Page 158 of Sands of Atonement

Atrovians were all lined up. Taking advantage of the situation, I placed myself in the midst of the Atrovians and peered below.

There was a large line of hooded men circling around Targon on the platform in the center of the arena. Another circle of men was lined behind the inner circle. Candles of every shape and size were on the surrounding tables, full of weapons from their training, and on the stairs. My eyes darted to my left and right. They were all lined up similarly to the men below. Above us, two levels were filled with men circling around the railings of the levels, listening to Targon.

“Let there be no doubt in your minds about my position here. I’m not here to leave you. I’m here to stay.” Targon’s voice echoed through the Atrove. “I’m here to earn your trust in me again. I’m here to change us for the better, make us stronger and give us more control over ourselves and over the surrounding countries. We will take control of Tehara, the way we were meant to, once and for all.” There were a few who shifted their steps near me. “It’s not right to have a leader who is both leading us and leading a country—it is not the way.”

He was talking about Ezra.

“This is not how it’s done. With him dead from the attack, a well-done sacrifice on our part, we’ll be continuing as we did eight years ago.” My heart froze. No. “But hear me as I say this—we will be better for it. There will be no traveling without your leadership knowing where and who you are with. Ruhn got comfortable with you all, and you became comfortable with him. None of you knew who he really was, and that, I swear to you, will not happen again. There will be new leadership assigned to each section of the Atrove.”

My hand lunged to my throat, and I took a step back, unconsciously. Assuming was different from hearing it as reality. He couldn’t really be gone. He couldn’t be dead.

I would meet him again soon.

In that same moment, and without meaning to, I stepped on one of the Atrovian’s boots. He grabbed my elbow before I crashed completely into him.

Whirling around, I saw he had a pale finger to his thin lips and pointed down to the left of the arena near Targon. My breath hitched, knowing this man knew I was an intruder, but he wasn’t attacking me. I followed his direction, my throat tightening.

Then I saw him.

The world stopped spinning for a moment. How had I missed him?

Ezra was to the left of Targon, behind another hooded Atrovian, seemingly in disguise. His large, tall frame, with one hand on the hilt of his sword attached to his hip. The hood not completely covering his beautiful, angular jaw. If the man behind me knew where Ezra was, then he was loyal. Meaning, I didn’t have to kill him for knowing. My eyes slid back to the man behind me. “I need a weapon.”

Without another passing moment, his hand emerged from his robes with a bow and arrow, offering it to me. Lips parted, I wrapped my hands over the glorious pieces. My eyes darted over to Targon. I couldn’t wait to kill him.

Kill him before he could hurt more people whom I cared about.

Ezra must have found me somehow and brought me to the chambers above the prison ones. He must have found me… My heart fluttered at the thought of him touching me.

He stood in a relaxed stance, listening to Targon, as if this wasn’t the man who stole everything from him. Targon was proceeding with his plans on how he was going to push more boundaries in order to gain more control over the surrounding countries. How he was going to have more laws around the citizens. First, they were going to honor the oldest Atrovians, those who were loyal to him. With a bowl of oil, he stepped down off the platform and approached the first man in the inner circle, in front of Ezra.

Ezra lowered his head, the hood covering his entire face, while Targon dipped his thumb into the oil and slid it across the forehead of the Atrovian in front of him.

“We are starting anew. Let this be the sign of rebirth.” He walked to the next in line in the inner circle and pressed his oily thumb into the forehead. He kept going one Atrovian at a time.

“A better place.” His voice remained the only sound that echoed across all floors. “A better leader.” I felt the man behind me stiffen his back, along with the man to my right, shuffling his feet.

Targon continued onto the second row of Atrovians, proceeding with the furthest point from Ezra. My heart pounded. “A better Atrove,” he continued.

“All is forgiven, all is anew.”

It was hard to breathe for a moment when the realization that he was my father, a slimy, murderous, greedy man for a father, pressed into my mind. How could he be my father? My fingers squeezed the bow and arrow. I could almost hear my heart pounding in my ears as I watched Targon approach Ezra.

Ezra lifted his free arm, sliding the hood from his face. Targon was about to press the thumb into his forehead when he stopped himself. I saw Ezra give Targon a gradual smile. A slow but steady murmur rose around all the levels as they cast their gaze on their leader, Ezra.

Ezra’s eyes were strong, piercing arrows to the bewildered Targon, full of rage and certainty. Targon stepped back with his jaw wide open, dropping the bowl of oil that splattered against the limestone.

“Hello, Salazar,” Ezra greeted, taking a step forward. That’s when I noticed his free hand had a short dagger already pinching into Targon.

That was my cue, and I made quick movements, heading to my right.

Targon was my kill.

“How did you do it?” I heard Targon say to Ezra, though his voice was much lower than it was moments ago. I slid down each step, getting closer to Targon. Atrovians moved out of my way.

“What? Two against how many was it that night that you sent to kill me? Fourteen of my own men?”

“They were no longer yours. As this is no longer yours.” Targon stepped up on the platform as Ezra continued his steps forward.