Chapter 29

I inhaled sharply. “But—”

“We gave them a chance before,” Queen Eloana interrupted as she reached out, touching one of the roses. “The entire kingdom of Atlantia did. We allowed the vamprys to grow and flourish, believing that it would be the best for all, as long as they could control themselves. We were foolish to believe that. That choice—that optimism—will not be made again by the generation who already lived through that heartbreaking failure.”

Every part of me focused on her words as anger hummed in my chest. “And you? Do you want to make war?”

“Very few men don’t want to make war, while nearly every woman wants to end it. Most would believe the former causes the most bloodshed,” she said, running a finger over the ruby petal. “They’d be wrong. The latter is always the bloodiest, and always requires a great sacrifice. But, sometimes, no matter how many measures one takes, or how much they are willing to compromise, war cannot always be prevented.”

I stilled—every part of me going quiet. What she said was so similar to the voice—that strange, smoky voice—I had heard when we neared the city limits of Saion’s Cove. It had to be a coincidence because that voice had not been hers. “But what measures has Atlantia taken to compromise since the end of the last war?”

“Some would say allowing Solis to exist would be the greatest compromise we ever offered,” she returned.

“I would say that doesn’t sound like a compromise at all,” I stated. “It sounds like Atlantia basically closed their borders and spent centuries preparing for war, biding their time instead of trying to negotiate with Solis, despite the failures of the past. Meanwhile, the Ascended continued to grow, to kill, and to terrorize. So, no, that doesn’t sound like a compromise. It sounds like complicity to me. And trust me, I would know since I was complicit for years. The only difference is that I didn’t know the truth—and that is a poor excuse when all I had to do was open my eyes to what was really happening. However, those within Atlantia always knew the truth and did nothing, allowing the Ascended to take root.”

A sense of wariness radiated from Kieran as Queen Eloana left the blossom alone and looked at me. But if my words angered or upset the Queen, I truly did not care at the moment. She had basically just told me that my brother would be killed—that it didn’t matter if any of the Ascended were capable of change. And yes, I had my doubts, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t. And the innocent people who would die were sure as hell worth at least trying.

“Brave,” the Queen murmured. “You are very brave.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if it’s bravery or not. I know that Atlantia’s involvement would’ve been complicated, but neither Casteel nor I want war.”