The Offering (The Pledge 3)

He never wanted to forget what the Astonians were capable of.

He witnessed the occasional body fleeing from the burning village, someone fortunate enough to make it out of the wreckage. Some made it all the way, unnoticed by the enemy forces.

And others, not so fortunate, were caught before they could make their escape into the blackness.

Those were the ones he could hear the most clearly, because they came the closest to where he and Claude were hidden.

He listened to their pleas for mercy, their unremitting sobs and promises to retract their loyalty from Queen Charlaina. And ultimately their final cries as they realized they would die this night, no matter what they promised. No matter where their allegiance lay.

Those were the ones that made Max sick. They were the ones who made him cover his mouth as he gagged and retched, until his nose burned with his own stomach acid and the smell of charred flesh.

XI

When morning came, my eyes were slow to open. They were sticky and raw, and I had to peel the lids apart. My neck ached from being crooked sideways against the rock wall where I’d fallen asleep. Everything about me, all the way to my bones, was cold and damp, and I was shivering long before I’d reached the point of awareness. The fog that had coated the land the night before had found its way inside our cavern, bringing with it a dank chill that saturated every nook and cleft and fissure.

As my eyes adjusted to the daylight coming in through the mouth of the cave, I could now make out the slick layer of moss I’d been able to only feel the night before. It covered every part of the walls and floors and ceiling. Much like the moss stuck to the rocks, my clothing stuck to my skin, damp where I’d been leaning against the slippery surface, and damp where I hadn’t been.

Brooklynn had fallen asleep leaning against my leg, and I shook her now to wake her. She was snoring once more, and the sound echoed inside the cavern we’d huddled in for the remainder of the night.

I didn’t remember the roar from outside coming to an end; I’d simply grown too weary to outlast it and had closed my eyes.

Now it was gone. The ground was still. The air was heavy and cold.

Rubbing my arms, I searched for Eden, who seemed to never sleep.

I found her outline against the mists, standing just beyond the entrance to the cave. She faced me, and when she saw me watching her, she nodded. Even from where I sat, her black eyes pierced the fog, telling me, without words, that something terrible had transpired.

“What was it? Did you discover the source of the sound?” I asked, climbing to my feet just as Brook lifted her head.

She knew; I could see it in her face as she frowned at me. “Tell me,” I insisted, crossing the cave floor.

She breathed heavily before answering. “Elena’s army. They’ve crossed into Ludania. That was what we heard last night. Her forces.”

Behind me I heard Brook scrambling to her feet. “What about us? Do you think they know we’re here? Did they find the VAN?”

I saw Eden shake her head, and heard her response, which sounded muffled and faraway in my ears. “I don’t think so. Far as I can tell, they passed right by us.”

But I didn’t care about any of that. All I could concentrate on was the meaning of what she’d said before that.

Elena’s army . . .

Here . . .

In my country.

I staggered backward, trying to find my breath and my balance. This was it, then. War, plain and simple. There was no other explanation.

And now, any hope I’d had of bargaining with the Astonian queen for peace had been all for nothing. I had no reason to try to convince her not to attack us, because she’d already done it. My worst fears had come true.

I dropped to my knees. What am I going to do now? What have I already done?

I’d made a terrible mistake, coming here. Leaving the palace in the first place on a selfish mission over a vague missive from a cruel and vengeful queen. I’d taken Brook—the commander of my armed forces—away when my armies needed her most. I’d taken Eden from my sister when she was at risk.

And I’d taken Ludania’s queen off her throne.

How could I have been so selfish? How could I have risked my country’s welfare for the chance to rid myself of Sabara?

It was too much—much too much to process.

“Get up,” Brook’s voice boomed from behind me. “You don’t have the luxury of falling apart now. So get up!” She hauled me up with hands that were demanding and not at all gentle. She was acting like a general, barking orders at one of her subordinates.

“Shut up,” I cried, the words falling pitifully from my lips. “Just shut up.”

Brooklynn shook me, forcing me to look at her. “I mean it, Charlie. You don’t get to pretend to be someone else anymore. You can’t be Layla. You’re the queen, and these are your people under attack now. So what that your plan didn’t work. We’ll come up with another. But we can’t just stay here in this cave. This is your country. This is our country,” she added, reminding me that I wasn’t alone.

I nodded, slowly at first, and then along with her as she released her grip on my arms. She was right. This was no time to fall apart.

I couldn’t stay here and let my people down. Not now, not when they needed me most. There had to be something I could do.

“Okay.” I nodded again, my chin lifting. “Let’s do this.” I turned to see if Eden felt the same way, and saw that she was nodding too.

Brooklynn grinned. “That’s better. So, what’s the plan? Where are we headed, Your Majesty?”