“Until you murdered my brother.” Acheron asked.
“Prince Adym was mistaken for a lord who’d been raiding villages along the border and killing indiscriminately. I realized who he was only after his head was brought to me. I personally made sure his remains were returned to his parents. In war, there are no rights.” Scylla’s elucidation caused the men to deflate.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but we aren’t here to discuss the past. In case you’ve all forgotten, Vane and Hagen have stolen the throne and are likely planning to kill Griffon.” Eva tapped her foot, as if she thought everyone would jump.
“Griffon isn’t the one who needs to be saved, Evaleigh. Right now, he’s safe from harm since Hagen won’t allow Vane to act. For all his faults, Hagen cares enough about his brother not to allow him to die.” She turned to me. “Aria, you asked me about the arrangement I made with Draghana Karnavious. Here it is. She and I both sacrificed for one who’d be able to end the darkness shrouding the land in unnatural magic. Neither of us were prepared for the cost the old gods would demand from us.”
Scylla drew closer, her stare boring into my soul as she continued. “The dragons created a second savior as a backup plan to eradicate Hecate, but Draghana died before revealing who the Fates answered for her sacrifices.” She lifted her eyes to mine while wringing her hands in front of her. The look churning in them felt like a kick to the stomach. “I’ve seen your future, Aria. He wasn’t in it with you. You were happy at the end of what I was shown.”
“Fuck that!” I snapped, hating the pain that tore through my heart at the suggestion I had any future that didn’t include that man. “No, fuck that shit. I choose how my story ends, not anyone else. Not you, not some ancient-ass primordial crones, not anyone. One choice can change the future. Right?”
“It is possible,” she assured.
“If he isn’t in my future? Then you won’t have to fear Hecate destroying everything, because I’ll burn it all down myself. I have not walked through hell and sacrificed our daughters for him to end up a casualty of this war. Knox is my endgame, and if he isn’t? Then I will become the monster they all thought I was. I wasn’t born to be vicious, but I can be against those who think to take from me. I’m neither good nor malicious, but I can be malevolent to those who trespass against me or those who walk beside me. If this world thinks of me a monster? Wait until I become one to protect the man I love. I will show them what true chaos feels like when it’s unleashed by a woman.” My chest rose and fell with angry, fearful breaths.
“Which is exactly why she’s after him. He’s your greatest weakness. He’s also the only thing within her grasp that she can use against you. You are not fighting a mindless monster. You’re warring against a goddess who’s lived long enough to know right where to hit, in order to break you down piece by piece until there’s nothing left of the girl beneath that hardened armor you’ve crafted to wear into battle. Despite your youth and naivety, you were able to hold the light. No one ever emerges from war free of sins. You already know that, which is good, since this war you’re about to wage will be brutal. As will you, my darling. I never gave you a chance to soften. Soft wasn’t something you could have in order to be violent, unbreakable, and unmoving against those who stood between you and what you need to do.”
“You guys wanted me here to tell me things I already knew or could have figured out myself. Why?” I demanded.
“Because had I not brought you here, you’d have died protecting those you love. Hecate was intending to make a move, which would cost you your life. It’s best you’re here for now, as the Fates advised.” A hint of worry flickered in my mind, which forced my eyes to round in horror.
“Who did she go after?” Fear wrapped around my chest, constricting it like a corset bound too firmly.
“She didn’t get to those ones. There are others you care about.” Her words caused worry to grip my throat. Even though they’d been true, they were hard to swallow.
“Monsters do not weep, and neither do weapons, my darling. The fire burning inside of you? Let it burn and win this war before more needless bloodshed occurs.”
“I don’t intend to just bring a war against Hecate,” I admitted, and Knox’s brothers snorted. Esme cleared her throat, as if she feared I’d forgotten who I was. Eva chuckled coldly, and Zyion? He was smiling, and something I’d never seen simmered in his eyes. “I'm going to bring her a massacre. I intend to slaughter whatever comes between my wrath and the vicious, homicidal goddess who thought she could take from those who could not fight back. I’m about to be the consequences of her actions.”
“One day, you’ll finish reaching for your birthright and take your rightful place on the Throne of the Kingdom of Fire.”
“I need no crown or throne. The first would only give her a location to terrorize, while the latter would give her archers something to aim their arrows at,” I stated, as I felt magic growing within the chamber.
“You may not want a throne, but you were born to sit upon it. If you’ll agree to it, I’d like to crown you before you leave this room, granddaughter. You were a princess when you came here, but you’ll be a queen when you leave.” At my subtle nod, she turned her stare toward the men, then dragged it back to where I stood. “Zyion, I’ll need you to show me where I can bathe the princess and prepare her for her ascension. I cannot bless my granddaughter within your chamber,” she stated, looking around it with disdain tugging at her lips.
“Unfortunately, it will have to suffice. There’s no grotto we can easily access, nor is there a bathing chamber. The only thing I can offer you here are my chambers, the ointment your mother anointed you with, and a tub for the princess to be cleansed of her sins in. You may use them, Scylla. But know this: once you’ve crowned Aria, and she’s seated on the throne the land offers her, you will leave and never return when I am present. I will continue to protect her, but I will not suffer your company for a moment longer.”
“I…” Scylla’s words cut off as Zyion strode from the chamber without a backward glance. “If I’d told him, I feared he would wish to follow her into the afterlife. I couldn’t lose both of them.”
“You broke him, your Majesty,” Eva muttered. “The entire kingdom has condemned him, slurred his name behind his back, and even those brave enough, to his face. Zyion the Vicious might as well have gone with you to the afterlife.” Eva strolled from the chamber, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.