“You’ve not been moved by the word of the Second Son?”
Maxine let out a sharp laugh devoid of any humor. “I’ve spent my life in the military and the guard. I do not need to devote myself to a deity to hear criticism about emotional women.”
Elodie had never considered that Maxine’s icy exterior might be a front put up for her own protection. “I cannot imagine what that must have felt like, all those years surrounded by a suffocating layer of doubt from your peers.”
Maxine snorted. “Yes you can. It’s been happening to you since the moment you took the throne.” She was not wrong. Still, it irked Elodie to hear the truth stated so plainly. “Now tell me, Majesty, what are you are really doing in this wing?”
The queen met the girl’s brown eyes. “What can you tell me about combat?”
For the first time in their years of interaction, Maxine looked truly surprised. “I do not know that it is simple enough to summarize,” she said, frowning. “It is messy, complex, and ultimately fruitless. No one wins a war, Majesty. There is always something irreparably broken. Always something irrevocably lost.”
“But is it not exhilarating?” Elodie urged. “I remember the tales you told upon your return from the training grounds. Tal was so inspired by the decorated soldiers you had learned from. You lauded the virtues of the men on the front lines.”
These were the stories that had ultimately convinced Tal to enlist. He had extolled Maxine’s proximity to valor, and promised Elodie that he, too, would return with tales worth telling.
“We are instructed to shield new recruits from the truth,” Maxine said, her voice unbearably pained. “Sometimes, one must turn horror into heroics in order to survive.”
The hall was quiet as the guard’s words seeped into Elodie’s skin. “How can anyone emerge victorious?” The queen was not certain if that was her true question, but it was the only one she could manage.
“You sacrifice only what you are willing to lose,” Maxine said, simply. “That way, regardless of the outcome, you can stand by your decisions. Which is more than most generals can claim. More than most commanders are willing to consider.”
Elodie tamped down the well of emotion that threatened to spurt from her chest. She had come here looking for guidance, and instead had been offered an intimate glimpse of a woman harboring a great deal of hurt. Elodie could not change what Maxine had witnessed, could not fix what had been broken within, but she could take her advice and ensure she learned from the mistakes of others.
“Thank you.” The words felt too small for the magnitude of trust that had passed between them, but she could not let the moment go unnoticed.
“I’m sure I don’t know what for.”
“Your honesty,” Elodie said. “Your trust. And your willingness to do what I ask of you next.” She grimaced. She had been concerned by their lack of military leadership, unable to rally fighters and plot against an organized army on her own. Now she knew exactly who might lead.
Maxine raised her eyebrows.
“You’re being promoted,” Elodie said. “Effective immediately, you are the commander of Velle’s city military. The country’s army has failed, and now we are under imminent threat of invasion from the Republics. I need you to organize our homegrown militia and engineer new ways to fight back. We cannot lose the New Maiden to the Second Son. I won’t allow it. And now I know that you won’t, either.”
Maxine’s eyes glittered curiously. “Majesty, are you sure?”
Elodie nodded. “Your loyalty is sound, your sword is strong, and your anger is sharp. I’ve never been more certain. Now, will you fight with me?”
“It would be my honor.” Maxine offered the queen a taut salute. “Let’s give Him hell.”
Tal
His rage alone could not sustain him. Tal needed the anger of others if he was going to survive the darkness poisoning his mind.
With Tal’s renewed focus on His mission came an increase in converts. Loyalists, citizens, and soldiers alike all joined His cause. As Tal had done once in the training yard, he traded the Second Son’s teachings for their bitterness. He shuddered at the contents of their hearts. Some held cruelty that rivaled his father’s. Others were broken, drenched in embarrassment disguised as rage. He could not empathize with those whose anger derived from perceived slights or entitlement. Bruised egos were not adequate fuel against Her torrent of profound emotion. The Second Son’s word was meant to protect the world from Her darkness.
No matter their mettle, each new follower’s offering provided Tal relief. A counterpoint to the slippery voice that had taken residence inside his head.
You haven’t the faintest idea what you’re up against, the voice would berate him. You know not for whom you fight.
The voice was wrong. Tal fought for himself. Just like Sebastien, he had been punished for his emotions while people like Elodie and Sabine could flaunt their feelings any way they wished. The Queen of Velle had proved she could love, so long as the object of her affection was not him. The New Maiden reincarnated was allowed to weep, using magic tears to manipulate the masses, emoting in ways Tal never could.
That inequity violated justice. It set them firmly on opposite sides. And even if Tal’s allies did not have the purest of hearts, they understood one vital truth: The New Maiden would be His undoing, unless he undid Her first.
PART FIVE
He had not meant to kill Her. The Second Son only meant to siphon the darkness from Her soul as She slept. But just as he felt the familiar twinge of pain, the slithering shadow returning to its owner, the New Maiden awoke.
She did not recognize his silhouette. She fought and She flailed. Sebastien tried to silence Her, and he did not notice his fingers tighten around Her throat until She stopped moving. Until the life was extinguished from Her eyes.
The Second Son had not expected the New Maiden to break so easily. He had tried to help Her. Instead, She made him a murderer.
If She had not been so fragile, his darkness would not have corrupted Her so easily. If She had trusted him, he might have saved Her. If She had not coerced him into being vulnerable, She could have survived.
Sebastien finally understood his father’s teachings. Feelings made you a victim. Emotions led to corruption. Love only ever led to loss.
The Second Son could not undo his mistakes, but he could ensure that his fate befell no others. He would save the world from hurt. He would protect Her Favoreds from the truth of the New Maiden’s death, from the fact of Her weakness. And then perhaps, one day, he could wash Her blood from his hands.
—Psalm of the Second Son
29
Their patchwork army assembled in waves.
