I wasn't sure if I believed her.
I should tell the Prince,I said, testing the words.Accept punishment.
To what purpose?
I can’t carry a secret like this forever. Every time I’m with him, I’m wondering if his sword will finally lop off my head. Every second is mental torture.
Then youarebeing punished,was the cruel reply. His voice plucked a wing from my back, tossed it aside.And there is no better. Death is peace. Living is agony.
I swallowed.Do you—do you think he knows? And that’s why he says nothing? To torment me?
It doesn’t matter. You will endure because you must. This burden is the least you will be required to shoulder in your life. If you cannot carry even this small weight, what hope is there for you to rule?
I don’t want to rule!
Understand the value of what youwantversus what is inevitable.Another wing ripped away. Merciless. Final. Unavoidable.
How can you even talk like this knowing about the Vow?
The Vow does not concern me. Vows are not insurmountable.
I was speechless.What?
His impatience beat at the inside of my head.I will not repeat myself. We will deal with the issue of the Vow in time.
I let myself digest that extraordinary sentence, because unsure if my subconscious was trying to delude me or comfort me.
Right,I said slowly, and went back to the subject of Embry.Do you think heknows?
How can he not?
Indeed.
Willyousubmit?he asked.
WhenRenaud learned who’d killed his son, and demanded recompense, would Isubmitto his judgment? Allow the executioner's blade to bite into my neck if required to maintain the fragile new peace?
I shivered, the icy prick of macabre anticipation deep in my stomach.
Death was no less than I deserved. I did not fear it. I could not avoid it in any case.
I don't think it was ever my fate to die quietly in my bed,I said.
Willyousubmit?
It took me some time to answer.I will. I deserve whatever comes.
But, Darkan,I willmake him earn my death.
After all, I’d Vowed to kill him first.
ChapterFifteen
The ball had done nothing to convince me I was wrong to hate formal Court occasions. I expected the first day of negotiations to beevenless entertaining.
We rose at dawn to hash and rehash last night's events. Not a mote of dust was left unanalyzed when usually, we didn't bother with unimportant practices like reflection. How to turn the Prince's apparent interest and indulgence in my antics to our favor was the main topic.
Kill me now.
