Filed To Story: Between Two Kings: A Split or Swallow Book PDF Free
“Gabriel,” she said slowly. “What exactly have you seen?”
Gabriel rolled his shoulders. His normally relaxed posture was stiff, his arms crossed protectively. He didn’t look her in the eye as he answered. “I see how they eat, how they live. I see that they’re still drenched in gold while the rest of us starve.” He paused, and his next words came quietly. “And I saw how they freed the snakes.”
Tem’s heart thudded in her chest. “What do you mean?”
Gabriel finally looked at her. “You know what I mean.”
For the first time, Tem heard accusation in his tone. She wondered what he’d overheard within the castle walls. Did he understand that it was ultimately Tem’s plea that had freed the basilisks? The last time they were here, she’d told him she was half-basilisk. He’d been understanding then. Would he hold it against her now? Tem and Gabriel had never faced a crossroads in their friendship, never reached a point where their ultimate goals were at odds. Now Gabriel was protesting the very thing Tem had begged for-the thing she knew was right. It felt deeply unfair that a win for the basilisks was a loss for the humans. It always would be.
Tem raised her hand, cupping his cheek. “We said no more secrets,” she whispered. “We promised each other, remember?”
Gabriel sighed. “I remember.”
Tem opened her mouth to say something else, but a cheer from the bar cut her off. The men were heading toward the door.
Gabriel stood, and Tem stood with him. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I want to come.”
Gabriel shook his head. “It’s not safe for you.”
“Then it’s not safe for you either.”
“Just go home, Tem. Please.”
She shook her head. “If you’re going, I’m going. That’s final.”
A tiny smile split Gabriel’s face. “You are rather stubborn tonight, dearest.”
Tem rolled her eyes. “Every night.”
With a sigh, Gabriel hooked his arm through hers. Together, they joined the crowd and filed out onto the street.
Tem had no idea what to expect. Energy was high-the men were whooping and yelling and clapping each other on their shoulders. There were no women that Tem could see, and she wondered if their husbands had forbidden them to come the same way Gabriel had just tried to do to her. Most of the windows around them were dark-it was after dinner, and the children of the village were asleep. As they approached the town square, a chant formed. Three words, over and over:
“Kill the snakes! Kill the snakes! Kill the snakes!”
A horrible chill slipped down Tem’s spine.
It was the same thing the villagers had chanted after the Passing of the Crown. That day had been a tumultuous one; several men had stormed the stage, putting the prince and his family in danger. Tem still remembered the way Gabriel had leapt into action to protect Leo on her behalf. Afterward, Leo had shown up on her doorstep and she’d wiped a drop of blood from his cheek. They’d kissed, and Tem had decided his family’s sins were not his own. But the villagers were not so easily persuaded. And who could blame them?
The chanting grew louder as they rounded the corner to the town square. Gabriel’s arm was tight in Tem’s as they crossed the cobblestone square and reached the church steps. But they didn’t climb them. Instead, Tem saw a dozen soldiers stationed in front of the enormous wooden doors. They were dressed in armor stamped with the royal insignia: a snake dueling with a rooster.
“They’ve been here ever since your wedding,” Gabriel said over the chanting. “Protecting the church.”
“Why?”
“The royals built it.”
Tem stared at the church, at the statues of the gods. It was Kora’s house of worship, and it was supposed to be sacred. It was also the nicest building in the village. Surrounded by thatched huts, its marble walls stood out like a sore thumb. Tem glanced around the crowd, which was far more than a dozen people. The guards were outnumbered.
“Gabriel,” she said. “What are they going to do?”
“Send a message,” he said simply.
Dread pierced her. The men were in a frenzy. Even Gabriel’s lanky frame couldn’t shield her from getting jostled.
“You should get out of here,” he said in her ear.
“What about you?”
“I have to do this.” His words were laced with deeper meaning.
“No.” Tem shook her head. “You don’t.”
“Just stay here, Tem. Please. I need you to be safe.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but Gabriel was already gone. Tem watched his shoulders as he moved through the crowd, corralling the men toward the church.
What happened next was a blur. One moment the crowd was stationary, and the next, they were moving, surging toward the guards. From her standpoint on the sidelines, Tem could see the panic in their eyes as the villagers descended upon them in a merciless wave. If it wasn’t for Gabriel, she would have run away. Instead she watched as he guided the crowd, directing them so they were pushing the guards to the right side of the church. At first, Tem thought they were clearing a path so they could enter. Instead, just one man ascended the steps. He wore black gloves on each hand and held a wooden bucket. When he reached the middle of the steps, he knelt, plunging his hand into the bucket and pulling out what looked like mud.
“Hey!” one of the guards cried, pointing at him. “Stop that at once!”
But the kneeling man ignored him, leaning over the steps to spread the mud onto the marble. Just then, the wind turned, and Tem’s face twisted as a foul smell brushed against her nostrils. It wasn’t mud. She would have recognized that stench anywhere-she’d grown up with it clinging to her clothing, lingering in her hair no matter how much she washed it. She knew exactly what the man was spreading all over the steps of the church.
Chicken shit.
It was unimaginable-such a horrible desecration Tem couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She covered her nose with her sleeve in an attempt to keep the smell out, but nothing could block such a stench. It was then that Tem realized the man was writing something. Two words, smeared across the smooth, white marble of the church steps for everyone to see:
Feed us.
Tem stared at the dark brown letters. It was a desperate plea, a clear symbol of how the villagers felt about the food shortages, not to mention the murders of Jonathan and Christopher. They would never forgive such an act of violence, especially not when it had broken the truce. Nor should they. Caspen had gone unpunished. And since he was not available to reprimand, they would choose the next person in power: Leo. The villagers didn’t know that Leo’s kindness was the reason they were starving. They didn’t know he tried to do the right thing, that his choices were born from a desire to do what was best for Tem’s people as well as his. All they knew was that their king was lenient in a way that previous kings hadn’t been. All they knew was that the food on their tables had become scarce, that their clothing was fitting looser. They attributed such detriments to the royals, to the snakes, to Leo. But really, they were Tem’s fault. She was at the center of it all; she had called for the bloodletting to cease. She had begged Leo to choose.
Tem understood their anger. But to put it on the steps of the church was unfathomable-she had never seen such a horrible display of disrespect. And yet, they had every right to do so. The royals were supposed to protect their subjects. They were not supposed to sequester themselves in their castle while everyone else starved.
No sooner was the man finished than the crowd dispersed. The villagers sprinted in every direction, scattering down side streets before the guards could decide who to run after.
Gabriel’s beautiful golden hair was suddenly before her. His lip was cut.
“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the nearest alleyway. They ran together all the way to the edge of the village, only stopping once they’d nearly reached the wall.
“Gabriel,” Tem panted, nearly doubling over as she caught her breath. “That was-“
“Amazing,” he said.
She looked up at him. Inexplicably, he was smiling. “Dangerous,” she insisted. “That was dangerous, Gabriel. What if someone had gotten hurt?”
“We all knew the risks.”
“You can’t ever do anything like that ever again. You could lose your job. What if one of the guards had recognized you?”
“The guards don’t come inside the castle.”
“Still, you-“
“Tem,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Stop. I came up with a plan, I organized everyone, and the plan worked.
I did that.”
Tem stared up at him in disbelief. His eyes were bright, his face lit up. Clearly this made him feel alive. Somehow, despite herself, Tem found she understood the feeling. Gabriel had just discovered that he was good at something. Tem of all people knew how empowering that could feel. She just wished that the thing he was good at wasn’t protesting the royals.