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)
Rutherford stared me down before he stepped closer. “You have no idea how much I want to believe you. I’ve loved you like a son.”
My knees would be kicked from underneath me and my head would be sliced clean from my shoulders, but it would still be worth it in the end. My sister would have my warning—and she would be prepared for the danger that awaited her.
“Where did you send that letter?”
“I told you—”
“Don’t lie to me. Only cowards lie.”
I stared him down. “You’re the coward. You’re the one who’s become a little bitch to Necrosis.”
His bushy eyebrows hiked up his face, and his furious eyes narrowed.
“King Rutherford is not the King of Kingdoms. It’s Haldir—King of the Undead. You’ve served him instead of your own people. You’ve turned your kind into livestock, plump for the butcher. Everything we know about our world…is a lie.” It stung to say the words out loud, knowing my father was equally responsible for it. “At a moment’s notice, Haldir can destroy us all. And you would let him.”
Rutherford stepped closer. “Like all things, it’s complicated.”
“It’s not complicated at all. How could you do this?”
He had the humility to actually look ashamed.
“How?”
He lowered his voice so the others wouldn’t hear. “The asshole that used to rule this place abandoned us down there. Wouldn’t grant us asylum. Didn’t give a shit about us. Sent us back to that frozen hell without blinking an eye. So we made a deal with Necrosis. If they helped us secure the Kingdoms, we would let them be a silent partner.”
We. “As in…you and my father?”
He didn’t nod, but his stare was confirmation enough.
“There was no other way.”
“The people below are still cursed, and now the citizens of the Kingdoms are also cursed. But you sit on the seat of power, so that makes it all okay.”
“Judge me all you want, but I doubt you’d do anything different.”
“I would.” I’d never believed anything more in my life.
“Ryker, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Where did you send that letter?”
I kept my mouth shut.
The silence passed for a while as he continued to stare. He seemed to reach an epiphany because he let out a long, drawn-out breath. “The Runes returned to Delacroix—with your sister.”
I kept a straight face.
“That’s why you’re helping them.”
I held his gaze.
“Ryker, you don’t realize what you’re doing. Even if the Runes take the Kingdoms, you’ll never defeat Necrosis. And even if you do, King Dunbar will sail to our shores and conquer us instead.”
“I’ll conquer him first.”
His eyes shifted back and forth between mine. “I’m going to give you one more chance. Tell me everything you know about the Runes…or Haldir will have to deal with you.”
There would be nothing after this. It would just be black—for eternity. “I’m not going to say a damn word. And let that be a lesson to you, Rutherford. That’s what loyalty is—because you’ve clearly forgotten.”
TWENTY
Ivory
The citizens of Minora were so petrified by the way their Kingdom had been seized, they put up no resistance whatsoever. It was a peaceful surrender, so no lives were lost, and there would be no change to their customs or laws.
All that changed was the person in charge.
Huntley stood in front of the gathering of citizens who had come out to see his speech. Tall and proud, he wore the uniform of a king, his battle armor on top, the feather crest right in the center of his chest. He wore no crown, but he didn’t need one to distinguish his unchallengeable power. “My father, King Rolfe, was assassinated, and my ancestral line of kings was destroyed by an outsider invader. That wasn’t the worst of his crimes. He forged an alliance with Necrosis in order to do this. They live among us in the Capital—unbeknownst to the rest of us.” It had been silent a moment ago, but conversations suddenly erupted. “I come here to take it back, starting with Minora, then moving to Supertine next. Once every Kingdom is under my command, we’ll take the Capital and assassinate Rutherford the way he did with my father. I govern with honor and respect, not fear, so I ask for volunteers to join our army. Those who pledge their lives will be handsomely rewarded upon their return, and those who don’t return, that reward will be handed to the people you leave behind.” He stood on the rise, arms by his sides, his sword at his hip. He looked at the sea of faces, people he didn’t even know but would rule for the rest of his days. “There will be no changes to Minora. Life will exist as it always has. But Rutherford needs to be destroyed first—and then Necrosis. Queen Rolfe and I will depart first thing in the morning, and in my stead, I leave Commander Tomas to keep you safe.”