Free Rise of the Seven by Melissa Wright Page B

experience in underground
maneuvers. By all accounts, she had plans to create a new council,
she had followers. But would she?
    I found it hard to believe. I wanted to think
it was true, that it wasn’t emotion driving the conviction. But I
had to look at the facts. Council had nearly destroyed the north.
They had used my mother as a pretense in their bid for control.
They’d been losing to Asher and they dealt with him. Junnie might
have split from council, but she still aimed for control. She might
have preferred me on the throne to Asher, but there was no
guarantee she didn’t want to rule all. Junnie was a match for me in
power, but now I had gained Asher’s as well. It was my only edge,
aside from my guard. But she could amass a council larger than any
of my forces.
    And then there was the child. Was Junnie
truly keeping Asher’s daughter because she felt it was wrong to do
otherwise, or because it would be her ally, her key to the
north?
    I rolled over, kicking the bed sheets away.
It could be the rogues. It could be the fey. It could be anyone.
But I really didn’t want it to be Junnie.
    My thoughts turned to Fannie then, betrayed
by her own father. He had essentially disowned her, choosing my
mother over her as his second, and then me after he’d all but
driven her insane. Fannie had turned to council to protect them, a
birthright, their kin, and council had betrayed them as well. When
her bonds began to break, she thought Junnie and council had
entrapped her, and she went for revenge. It had cost her life.
    My thoughts floated in and out of those
images, of Fannie razing the village that had been our prison, of
the fires that burned my mother. It was hard to say when they
morphed into dreams, but I could see my mother in a gown of azure
and lilac, leaning forward to whisper secrets.
    “ It was the bond,” she said
softly, “that was why my mother couldn’t leave him.”
    “ But–” I started, and her
finger came up to silence me.
    “ It isn’t right, my Freya. I
cannot let him destroy her family so he might lay claim to more
land.”
    And then she was burning.
The flames licked at her white gown, beaded and lacy. Screams
surrounded us, but I could hear her whispering, “Others will come.
Others will come.” The flames engulfed her and I was suddenly under
water, struggling for air. Others will
come .
    I jerked awake, damp with
sweat and panting. I lay staring at the ceiling, one thought
circling through my mind like a bird over prey. Others will come .
    Damn Asher. The bastard had made an army of
them, and they were going to come for me. One by one.

     
     
     
     

Chapter Eleven
    Decision
     
    Eventually, I accepted the fact that sleep
would not be returning anytime soon, and dragged myself out of bed.
I took a long bath before getting dressed, and let myself wince as
I laced a corset around my ribcage. It was getting better, though,
and I was able to take a few deep breaths before heading down to
find the others.
    I stepped into the hall and found Anvil
leaning against the wall beside my room. I raised a brow.
    “ Only until we are certain,”
he answered.
    I nodded. “It won’t be long, I assure
you.”
    He smiled a fiendish grin and I reached up to
clap him on the back as we made our way down the corridor.
    We found Ruby, Steed, and Grey in the dining
area. When we sat to join them, I realized they were eating lunch,
and wondered exactly how long I’d slept.
    After two servings of braised elk and
cornmeal, I decided I could face what I was going to have to do.
“Find Rhys and Rider, we’ll have a meeting as soon as everyone is
gathered.”
    I excused myself and headed for Chevelle’s
study. He was standing near the back wall, staring out the window.
The silver dagger lay on his desk.
    He turned and saw my focus.
    “ It is an alloy.”
    I lost all awareness of my intention.
“Alloy?”
    He nodded grimly. “Yes.”
    “ So...”
    “ So we have no idea the kind
of threats we’ll be