The Complete Madion War Trilogy

by S. Usher Evans

  "Well, just talk to me then," he said, as if it were that easy. "We're just going to talk about us and the island. That's all."

  I couldn't share his optimism. "Are we doing the right thing?"

  "Theo, stop worrying so much."

  "I can't help it."

  He lifted his head, grinning in the darkness. "Then let me distract you a little bit, hm?"

  Despite his best efforts, my body was not cooperating, and after an hour of unsuccessfully trying to bring me to orgasm, Galian gave up and went back to sleep.

  I spent most of the day in a nervous haze, watching the clock tick closer to our interview. Galian had grown annoyed with me and left around noon to have lunch with his brother. I hoped, at least, he might find something useful to share, but when he returned, he'd said Rhys hadn't spoken with his father either.

  "How are you not concerned about this interview?" I snapped, as he stretched out on the couch without a care in the world.

  "Because all I'm doing is telling the world how much I love my wife," he said with his stupid, loving smile. "I could do that in my sleep."

  The camera crew came in to set up around three, taking over the entire sitting room parlor. Emilie had said it would feel more homey if we were in our own space, but it just felt like a bunch of strangers were in the middle of our relationship. Which, in effect, they were.

  Emilie brought in her makeup crew an hour before airtime. I tried to pepper the hairstylist with questions about the situation in Rave, but she deflected all of them and told me that if I kept talking, I'd smudge my makeup. Emilie, too, chided me about my lack of focus, and made me recite my answers back to her.

  Zygmont arrived thirty minutes to air, looking flawless in a black suit and white collared shirt. She conferred with her assistants for a few minutes then settled herself in the chair across from us. The lights came on, blinding me for a moment, and I searched for Galian's hand.

  "Well, this is going to be so much fun," Zygmont's voice said from somewhere in front of me. I blinked until the room came back into focus. "I have to say, I'm dying to know everything there is to know about you two."

  "And we can't wait to tell you about it," came Galian's easy response.

  "This is terrible. They don't look natural," Zygmont said, waving her hand at us. "Somebody fix them."

  Emilie stepped in, moving Galian's hand to the back of the couch, shifting my shoulders straighter. Then, she pulled out a stick of lip gloss and tapped it against my lips with a small wink before Zygmont barked at her to move out of the way.

  "Damned Ravens," Zygmont muttered.

  I glared at her. "You know I am one, right?"

  "Sure, sweetie." She glanced at the camera set over our shoulder. "Time?"

  "Fifteen seconds."

  My heart began to race, but I didn't move from where Emilie had placed me. Galian pecked me on the cheek and whispered words of encouragement in my ear, but all I saw was the light on the camera turning on and the loud sound of Zygmont starting the interview.

  "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a very special presentation of Zygmont Tonight. I'm broadcasting live from Kernaghan castle with two very special guests. His Royal Highness, Prince Galian Helmuth, and the woman who will be his wife."

  It didn't escape my notice that she hadn't introduced me, but my nerves were too frayed to correct her.

  "First, I'd like to thank you, Your Highness, for agreeing to speak with us tonight." She laughed forcefully. "You're a hard man to pin down."

  "Well, the hospital keeps me busy," he replied without missing a beat. This was the princeling I'd seen growing up; the cavalier, charming man who could do no wrong. I just wished some of his confidence would rub off on me.

  "We could talk all night about your great work at the Kylaen Royal Hospital, but sadly, our viewers want to know more about this..." She forced a smile onto her face. "Upcoming marriage."

  I felt Galian's gaze shift to me, but I kept looking straight ahead. He moved his hand off the couch to rest against my shoulder, and my heart skipped a beat.

  "We all saw the photos, the daring rescue after the plane crash the other day," she drawled. "And while we know that you, Your Highness, have such a big heart, and you're such a caring and giving person, many of us believe that this marriage may not be as...well, as arranged as we all thought at first."

  Beside me, Galian laughed, but I wasn't sure I remembered how to.

  "So tell us, how did this happen?"

  I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly couldn't remember what to say—Emilie's speech dancing in my head, or the truth, which had become hazy? The island part, but was I supposed to mention that we'd crashed? Or was I simply to say we'd met in Jervan. No, Jervan was another topic entirely.

  "Theo and I were on the island together," Galian said, rescuing me from my inability to speak. "She was the pilot that shot me down."

  "Did she?" Zygmont's curious reaction told me that Galian had already deviated from the script. But how, I couldn't tell.

  Zygmont shuffled her notes for a second. "We haven't heard much about your time on the island, Your Highness."

  "Well, obviously. I couldn't tell everyone that she was there with me," he said with a chuckle. "But she was. Saved my life, didn't you? Well, after I saved yours."

  He looked at me, and I wished my tongue would work.

  "Major Kallistrate, what did you think when you found yourself stranded on an island with His Royal Highness?"

  I opened my mouth again, but no sound came out.

  "Oh, Theo fell in love with me the moment she saw me, didn't you?" Galian asked, a devilish sparkle in his eye.

  That snapped me right out of my reverie.

  Galian

  I watched the slow reaction with a selfish glee. First, the fear melted into confusion and then, slowly, her left brow came down over her eye and her right lip curled up as she turned to look at me with her signature "are-you-kidding-me" face.

  "What?"

  "You fell in love with me the moment you saw me," I said, knowing full well that was definitely not the case. But I'd figured poking the bear might bring her back to life. After all, the woman I'd fallen in love with was a sharp-tongued, brilliant verbal sparring partner, not this mute, terrified woman. "You were charmed by my charisma and my—"

  "That's bull..." Her gaze darted to the camera. "That's bull. I hated you."

  "Hate's a strong word, amichai—"

  "Hated you," she said, definitively. "You were arrogant, selfish, completely useless except for your medical skills—"

  "Which weren't so useless, if you'll recall, when you were bleeding out—"

  "Be that as it may," she said, shifting against me. "I most certainly did not fall in love with you at first sight. In fact..." She leveled her gaze at me. "If I'd been on two legs, you might not have made it off the island."

  "Of that, I have no doubt," I said, offering a grin to Zygmont, whose eyes had grown wide during our exchange. "Fine then, when did you fall in love with me?" I was actually genuinely curious. I had my recollection of the way she'd smiled at me in the mornings, and how we'd worked together to catch our food. But I'd never asked her about her feelings.

  "I honestly don't know," she said after a moment, growing a little softer. "It happened very slowly, I think. The first time I felt...something was when we found the lab. And there was water and shelter and the first thing you did was find bandages for me."

  I smiled until I heard Zygmont ask, "W-what lab?"

  "One of my grandfather's secrets," I said. This was the first test—would they allow the interview to continue? "A laboratory that tested the effects of barethium on Raven slaves." Theo shivered beside me, and I tightened my hold on her as I was sure she remembered the photos that had told the horrific story.

  "When I thought you'd fixed the radio and were going home," she said, her voice faraway and quiet, "I got really sad when I realized I'd never see you again. Even though it had only been a few days. Even
though that whole place reminded me of who we were and why we were there." She sighed, shaking her head. "I knew I'd miss you."

  "Miss me, sure, but when did you know you were in love with me?"

  "When you hit your head," she said, staring at her hands. "And I thought you were dead, or you were going to be. Then I realized I could survive by myself. I didn't really need you around. But I wanted you."

  I frowned. "That was like...two months in? We got rescued a day and a half later. You didn't love me until then?"

  "I mean...maybe I thought you were cute," she said, taking my hand, "but cute and love aren't the same thing. I knew I was in love with you when I realized I didn't really want to live without you."

  At the risk of losing my manly image on international television, I cooed at her. "That's so corny, Theo."

  "Shut up, princeling." She elbowed me roughly in the stomach.

  "S...so..." Zygmont said, shuffling her cards. Then, to my surprise, she put them down. "Tell me what it was like there, on the island."

  I smirked; she was finally getting that truthful interview she'd wanted. And since no one had stepped in yet to stop us, I figured we could be daring.

  "Cold," Theo said with a smile. "Hungry. But...peaceful, really. Especially compared to now. The only thing we had to worry about was finding dinner and making sure we had enough water."

  "Now, it's...well, it's a lot more complicated," I said, running my fingers along her shoulder. "It seemed like everything could be solved so easily when we were there. Just stop the fighting."

  "You talked a lot about the war, then?"

  Theo shrugged, then leaned into me. "I mean, what else was there to talk about. Our childhoods, sure, but...everything in my life had always been about the war."

  "And did you come to an agreement about things?"

  Theo and I shared a glance and we began to laugh. "I don't know about agreement, but we certainly understand each other now," I said.

  "In what way?"

  "Empathy?" Theo said. "When we landed on the island, I thought the princeling was just that—a spoiled, out of touch playboy who cared more for his social calendar than the lives of Ravens."

  "And I," I said, glaring at her, "thought you were a feral cat, biting the hand that fed you. But eventually—"

  "Eventually we realized that we couldn't survive on our own. We needed each other—as equals. I could no more have survived without Galian's legs and medical training than he could've survived without my—"

  "Survival skills," I finished for her.

  "And what is your hope for your two countries?" Zygmont asked, leaning forward.

  "Peace," Theo said then shook her head. "Real peace. Ravens able to leave the military and make their own decisions about their lives. Children able to go to a real school instead of military camps." She chewed her lip and shared a nervous glance with me.

  "And Kylaens staying the hell out of the country," I said with a smile for her. Cutting be damned, I was going to say what I wanted to say. Mom was right. We needed to stop being cautious and start making moves. After all, if they hadn't ended the interview yet...we might as well go for it.

  Theo's smile brightened. "Well, maybe one or two Kylaens can come visit."

  "Rhys does want to crash on our couch sometimes," I said with a chuckle.

  "So if I'm understanding you correctly," Zygmont said, a little breathlessly, "you two are opposed to the Kylaen-Raven treaty? And you do not agree that Rave should remain under Kylaen rule?"

  Theo sucked in a breath, so I answered for her. "Yes, we do not agree with the treaty, we do not want our marriage associated with it, and we believe Rave should be a free and independent nation."

  Zygmont touched her ear then shook her head. "Sorry, this interview has been cut short."

  My heart fell. We'd been so close—how much of what we'd said had been broadcast? "What? Why?"

  "Breaking news," Zygmont said, pulling the speaker out of her ear. "Apparently, there's been a large-scale attack on Rave."

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Galian

  "It was an attack on the rebels," Kader said, his voice harsh. "The damage was limited to the slums. Johar and Gibbs were meeting with Odolf the baker when the first bomb hit. Gibbs got out—barely. But she said the slums were decimated—hundreds dead and probably more will be, thanks to the abysmal medical care in the city. The Raven military has been told to stand down. There's no help coming to those in the slums." He closed his eyes. "Johar didn't make it out."

  There was a buzzing in my ears, and it was hard to breathe.

  "There's more," Mom said quietly. "The media is reporting the attack had been perpetrated by Anson." She swallowed. "They're confirming Mansela and Bassett dead. Gren hasn't been accounted for, but...I'm sure it's only a matter of time."

  I stared at my hands, wondering if this was a dream. This had to be a dream. There was no way everything could go so badly so quickly. Not when we finally had the upper hand.

  "I don't understand," Rhys said, standing against the wall. "What could he possibly gain by bombing Rave?"

  "We believe his goal was to disrupt Anson's operations," Kader replied.

  "By killing everyone in the slums?" Theo said. "As if the Ravens won't know that this was done by Grieg. Anson's not even in Rave right now. He's in Norose, isn't he?"

  "And all our reports indicate his network is now limited to those who he brought with him—only a handful," Kader said. "His expansive network completely destroyed in one day."

  "But Rave...Rave has to know this was Grieg. They have to."

  "What would they do to retaliate?" Mom replied quietly. "Knowing that Grieg has enough firepower to level the entire island, should he choose to do so." She sighed. "There's more, I'm afraid."

  "Oh, what else could go wrong?" Theo said with a whimper.

  "Your father has decided to move up the treaty signing to...next week. And your wedding."

  My jaw fell to the floor. "Next week? How is that even possible?"

  "My staff has been ordered to make it happen," Mom said with a heavy sigh. "The engagement party will be the night before. Your father has asked that I..." She swallowed, obviously disgusted. "Make it perfect."

  Theo sat back against the couch. "So that's it then. It's over. We're getting married. The treaty will be signed. Not that it matters because Grieg's already laid waste to my country. It's only a matter of time before the barethium miners get their hooks in. And then...then..."

  "I'm sorry," Mom whispered. "I'm just... I'm sorry."

  She stood and walked to the other side of her parlor, staring out the window as I'd seen her do countless times. Only this time, there was no strategy brewing, no arranging of puzzle pieces. My mother had finally been checkmated by my father.

  The weight of the despair permeated the room. Mansela and Bassett were already dead, and their replacements wouldn't dare step a toe out of line. The other ministers in Kylae, the ones we'd pinned our hopes on, would probably stand firmly on his side, fearing for their lives and the lives of their families. Herin and Jervan would be our only saviors, should they decide to take up arms against my father. But I doubted they would do so willingly. I hadn't heard as much as a peep from Olivia in weeks, and I probably wouldn't now.

  We'd not even discussed the broadcast the night before, or how much of it went out to the people. It didn't seem like it mattered whether the people loved us or not.

  "If you'll excuse me," Kader said, breaking the tense silence of the room. I knew he was going home to Rosie, but I couldn't let him leave without offering some comfort.

  "Hey, wait up," I said, jogging to him. "Are you okay?"

  He snorted. "Are you?"

  I couldn't honestly say that I was.

  "You need to be with your wife right now."

  "Theo will be fine," I said. "I want to talk to you now. Do you want to get a drink?"

  His eyes flashed angrily. "No, Galian, I don't. What I want is for something to go
right."

  I stopped midstride. "Kader—"

  "No, all this time...I've put my faith, I've put my life on the line believing we were doing the right thing. That what I was doing made a difference. But now the only thing that's changed is another one of my friends is dead. Rave's back under Kylaen rule, and your father remains as powerful as ever."

  I'd never heard him talk so frankly, and, for once, I had no idea what to say to him.

  He shook his head and clapped me on the shoulder. "I'm going home to spend time with my wife, and I hope you'll do the same. Nothing is guaranteed in this world, not anymore. Not for the two of you. Not for any of us."

  He released me and walked down the hall, leaving an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  "Galian," Rhys called. "We need you."

  I sighed. "Now what?"

  When I returned to my mother's parlor, it was already filled with new, smiling faces. Filippa, a priest, her assistants, all looking eager and excited. My brother and Theo, however, still wore expressions of horror, although Theo's was quickly turning into one of disgust.

  "What's going on?" I asked my mother.

  Mom had quickly recovered from her desolation and was back to her usual, fake-chipper self. "I'm glad you're here, son. Filippa needs you to help make final decisions about the wedding. She's brought Father Mark here so we can rehearse the ceremony a few times."

  "We wouldn't want any surprises at the wedding," Filippa said with a bright smile. Whether she knew about the massacre or didn't, I wanted to peel the grin right off her face. Instead, I crossed the room to sit next to my wife, throwing an arm around her in solidarity.

  "The ceremony will begin at noon sharp," Filippa said. "His Majesty King Grieg will enter first, followed by you, Your Majesty," she nodded to my mother. "After the king and queen are settled, we will have the council enter and be seated."

  I wanted so very much to ask if Mansela was going to be there, but I bit my tongue.

  "Once they're seated, the princes will enter and stand before the king to receive his blessing," she said with a kind smile to me.