Capture the Crown

by Jennifer Estep

  Reiko was still kneeling beside me. “My lord, what do you want us to do with . . .” Her voice trailed off, as though she didn’t know my name.

  “Lady Armina.” Leonidas supplied my alias. “We need to get her aboveground at once. Give me some room.”

  Reiko tipped her head. “Of course, my lord.”

  She got to her feet and shooed Javier and the miners back.

  Leonidas bent forward. He carefully hooked one arm under my knees and slid the other under my shoulders. Then he stood, easily climbing to his feet. His muscles tightened as he cradled me in his arms, and the heat of his body soaked into my own, despite his thick coat. I drew in a breath, and his honeysuckle scent washed over me, soft, masculine, and intoxicating all at once.

  I lolled my head to the side, too tired to do anything other than stare up at him.

  “Don’t worry,” Leonidas murmured. “You’ll always be safe with me.”

  His words were soft, but each syllable rang with a fierce promise that made my weak, treacherous heart quicken. His gaze locked with mine. Then he turned and strode away from the edge of the chasm, still cradling me in his arms.

  * * *

  Leonidas carried me to the front of the shaft. He gently set me down inside the cart before climbing in next to me. “Take us back to the surface.”

  His icy command left no room for argument, only obedience.

  Reiko gestured at the other miners. “You heard him. Let’s move.”

  She, Javier, and the miners pulled on the rope attached to the wall, and the cart quickly rose to the top of the shaft.

  Once again, Leonidas scooped me up into his arms and carried me out into Basecamp. After being down in the dark, the bright golden rays filtering in through the mine entrance made me hiss with pain. Still, I didn’t shut my eyes against the warm, harsh glare.

  I was far too grateful to be seeing sunlight again.

  Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the light. I couldn’t tell exactly what time it was, although I got the sense it was in the afternoon, which meant I had been in the chasm for several hours.

  Someone’s boot scraped against the ground, catching my attention. Off to the right, a dozen miners clutching pickaxes surrounded another, smaller group of men who were huddled on their knees. What was going on?

  Leonidas stopped in front of the miners. Suspicion surged off those folks, and they backed away from him. The miners might be holding sharp tools and greatly outnumber him, but the stone-cold look on Leonidas’s face clearly indicated he would kill anyone who tried to stop him.

  “Move,” he commanded.

  The miners stepped back a little more, revealing the seven men huddled on the ground—Conley and his crew.

  Conley’s eyes bulged, and his shock stabbed into my gut like a dagger.

  I glanced around at the rest of the miners, most of whom looked wary, worried, and confused—except for Reiko. The dragon morph grabbed a nearby chair, brought it over, and set it down in front of Conley. She nodded at Leonidas, then stepped back, although her gaze kept flicking from me to the prince and back again.

  Leonidas carefully swung me down and into the chair. I wobbled, so I grabbed the sides of the seat to steady myself.

  “Can you sit up?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I rasped.

  “Good.” He turned his head to the side. “Get her some water.”

  Javier scurried away, then returned with a glass of water, which he pressed into my hand. “Slowly. Just take a few sips at a time.”

  Even though it was just plain, lukewarm water, I wanted to cry as the wetness coated my tongue and washed the dirt, dust, and grime out of my mouth. Water was something else I never thought I would experience again.

  Leonidas studied the men kneeling on the ground. Conley ducked his head, but the prince pointed him out, and a couple of the other miners grabbed the foreman’s arms and hauled him upright.

  “Let me go!” Conley shouted, but the other miners forced him to stand along one of the walls.

  Leonidas studied Conley with an icy expression, as though the foreman were a slug he was thinking of squishing beneath his boot. A chill rippled down my spine. In this moment, Leonidas looked eerily like Maeven had during the Seven Spire massacre.

  A couple of miners moved forward, carrying something between them—Penelope. Leonidas must have raised her off the ledge too.

  The miners set Penelope’s body down in the open space between Conley and me. Someone had closed her eyes, but her face was still twisted in shock and pain. The water I’d drunk roiled in my stomach. That could have been me—that would have been me, if not for Leonidas.

  The prince stabbed his finger at Conley. “Is this the man who threw you and that other woman down into the chasm?”

  His accusation boomed through the cavern like thunder. Shocked murmurs rippled through the miners’ ranks, and they all glanced back and forth between Conley and me.

  I stared at the foreman. Despite my weakened condition and the lethargy creeping through my body, I could still clearly hear the silent pleas running through his mind.

  Please say no, please say no, please, please, please . . .

  I wondered if Penelope had begged for her life before he’d tossed her into the chasm. Or Clarissa, the forewoman he’d killed. Anger stormed through me, drowning out his silent cries for mercy.

  “Yes. Conley lured me down into the shaft. Then he and those other six men attacked me. Conley shoved me off the edge of the chasm and left me for dead.”

  More shocked gasps sounded, although they were quickly swallowed up by low, angry mutters. Working in the mine was dangerous enough without people sabotaging each other.

  All the miners seemed truly stunned—except for Reiko. The dragon morph looked more thoughtful than surprised.

  “You bitch!” Conley hissed, his hands clenching into fists. “Why couldn’t you just die along with the other one?”

  More anger roared through me. “Her name was Penelope, you greedy bastard.”

  Conley opened his mouth, probably to curse me some more, but Reiko stepped up and plowed her fist into his gut. The foreman’s face turned tomato-red, and he sagged back against the wall, gasping for breath.

  Leonidas turned back to me. “Why did Conley push you into the chasm?”

  “Because he was stealing tearstone from the mine.”

  More low, angry mutters rang out, growing in strength and number, and the miners hefted the pickaxes in their hands. The six men dropped their heads and hunkered down on their knees, trying to make themselves as small as possible, but Conley remained standing, his face growing even redder with rage.

  “Conley also killed Clarissa, another mine forewoman, a few weeks ago,” I said. “She must have found out about the stolen tearstone and tried to report it.”

  She had reported it, but the miners didn’t need to know that.

  Leonidas drew the sword from the scabbard on his belt. The soft rasp of the weapon sliding free cut through the mutters, and a tense, expectant hush fell over the cavern. No one moved or spoke, and the only sound was Leonidas’s soft footsteps as he stalked over to Conley.

  The foreman gave the prince a petulant look. He opened his mouth, probably to deny my accusations, but Leonidas snapped up his sword and surged forward. My breath caught in my throat. He was going to run Conley through with the blade—

  Leonidas stopped just short, although the tip of his sword nicked the foreman’s neck, drawing a bit of blood.

  Conley’s eyes bulged even wider than before, and his silent, frantic cries filled my mind again. Please don’t, please don’t, please, please, please . . .

  More anger sizzled through me. The bastard didn’t deserve any sympathy, and he certainly hadn’t earned the mercy of a quick death.

  Leonidas glanced over at me, as if sensing my anger with his magic. He studied me for a moment, that cold, unreadable expression still on his face, then looked at Conley again.

  “If we were in Morta,
I would gut you like the spineless coward you are.” Leonidas lowered his sword. “But lucky for you, we are not in Morta. I will let the Andvarian royal guards deal with you and your men.” He glanced around at the other miners. “If that is agreeable?”

  Leonidas might be tacitly asking for their approval, but he was still clearly in control. The miners’ mouths were gaping in shock, but they all bobbed their heads. Even Reiko joined in with the gesture, although she still looked more thoughtful than surprised.

  The prince stepped back and sheathed his sword.

  Conley sucked down a breath, wet his lips, and sidled forward. “Let me go, my lord. I can give you more tearstone. Gold, jewels, anything you want from the mine. Just let me go—”

  Leonidas flicked his fingers. He could pull on those invisible strings of energy just like I could, and a wave of magic picked up Conley and slammed him back into the wall. The foreman dropped to the ground without a sound, knocked unconscious.

  Snap-snap-snap-snap-snap-snap.

  In quick succession, Leonidas used his magic to lift the other six men up off their feet, toss them back into the wall, and render them all unconscious as well. The other miners froze again, shocked by the violent display, but Leonidas ignored them and dropped to one knee in front of me.

  I stared into his dark amethyst eyes, and he gazed right back at me, his face still ice-cold. I expected him to make some pithy remark about how we were even now, but instead, he took the empty water glass from my hand and passed it over to Javier. Then he leaned forward, pulled me out of the chair and over into his arms, and stood up.

  I sagged against his body, as weak and boneless as a sleeping gargoyle. “What are you doing?”

  “Getting you out of here.”

  Leonidas carried me out of the mine, with Reiko and Javier following along behind us. My gaze locked with Reiko’s, and she smirked at me, as if she knew some grand joke that I didn’t.

  Leonidas stepped out of the cavern. Sunlight stabbed into my eyes, even brighter than before, and it took me a few seconds to focus on my surroundings. Once again, my breath caught in my throat.

  Strixes lined the plaza.

  Roughly a dozen of the enormous purple birds were lined up in front of the mine entrance, keeping watch like feathered soldiers. Merchants and shoppers had gathered in the plaza beyond, whispering and staring at the creatures. Strixes were not an uncommon sight in Blauberg, but none of these birds were wearing saddles, indicating they were wild creatures. I thought of the ghosting vision I’d had of Lyra squawking orders at the other strixes. She must have brought them here to protect Leonidas while he went into the mine.

  The prince strode forward, still carrying me. Every step he took jostled my body and made more pain bloom deep inside me, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from hissing. Javier was right. I still needed more healing, but I pushed the pain away and looked out over the crowd.

  Topacia was standing on the rim of the gargoyle fountain, head and shoulders above everyone else. Her worried gaze met mine. Her body sagged, and her relief washed over me like a cool, soothing balm. Then she realized who was carrying me. Topacia’s hand curled around her sword, and her mouth flattened out into a thin line.

  No. I sent the thought to her. Don’t interfere. It’s too dangerous.

  Topacia jerked back. For once, she’d heard me. She didn’t like it, but she dropped her hand from her sword. Once I was sure she wasn’t going to leap off the fountain rim, charge forward, and get herself killed, I lifted my gaze higher, to the buildings that surrounded the plaza.

  Grimley was perched on the rooftop closest to the mine.

  The gargoyle’s eyes burned with sapphire fire, his long tail zipped from side to side, and his broad, powerful wings twitched as though he was about to dive off the roof, fly across the plaza, and hurl himself at the strixes.

  No. I sent the thought to him. It’s too dangerous. The strixes will kill you.

  Grimley didn’t move forward, although his wings kept twitching and his expression remained fierce. But they’re our enemies, just like the Mortans are.

  I know. But Leonidas isn’t going to hurt me. He went to too much trouble to save me.

  Grimley frowned. Why would he do that?

  I have no idea.

  And I truly didn’t. I didn’t know why Leonidas had come here and risked so much to help me. Sure, I had saved his life first, but only because he had spared that little girl. Saving him might have been the right thing to do, but my motives had been far from pure, and I had also been hoping to gather more information about the missing tearstone. A calculated gamble, rather than any true benevolence on my part.

  Besides, it hadn’t cost me anything to help Leonidas, but this could cost him a great deal if—or rather when—our respective families discovered what had happened.

  This was the kind of thing that started wars.

  “Put me down,” I rasped. “The people in the plaza can help me.”

  Leonidas’s arms tightened around me. “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you need much more healing than what these people can provide. I didn’t go down into that mine just to let some inexperienced fool botch making you better.” He stared down at me. “And because I need you.”

  Another chill slithered down my spine. “For what?”

  A humorless smile lifted his lips, and his eyes were as cold as chips of amethyst ice. “To see the true heart of the Morricones.”

  His mysterious words filled me with even more dread. What true heart?

  One of the strixes hopped forward and lowered itself down to the ground. Lyra. Her beak opened in what seemed like a grin, and she winked at me.

  Leonidas stopped in front of the strix. His eyes flashed a bright purple, and another wave of magic rolled off him. This time, he used his power to lift himself—and me—up off the ground.

  Surprised gasps and awed murmurs rippled through the Andvarians gathered in the plaza, even as the twin swords of Topacia’s and Grimley’s worry sliced into my mind.

  Leonidas used his magic to float us up and onto Lyra’s back. He settled himself on the strix, then positioned me in front of him and hooked a strong, muscled arm around my waist, as though I were a child about to ride a pony, and he wanted to make sure I didn’t fall off.

  Once we were securely seated, Lyra raised her head and let out a loud, wild caw! The other strixes hopped forward and flexed their wings.

  For the first time, I realized exactly what was happening and just how much danger I was in—much more danger than what I had faced in the mine.

  “It’s okay,” Leonidas murmured. “Don’t be afraid. I made you a promise in the mine, and I intend to keep it. You will always be safe with me.”

  Suddenly, it was too much—it was all too bloody much.

  Hitting the ledge. Being fished out of the chasm and then halfway healed. Facing down Conley. And now perching atop a strix as though I was going for an afternoon pleasure ride. Fear, worry, and dread crashed through my body in cold, choppy waves, along with larger, stronger storms of pain and exhaustion. I was seconds away from passing out again, but I still lolled my head to the side and looked up at Leonidas.

  “Where . . . are you . . . taking me?” I rasped.

  All sorts of deadly scenarios flashed through my mind, and the last thing I heard before going under was him confirming my worst fear.

  “Home,” he replied in a soft voice. “To Morta.”

  Part Two

  Spy

  Chapter Eleven

  I had the strangest feeling of safety.

  Of being nestled in strong arms. Of warmth soaking into my body. Of someone murmuring soothing words into my ear, and another, higher voice answering with musical, singsong notes. The trilling melody lulled me back down into the darkness again . . .

  Other things filled my mind. The wind tangling my hair. The bunch and flex of powerful wings. The faint scent of honeysuckle tickling my nose. B
ut through it all, those strong arms held me, and I wasn’t afraid . . .

  Until I woke up.

  The first thing I saw was the enormous strix carved into the ceiling above my head. Amethysts glittered as the strix’s eyes, while bits of polished onyx tipped its gray stone wings and tail, giving the creature a strange, shadowy sheen.

  I gasped and jerked back. Well, as much as I could jerk back, since I was lying in a bed. Was I walking through someone else’s dream? No strixes were carved into the ceilings, walls, or anything else at Glitnir. And especially not in my chambers, where the ceiling featured an amazing image of Queen Armina Ripley riding Arton, her gargoyle, and leading her gargoyle army into battle against the Mortans . . .

  The word Mortans chimed in my ears like a bell waking up my mind, and everything came rushing back. Leonidas carrying me out of the mine. Topacia’s and Grimley’s tense, worried faces. Lyra flying the prince and me away . . .

  More memories sputtered in my mind, like fluorestones flaring to life. Leonidas carrying me through a hallway covered with black vines. Pain rushing through my body as several bone masters healed my remaining injuries. Hands and fingers fluttering around, giving me a bath, combing my hair, dressing me in a nightgown . . .

  I scrambled up to sitting, my hands clenching into fists, and my head snapping back and forth as I searched for enemies.

  The four-poster ebony bed stood in the back of the chambers, which also featured an armoire, writing desk, and vanity table. A door off to the left opened up into a bathroom done in gray tile. To the right, three glass doors lined part of the wall. Another wall featured a fireplace.

  I was alone—except for the strixes.

  Images of the creature filled the chambers—gold-framed paintings hanging on the walls, silver statues perching on the writing desk, bronze bookends squatting on a shelf. Most of the figurines featured amethyst eyes, all of which seemed to be glaring at me, the interloper in their midst.

  I shivered. Still, the strixes made me remember who I was missing.