Page 8 of The Throne's Undoing

Moris deserved more than to be abandoned in a burning temple. He deserved more than a silent moment between friends. He deserved so much more; however, there was no time to grieve the dead. The gods would not grant them that opportunity.

If the day was any indication, Moris would not be the last friend to meet an untimely end in the coming months. This was only the beginning. The two soldiers before him knew that all too well.

So, when water filled Sylvia's eyes, they blinked it away and straightened. "His sacrifice will not be in vain," they said, voice laced with determination.

Dani nodded in agreement and peered down the alley, where the streets were flooded with panicked wedding guests and civilians. She crossed her arms, tapping a finger along her arm. "Sylvia, do you have any more of those explosives?"

A devious smile lit Sylvia's face, shifting the freckles on their pale face. "Let's burn this fucking place to the ground."

Chapter 2

MYRA

A guttural screamripped through Myra's lungs as the wall collapsed. She cowered on the floor, her arms covering her head. Tears filled her eyes, but she could not decipher whether it was because of the dust and smoke surrounding her, the king's nails biting into her arm, or the sight of Kallie disappearing before her eyes.

Myra had betrayed her closest friend.

She had lied to her and pretended to be someone she wasn't.

She, like Kallie, had been strung along by the king for years. The only difference, however, was that Myra was all too aware of the king's hold on her, while Kallie had no idea.

However, Myra had no time to dwell on the consequences of her actions, not while King Domitius was dragging her down the tunnel and away from the collapsed wall.

"Move!" the king shouted through a fit of coughs, his voice dripping in vitriol she had come to know intimately by now.

"What about Kallie?" Myra asked, voice shaking as she looked back at the wall through tear-stained eyes.

Anger and terror poured from the wall as muffled screams seeped through the cracks of the pile of rocks. Yet, beside her,the only emotions coming from the king were determination and fury. Not a trace of fear tainted Myra's tongue.

"She will do what needs to be done. Now, run," the king commanded, his fingers tightening around her forearm so hard it hurt.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Myra obeyed the king and ran.

She ran despite her body screaming at her to disobey. That alone was enough.

She ran despite her heart shattering.

She ran because there wasno other choice.

Torment and agony dripped from the walls of the tunnel, but there was no time to process the emotions spinning around her as the king dragged Myra through the winding halls, past more cells of malnourished animals and corpses.

The creatures Myra had seen on their way into the tunnels as Dani had run after them would haunt Myra's nightmares for the rest of her days.

Since Myra and Kallie arrived in Frenzia, Myra had felt something strange within the castle's walls. A feeling that crept over her skin and clawed at her throat, but she hadn't been able to place it. It lurked in the halls, twisting and turning.

The moment Myra stepped foot in the temple that morning, however, the feeling overtook her, almost forcing her to her knees.

Now, she knew why.

The Frenzians were doing horrible, unspeakable things. Things that Myra couldn't even begin to fathom.

When a humanoid creature with wings and ruby eyes slammed against its cell's bars earlier, Myra had shrieked in horror. She had looked urgently toward the king, yet he only kept running, nearly dragging Myra across the floor behind him as she lost her footing.

She felt no fear, no surprise, no curiosity from him. At first, Myra was astounded. How could the king not have reacted? How could he have kept going after seeing the wild creature? A creature that, by all accounts, should not have existed.

There were many things Myra did not understand about the king, but one thing had always been crystal clear: he was a monster. Of course, seeing another monster would not frighten him. Like calls to like.

Then, the tunnel split into two paths, and the king tugged Myra to the left. And it was the lack of hesitation, the lack of thought in which the king chose which path to take that told Myra everything she needed to know.