Deadwater Kings • Part I ✓

15. BLESS OUR BLOODY SWORDS WITH GRACE

"CHORUS: Brave girl.

KASSANDRA: People never say that to a lucky person, do they?"

―Aeschylus

Threads of silver swirled around the still-wet blood on Lin's blade. She threw it down on Greymark's desk. The metal bounced once, sticking to his papers.

He sighed, more put upon than anything, and lifted his gaze. "Is there any particular reason you killed four of my hunters?"

"Five." Lin leaned forward, planting her palms on the desk. She glared into his blue eyes. "Why did you kill Janus?"

"Who says I did?"

"The hunters that killed him."

Greymark inhaled sharply and stared back at her, a blankness to his eyes that she hadn't expected. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not in complete control of all my hunters. You're a prime example."

She groaned and pushed off, folding her arms over her chest. "You expect me to believe these were rogues? You'd have killed them if they were."

He didn't answer.

She licked her lips and smiled, a breathy laugh escaping her lips. Lin fought to regain control, but a series of slightly manic giggles was all she could convey. "You're—you're useless."

Greymark didn't get out of his chair the entire time. He just sat there, stonefaced. Like a brick. And he was about as useful as one.

"So – you – wait." She bent over and coughed out another laugh. "You can't control us?"

"Stop laughing." Her sigils compressed around her skin, tightening and cutting into her breath. A wash of stillness calmed her diaphragm and lungs, the spasms dying. Tears pricked her eyes at the feeling. She gasped and choked against her own skin.

"I'm not as weak as you seem to think, darling. As anyone seems to think." He stood up and took off his glasses, looking down at them. "But my powers are waning. That's where I need you."

Lin wanted to sit down. She wanted to leave. Still, the sigils held her like a vice.

"I could care less about Mara. About Wilson and Yelena, even Janus. I thought feudalism would be effective, but it's only brought on more chaos than I can stand. They all need to die so I can start over. But I'm not strong enough yet. This Witchking is drawing on my powers. She's dangerous and overconfident."

He must have felt her confusion, because he sighed and held up the glasses. "Do you have any idea how powerful love is?"

Her head was pounding from lack of oxygen, her vision greying.

"You would do anything to protect your parents. You joined me to ensure their protection. You took in that boy because you loved Alekhine." He smiled. "That's how deeply you love. If I told you to do something and held a knife over the boy's throat – you've only known him for a few weeks, mind you – you'd do so many terrible things."

His fingers twitched and she dropped to her knees, dragging in air desperately.

"My sister loved me like that. It blinded her. She loved me so much that when the waters rose and witches burned what was left, she made sure I would survive," he spread his hands, making Lin flinch away, "because she was the Witchking. The hunters' silver is just something she created to protect me from her people."

"What does that – " she coughed " – have to do with anything?"

"Witchkings control all magic. Even ours. When I killed my sister, she took all knowledge of that particular skill with her, but somehow the current Witchking knows. She's making me weak. I want you to kill her."

Lin blinked the tears from her eyes and swept her hair from her face, glaring up at him.

"The other Kings won't be satisfied with their halves of the world. They'll try to depose of me, I know it. Kill the Witchking first, then Mara." He slid a finger through the blood on her sword, the lines of silver gliding over to his finger and spiraling into his skin. "Or I'll kill everyone you love."

Lin's vision shook with rage for a split second. Her strained breaths tightened even more, her chin wavering.

"I don't think you want to hear what I'll do to them." He returned to his seat, tipping the sword onto the floor. It clattered down in front of her. "The Witchking is the one Alekhine was meeting. You'll recognize her."

A soft knock sounded out at the door, making Lin turn.

Razo stood at the entrance, glancing around.

"Ah, you made it," Greymark said mildly. "Good, Lin needs someone to watch her back."

Razo looked at Lin for only a moment, sliding over her distress. "Grey. Been a while."

"Yes, you seem to have gotten older."

Lin grabbed her sword. Stabbing Greymark was the most tempting action. It always had been. She ducked her head down and stormed out, brushing past Razo.

"Wait – Lin!"

"What?" she turned on him, her sword touching his beard, "what could you want? What could you help me with? Tell me, because I'm having a very hard time thinking of a reason not to kill you."

He lifted his hands slowly. "It's not me you want dead, girlie. That bastard in there's always been the enemy, you've got to remember that. Put your sword down and we'll find someone for you to vent on, alright?"

The tip of her sword wavered, dipping low until she finally cast it aside. It rattled along the tiles and crashed into the wall. She sniffled. "Okay."

"Well, I didn't mean throw it."

"It's not mine. It was Gerald's."

"Who's Gerald?"

"Gerald the Ginger. I killed him." She rubbed her face, smearing a little bit of blood on her cheek. "Hadrian said he had nicer hair than me."

Razo stared at her blankly. "The shit's Hadrian?"

"My apprentice."

He sighed, pinching his nose. He waved her along after him to the mirror room. "Guess we've got catching up to do, eh? Alrighty, let's get back to Sirenita, this place's giving me the chills."

Lin nodded, feeling a little light-headed. She prowled along behind Razo with her head down, her hair covering the reddened skin around her eyes.

"So, who's our target?"

She took a deep, shaking breath and carefully rearranged her thoughts. "Library first. We need more information."