The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Chapter 29
I inhaled sharply. “But—”
“We gave them a chance before,” Queen Eloana
interrupted as she reached out, touching one of the roses.
“The entire kingdom of Atlantia did. We allowed the
vamprys to grow and flourish, believing that it would be the
best for all, as long as they could control themselves. We
were foolish to believe that. That choice—that optimism—
will not be made again by the generation who already lived
through that heartbreaking failure.”
Every part of me focused on her words as anger
hummed in my chest. “And you? Do you want to make
war?”
“Very few men don’t want to make war, while nearly
every woman wants to end it. Most would believe the former
causes the most bloodshed,” she said, running a finger over
the ruby petal. “They’d be wrong. The latter is always the
bloodiest, and always requires a great sacrifice. But,
sometimes, no matter how many measures one takes, or
how much they are willing to compromise, war cannot
always be prevented.”
I stilled—every part of me going quiet. What she said
was so similar to the voice—that strange, smoky voice—I
had heard when we neared the city limits of Saion’s Cove. It
had to be a coincidence because that voice had not been
hers. “But what measures has Atlantia taken to compromise
since the end of the last war?”
“Some would say allowing Solis to exist would be the
greatest compromise we ever offered,” she returned.