“Tell me to stop.” Four words that could mean so much. Tell me to stop—stop this war, stop the search for redemption, stop the quest for vengeance, stop this, whatever dangerous thing was about to happen in this moment, inching to inevitability. I didn’t want him to stop any of it. I wanted Atrius to destroy the Pythora King. I wanted him to do it slowly, painfully, relishing revenge. I wanted him to let me help. I wanted him to save his people. I wanted him to earn Nyaxia’s respect. I wanted to burn it all down with him. I murmured, “No.”
