Page 4 of The Throne's Undoing

Graeson snarled back,Now is not the time.

The god caged within beat against the mental door, demanding to be let loose, but Graeson ignored his pleas as his vision reddened with fury.

They had come too far for this to be over now, for things to end here in this decrepit space. Graeson would not die in a cramped tunnel beneath this temple, fighting for air among the dust motes and soot.

This would not be how his and Kalisandre's story ended.

Torchlight bounced off the walls, casting eerie shadows and revealing glints of steel. Dani shifted on her feet and took a tentative step forward, her fingers flexing over the hilt of the throwing knife.

Without hesitating, Graeson stormed forward, his sword gleaming in the flickering light. As their attackers rounded the corner, the shadows obscuring their features, he swung, only to have his arm knocked back. Then, in one breath, Graeson's legs were swept off the ground, and his back hit the floor with a loudsmack.

Pain spiked through his body, and he hissed out, gritting his teeth. He tried to push himself up, but a weight came crashing down upon him, forcing him back to the ground.

The assailant, masked in shadows, grabbed the chest plate and slammed Graeson's back against the concrete, sending pain wracking through his body.

Graeson's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. But as he prepared to strike, Dani's shout ripped through the air. "Graeson!"

He snapped his head in her direction, the sound too urgent to dismiss despite the enemy atop him. When he found her still standing in front of the crumbled wall, not having moved an inch and with the throwing knife loose in her hand, Graeson's brows furrowed.

"Want to drop the blade, sunshine?" a feminine voice taunted.

Graeson turned his attention back to the person sitting on him. Their knees pressed into his thighs, and their hands locked his arms against the ground.

The rage faded from the corners of his vision as a nearby torch illuminated the person's face, revealing a halo of bright white hair that cascaded down and brushed his chest. A smudge of soot was smeared across her pale cheek.

Graeson blinked. "Ellie?" he exclaimed.

The Tetrian warrior winked, patting him gently on the face. "Glad to find you in one piece, Gray." Ellie leaned back, her knees still keeping him in place as if she didn't completely trust him.

As the god inside him seethed as Ellie stared down at him, Graeson didn't blame her.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Graeson demanded, struggling to break free.

She shrugged. "Apparently, testing my luck with your blade."

The god tsked.

You knew, didn't you?Graeson asked.

Graeson could feel the god shrug.I do not trust her.

You don't trust her because she doesn't trust you.

Us,the god hissed in correction.She doesn't trust us.

She trusts me just fine.

The god cackled, the laughter sending a chill down Graeson's spine.After all this time, you still think you and I are so different?

"Gray?" Ellie called out, forcing Graeson's attention back to her.

He clenched his jaw but nodded.

Then, to the monster living within him, he said,I am not you.

The god chuckled but grew silent as he slipped back into his cell.

Ellie narrowed her eyes, assessing him. But after a moment, she stood and extended a hand. Graeson grabbed it gratefully.