The Complete Madion War Trilogy

by S. Usher Evans

  "Shouldn't you be going to the hospital?" I said, with a dirty glare at Rhys.

  "I'll go to the hospital after I know what you know," Kader said. "Because we knew nothing until we were ambushed at Anson's."

  "So you met with him?" Rhys said.

  "That seems like awfully shitty timing," I said, folding my arms over my chest.

  "I think it was just that—shitty," Kader said. "Bayard had declared the day a national holiday. Anson was just taking advantage of the distraction. As was, apparently, Bayard."

  "What did you find out?" Rhys asked.

  "A whole lot of nothing, except that Anson knew we were there on behalf of the queen," Kader said.

  "I'm just thankful you two are safe," Rhys said, looking at Theo, still curled in a ball on the other side of the car. She hadn't moved at all. His face grew softer. "Theo, we're not giving up. This is just a setback, not a surrender."

  "What did Bayard get in return for delivering the country?" Kader asked.

  "What do you think?" Rhys said with a grimace. "Lifetime appointment as Rave's governor. And full access to the barethium stores."

  The car went silent. But my gaze remained on Theo, my hands itching to check her pulse for signs of life. I tried to take her hand in mine, but she snatched it away.

  The castle was swarming with photographers, but they remained on the other side of the gate as Johar pulled the car around to the residential side of the palace. With assurances to me and Rhys that she'd call as soon as Kader was admitted, they left us to head to the hospital.

  Stony-faced and silent, Theo followed me and Rhys through the castle, ignoring the curious looks from the staff. I led her into my apartment, and opened the door to my bedroom. Without a word, she passed me into the dark space, and I heard the squeak of the mattress as she climbed onto it.

  "I'll be right outside," I said, lingering in the doorway. When she didn't respond, I turned and closed the door behind me.

  "This fucking sucks," Rhys said, helping himself to some whiskey I'd kept in my liquor closet. Bypassing a glass, he swigged directly from the bottle.

  I didn't disagree, but I kept my attention on the closed door, and the girl who lay on the other side of it. I didn't care how selfish it was: the treaty, Bayard's betrayal, barethium, the war—all of it paled in comparison to knowing Theo hated me. As often as I'd envisioned the first night she spent the night in my bed...this wasn't it.

  "She's just in shock," Rhys said after a while. "I would be too."

  I nodded and stole the booze from him.

  "Well, congratulations on your wedding," Rhys said hollowly.

  I snorted. "Do you even know how much it kills me to say I don't want to marry her? Rhys, that's all I've wanted to do for a year. And now he's ruined that. Incredible."

  He made a noise and sat up. "Except he hasn't. I mean, he doesn't have to."

  I took another drink. "What?"

  "Why don't you two just go get married now?" he said with a smile on his face. "That way, he won't have that hanging over you. I mean, unless you had your heart set on having a big, televised wedding."

  "There's just one little problem with that," I said dryly. "Theo can't stand me."

  "Use some of that princeling charm and win her back," Rhys said. "She fell in love with you once, didn't she?"

  The phone rang, and I crossed the room to answer it. It was Johar, telling me that Kader had been checked out by Maitland and didn't require any further surgery.

  "Eli's asking you to come down so you can tell Rosie he's fine to be released," Johar said with a chuckle. "She doesn't believe Maitland."

  "I'll be right down," I said, wondering which of my mother's guards could give me a ride as I hung up the phone. I told Rhys what Johar had said and ran a hand over my face. "I don't want to leave Theo but..."

  "Go," he said, settling the bottle next to him. "I'll be here if she needs anything."

  I found Snyder downstairs, and he was more than willing to drive me to the hospital, even though he confessed he wasn't too great at driving around photographers. Secretly, I was hoping he'd sideswipe a couple. But, sadly, we arrived at the hospital without any incidents.

  When I stepped out of the car, I was peppered with questions about Theo, my engagement, if I was happy that I was being forced to marry a Raven woman I barely knew. I ignored the questions, as usual, and entered into the comparatively silent hospital. Even though the questions had stopped, the hurried whispers as I walked by continued, so I almost sprinted to the nurse's station where I found Rima.

  "Dr. Helmuth, surprised to see you here."

  "Which room is he in?" I asked.

  "Room four," she said. "About this wedding—"

  "Save it for later," I said, waving her off and making my way down the hall. A couple other nurses tried to stop me, but I ignored them. When I reached room four, I rapped on the door with my knuckles.

  "Come in," Rosie answered.

  I cracked the door and peeked inside. Kader was sitting up, looking very healthy and not the least bit like he'd been shot a day or so before. Rosie, however, was pale and her hair a mess of frizz.

  She stood when she saw me, her hand over her mouth. "Theo's not with you?"

  I shook my head. "She's...well, she's..."

  "Understandable," Kader said, waving me inside.

  I closed the door and crossed to the bed, where I gripped his good arm and smiled. "I'm glad you're okay. I was really worried about you two."

  "Eh," he said with a snort. "I've been through worse—"

  "And you won't again," Rosie said, smacking him lightly on the arm.

  Their married bickering put me at ease, so I sank into the chair next to the bed. "This is a mess, isn't it?"

  "That's putting it mildly," Kader said. "I never thought Bayard would go this far." He paused. "And I never considered your father to be a forgiving man."

  "This benefits him more than Bayard," I said. "It effectively shuts up the peaceful half of the ministers, and the warmongering ones get what they want, too. Rave's back, and the fighting has stopped."

  "Any of them upset about the particulars of the ceasefire?"

  "I'm sure some are, but they're not willing to speak out about it just yet," I said, glancing out the window at the Madion Sea.

  "I need to speak with your mother—"

  "You'll do no such thing," Rosie snapped. "We had a deal, Eli. Next injury you sustained, you're out."

  Kader cleared his throat and patted her gently on the hand. "Of course, Rositanna. Do you think you could go see the nurse about getting lunch?"

  Rosie softened, just a bit, before releasing his hand and walking toward the door. Before she left, she turned to glare at me. "And don't you dare release him before tomorrow morning."

  Almost reflexively, I saluted her. She seemed satisfied and closed the door behind her.

  Kader let out a breath. "Could've done without you calling my wife. Do you know how many injuries I've hidden from her over the past five years? This is nothing."

  I plucked a pair of gloves out of the nearby box and examined the wound. "Kader, this thing is huge."

  "Theo did a good job stitching me up. She was scared shitless, but she did it."

  I pulled the gloves off and slumped down onto a nearby chair. "She won't even look at me."

  "She's in shock, Galian," Kader replied. "After what we went through to get home, finding out all her work had been for nothing was...well..." He blew air out between his lips, and a storm of emotions raged beneath his eyes. "Shocking. What do you hear from your mother?"

  I shook my head. "I haven't been able to get time alone with her yet. She's been busy trying to sort out what we know and how we didn't know it sooner."

  "If anyone can figure that out, it's your mother," Kader said so firmly that I almost believed him. "And Theo will come around. She always does."

  "Will she?" I said, the memory of her shoving me away stinging the back of my mind. "This is different.
She hasn't looked at me that way since...since the island. I'm worried she might've been pushed too far, and I won't be able to reach her. And I'm scared...I'm scared of what she'll do."

  "You just have to show her that hope's not lost."

  "Rhys thinks I should just throw her over my shoulder and marry her already."

  "Rhys is a smart man," Kader said with a nod, seeming to like the idea the more he thought about it. "It removes the emotion and turns this thing back into what it actually is—political manipulation. We can fight political manipulation."

  "I doubt she'd marry me right now," I said heavily.

  "You've just got to get her out of Kylae for a bit. Help her remember why you two fell in love," Kader said. "I'll fly."

  "Oh no," I said, standing to gently push him back down. "You aren't going anywhere. You were shot less than a day ago—"

  "Just a flesh wound." He cracked a grin, as if to show me he wasn't really in pain, but he was still pale, and I was still a doctor.

  "No way."

  "Who do you expect to marry you then?"

  "Is this just an excuse to get out of the hospital before Rosie chains you up?"

  "Yes." He didn't even blink.

  I mumbled something about agreeing with her as I peeled back the bandage on his shoulder. The sutures were tight, the skin around it healthy and pink. I replaced the bandage and crossed my arms over my chest.

  "Think about it this way," Kader said, with an oddly pleading look on his face. "If you come with me, you won't have to discharge me. I'm still under a physician's care, aren't I?"

  I gave him a dry look.

  "Look, as much as I want to get out of here, I'm also worried about Theo. You two need a win. Hell, we all need a win right now. And what better way than to celebrate a union?"

  FOURTEEN

  Theo

  I watched the sun's light grow longer on the ground as it moved across the sky. I wasn't even sure how long I'd been there, or how I'd known that this was Galian's room. My mind had shut down when I saw Bayard with Grieg, when they'd told me how they were going to ruin my country.

  There were flashing lights when we'd left the hangar for the car. I vaguely remembered Galian using his jacket to shield us, and how he'd protected me from their questions and comments. But once we'd gotten inside the car, I'd kept my distance from him. The journey to the castle, and the subsequent walk to this dark room, were a blur.

  Now there was just the dying light on the floor, and the crushing sadness of reality pressing on my windpipe.

  When I considered the years of my life given toward the cause of independence, toward Bayard, I felt sick. When I thought of the thousands of children who'd given their lives for him, I wanted to throw something across the room.

  What sort of lies was Emilie Mondra feeding the Raven people? Did they, as usual, believe her? What sort of narrative could she craft to make this disgusting treaty go over well with the Raven people, who were so beaten down and weary of war? Or perhaps her strategy was as simple as distracting them with a wedding. It wouldn't be the first time she'd proposed it.

  Yet again, I was a puppet, the plaything of politicians, but this time they'd taken something pure and beautiful and twisted it for their evil purposes. As much as I hated to admit it, they might've succeeded. Logically, I knew that Galian had nothing to do with his father's machinations. That if there'd been even the slightest hint that Kader and I had been discovered, Korina wouldn't have sent me back to Rave. But my heart was aching, and Galian was the last person I wanted to help soothe it.

  Running away seemed like a good option. I'd never run from anything in my life—not from conscription, not from planes in the sky. But this was an unwinnable effort, that had become clear to me. Grieg was simply too powerful and Bayard too ruthless to succeed against them.

  There was a soft rap against the door. "Theo?"

  "Go away."

  "C'mon, you can't just mope in here all day." Rhys sounded drunk, and when I lifted my head, I saw him leaning against the doorway with a bottle in his hand. "At least come have a drink with me."

  "Go away."

  "Gally told me to look after you," he said, inviting himself into the room and plopping down on a nearby chair. "Wanted to make sure you hadn't offed yourself yet."

  "I'm so glad you can take this situation so lightly."

  "Booze helps," he said, offering me the bottle. "Tomorrow, we'll deal with the hangover and get down to business."

  I sat up, his attempts at humor falling flat. "I want to leave. I have a plane."

  "Do you really think Father would allow that?"

  "I don't care. I'll figure out a way."

  "I'm sure you would, Theo." He settled back into the seat. "But now's not the time to lose our heads. We've been surprised, and we had to retreat, but the war isn't over yet."

  I snorted. "According to Bayard and Grieg, it is."

  "There's a ceasefire. That, at least, we can work with," Rhys said. "The rest isn't set in stone. But at least people aren't dying—"

  "Yet," I said. "Because it's only a matter of time before Kylae rebuilds their barethium mines in Rave and we're back to square one."

  "We won't let that happen—"

  "And how do you presume to do that, Rhys?" I said.

  "Herin," he said, holding out his hand to help me out of the excessively large bed. "The queen thinks Herin might still have a little leverage, if we can convince them to help us."

  I stared at his offered hand, but didn't take it. "Herin has no power. Isn't that why they ended the airplane parts transfer?"

  "We're exploring all our options," Rhys said, his hand still outstretched. "Mom's asked her squad to take a VTO over there. With everyone distracted by the wedding fiasco, we might be able to get a ship out unnoticed. Getting back's the hard part, but..." He cracked a grin. "That's up to you."

  His meaning was clear, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it. "Are you really allowing me to leave your country and never return?"

  "I'm giving you the option, yeah, because I like you, Theo, and not just because my brother's crazy about you." He finally retracted his hand and folded his arms across his chest. "This isn't fair to you, not after what you've already done for us. So if you want to get the hell out of this country, I'm gonna help you do it."

  I should've been relieved; instead, I found it even harder to breathe. If I disappeared to Herin, I'd be leaving my country in the hands of Bayard and Grieg. Even after everything I'd been through, it was still my duty to fight for Rave, even if the battle was hopeless.

  And then, of course, leaving meant I'd be saying goodbye to Galian forever.

  "How about this?" Rhys said after my long silence. "Go to Herin. Take some time to think about what you want. Know that if you choose to come back, we're not going to stop fighting. But if you choose to go, no one would blame you for it. In any case, Johar is downstairs, waiting with the car."

  The streets of Norose were filled with people deep in conversation as Johar and I drove by them. Most looked confused, angry even. They huddled in front of shops and cafes with furrowed brows and shaking heads. The people of Kylae were not on board with this treaty, and that, at least, improved my opinion of them.

  I'd decided somewhere between leaving Galian's room and meeting Johar that I wouldn't be coming back. Maybe in a few months, I'd send word to Galian, and if he still wanted me, he could come find me.

  A few moments later, I'd changed my mind and decided to return.

  But now...now I was sure that I was going to leave forever.

  We rolled to a stop at an intersection and I saw my face staring back at me. A television screen inside a cafe bore my photo next to Galian's. Something sharp jabbed me in the ribs and I looked away.

  On some level, I hated this manipulation. Grieg must've bargained that my love for Galian would keep me in the country. Knowing this made it easier to leave out of pure spite.

  But leaving meant saying goodbye.

&n
bsp; And round and round I went.

  I almost wanted to strike up a conversation with Johar, if only to stop the angry war in my head, but I doubted we had anything to talk about but the present situation. And I was sure she would offer me no guidance.

  The city behind us, we sped through the Kylaen countryside toward the northern base we'd be leaving from. Sleep tugged at the backs of my eyes, but my stress and worry kept me awake.

  To return or not.

  To be with Galian and unwillingly be a party to a treaty I hated, or to disappear in protest. There was no fighting. Not any fight I could win.

  The devil on my shoulder reminded me that I knew nothing of the treaty, that it could be better than I feared. After all, the war was over, the conscription of children had ended. Rave would no longer have to defend her shores—

  Because they were no longer hers. They now belonged to Kylae. Even if Bayard remained in charge, he was only concerned with his own wellbeing and self-preservation. He wouldn't blink when Grieg let loose his barethium miners. Together, they'd convince the Raven people that it was best, even as Grieg enslaved us.

  How could I possibly consider leaving when my people were facing such odds? I couldn't turn my back on them now. I needed to return.

  But how could I fight when I had no weapons? If there was some hope—some small light in the dark—maybe I'd stay. But my faith in the goodness of this world had been shaken. If we'd been this blindsided, how could we possibly fight back? As it was, I might just make things worse.

  No, I decided very firmly. I wouldn't return.

  That was where I'd landed when the car arrived at the base. We drove straight into the airstrip where the VTO craft was waiting. But when I got out of the car, Johar stayed in.

  "I'm not on this mission," she said, speaking for the first time in hours. "But good luck to you."

  I nodded my thanks, though I didn't like the idea of getting on a plane with unfamiliar people. But the man sitting on the bottom of the ship was anything but a stranger.

  "K-Kader!" I gasped. "Who let you out of the hospital?"