And yet another part of me warmed to the idea. Eury who craved only her mother’s smile. Eury who longed to sit at the kitchen table and taste her mother’s wheaten bread. Eury, who lay in her mother’s arms and fell asleep to fingers stroking her hair.
That Eury still lived in me, in the softest, deepest-down part of my mind. She didn’t want tofightthe monsters—she wanted never again to think of them. To live with her mother forever in the light.
Liora was offering forever.
Did I have to kill in order to break the wheel, to end the trials? Perhaps the dagger didn’t have to draw blood.You may use it three times, and then—I didn’t want to find out the next part. Even the promise of the dagger could be enough to change a kingdom.
And with a single glance at its edge, Liora had offered to ally with me.
In exchange for a crown, I had offered the spiritstag one thing. A daughter of scorn didn’t break her vows.
“The spiritstag wants what you want,” I said. “To break the wheel. So do I.”
Liora’s mouth curved, not quite a smile. Her hand came out, reaching for mine across the divide. “Then it is god-ordained.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Eurydice
I rode backto the Sylvanwild war camp at a canter. When I arrived, Dorian—no longer on his horse—came striding toward me before my mare had even come to a stop. A terrible, enclosing feeling had fallen over me the moment I’d shaken Liora’s hand. It pinched my chest now, especially as Dorian looked on with those worried eyes.
“What did she say?” He kept his voice low, confidential.
I dismounted. “We’re allying.”
“Against winter and spring?”
I handed him the reins. “Liora and I want the same thing.”
“Which is?”
“The end of all this. The trials, the wheel, the bloodshed.”
He set a hand on my shoulder before I could approach theothers. “Liora said that?”
I stopped, facing him. “The dagger doesn’t have to draw blood to make its point, Dorian.”
“She told you not to wield it.”
“The opposite. She wants me to wield it, to draw on the rain.”
His brows drew tight together. “As a show of power.”
“Exactly as you and I had planned.”
His fingers squeezed my shoulder. “And what does Liora gain when the wheel stops turning? You think she wants to share her reign?”
He was right, and yet—“What other choice do I have? I don’t see Maeronyx and Iseris sallying forth to ally.” I felt trapped. Damned if I used the dagger, damned if I didn’t. And who could I trust, really? Caustrix’s voice slid once more into my mind:He’ll betray you. He already has.
Only myself. Above all, I had to trust my own instincts.
“You’re right.” Dorian stepped closer to me. “Wear the blade. Summon the rain. If Liora speaks true, then you won’t need to do anything else.” His gaze held mine. “If she doesn’t, you’ll be glad to have it in hand.”
I nodded. It was the right choice, regardless of his motivations.
Over at the rack, Haskel pretended to be surveying the weapons and not eavesdropping. He turned when I approached, his arms still crossed.
I half-smiled. “Any back-sheaths in my size?”