Page 86 of In Rising Tides

But she couldn’t make out the words. At least his ire wasn’t directed at her.

He resumed their journey down the hallway again, glancing over his shoulder as if he expected Aegir to have followed them.

“I should have him executed for speaking about you that way.”

With the ability to speak now returned, she couldn’t find it in her to stay quiet any longer.

“You do that, and it will make a martyr of him. Then you’ll have another coup on your hands.”

Drystan slammed them to a stop.

“What did you just say?”

She frowned and leaned away from him.

“You allowed him too much power, and if you try to take it back, they will fight you for it.” She nodded towards the throne room. “Did you not see their faces? The bloodlust? They were eating out of his palm.”

His eyes lowered to where his hand gripped hers. “I kept my eyes on the whip—the weapon.”

“You think too much like a warrior and not like a king. The whip wasn’t the only danger in that room. Aegir was.” Lyra rolled her eyes.

He didn’t say anything as he moved towards her room again.

But Lyra hadn’t imagined he would.

That would require him to admit to having done something wrong.

She didn’t know why she had the urge to speak to him.

Maybe it was because she had been forced to go so long without speaking, but she found herself opening her mouth again.

“You hadn’t been exaggerating your claims that I would dislike the ceremony.”

Drystan scoffed.

“It was excruciating to watch. But also, quite funny to hear them worship Ennosidas,” she snorted.

“How could you possibly find any of that funny?”

He stared at her, his lips snarled in disgust.

“Aegir is proliferating an ancient lie,” Lyra replied. “Ennosidas isn’t even the true god.”

Her arm was yanked hard enough that her entire body jolted with pain.

“What blasphemy did you just spew?” Drystan hissed, looking up and down the hall for eyes and ears.

Lyra rubbed her shoulder and frowned at him. “What?”

“Not,what?” He ground out. “What did you just say about Ennosidas?”

She heaved a breath and continued rubbing her shoulder.

“The elves said that our world was once ruled by three sisters, not the gods who rule over us now.”

Drystan glared at her with enough fury that she found herself wanting to take the words back.

“I don’t know whether to whip you myself or pity you. The elves lied. Twisted your mind and heart to their will. Nothing they told you was true. Nothing.”