Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,217

I didn’t blame her, she’d just signed her death certificate in my sister’s blood. I’d smelled the magic around Amara, but I’d trusted my eyes with the proof of her guilt. I needed to know how much of her death rested on Knox, if any. If he’d helped drive her into that kingdom of horrors, I’d never forgive him.

Knox may not have known about Amara or what Celia had done, but he was guilty of creating that monster the same as he was creating me. I’d spent enough time trying to reach him and learned that he wasn’t ready for me yet. I couldn’t force him to change his mind. And the moment Knox opened that tomb, all hell would break loose. It was time to initiate my exit plan, which I’d already begun.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Greer walked me around the palace, taking me deep into the family rooms. We silently made our way through the halls, him watching me as I took in painted pictures of Knox and his family. In every painting were his bride and him. I paused in front of one, studying the amulet Liliana wore that I suspected held the tonic that masked her scent.

Sliding my gaze to an image with Sven, my stomach tightened, noting his familiar features, complimented by dark wavy hair and striking blue eyes that looked up at his father as if Knox was his hero.

“Master Sven loved his father very much,” Greer said beside me, exhaling. “His mother, though, she wasn’t much for the rearing of her child. I think had Sven been born female. She may have taken a liking to him more.”

“You knew,” I stated, turning to look into Greer’s soft gray eyes.

“Know what, Aria?” he asked, his gaze sliding over my face.

“Nothing,” I swallowed, spinning toward the library as people stopped to watch us walking through the hallways.

The entire palace was a memorial to Knox’s family. Every hallway carried pictures or statues of what he’d loved and lost. On each one sat a hex bag, causing memories to spring to the front of people’s minds. It was like forcing someone to relieve Liliana’s and Sven’s deaths on repeat. People stood in front of the statues, sobbing over individuals who had been gone for five hundred years.

“You know, if you remove those bags that carry the hex to remember, people might eventually move on,” I stated beneath my breath, watching Greer pause to grab one.

I stopped, turning to see him toss the bag in his hand before slowly shaking his head. “I thought Celia added the bags to the statues to preserve them for a millennium. I had no idea that she was forcing everyone to relive the memories of the past. No wonder no one has moved on from the loss. That woman is a fierce hunter and refuses to allow Liliana to find some resemblance of peace in her death.”

“She says she has slept with Knox,” I pointed out, hearing Greer exhale, which was proof enough of Celia telling the truth. “That’s low, even for him.”

“Consider her hex bags as proof of her magic skills, Peasant. Celia is very adept at getting what she wants, and she very much wants your husband.”

“She can have him, with my blessing,” I returned, pausing in front of the library. “Where are the gargoyles?” I questioned.

“They’re around, but sometimes they need more sleep than usual. Like all creatures, they go through times where they need to create new life. When that happens, they choose to slumber to prevent creating life with another race.”

“Are they against creating mixed offspring?” I asked curiously.

Greer smiled, slowly shaking his head. “They turn to stone when they—release into their mate, returning to their hardening form. If they did so with another, they would die. They can only create new life with certain races in the Nine Realms. Witches are one of those, if that is what you’re asking.”

I snorted, rolling my eyes. “No, far from it,” I laughed as Greer’s eyebrows shot up, and his head canted to the side. “Thank you for showing me around the palace.”

“You mean the memorial?” he chuckled, watching my face fall. “Knox is worth saving, Aria. Some love is worth fighting to get and keep. I know you think he’s broken and that you won’t be able to reach him, but if anyone can, it is you.”

“You think I’m a miracle worker, Meat Suit. I’m afraid that after last night and this morning, I don’t care if he is saved or