War Storm (Red Queen) - Victoria Aveyard Page 0,196

at me because there’s simply no one else to glare at. “You’ll help fight them off?” As with Dad, I hear an accusation in him.

I can only shrug. It isn’t me he’s frustrated with, but the situation I keep finding myself in. Pulled toward danger, torn between Silver kings, a weapon to be wielded, a face to be used. “I don’t know,” I mutter. “We aren’t allied to him anymore.”

At my side, Kilorn shifts, uncomfortable on the tile. Or the subject. “And what about the other one?”

Around the cluster of chairs, my family blanches in varying levels of confusion. Mom crosses her arms over her chest, fixing me with a piercing stare I know all too well. “Who?” she asks, even though she knows. She just wants to make me say it.

Gritting my teeth, I force an answer. “He means Maven.”

My father’s voice turns deadly, like I’ve never heard it before. “He should be dead by now.”

“He’s not, and he’s here,” Kilorn snarls before I can stop him.

A pulse of fury thrums through my family, every face turning red, every lip curling, all eyes sharpening with glints of rage.

“Kilorn, don’t start trouble,” I hiss, squeezing his wrist. But the damage is already done. The silence around our circle runs heavy with scarlet anger, so strong I can almost taste it.

Finally, Gisa speaks, her tone as feral as my father’s. “We should kill him.”

My sister is not a violent girl, better suited to a needle than a knife. But she looks like she could claw Maven’s eyes out if given the opportunity. I would feel guilty for bringing this anger out in her, but I can’t get beyond the sudden swell of love, appreciation, and pride.

My brothers nod slowly, agreeing with her sentiment. They might even be cooking up some harebrained attempt to get into Maven’s cell right now.

“He’s valuable alive,” I say quickly, if only to stop them short.

“I don’t give a shit about his value,” Bree snaps.

I expect our mother to scold him for his language, but she isn’t bothered by the curse. In fact, she looks positively murderous herself, and for an instant I see the violent love of Queen Anabel, Larentia Viper, and even Elara Merandus in her eyes. “That creature took my son from me, and he took you.”

“I’m right here, Mom,” I murmur, swallowing around the sudden, painful memory of Shade.

“You know what I mean,” she says. “I’ll slit his throat myself.”

Most shocking of all is Dad’s silence. He’s a naturally quiet man, but not when it comes to despising Silvers. When I glance at him, I realize why he won’t say anything. Because he can’t. His face is a furious red, boiling with a steady, rising hatred. If he opens his mouth, who knows what might tumble out.

“Can we talk about something else?” I have to ask, looking around at the rest of my family.

“Please do,” Dad barely manages through gritted teeth.

“You all look well,” I say quickly. “Is Montfort—”

Mom seems annoyed, but dips her head in acceptance. She answers for all of them, cutting me off. “It’s a dream, Mare.”

My natural suspicion flares, in spite of all I know about Davidson. But I don’t know his country or his city. I don’t know the politicians he serves or the people they represent.

“Is it too good, though?” I ask. “Do you think we’ll wake up to find ourselves in trouble? To find something gone horribly wrong?”

She heaves a heavy sigh, looking out at the sparkling lights of Ascendant. “I suppose we should always be wary but—”

“I don’t think so,” Dad offers, neatly finishing her thought. His words are few but expressive. “This place is different.”

Gisa nods along with them. “I’ve never seen Reds and Silvers together like this. Back in Norta, when I went to sell with my mistress, Silvers wouldn’t even look at us. Wouldn’t touch us.” Her brown eyes, the same as mine, glaze a little as she remembers her life as it was so long ago, before a Silver officer smashed apart her sewing hand. “Not here.”

In his seat, Tramy settles back, some of his ire melting away. Like a cat smoothing his fur after a scare. “We feel like equals.”

I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of me. They’re family to the lightning girl, a valuable asset to the Montfort premier. Of course they’d be treated well. But I don’t say any of that out loud, if only to maintain some kind of peace on an otherwise tumultuous night.