Blessed by the Gods (Gods & Dark Creatures Book 1)

Chapter thirty three

Crown Prince Enzo, actually King Enzo already, arrived in Hiraeth. Amaya did not mention King Mael's death to Ciaran. Not that she didn't want to, but there were so many thoughts running through her head that she couldn't even think about it. All she could think about was death. She couldn't believe she did it. She couldn't understand how she could do such a stupid thing to save Ciaran's life. She didn't recognize herself.

As much as she wanted to hate Ciaran for being the cause of her downfall, she loved him so much and wanted to spend every second she had left with him.

"Why did you come here, Enzo?" Ciaran did not exactly greet his brother with love.

"I'm a king now, little brother. Didn't you hear about it?" retorted Enzo.

"Our father died?" Ciaran asked him, unsurprised.

"Only because he led the army you were supposed to lead while you cowardly hid in your palace," King Enzo told him.

"It was a suicide campaign. I wasn't going to risk the lives of my soldiers in an already lost fight." Ciaran didn't reveal what Amaya had done.

Amaya watched them from behind. She stood on the ramparts between the guards and watched them from where they couldn't see her.

"You were the commander of the king's army and you should have obeyed the orders of your king. But you betrayed." Enzo reproached him. "It's your fault our father is dead."

"Did you come just to call me a traitor?" Ciaran gave him a wicked grin.

"I'm here to fulfill our father's last will," Enzo replied irritated. "His last wish before he left for battle was that if he falls in battle, your witch is to be burned. He believed she had somehow cursed him to die."

"First of all, Amaya's not a witch, which means she can't curse him. Second, you don't even touch her," said Ciaran. His words were making him angry. If he wouldn't be the king now, he would kill him for his audacity to come to the gates of his home and request the head of his wife.

"I'll give you a choice, brother," Enzo told him. "Either you hand her over voluntarily and I'll forgive you for your treachery, or I'll come back here next time with an army and all of Hiraeth will be burned to ashes."

Ciaran took a step towards his brother. They looked each other dead in the eye. None of them looked away. Neither one even blinked.

"Bring your whole army," said Ciaran. "but you won't get Amaya."

"As you wish, brother. You made your choice." King Enzo turned and left with his guards.

"That was reckless, Ciaran," Amaya told him.

"He can't just come in here and demand my wife's death," said Ciaran.

"He's your king," Amaya said. "He can ask for anything."

"No king rules over me," said Ciaran.