Ashes of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #2) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,75
hallway that led out into the fields behind this castle. It was probably where they were collecting the armor. Esme went back to her task when they were gone, and the children moved into another room to continue their game.
I stepped out of the shadows and walked toward her. Esme was helping a child into a dress, and she paused, lifting her head. Violet-colored eyes locked with mine, and she shooed the child away, rushing to me with purpose.
“You’re not a witch!” she hissed in a hushed tone, noting the smirk that played on my lips. “You’re a lot more than that. You need to explain, now. How am I supposed to get people here with the guise of saving them if things are happening that I don’t understand myself?” she demanded, her eyes studying the witches close to us.
“I told you I was more than just a witch. Does this mean I still cannot call you Esme, Esmerelda?” I countered, sliding my attention to the group of witches she’d collected, that were now watching us.
At least she had done as I’d asked while enjoying the show. I’d feared she would change her mind after watching me sink to my knees from Knox’s rattle, but let’s be real, who wouldn’t? Even his men had gone to their knees as he’d reminded the world he was the ultimate alpha caveman.
“Yeah, but you’re like him.”
“We’re something similar, yes. It doesn’t change who I am, no matter what I carry within me. I am Hecate’s granddaughter, and I intend to protect the witches who have not run amuck through the Nine Realms, rather than destroying it for their ill-gains. Our children do not deserve to be slaughtered, persecuted, or turned into slaves due to their genetics when they have done nothing wrong. Fueled by grief, Knox is prejudiced against us for the wrong-doings of the past. I plan to change that and make him see we can easily be on the same side.”
“The King of Norvalla isn’t wrong, though. The High Queen has allowed her followers to destroy anyone who doesn’t yield to Hecate’s reign. You haven’t been here, and suddenly you show up like some white knight that’s come to save a bitch. Why do you even care? We’re nothing to you. What stops you from joining his side, or worse, the high queen’s?” she asked as we moved toward a bench away from the others.
I sat down, staring up at Esme, considering my answer carefully. “When I was a child, I was told my grandmother was a saint, and that everything she did, she did for the greater good of the Nine Realms. In school, they taught us to worship her. The other races, too, and no one spoke about any of the Nine Realms’ shifters or other creatures. Why? What made our line so special that everyone had to learn about Hecate and all the things she’d accomplished while the other races had also done amazing things? Frequently, those made into saints are merely sinners, who crafted their stories to fit a narrative that made them appear good.
“I didn’t buy it. The shit our teachers were selling felt wrong. It felt forced, scripted, and contrived to turn people away from the fact that Hecate took control of a realm that wasn’t hers to take. Take Norvalla, for instance. They refused to bow to a false queen when Hecate wore the crown, demanding that every king and queen bowed to her alone. They wouldn’t adhere to her laws, and so bad things started happening to them. Their crops failed without cause, leaving the entire realm of Norvalla starving, forcing them into a trade market with other realms in which they didn’t have relationships. Joining the trade market opened their borders for the other realms and forced them to adhere to Hecate’s laws. That permitted outside influences and politics to occur that they’d refused to allow into their realm until Hecate forced them to obey her. However, the King of Norvalla found other resources and began trading with the King of Unwanted Beasts, another ruler who had refused to bow to Hecate.
“The summit of kings and queens turned into a slaughter. The opposing rulers, who had refused to bow to an unwelcomed, self-imposed queen, died, murdered on their departure to return to their homelands after still refusing Hecate’s rule. It’s not a coincidence that only those opposing her were murdered.”
“Hecate was slumbering during that time,” Esme pointed out, her brows wrinkling skeptically.