The Reckless Reign (Book 3, The Culled Crown Series)

Chapter 46

Reubinon Palace, Pellarmus.

We'd planned for breakfast to be a calm time when we could all sit together and catch Cohen up on the things he'd missed, but when Darragh arrived, the conversation shifted from casual discussions to talk of war. Cohen wanted to know everything they'd discovered about the machine that had attacked us on the beach. He wanted to know what had happened to Leighton. That death was one Cohen carried visibly—as if just the realization of Leighton's sacrifice had aged him.

I stayed silent through most of it, thankful to have Nadia, Anna, and Heidi separating my chair from Darragh's. I'd picked my spot next to Britta before he'd arrived, hoping to ask her about what she knew about the deaths in Vayelle, but as soon as Darragh strolled in, I thanked the goddess for giving me the accidental foresight.

"They've recovered both of their bodies," Britta had said to me, her brow furrowed with concern. "Many are unrecognizable or unable to be claimed by their families, but I sent a message last night asking for Kace and Ambrose to be buried in Varos, if possible. Of course, I'd have the bodies held if I could but..."

But they'd already been sitting in the sun rotting for days. And it would be weeks before I could make it back to Erydia and bury them myself. Something about the choice being taken away from me was soothing. If I wasn't there, then I wouldn't have to see them like that. There would be a lack of closure, yes, but my last visuals of my brothers wouldn't be of their broken corpses.

My throat had been tight with emotion as I'd asked, "And Ellora?"

"There were dozens of bodies and it's taking some time to sort through them. Your brothers were known to my spies and were easily identified. We don't know what Ellora looked like in life so," she shrugged and reached out to touch my hand. "If she is there, we'll find her."

I didn't know what to hope for.

If Ellora wasn't dead in Third Corps, then she was alive somewhere. And there was hope for my unborn niece or nephew. But that hope came with a cost. If she were alive, then she might also be in danger. While I wanted her to survive, I didn't want to imagine what Caine might do if he got his hands on her. Especially if he knew who she was.

I couldn't think of that, not as Cohen peppered Darragh will questions about his plans for Erydia.

According to Darragh, Pellarmus would set up some sort of regent in our country and rule from afar. They would be able to visit whenever necessary, but they hoped that Erydia would retain most of it's freedoms—perhaps even gain some. Darragh's army would stay in place and have a solid presence for a little while, at least until things had settled down.

Darragh expected there to be some dissent, especially in some of the more devout cities. Many of the temples had proclaim Kai goddess-blessed. They'd seen his surprise arrival as a miraculous thing and they were revolt when the Culling was dismantled.

My friends asked questions—things my mind was too tried to even consider.

Would Erydians be expected to forsake the goddess and take on the Pellarmi gods? No. Darragh had no desire to dictate religion outside of banning the Culling and any human sacrifices dictated by our temples.

What about prisoners of war? What would be done to Larkin or Kinsley? Darragh's answers were vaguer where that was concerned. What happened to Larkin, he said, would be Britta's decision, since it was her sister. As for Kinsley, Darragh didn't care what became of her.

He stirred his tea, his expression bored as he said, "If Kinsley becomes a nuisance in this fight, I'll gladly put an end to her. From what I've gathered over the years, she's a puppet at best. Her father has all the ambition, she merely has a goddess-given dog in the fight. He uses her."