Reeve might not care about such things, but Jude and Aleksander will be grateful for it.
I stand and move to the window, looking out over the courtyard below. Together, we will squash this rebellion, then we will fly the flag of peace in ways Jerrod never did.
He wanted death. I want life.
But I am willing to pull out a few weeds to allow room for growth.
ChapterThirty-Eight
ANNORA
The sadness deepens,settling in my chest as I stumble toward the library, needing a reprieve from my thoughts.
I try to not think about Asha’s letter, but her words will not be silenced. They’re engraved into my every thought.
She wants Jasce dead, and it’s all my fault. I should have never come here. It was wrong of me to do that. It was selfish and thoughtless.
All I have done is invite more war. More pain. More bloodshed.
I reach the Grand Library and shove the door open.
Why can’t Jasce see things the way I see them? He believes in unity, and all I see are swords clashing and people dying.
Maybe it’s because I have lived through so much death and suffering in my short life. From my twin sisters who died as babies, their tiny lives snatched away before they could barely walk, to my older brother, who was taken from me far too soon, leaving an aching hole in my chest. And lastly, my grandfather.
Each one of their deaths etched jagged scars onto my heart.
Now, Jasce wants me to believe peace is possible between our people, but I struggle to share his optimism. The angry letter from Asha makes it clear there will be no path to reconciliation. She speaks of vengeance, not forgiveness.
I enter the library and sink into a chair.
The door opens, and Zerah steps into the library and offers me a bright smile that lights up her eyes.
“There you are.” She crosses the room in a few quick strides, her skirts swishing around her ankles, and sits near me. “I found something I thought you might like.”
I try to summon a smile in return, to pretend that my world isn’t fraying at the seams, but I fall short of anything more than a pitiful grimace.
Zerah’s smile fades as she tilts her head to the side, studying me. “You look like you’ve wrestled with a storm and come out the other side, battered and bruised.”
I did wrestle with a storm. A tall, strong, arrogant storm.
“I’m all right. Just tired.” The lie falls flat, but I cling to it anyway.
“You are not all right, but I will not pry.” From the bag tied to her waist, she pulls free a piece of cloth. “I was going through some of my things, and I found this. I thought you might like to wear it.”
She unwinds the cloth to reveal a beautiful turquoise ring set in an intricate silver band. The stone glitters in the soft light filtering through the library windows.
“When I was a child, my mother told me it belonged to someone she used to know. I always assumed it belonged to Jasce’s mother. Would you like it?” Zerah holds the ring out to me.
Mazaline’s?
The thought haunts me as I take the ring from Zerah and examine the exquisite turquoise. The silver band is etched with delicate swirls and knots. I slide the band onto my finger, admiring how the blue stone complements my skin. It fits perfectly, as if made for my hand alone.
The only things I know about Jasce’s mother was that she was from House of Silver, and she bound my soul with Lyra.
“Lady Dinah knew Jasce’s mother?” I ask after a long moment.
Zerah nods. “Yes, they knew each other before either one of them ever married Jerrod. Mother even said they were once very good friends, though that changed after they both married Jerrod.”
