Dusk of Dragons by Morgan Rice

Author:Morgan Rice [Rice, Morgan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan Rice
Published: 2020-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Lenore could feel her heart in her mouth as she walked toward the waiting emperor. A part of her felt certain that this was going to be a trap, that Ravin was going to cut her down the moment she reached him. It might have been more comforting to bring Odd with her, rather than leaving him with her lines, but even if she had Ravin might be able to strike so quickly that he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

She knew the dangers, but still she walked forward, toward the spot where Ravin waited with his sword stuck in the dirt, his gauntleted hands resting on the pommel. Lenore came forward to a distance where they could have shouted to one another, then to one where they could have talked simply by raising their voices. At each potential stopping point, the mockery of Ravin’s gaze made her take the next few steps.

“I was not sure you would come alone,” Ravin said. “I thought a girl like you would be afraid that I would cut you down.”

“My army can survive without me,” Lenore said. “Kill me, and my men will cut you down in turn. I am not a so-called emperor whose empire will fall apart without him.”

She heard Ravin let out a grim laugh as she stepped forward to meet him. She thought she saw his hand tense on the pommel of his sword, and felt a thrill of fear run through her. He started forward just slightly, and Lenore had to keep herself from reacting. This was him testing her, trying to work out how she would react.

“You think that you know me,” he said as she got close enough to talk. “You think you see what I am. You say that my empire would fall apart without me, as if that is an insult.”

“If you stood for something bigger than yourself, you’d understand,” Lenore replied.

“And what do you stand for, girl?” Ravin asked. “Some vague ideal of niceness and gentleness? It is not how the world works. Some parochial idea of throwing out all those who do not belong in your kingdom? You stand for nothing except your own place in the world.”

Lenore shook her head. “You could never understand.”

“I understand that I brought my kingdom together,” Ravin said. “I stopped all the petty wars. I brought together factions that had been killing one another for generations. I made our kingdom great and gave it direction.”

“By pointing it at others for invasion,” Lenore said.

“By rejoining what should always have been one kingdom,” Ravin replied. Lenore saw him move again, and still, she forced herself not to react. “You are braver than I thought you would be. You have achieved a lot, but this is where it ends for you.”

“Unless we end you,” Lenore shot back.

“You won’t,” Ravin said. “Your people will fight bravely, of course, because you will tell them that they have right on their side. They will throw themselves forward with enthusiasm, sure that they must win.

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