Captive and Crowned

by Elizabeth Newsom

  When her chest finally loosened enough for her to gain a brief reprieve, Alaric brought a glass vial to her lips. The antidote. Sephtis must have given it to Alaric while she’d been spewing her guts out.

  She downed it all. The taste of rotten eggs nearly tempted her to vomit again, but after a few seconds, the nausea roiling in her stomach eased. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m guessing that was the deadly poison?”

  Sephtis chuckled. “Oh, no. That was quite mild.”

  If the deadly poison was worse, would she even survive it?

  Alaric reseated himself next to her, every part of his body rigid. “Next time, Evelyn, I’ll drink it. I won’t have you risking your life for this man’s amusement.”

  Before Evelyn could argue with him, Sephtis said, “My turn for a question: how is your mother?”

  She jerked back. “My… mother?”

  “You visited her, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I–I did.” He wanted to know about her mother? “Aren’t you divorced?”

  Sephtis’ brows crumpled downward. “We are separated, but not legally divorced.” He pulled on a chain around his neck and lifted it, revealing a golden ring dangling from the end. His wedding ring. “Your mother likely threw hers away, but I still have mine.”

  She rubbed the heel of her palm against her aching chest. Was this all a ploy to make her sympathetic toward him? If so, why bother? A quick glance at Alaric’s expression revealed he held similar suspicions.

  Sephtis stuffed the ring back beneath his shirt collar. “Try to answer sometime this eternity, please.”

  “Why the rush?” Alaric asked.

  “We need to finish before you’re noticed missing from your cell.”

  Her chin dropped down a notch. “You mean the other Scorpio don’t know about this?”

  Sephtis waved his hand. “We were talking about your mother.”

  He was taking enormous risks to play this game of his. “She’s well, I suppose. I’m afraid I kind of freaked her out,” even as she laughed, her eyes tingled with unshed tears, “so she’s moving again.”

  He nodded slowly. “That’s to be expected. She moves quite often.”

  “How do you know this?”

  He ran his thumb along the velvet red armrest, as if nonchalant, but his gaze darkened with emotion. “I like to keep tabs on her, as you say on Earth. Make sure she’s safe, financially stable. Next goblet.”

  Alaric slid the royal-blue one closer, leaving the pitch-black goblet, the emerald, sunset orange, and teal. The drink was translucent, and though the blue liquid was cloudy, she could make out the glimmering bottom of the goblet.

  Alaric sipped. After a few seconds, he said, “Our turn for a question.” He nodded toward her. “What would you like to ask, Evelyn?”

  Evelyn drew in a deep breath. This would be a rather sensitive question for Alaric, but they both deserved answers. “What happened to Alaric’s parents?” Draven had implied he’d killed both of them, but likely he’d done so to aggravate Alaric. There was more to the story.

  Alaric drew a sharp breath, his gaze flicking to Sephtis.

  Sephtis’ expression was unnaturally blank. “What makes you think I know?”

  “Even if you weren’t the one to kill them, you’re like the head honcho of the assassins around here, even of the other Scorpio leaders.” She set her folded arms on the table and leaned forward. “You know.”

  “Yes, I do.” He rubbed his chin. “You know they were murdered.”

  “Obviously.”

  “As was Duchess Sabil, Draven’s mother.”

  “What does this have to do with—”

  “Must I truly spell it out for you? King Vulcan had a mistress—”

  “I know, I know. Sabil was his mistress, and it was rumored she killed Amara, Alaric’s mother.”

  “She did.”

  “And did you assist her?” Alaric growled, his eyes dark with murderous intent.

  “She didn’t use my services, if that’s what you’re asking. Vulcan knew it was her, though he didn’t have enough evidence to convict such a powerful duchess. So he hired me.”

  “What?” Draven darted toward Sephtis, only to freeze when Sephtis stuck a hand inside his cloak. What dangerous item did Sephtis have that would make Draven pull back so abruptly?

  Draven stood rooted to the spot, his entire body trembling. “You killed her.”

  Sephtis cleared his throat. “As I was saying, the King didn’t know that Sabil had already paid me to deliver her poison with which to kill herself.”

  Draven’s face paled. “Liar. She would never just leave me like that. She wouldn’t—”

  “She’d had her vengeance, and she knew the King wouldn’t ever love her again.”

  “But you accepted pay from Vulcan?” Evelyn asked.

  “I did. If I was to get paid twice for one deed, why not?” He shrugged, his cloak rustling. “And I was able to charge the King a high price for the murder of a duchess.”

  “What did he pay you?”

  “I asked him to make a law requiring his son to marry a Hybrid. He didn’t much care for his son or my motivation behind such a strange request, so he accepted. Soon after Duchess Sabil died, her grieving son came to me.” Sephtis glanced at Draven, who’d fallen completely silent. “Draven had seen me meet with his mother before, so he knew how to contact me. He said he’d give me anything if I could only kill the King.”

  “And you did.”

  “No. I offered him something better: the opportunity to kill the King himself. Unlike Sabil, the King deserved to be murdered, and I had no qualms about assisting in his death. And so began Draven’s apprenticeship.”

  Draven muttered a curse. “I knew you’d convinced King Vulcan to make a law, but I didn’t realize—” He stopped midsentence and strode to the back of the room.

  Evelyn felt a surge of sympathy for him. In some ways, Sephtis had used him as much as he’d used her. So much death, and corruption, and heartbreak. “This can stop with us.”

  “Pardon?”

  “There doesn’t have to be more bloodshed and murder. Alaric and I can make fair laws for Hybrids—or whatever you want.”

  “You can’t give me what I want.” Sephtis fingered the silver chain on his neck, the links twinkling in the light. The necklace on which he kept his wedding ring.

  “You want mom back.”

  Her leaving must have left a larger hole in his life than she’d realized. Was conquering the kingdom some sort of substitute for her love? That was a rather extreme coping mechanism…

  His expression shut down, leaving no remnants of emotion. “You still have four more goblets to choose from. And Evelyn, I’d like you to answer this question.”

  Alaric tugged against his bindings, making the chains rattle. “No. I can drink the rest.”

  “But my next question is specifically for her.”

  “Regardless, I can drink it, and then you can ask her your question should the goblet be poisoned.”

  Evelyn touched Alaric’s clenched fist. “It’s all right. He has all the antidotes, remember?”

  “I know. But I don’t like this.”

  Sephtis sighed. “Should this be of comfort, this is the only other question I need to ask of her specifically. After this, you’re more than welcome to drink the remaining goblets yourself.”

  Evelyn slid the last four closer, ignoring as Alaric protested. She tapped the rim of the goblet with the emerald-green liquid. “Green is lucky. And it’s the color of your eyes.”

  Alaric cast her a small smile, which quickly faded as Evelyn drew the goblet to her lips.

  Almost immediately, she felt the blood rush from her head as dark spots swarmed across her vision. Just as the world started swaying, she felt the cool press of glass on her lips. She drank the antidote and grimaced at the sour aftertaste. Her dizziness faded and the black spots disappeared with it.

  “I suppose it’s your turn to ask a q
uestion, Sephtis.”

  He nodded. “Within the past twenty-four hours, you’ve chosen Alaric over Draven multiple times. Why?”

  Evelyn could scarcely do more than gape at him. Of all the things he could have asked, she never thought he’d ask that. She contemplated what she’d say, but before she’d finished, the true answer bubbled up and escaped her lips, “I love him. He’s bossy and annoying and overprotective—”

  Alaric snorted.

  “—but I love him. I choose to love him.”

  Surprise flashed across Sephtis’ expression. Ouch. But given her earlier beliefs and behavior, she supposed it was understandable that he’d thought she was incapable of truly loving someone.

  Alaric slid the orange goblet toward himself. Its color reminded her of orange juice. Hopefully it wasn’t poisoned.

  Alaric tipped the goblet and swallowed. He drew a sharp breath, his hand clasping his throat.

  He was suffocating.

  Evelyn snatched the antidote from Sephtis’ outstretched palm and poured it down Alaric’s throat.

  Alaric coughed a few times before drawing a deep breath. “You have… quite the variety of fast-acting poisons.”

  Sephtis swept his hand across the table, collecting the empty glass vials. “It is my specialty. Now, I have a hypothetical scenario for you.”

  “Go on.”

  “Let’s say I release you. In return, you clear my record so I’m no longer a criminal and make me lord of a piece of land in Silva. In addition, I’d also like you to capture the other crime lords.”

  Alaric stared at Sephtis, and Evelyn could practically see him processing the offer. “Do you jest?”

  “I assure you, I’m quite serious.” Sephtis steepled his fingers together. “If I release you, then the crime lords would discover you missing once dawn comes. They’d try to track you down and bring you back initially. If that failed, they’d destroy this base and hide, since they’d rightly suspect you would return with an army to capture them. This is why I would help you. I’d give you a list of the crime lords and the coordinates to each of their safe houses.”

  “I see. So what’s your question?”

  “My question is would you find this arrangement agreeable?”

  Alaric shared a look with Evelyn. “Perhaps. But why would you offer it? Ruling a small piece of land in Silva is far less than ruling a kingdom.”

  “It’s not your turn for a question, Your Highness.”

  Alaric huffed and drank the teal-colored drink. When nothing happened, he asked, “Why would you offer this? What do you have to gain?”

  “Power, money, and perhaps absolution,” he answered. “Though I’ve gained quite a lot from working with the crime lords,” he gestured to his luxurious room, “as I’m sure you’ve gathered, they’re also plotting to kill me. I have more power and influence, and they would like to change that. Even if I ruled the kingdom with them, it would only be a matter of time before they successfully eliminated me. Which is why I’d like you to imprison them for me. As for money, Silva grows thick forests of sandalwood trees. That particular wood makes a fortune on Earth, you know. A lucrative amount of money, really.”

  “And absolution?” Evelyn asked, her voice near a whisper.

  Sephtis’ gaze settled on her. “I realize that perhaps I’ve made an error, a rare miscalculation.”

  “How so?” Alaric asked.

  Sephtis’ eyes remained locked with hers. “In my mind, I give people what they deserve. King Vulcan deserved death. Sabil deserved release. And you, Evelyn… I thought you deserved the worst this world had to offer. But as the King stated earlier, I was mistaking you for your mother. That was a grave mistake, and something I mean to rectify.”

  Just as she felt her heart softening, Sephtis suddenly laughed. “Though not at the sake of my power, mind you. I’ve worked decades training my assassins, and I intend to take most of them into my employment. Legal employment, of course.”

  Was this his idea of an apology?

  Sephtis stood. “Do we have a deal, King Alaric?”

  “What about the game, Sephtis?” Alaric nodded toward the remaining goblet, filled with the inky black liquid.

  “The game was just a means to achieve this deal—and to find out if I had truly misjudged Evelyn. None of them possess a truly deadly poison or it would have cut our game short. If you must know, that particular goblet is infused with a mild poison, but I digress.” Sephtis extended his hand. “What say you?”

  “What happens if I refuse?”

  “Then you’ll be returned to your cell, and Evelyn will be delivered to the palace.”

  Alaric’s lips tightened. “When you put it like that, the offer does seem rather tempting… How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

  Sephtis swept the goblet of teal-colored liquid off the table and sipped at it. “I vow I will fulfill my end of the bargain.”

  “And am I supposed to believe your word?”

  Sephtis grinned and held up the goblet, as if toasting them. “After I’ve drank truth serum, yes.”

  “Truth serum…” Alaric’s eyes widened in realization. “All of the goblets contained truth serum.”

  Which explained why her father had asked her why she’d chosen Alaric. He’d wanted proof that she’d truly changed. Like her actions from earlier weren’t proof enough.

  Sephtis nodded. “Yes. It’s a short-acting truth serum, so you needed to take it right before I asked you a question. So do we have a deal?”

  Alaric turned toward her. “What say you, Evelyn?”

  She studied Sephtis’ expression. For once, he wasn’t glaring at her in disgust. “I’m not sure how much we can trust him, but I think most anything beats staying here.”

  “In that case,” Alaric stood, “I believe we have a deal.” He clasped hands with Sephtis.

  Sephtis stood back, his arm falling back to his side. “I knew you’d see reason. Four days from now, I’ll meet you by the portal you used to travel to Earth. I’ll give you the list of the crime lords’—and lady’s—locations. You’ll give me the documents proving that I’m no longer a crime lord but a Silvan lord.”

  “Agreed. Now how are Evelyn and I to escape?”

  Sephtis strode toward a wall panel and pressed against it. It clicked open, revealing a dark passage. “Draven will guide you to the end. Once you’re outside, fly north and you’ll reach Octavya within a few hours.”

  Alaric tensed at the sound of Draven’s name. “I see.” He turned to face Draven, who was sitting in the back of the room. “And what would you like as a result of these negotiations? Your title back, perhaps.”

  “There’s no need.” Draven rose to his feet and stepped into the passage.

  As Alaric began to follow, Sephtis stopped him before whipping a key out of his pocket and unlocking Alaric’s chains, which clattered to the floor. Alaric nodded before continuing into the passage.

  Evelyn slowed as she passed Sephtis—a man she’d once called father. “Are you going to flee after we do?”

  He shook his head. “No. To do so would cause suspicion. Even if the other crime lords are captured, they have many alliances. I’d rather them not know that it was I who betrayed them.”

  “Thank you for doing so.”

  He frowned slightly, his gaze darting away from hers. “I didn’t do it solely for your benefit.”

  “I know. But I appreciate it regardless.”

  She began to move past him, but he caught her hand. “Evelyn, I–I’m sorry.” Sephtis’ voice sounded rusty, almost as if he weren’t used to apologizing. “Be safe, daughter.”

  Evelyn’s throat tightened. It was almost hard to believe his words after everything that had happened, but she was grateful he’d spoken them nonetheless. “Thank you… father.”

  Evelyn entered the tunnel, damp, cold air washing over her, and her father closed the passageway door behind her. She bumped into someone.

  “Watch your step, Evelyn,” Alaric said. He
held her hand, interweaving their fingers together.

  Draven said, “If you’re both ready, we’ll start making our way down the tunnel.”

  “We’re ready,” Alaric answered for both of them.

  Draven’s footsteps echoed against the stone as he began walking. Evelyn clung to Alaric, relying on him to guide her. If only night vision had been among one of her Hybrid abilities.

  Though she strained her ears, she could hear little aside from their footsteps and the soft whisper of their breathing. That was likely the last time she’d see her father. And this was likely the last time she’d see Draven.

  “Draven?” she asked.

  “Yes, Evelyn?”

  “Do you plan to go with Sephtis back to Silva?”

  “People might recognize me there, and in addition, after what Sephtis has done...” He let out a sharp exhale. “Perhaps he didn’t murder her, but he played a part in her death. I think it’s best I cease my apprenticeship with him. I’ll travel to Taijeng instead. I have some unfinished business there.” His steps slowed. “I believe we’ve reached the end of the tunnel.”

  So this was goodbye. She felt strangely melancholy at the thought. He had betrayed her, but in many ways he’d also helped her. “Thank you, Draven.”

  “Of course. I wish both of you the best.”

  Alaric brushed past her silently. Apparently he didn’t have anything to say to Draven. Metal squeaked, like a latch being slid aside. “Come, Evelyn. Your palace awaits.”

  Evelyn followed his voice. “Goodbye, Draven.”

  “Farewell, Evelyn.” And then his footsteps were fading as he went back the way they’d come.

  Alaric grunted, likely as he pushed the passage entrance open, and a rectangular piece of stone swung outward, revealing the forest beyond. Snow gleamed with waning moonlight and the first golden hues of the morning sun. The light outside would be a beacon to anyone within the passage.

  Alaric jumped out of the passage and landed on the snow-blanketed ground. Little rocks shifted and clattered. When Alaric stood, the passageway tunnel reached his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered her to the ground. The snow crunched softly beneath her.

  Alaric pushed the stone slab shut. Its other side was smooth, like the cliff face surrounding it. Evelyn turned around. They were on a rocky hill, with a layer of scree rolling down.