Page 71 of Obsidian Throne
It was Samu who answered, spitting on the ground. “You killed the rightful duke. You have no right to call yourself the heir, and if you are not the heir, then she is nothing.”
His accented words echoed through me. That was her game... Since Iiro couldn’t actually convict Evander of Aleksander’s murder, Ava was just going to turn his men against him.
I scanned the faces of the soldiers around us.
Some of them looked uneasy or had donned the same furious expression as Kirill, their hands resting on the hilt of their weapons. Though, quite a few stood with their arms crossed, clearly interested in what Samu had to say.
It didn’t matter, though, that there were more on our side. Because Ava knew and I knew and Evander knew that he wasn’t going to risk me getting killed.
Stars damn it all…
Sure enough, Evander held out a hand to stop the men who were going for their weapons. “No one moves while my wife is in danger.”
Helpless rage overtook me while his face darkened with fury.
“And we both know I am not the one who killed the duke.” He hurled the words at Ava.
The weight of my dagger on my thigh called to me. If I could access it without alerting anyone, I could at least get myself out of this mess, take any concerns for my safety off the table for Ava to use as leverage.
But I suspected the man holding me wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I tried. Ava or Samu would see from where they were poised between Evander and me.
“What is it that you want, Stepmother?” he asked again, his low tone more deadly than the sharpened blades of his sabers.
A slow grin spread over her lips.
“It’s not about whatIwant, so much as what the king wants,” she said with a shrug. “But I won’t deny that this brings me joy.”
“And what is it that our illustrious king wants?” Evander asked coldly.
“For you to pay for the sins of yourcrime, of course,” she said, playing to the rapt audience.
I wanted to scream.
We had our suspicions about her working with Iiro, but had the man truly orchestrated all of this to get rid of Evander? Was he planning to use him as an example to fortify his power?
“And what do you get out of this?” he demanded.
“Besides justice, you mean?” Her tone was full of false self-righteousness. “Protection, since you and your whore of a wife have both threatened me. A clan wife.”
Some of the men looked uncomfortable about her accusation, and my mind spun with ways to get us out of this.
“You can’t hope to win with a handful of men.” I tried to reason with her.
The grip around me tightened, squeezing the air from my lungs as her hateful voice rang out again.
“On the contrary,” Ava said, looking far too satisfied with herself. “Evander is going to order his men to stand down. There’s no reason to bring the wrath of Lochlann down on us for killing you unless we have to, and my stepson understands that.” She turned her attention back to Evander, her cruel smile twisting her features once more. “Don’t you?”
Furious tears stabbed at the back of my eyes as Evander’s gaze met mine. I saw in that moment that she was right.
He would face death at the hands of Iiro--hell, he would let his men die--just to keep me from danger.
“No.” I said the word even though I knew it would make no difference.
“Yes,” he countered, turning his attention back to Ava. “Let her go, and I’ll come with you. My men will escort her back to the estate, safely.”
A vicious chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head.
“The king wants her back at the Obsidian Palace as well,” she said dismissively. “And your men will come, too, to ensure they can be kept in line.”