I didn’t believe we were being watched, but with treasonous words like this, I couldn’t take the risk. “I just met with Rutherford and his advisers.” I spoke in a whisper, our faces just inches apart. “He’s working with Necrosis.”
A quiet gasp escaped her lips, and her eyes looked horrified. “Oh my gods…”
“They’re here. I saw them in the flesh—or whatever they have.”
Now she had the reaction of cold steel, which was no reaction at all. It was just shock in its purest form. Terror. She didn’t know what to say.
“I have to tell Ivory.”
“How?”
“A letter.”
Her voice broke from a hushed whisper. “You can’t.”
“I can’t not tell her. They have no idea what they’re up against.”
“How many were there?”
“Four in the room, but there may be more elsewhere.”
“What does this mean?” she asked. “Is Necrosis running the Capital?”
“Yes.” That was exactly what it seemed like. I’d spent the whole afternoon piecing it together. “Humans and Necrosis are both segregated. The strongest come to the top of the cliffs. The weakest remain at the bottom. The Kingdoms believed they were safe from Necrosis, but in actuality, they walk among them. They’re fed upon—and they have no idea.”
“Gods…this is terrible.”
“Yes.”
“Why?” she asked. “Why would Necrosis want this?”
I shook my head slightly. “There’s not enough room up here for everyone, so only the best of the best get to reside. The Kingdoms sacrifice their people in lotteries, so they’re constantly feeding those below. It’s a system—and they want that system to continue. We’re basically sheep—and they’re herding us.”
She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, her breathing uneven now.
“They also said something else…talked about black wings.”
“Black wings? What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, but they said they would use it to defend the city against Ivory and Huntley.”