The Dawn of the End Read online

  I tipped my chin. “I would be most grateful.”

  “Farah and Ha-Lah too,” she said.

  “I think that would be wise,” I replied.

  “The men won’t like it, will they?” she asked.

  “I…do not know,” I said hesitantly. “However, I think it best they do not know we intend to be trained thus in case they don’t, feeling they can provide all the protection we need, and the situation arises that they…” I struggled against biting my lip before I concluded, “can’t.”

  She gave a curt nod. “We will make it a priority.”

  She then moved to leave.

  I fell to her side and she looked down at me, the astonishment back, her brows raised.

  “I know you must have much on your mind, so truly, this is appreciated,” I told her.

  “I am Nadirii, Silence,” she returned. “It is my sacred vow to be of service to all my sisters, be they Nadirii or not, for we believe all women are truly Nadirii.”

  I shot her a smile. “That’s actually beautiful.”

  And this did not astonish her.

  It flabbergasted her.

  I did not have time to ask after that.

  We’d moved into and down the hall, and my husband was waiting for me.

  He claimed my arm, sent a dismissive look to Serena that still managed to convey some respect (I had to learn how to do that), and he escorted me toward the grand balcony.

  “What was that about?” he asked.

  “It’s unimportant,” I lied.

  “What was that about, Silence?” he asked again.

  “We’ll speak of it later,” I lied again.

  He sighed.

  Meaning he gave in…for now.

  This pleased me, perhaps irrationally.

  Thus, even walking, I leaned some weight into his arm.

  “She is not to be trusted,” he murmured his warning.

  In my heart, I thought he was wrong.

  But my mouth said nothing.

  90

  The Announcement

  The People of Wodell

  Grand Balcony, Southeast Corner, Birchlire Castle, Notting Thicket

  WODELL

  It was with deep astonishment that the citizens of Notting Thicket listened as their king announced his abdication.

  Thus, there was stunned silence after Wilmer stepped away from the edge of the balcony, their new king stepped forward, and the heralds placed amongst the crowd who repeated the royal words so all could hear had ceased speaking.

  And then their True spoke his first words as their king.

  “I stand before you feeling no joy that I assume the mantle of your monarch,” he began.

  The heralds spread these first shocking words.

  “If I had come about this responsibility as is customary, that being at the loss of my father, I would feel the same way,” King True carried on. “I know this for I come about this responsibility after the loss of my mother.”

  A sorrowful, but assenting ripple moved through the crowd at this sentiment.

  “I fear you do not know,” King True continued, “for she was so very loyal, so very wise, so very adept in her service to this realm, just how much my mother gave to all of you. What I do know is that she would be proud she accomplished that. That through quiet toil, and in some important instances, great sacrifice, her service to our fertile green land seemed effortless.”

  Another sorrowful ripple shifted over the throng.

  “I also know she has taught me well. I will serve you in mind and in heart. I will vow to you that I will make it my life’s work to protect, defend and better the circumstances of every being in my realm,” True promised. “I will listen to you and I will serve you. And please, make no mistake about what I just said. I will not rule you. I will serve you.”

  A startled, but enthusiastic, feeling began to swell through the onlookers.

  “And in that vein, you cannot have missed,” True said, “that we have an enemy in our midst. I can assure you that all efforts will be made to keep the peoples of this land safe. I can assure you I, and my father, and my lieutenants, and my soldiers will use every power at our disposal to root out this problem and dispel it from our borders. It is with grave disappointment that one of the first proclamations I must make as your king is that we are at war. We are at war with a party that calls themselves The Rising.”

  True took a moment to allow that to be heralded throughout, and the reaction it caused to melt through, before he carried on.

  “Their goal is to subjugate all to their beliefs. I will not allow that to happen in my realm. My people are free to think what they wish, say what they will, believe what they believe and worship as their hearts guide them. And I will stop at nothing to defend your right to do all of that.”

  At these words, in the front, a cheer broke out, and as they were repeated, this cheer cascaded in a wave all the way to the back.

  True allowed it to die down before he continued.

  “To that end, I will share now, if you are of this Rising. If you have aligned yourselves with these oppressors who wear a false mantle of devotion. Consider this carefully. For I decree Henry Carrington guilty of high treason against the Dellish monarchy and the country of Wodell. He was the mastermind behind a fraud perpetrated on the entire nation, and he was complicit in the assassination of our queen.”

  An agitated murmur moved through the crowd.

  “Henry Carrington will thus be drawn, executed and quartered on the morrow.”

  Shock swept the citizens.

  But True kept on.

  “Those who raised their bows against my mother, after they’re fully interrogated, will be publicly hanged.”

  People shifted on their feet in dazed surprise.

  True kept on.

  “Anyone who collaborates with this Rising will share this same fate. People who abet this Rising, if proved in tribunal, will be imprisoned in Crittich Keep for twenty-five years.”

  A low hum started amongst the onlookers.

  “Anyone coming forward, however,” True continued, “with usable information about this faction will be remunerated with five gold coins, ten silver coins and five pewter coins. Twenty coins. Twenty being the number of archers who took aim at my mother, our queen.”

  The hum escalated.

  “I will remind you, my people, we are Dellish,” True told them. “We are wise. We are loyal We are true to our own. Thus, no matter what you hear, this Rising is acting on its own remit. It has no alliance with any other realm or religion. If any citizen of this land causes harm or commits foul against anyone or anything, including people or property, this will be punished. Information and known associations with this faction are to be reported to a representative of the crown. Anything else will be unacceptable and punishable by royal edict.”

  The buzz increased, as did the shifting.

  “My queen and your queen, Farah, and I will be officially coronated after we rout this wickedness from our land. But in the meantime, we will serve you faithfully and tirelessly in all things, not simply this current blight that threatens our people.”

  The crowd took in their new king, his queen (incidentally, wearing a lovely forest-green gown with gold trim) with her arm dressed close to her chest standing at his right side. Their lovely Silence, queen of another land, standing at his left, her impressive husband at her side. Cassius of Airen, Elena of the Nadirii positioned to the King of Firenze’s side. The King and Queen of Mar-el next to their new queen. Important personages from another continent altogether gathered as husband and wife on either side.

  Their old king stood behind True looking as normal.

  Hazy, confused and bored (all at once).

  Even so, with all that was said, and all that now was, it was the most impressive thing any of them had ever seen.

  And most of them had stood on the wedding parade route just the day before.

  “We have suffered an egregious blow,” True de
clared. “I mourn my mother as my mother and as my queen. Her loss will be felt, for my children will never know her. Her loss will be felt, for I cannot turn to her for what she has given me the whole of my life, great wisdom and astute guidance. And her loss will be felt simply because I loved her.”

  The crowd again grew silent and morose.

  “But we are Dellish,” True stated, his voice rising. “We are strong, and we are proud. No matter what, we carry on. And we will carry on!”

  A bubble of pride started growing amongst the spectators.

  “And as such, I will end with sharing from the heart that it is my deep honor to be your king. It is my destiny, but mostly it is my privilege. And because of this, you have my vow now until my last breath, I will serve you fair. And I will serve you…” He drew in a visible breath and then bellowed, “True!”

  A shout began at the front and rose in strength and volume as it exploded to the back.

  And it did not die down as True, their king, bowed to them.

  The crowd grew frenzied when he turned to his new bride and touched his lips to hers only for him to pull back and her beautiful face, still tipped to his, warmed with her smile.

  King True then nodded to his people, turned, tucked his queen’s hand in his elbow…

  And they strolled from the royal balcony.

  91

  The End

  Princess Serena

  Stand Hall, Birchlire Castle, Notting Thicket

  WODELL

  “Of course that would be your decision,” she hissed at her sister.

  Elena appeared wounded.

  But fuck that.

  She was going with Cassius to Airen?

  When their Sisterhood was under attack?

  Melisse had been injured?

  “I should have known you’d be one of those. One of the weak ones who’d grow addicted to cock,” she spat.

  “Enough,” Cassius growled, and Serena’s gaze sliced to him.

  “You may lead her around by her twat, but not me,” she hurled at him.

  He appeared like he was preparing to attack.

  Which meant Serena braced to defend.

  But Elena put her hand on his chest and he visibly relaxed.

  Disgusting.

  The both of them.

  Utterly pathetic.

  “We can only wait long enough for a raven to return sharing Melisse’s condition,” Elena said. “And any further news from Mother,” she went on with her ridiculousness. “A day, at most two. But you must understand why I have to go with Cassius to Airen and do it without any further delays.”

  “I think I’ve made it damned clear I don’t understand,” Serena retorted.

  “I will be their queen,” Elena repeated what she’d said earlier.

  “You are Princess of the Nadirii,” Serena returned.

  Elena tossed out both hands, the exasperation in her gesture also suffusing her features.

  “Do you think this decision was easy?” she demanded.

  “Yes, though you’ve made the wrong one.”

  “Melisse would not agree,” Elena shot back.

  Serena went in for the kill. “You’ve no idea what Melisse would think, and won’t, as you intend to abandon her.”

  Her words struck true, she saw, for her sister’s pale face turned ashen and her body jolted with the invisible blow.

  “This is getting us nowhere,” Cassius cut in. “It’s clear you understand naught but selfishness, and—” His words stopped when his eyes jumped over Serena’s shoulder and his lips spread thin.

  Serena turned and she felt her stomach tip.

  Shite.

  Nero, Cassius’s man, was approaching.

  She needed to exit this conversation and this location.

  Immediately.

  She turned back and caught only the fact that Cassius’s eyes had narrowed on her.

  Thus, her alarm grew, and she needed to do something about it.

  “As usual, we’ll never agree so there’s no point wasting further energy on it. Thus, I’ll bid you farewell and to enjoy your time in Sky Bay,” she said to her sister.

  “They’re under siege, Serena,” Elena retorted. “Another reason why their prince regent and his future princess must not delay in returning.”

  “Cass,” Nero came up to their sides and broke into the conversation, as men, Serena had no doubt, felt it was entirely their right to do, “I received word from Mac I go with you, not Aelia.”

  Shite, shite, shite.

  “What the fuck?” Nero finished on this terse demand.

  “This is my decision,” Cassius confirmed, but his gaze was on Serena.

  She shifted her features at the same time shifting to leave.

  “She’s going to a fucking island across a fucking sea. When circumstances warrant, and I’d say these circumstances warrant, Otho and I are her personal guard. We’ve always been her personal guard,” Nero stated. “And we’ve lost our brother. Which means now I’m her personal guard. Therefore, I’d like to bloody well know why I’m clearly no longer my princess’s personal fucking guard.”

  “Because you killed Theodora’s mother,” Cassius declared baldly. “And Theodora travels with her.”

  “I’ll leave you to it,” Serena muttered swiftly.

  “I’m sorry?” Nero rumbled disbelievingly.

  “Serena shared with us in Fire City that you killed Tiana, Dora’s mother,” Cassius stated before she could make her exit.

  “Cass, maybe now is not the time to—” Elena began.

  “Fucking hell, you cunt,” Nero gritted.

  To her.

  Serena’s body turned to stone.

  “Nero!” Cassius bit.

  “By the goddess,” Elena whispered.

  “Why would you say something like that?” Nero demanded, again to her.

  “I think our conversation begins and ends with the word you called me,” she returned, her heart beginning to race for some inexplicable reason.

  “I don’t think it does, seeing as Theodora will be princess of my realm and I’m her for-all-intents-and-purposes new father’s lieutenant, tasked with keeping all royals safe, a task I promised my sword and my life to, and your lie makes that impossible,” Nero returned.

  “Lie?” Elena was still whispering.

  Serena tried to save her deceit, wondering for the first of any that she’d concocted why she’d committed it.

  “With Trajan, you warred against my sisters repeatedly. You can’t possibly know who you killed or did not.”

  “I disagree, since I’ve never killed a single Nadirii,” Nero retorted.

  The atmosphere all around them grew weighty.

  Shite.

  “Though I took issue with a prince I did not support warring against them for reasons I also did not support, and when forced into his service, the only thing I could do to share that was be a very poor soldier with absurdly bad aim with arrow, sword, dagger and fists,” Nero shared. And he was not done. “Added boon, he was so disgusted with my service, he released me from it. That said, I’m rethinking my position about refusing to kill a Nadirii right about now.”

  “What you said was a lie?” Elena asked.

  Serena turned to her sister to see Elena staring at her, stunned.

  “Not to my knowledge.” Another lie. “It was reported to me Nero brought Tiana low.” And yet another one.

  Yes, Serena was wondering why she’d instigated this deception.

  Elena stared at her.

  And then she breathed, the words dripping with hurt, “It was a lie.”

  “Elena—” Serena began.

  Her sister’s eyes suddenly glowed amethyst, something Serena had always hated, but in that unfortunate moment, she understood it was not hate.

  It was envy.

  And in that moment, regrettably, she saw that glow was rather arresting, although she bizarrely wished she was not the cause of it.

  “You’re despicable,” Ele
na spat. “I can’t even stand to look at you.”

  Her heart squeezed.

  She actually felt it squeeze.

  What on earth?

  “Go about your business,” Elena snapped. “I no longer care what you do, what you think, where you go. And you never gave me much reason to enjoy your company, but I shall refuse it until I can find some way to stomach the sight of you. Further, not that you care, I shall still inform you, even if I should manage to best that gargantuan feat, you’ve lost me. Whatever little part of my heart I held safe for you regardless you did naught to deserve it, it’s lost. Gone. Never to be recovered. Mark this, not ever, Serena. Not…fucking…ever.”

  Sister stared at sister.

  And another first for Serena.

  She greatly wished she had something to say.

  But she did not.

  “I mean, truly,” Elena whispered. “Using the loss of Tiana? And using…Dora?” she asked.

  She did not expect an answer.

  With that, Elena didn’t even glance at Cassius or Nero.

  She stormed away.

  Serena turned to watch her go, her mind scrambling to find words to say, for all of a sudden, she couldn’t bear the idea of parting with her sister in this manner.

  But she remained mute.

  For what she saw behind her, she felt the odd and not at all pleasant sensation of her clenched stomach entirely evacuating her body at the same time something depressed her chest.

  And that something felt the size of an entire Nadirii treehome.

  This was because Chu was standing there.

  “Chu,” she whispered.

  “I fear you don’t care you just lost your sister,” Cassius said behind her. “But I’m seeing that matters not. For you’re about to lose something that, to you, is even more dear.” He then murmured, “Let’s go.”

  “Cass, I’m not even close to—” Nero refuted.

  “Let’s go,” Cassius repeated.

  Serena wasn’t paying them all that much attention.

  Her gaze was riveted on Chu.

  Though she did sense Cassius and his man leave.

  Her gaze still did not leave Chu.

  When they were alone, he asked calmly, “Did you speak this lie?”