FOR HER, HE WILL SET EVERY KINGDOM ON FIRE.
Kyron LeFur never wanted to be king. He may have united a torn people and ended a bloody war, but none of that matters without his queen. She sacrificed her crown for him, and now he will stop at nothing t...
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I step into the abandoned farmhouse we chose as our shelter for the night. Greer, Terro, and I walked the perimeter of the property three times while Raelle, Ulric, and Ashavee checked the inside. In any other circumstance, the extra precautions would have been overkill, but we are just outside Pliris' border. The Allaji had no qualms about sending small groups to find us in another kingdom. I don't doubt that they would attack with the full force of a brigade with us this close to home.
The house hasn't been lived in for ages. Thick layers of dust cover the couch and rustic dining table. Terro started a fire in the hearth with a large pot of water boiling. I climb the stairs to the second floor, each step groaning under my weight. The first room contains two single beds with Terro and Greer's satchels on top of each. I look into the room across the hall and find Ashavee sitting on the edge of the matress, and Ulric applying the healing salve the Sara queen gave us to her wound.
I'm not surprised that he is so attentive to Ashavee. Ulric was always the one in our group of friends that I pictured falling in love first. Yes, he goes out of his way to receive attention, but he is also the one who will bend over backward for someone else. Caring for people is what he does best.
"How are you holding up?" I ask, stopping in the doorframe and sliding my hands in my pockets.
Ashavee glances at me and gives a half-hearted smile. "The pain is manageable. I'll be ready to take on whatever we face tomorrow."
Ulric nods for Ashavee to fix her tunic. Tossing the salve container in the air, he catches it and holds it out to me. "This stuff is a miracle. She's almost good as new."
"Yeah, I'm feeling better because of it too. There are just some new terrifying scars to add to my collection," I say, sliding it into my jacket pocket.
Ashavee fidgets with a loose thread on her sleeve, and so quietly I almost miss it, says, "I'm sorry about that." It's a little unsettling to see her this way. She always comes off as confident. Granted, the majority of the time I've spent with her she has been in her jaguar form, and felines have a natural arrogant quality about them.
"You have nothing to be sorry for."
She lifts her chin and says, "I do. My people are better than this. All of it, capturing Elle, invading your land, and especially enslaving the Cyffred. Not every Allaji believes what is happening is right."
"I know that. All it takes is one brave person to go against the grain and others will follow. You are that person, Ashavee."
I've seen it happen firsthand. Micah tore our kingdom in half to build a new one where every person was treated equally. Raelle broke free of the duty that bound her to walk into an army camp and gather soldiers to save her father. They're the rebels who were never satisfied with the way things were.
I turn to leave, but before I do, I pat the door frame twice and look back. "Just promise me that when the day comes, you will visit me with your new ruler. It would be nice to form an alliance with the Allaji."
