Crush the King

by Estep, Jennifer

  He could potentially wipe out the entire Bellonan camp, which would leave him free to do something even worse—invade my kingdom.

  “Where are these strixes?” I asked in a sharp voice.

  Leonidas sighed for a third time. “In their cages. In our camp. On the Mortan side of the river.”

  “Could you draw me a map? Show me where they are?”

  He shrugged. “I could, but your people are coming to kill me, so what’s the point? I’ll be dead soon enough, and so will those strixes.”

  I stared at the three dead geldjagers, thoughts and schemes whirling through my mind. Maximus had sent Leonidas to kill me, but he’d realized that the boy might fail, so he’d most likely told Driscol to send these assassins as backup. And not just to kill me, but Leonidas too.

  But the assassins were Fortuna geldjagers, and they had wanted to kidnap me, rather than murder me. Once again, it seemed like the DiLucris were making promises to Maximus, but then ignoring his orders in favor of their own sinister plans.

  Leonidas was right. Captain Auster would want to tear him to pieces for attacking me. So would Paloma, Sullivan, and the rest of my friends. It would be so easy to let them do whatever they liked to Leonidas, and Lyra too.

  But once again, I couldn’t—wouldn’t—do that.

  The boy had been trying to save his strix, as well as protect himself and his mother. If my own mother had still been alive, I would have done anything to keep her safe, even try to kill a queen.

  No, I wasn’t going to kill Leonidas—but I could still use him.

  At the very least, I needed more information about the strixes that Maximus planned to slaughter. And that wasn’t the only way I could use the boy. Maximus didn’t realize it, but he’d just given me the perfect tool to further my long game with Maeven, a game that might let me crush the king at the same time.

  I looked at Leonidas. “Do you trust me?”

  “Of course not. Why would I trust you? You’re the Bellonan queen.” He frowned. “And why would you even want me to trust you? I just tried to kill you.”

  Well, at least the boy was honest. So I asked a different, better question. “Do you want to live? More importantly, do you want Lyra to live?”

  He threw his hands up in frustration and confusion. “Of course I want Lyra to live.” He eyed me, and his frown slowly deepened. “Wait. Why are you smiling like that?”

  My smile stretched a little wider across my face. “Listen to me very carefully. Here’s what we’re going to do.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  I had barely finished telling Leonidas my plan when people started rushing into my tent.

  Auster, Serilda, and Cho had their swords drawn, ready to battle any assassins, while Paloma clutched her mace, eager to do the same. Sullivan’s blue lightning crackled on his fingertips. Even Calandre and her two sisters hurried inside, brandishing scissors to cut down anyone who was threatening me.

  They all jerked to a stop at the sight of me calmly searching Jerome’s pockets. I’d already patted down the other two geldjagers while I was talking to Leonidas, but they hadn’t been carrying anything noteworthy. And none of them, Jerome included, was wearing a gold coined-woman pendant that would have marked them as working for the Mint. Driscol had corrected that mistake, at least.

  “Oh,” Paloma said, lowering her mace. “You killed them already.”

  “You sound disappointed.”

  She shrugged. “I could have used some practice for the tournament tomorrow.”

  I rolled my eyes. Of course she would say that. I finished searching Jerome’s pockets and got to my feet.

  “What happened?” Auster asked, his brown eyes fixed on Leonidas and Lyra, who were still sitting on the ground in the center of the tent. “And why is the Morricone boy here?”

  “Yes, highness,” Sullivan murmured, also staring at Leonidas, his magic still crackling on his fingertips. “What is the Morricone boy doing here? And why is that strix out of its cage?”

  “Her name is Lyra. And she saved me, along with Leonidas.”

  My friends all gave me incredulous looks, but I told them what had happened. When I finished, Captain Auster summoned some guards to remove the assassins’ bodies. Unfortunately, there was no platform or scaffolding on which to display them, like I’d done with the geldjagers in Svalin, so I told Auster to bury the bodies and be done with them. The captain left the tent, along with the guards.

  Calandre and her sisters fluttered about, straightening up the mess left behind by the battle. They also found several long slits in one of the canvas walls from where the assassins had snuck into the tent, and they sewed up the holes.

  While they worked, I answered question after question from Paloma, Sullivan, Serilda, and Cho about the attack.

  Finally, I held up my hands, calling for quiet. “You’re asking the wrong questions and thinking about the wrong things. It doesn’t matter that Leonidas tried to kill me or that the geldjagers wanted to kidnap me.”

  “Then what does matter?” Cho gave me a curious look.

  “How I react. And especially how we use it against Maximus and Maeven.”

  “So that’s why you’re keeping the boy alive,” Serilda said.

  She glanced over at Leonidas, who was still sitting with Lyra. The boy kept sliding his fingers down the strix’s purple feathers in a quick, nervous rhythm. I could smell his worry, but I hadn’t lied to him earlier. He was going to live, and so was Lyra.

  I was going to protect them, but I was also going to use the boy to further my own goals. A good queen took advantage of every tool at her disposal, and Leonidas was going to help me undercut Maximus in a number of ways.

  I smiled. “Oh, yes. I have something special in mind for the boy.”

  Paloma stared at me. “You know, Evie, I never thought that you looked or sounded particularly sinister until this very moment.”

  My smile slowly widened.

  * * *

  I left the Bellonan camp early the next morning.

  Sullivan, Paloma, Serilda, Cho, Captain Auster, and several guards flanked me as I walked down the steps and headed toward the Perseverance Bridge. The only one missing was Xenia, who had spent the night on one of the Ungerian ships with Zariza. But there was a new addition to our troupe.

  Leonidas.

  The boy had spent the night in a tent with Lyra under a heavy guard. But other than the dread filling his face, he looked no worse for the wear.

  I couldn’t do anything about his dread, but I had kept my promise, and he and Lyra had not been harmed. The boy had been given a bath and fresh clothes, along with plenty of food and water, and Lyra had been offered several cuts of meat, which she had gobbled down.

  The strix was now back in their tent, where Leonidas had told her to stay until he returned, and she had seemed content enough to hunker down inside her cage, although the boy had left the door open so she could hop around the tent if she liked. I’d told the guards not to bother the strix or try to stop her if she decided to leave camp.

  My friends and I quickly reached the bridge and crossed it, heading back to Fortuna for day two of the Regalia. It was a lovely morning, cold, crisp, and sunny, and throngs of people were already streaming over to the island. The Tournament of Champions would kick off this morning, and everyone wanted to get to the arena early to get the best possible seat.

  Despite the crowds, it didn’t take us long to walk over to the island and climb the steps to the arena. I stopped at the edge of the main plaza, drinking in the sights, sounds, and especially the smells.

  Many spectators sported painted faces and were enthusiastically waving pennants featuring the colors and crests of their favorite troupes and gladiators. The merchants were already hawking their wares, their voices ringing together in a chorus of commerce. The smoky sizzle of frying bacon mingled with the buttery, sugary scents of freshly made cornucopia and other decadent treats. I soaked up as many of the sights, sounds, and smells as poss
ible, especially since I didn’t know if I would actually live through the day.

  Given my plans, I might not even make it until lunchtime.

  Together, my friends and I headed toward the long tables that served as the registration area.

  “This is where we leave you,” Cho said, then looked at Paloma. “Are you ready for this?”

  As ringmaster, he was announcing the tournament, while Paloma was competing. Cho was wearing his red ringmaster’s jacket, while Paloma was dressed in light gray fighting leathers. She had a shield strapped to her forearm, and her mace was dangling from her belt.

  “Of course I’m ready for this,” she said, then glanced at me. “Aren’t you going to wish me luck?”

  “Luck is for fools and children,” I replied. “Isn’t that what you said to me in Xenia’s dance hall last week?”

  She rolled her eyes at my teasing, but I reached out and squeezed her bare muscled arm.

  “You don’t need luck,” I said. “You are going to go into the ring and show everyone that you’re not just the best gladiator in the Black Swan troupe or in Svalin, but that you are the best bloody gladiator in all the kingdoms. You are going to win, and you are going to look fierce and fabulous doing it.”

  A grin slowly spread across Paloma’s face. “Queen Everleigh is getting pretty good at giving inspiring speeches.”

  I grinned back at her. “Well, I’m glad you think that I’m finally getting good at something.”

  She smiled at me a moment longer, then her face turned serious, and she stabbed her finger at me. “You’d better not die while I’m fighting, and you’d better be here to see me win.”

  “I won’t, and I will. Promise.”

  Paloma and Cho headed over to the tables. Sullivan, Serilda, Auster, and I headed into the arena, with Leonidas sandwiched in the middle of us and the Bellonan guards.

  We threaded our way through the crowd and climbed the bleacher steps to the royal terrace. Dozens of minor royals, nobles, advisors, and others were already milling around, laughing, gossiping, and enjoying refreshments. Driscol was speaking with a servant, while Seraphine was standing by his side, another blank smile on her face.

  Eon, Ruri, Cisco, Zariza, Heinrich. All the other kings and queens were already here, including Maximus, and I was the last to arrive. Good. I wanted everyone to see my special guest.

  Maximus turned toward our group, a sneering smile on his face. I didn’t know what he had hoped or expected to see, but it definitely wasn’t Leonidas standing next to me, and Maximus’s smile vanished like a snowman melting in the sun. Maeven also turned around, wondering what her brother was staring at, and she stiffened in surprise. So did Nox, who was standing next to her. Mercer wasn’t here, since he was competing in the tournament.

  I ignored the Mortans and made a slow circuit around the terrace, greeting the other royals. Eon and Ruri were polite, Cisco was cold and dismissive, and Heinrich and Zariza were warm and welcoming. Nothing had changed from last night, including how angry Maximus was, anger that grew with every second I ignored him. Even though the scent of his hot, peppery anger burned my nose, I breathed it in over and over again.

  I did so love the smell of my enemy’s impotent rage.

  Finally, I deigned to walk over to Maximus. Nox stepped up beside his uncle, but Maeven hovered a few feet away, as did Driscol and Seraphine.

  “Hello, Maximus,” I purred. “Isn’t it a fine morning?”

  He stared at me, and I smiled back, as if it were perfectly natural for his bastard nephew to be a part of my contingent. Everyone else had noticed Leonidas trailing along behind me, and whispers were already swirling about what I was doing with the boy.

  Maximus frowned, clearly not understanding what I hoped to gain, but he couldn’t contain his curiosity. “Is there a problem?”

  I frowned back at him, as though I were puzzled. “Problem? Why would there be a problem?”

  He gestured at Leonidas, who was standing behind me, right in between Sullivan and Captain Auster. “It seems as though you have my nephew in your custody.”

  “Leonidas? In my custody?” I laughed. “You make it sound like he’s my prisoner. Quite the contrary.”

  “What do you mean?” Maximus asked in a suspicious voice. “Has something unpleasant happened?”

  There was that damn word again, but I waved my hand. “Oh, some assassins infiltrated the Bellonan camp last night and tried to kill me, but of course they didn’t succeed.”

  “Yes, I can see that,” Maximus muttered, shooting a nasty look at Driscol, who visibly paled.

  The Mortan king faced me again. “But that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing with my nephew. We were all quite concerned when we couldn’t find him in our camp this morning.”

  I had to give him credit for saying the lie with a straight face, but Maximus had just given me the perfect opening to spin my own tale. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Leonidas and his actions last night.”

  “Oh, really?”

  Maximus probably thought I was going to accuse him of sending the boy to murder me. So did Nox and Maeven, from the way they both tensed. Driscol looked nervous as well, although Seraphine was as calm as ever.

  “Oh, yes.” I looked around the terrace, making sure I had everyone’s attention. Time to once again focus on the second part of my Regalia plan, showing strength and cleverness in front of the other royals. “Leonidas saved my life last night. Why, the boy is a bloody hero.”

  Silence dropped over the terrace, and everyone went utterly still. No one seemed to know what to do or say, including Maximus, who blinked in confusion.

  “A hero?” he said. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  I gestured at Leonidas, who shuffled up beside me. The boy’s face was pale, and he looked like he might faint, so I patted his shoulder, trying to reassure him, then turned back to Maximus.

  “Yes, a hero,” I repeated. “You see, that strix I won during the kronekling tournament is actually Leonidas’s strix. I didn’t realize that, or I never would have taken it away from the boy.”

  Maximus kept blinking, still not sure where I was going with this.

  “Leonidas came to the Bellonan camp last night to say goodbye to his beloved strix. Such a good boy, going to honor the outcome of the tournament, regardless of how much it hurt to lose his best friend.” I glanced at Leonidas, but he didn’t contradict my lies. “Anyway, Leonidas saw some assassins sneaking into my camp. He sounded the alarm, and he stopped the assassins from hurting anyone, including me.”

  Maximus frowned, as did Nox, but I focused on Maeven. Anger stained her cheeks a bright, hot pink, and her hands were fisted in her skirt. She didn’t know what I was doing with her son, but she didn’t like it. Too damn bad. This game was just getting started.

  “I was so impressed with Leonidas’s bravery that I’ve invited him to stay in the Bellonan camp for the duration of the Regalia as my special guest,” I said, looking at the king again. “I hope that you’ll agree, Maximus. I think it would be a wonderful way to foster better relations between our two kingdoms.”

  Maximus’s eyes narrowed, and fury sparked in his dark purple gaze. He knew I was mocking him with Leonidas’s failure to kill me. No doubt, as soon as he’d seen Leonidas, Maximus had thought I would tell everyone that the boy had tried to murder me. Then the Mortan king could have publicly denounced his nephew or perhaps taken him into custody to be executed at a later date. But I’d surprised Maximus by painting the boy as a hero, and he couldn’t claim otherwise. Not without revealing that he’d sent the boy to try to assassinate me.

  “Of course.” Maximus said the words through gritted teeth. “I’m sure that my nephew will enjoy your hospitality.”

  I gestured at the buffet tables. “Leonidas, why don’t you get something to eat? You look famished.”

  Leonidas actually looked sick to his stomach, but he shuffled over and started filling a plate with food, although I doubted he would
eat any of it. Still, it gave him something to do, and it got him a little farther away from the rest of the Mortans.

  “Enjoy the tournament,” I said.

  I smiled at Maximus again, then walked over and took a seat at the royal table. The other kings and queens slowly moved forward and took their seats as well. Eon tipped his head respectfully to me. Ruri did the same, and the dragon on her hand actually winked at me. Cisco remained as sour as ever, ignoring me, while Heinrich and Zariza were both grinning.

  “Well done, Everleigh,” Zariza whispered as she sat down beside me. “Very well done.”

  I shrugged. “Well, it’s not as complicated as the Tanzen Falter, but I know how to dance around people like Maximus.”

  “Yes, you do.” Zariza’s grin slowly faded. “The only question now is, how will he retaliate?”

  I glanced over at Maximus. Even though he was on the opposite side of the terrace, I could clearly smell his hot jalapeño rage. It was practically blasting out of his pores like lightning from a magier’s fingertips.

  Zariza was right. I had just kicked a nest of coral vipers. Now all I could do was wait and see how many of them slithered out and tried to kill me.

  * * *

  Five minutes later, Cho strode out to the center of the arena floor and used his booming voice to announce the start of the tournament. The crowd went wild, yelling, cheering, clapping, screaming, and whistling, and the scent of everyone’s collective eagerness flooded the air. The other events and competitions were entertaining enough, but this was what everyone had come to see.

  Since Mercer was the defending champion, he had the honor of participating in the first bout. Cho announced him, and the Mortan crown prince strode out to the middle of the arena.

  Like all the competitors, Mercer was wearing traditional gladiator fighting leathers—a tight, fitted sleeveless shirt, a knee-length kilt, and flat sandals with straps that wound up past his ankles. His leathers were a dark purple, with the fancy cursive M of the Morricone royal crest stretching across his chest in silver thread. A silver shield that featured the same M was strapped to his forearm, and he was also carrying a sword with a silver hilt.