Crush the King

by Estep, Jennifer

  Sullivan, Paloma, Serilda, Cho, Auster, Xenia. My friends were waiting outside, and they updated me on everything that had happened while I’d been asleep.

  Apparently, Maeven’s plot was much larger and far more complex than I’d realized. Not only had she killed Maximus and Nox killed Mercer, but they’d also enlisted the guards who were loyal to them to swiftly slaughter all the ones who weren’t. In the space of a few hours, Maeven had taken control of the Mortan camp, and everyone was bowing down to her as the new queen of Morta.

  “Why are you smiling again?” Paloma asked after Auster had finished updating me. “Maeven is still alive, and now she’s the fucking queen. That makes her even more dangerous.”

  “I know.” Once again, my smile widened. “Since Maeven is queen now, I should bring her a present. After all, it’s a Bellonan tradition to celebrate a new queen’s reign with a gift.” I looked at Auster. “Get Leonidas.”

  Auster returned with the boy a few minutes later. Leonidas was dressed in a dark gray tunic, along with black leggings and boots. He seemed to have recovered from his earlier shock in the arena, although his face was still tight and pale with worry.

  “Auster told me that you asked to see the memory stone of the royal challenge,” I said.

  I had wanted a record of the day’s events, so I had ordered the captain to discreetly place a memory stone on the royal terrace. I hadn’t had a chance to view the images yet, but Auster had assured me that the memory stone had clearly captured everything that had happened, from my fight with Maximus to Maeven killing her brother to Nox assassinating Mercer.

  Leonidas nodded. “Yes, I wanted to see . . . everything again. Thank you for letting me watch the stone.”

  He didn’t say anything about what his mother had done to his uncle, but I could smell his relief. He was glad that Maximus was dead. Me too.

  My friends and I crossed the bridge and made our way to the DiLucri castle. The mood in the grand ballroom was far more jovial than it had been last night, although an undercurrent of tension rippled through everyone’s gossip, laughter, and chatter. The tides of fortune had shifted far more drastically than anyone had expected at this Regalia, and everyone was still scrambling to figure out what it meant for Morta, as well as for their own kingdoms.

  Eon and Ruri greeted me warmly, but Cisco ignored me in favor of talking to Driscol and Seraphine. Driscol’s shoulders were slumped, and he looked absolutely crestfallen. Whatever deal he’d made with Maximus had died the moment the king had. But Seraphine was smiling and nodding at Cisco as though nothing noteworthy had happened at all. Then again, Fortuna favored her ladies, and I had a sneaking suspicion that Seraphine was the one who truly ran things here.

  I smiled at the other royals, then went over to Heinrich and Dominic, who both hugged me tight.

  “Thank you for avenging my son,” Heinrich murmured in my ear. “And Lord Hans and everyone else who was lost at Seven Spire.”

  Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them away and hugged him tighter.

  Zariza came over to congratulate me as well. “I knew that aligning with you was the right thing to do.” She toasted me with her brandy snifter.

  Xenia lifted her cane and poked her cousin in the arm with it. “You knew it? I was the one who told you to align with Everleigh, even though it took you a while to listen to me.”

  Zariza sniffed and tossed her long red hair over her shoulder. “And once again, I did very well listening to you, even if it did take me a while.”

  I laughed at their bickering.

  The ball continued, and everyone seemed happier and far more relaxed than they had been last night—until the Mortans arrived.

  Everyone eyed the Mortan nobles, advisors, courtiers, servants, and guards as they streamed into the ballroom, but Driscol and Seraphine stepped forward and greeted them like usual, and the tension slowly eased.

  A minute later, Nox escorted Maeven into the ballroom, and everyone turned to stare at her, including me.

  The new Mortan queen looked truly stunning in a midnight-purple gown trimmed with cascades of silver thread, including the large, fancy cursive M of the Morricone royal crest that stretched across her chest. An amethyst-and-diamond crown was nestled in her long, loose golden hair, and more amethyst-and-diamond jewelry covered her neck, wrists, and fingers. Being queen seemed to agree with her.

  Just like I’d hoped it would.

  Maeven swanned around the ballroom for the better part of an hour, greeting the other royals, chatting with the nobles, and doing other necessary, queenly things, with Nox trailing along behind her. I wasn’t the only one studying her. So was Leonidas, who was standing in the corner next to one of the coined-woman fountains, watching his mother move from one Mortan noble to the next, slowly but surely shoring up her power.

  I walked over to the boy, and the two of us stood there, watching while Maeven chatted up yet another noble.

  “Well, at least you won’t have to worry about Maximus and Mercer anymore,” I said. “Your mother made sure of that. If nothing else, I admire her for protecting you.”

  “Yes, she did. I still can’t believe that she killed Uncle Maximus. And that Nox killed Mercer.” Leonidas didn’t seem as happy about the developments as his mother did, and I could smell his worry, fear, and dread.

  “You don’t have to go back to your mother or to Morta if you don’t want to,” I said. “You and Lyra could return with me to Seven Spire. I would find a place for you there and make sure that no one bothered you or your strix. The two of you would be free to come and go as you pleased. Perhaps you could even learn a trade. I’m in need of an apprentice for the new royal jeweler I wish to hire.”

  Leonidas jerked back, clearly stunned by the offer. “You would do that? You would help me, protect me? Even after everything that my family has done to yours?”

  I shrugged. “Well, I would certainly enjoy rubbing your mother’s face in the fact that you chose me over her. But you saved my life, and Lyra helped me free the strixes that Maximus wanted to use against me. Kindness is often in short supply in royal courts, and things like that matter a great deal to me.”

  Leonidas stared at me, and I could see the struggle in his eyes. It was no small thing to give up the life and the family you’d been born into, even if someone was offering you a chance to take an easier, safer path. To escape your birthright and all the horrors that came along with it. In the end, he shook his head, although I could smell his minty regret and dusty resignation.

  “I can’t abandon her,” Leonidas said. “She might not realize it yet, but she’s going to need me now more than ever. Mother protected me from Uncle Maximus, Mercer, and all the others as best she could. Now it’s my turn to protect her.”

  Brave, stupid boy. My heart ached for Leonidas and everything he had suffered, and everything he would suffer in the future, but I admired his devotion to his mother, and I had to respect his decision. “Very well. If that’s what you want.”

  He tried to smile, although the expression quickly melted into a grimace. “We very rarely get what we want. Mother said that when she killed Uncle Maximus in the arena. But I suppose you know that better than anyone, don’t you?”

  “I certainly do.”

  Maeven finally swanned over to the corner where I was standing with Leonidas. She held out her hand to her son, and he stepped forward and took it.

  She squeezed his fingers, then tilted her head to the side. “Go say hello to Nox. Then later we’ll see about getting you and Lyra back to our camp where you both belong.”

  He smiled at her, although the expression slipped off his face the moment Maeven glanced away. Leonidas shot me one more regretful look, then squared his shoulders and shuffled over to where Nox was standing with some of the Mortan nobles. They warmly greeted the boy, as though he had been one of them all along, and not just something they were suddenly interested in now that his mother was queen.

  Even more sympathy filled me. I knew ex
actly what that was like, and I wondered what sort of life I’d doomed him to. But I’d given him a choice, and he had made it. Still, Leonidas was far stronger than he knew, and I thought that he would be all right. At least, I hoped he would.

  Maeven pivoted back to me, a wide, triumphant smile on her face. Paloma and Sullivan were standing a few feet away. They both tensed, and Paloma dropped her hand to her mace and raised her eyebrows, silently asking if I wanted her to try to kill Maeven. I shook my head.

  I had already beaten Maeven—the smug bitch just didn’t realize it yet.

  I studied Maeven the same way she was studying me. “Being queen agrees with you. Even I have to admit how stunning you look tonight.”

  She preened a little at my words. “Well, if the crown fits, I might as well wear it.”

  I couldn’t help myself. I laughed.

  Maeven frowned. “Why are you laughing? And why are you smiling at me like that?”

  “Because I won—I finally, fucking won.”

  She stared at me like I was crazy. “You didn’t win anything. You didn’t kill Maximus. I did.”

  Her words made me laugh again, and it took me several seconds to get my merry chuckles under control.

  “Well, one could argue that we killed him together. Clever of you to stand back and let me do the hard work of destroying his magic before you moved in to strike the fatal blow.” I shrugged. “But let’s not debate the semantics, not now, when I’m so happy.”

  She blinked. “What? Why are you happy?”

  I shook my head. “You really don’t see it, do you?”

  She frowned again. “What do you mean?”

  “You did exactly what I wanted you to. You’re right. You killed Maximus in the arena, not me. Everyone saw you do it. And then, even better, Nox cut Mercer’s throat. Everyone saw him do that too.”

  Maeven kept staring at me, still confused. So, for once, I decided to show her some mercy and explain what I’d done.

  “I actually have to thank Felton,” I said. “He’s the one who first gave me the idea when I visited him in the Seven Spire dungeon a few months ago. He’s still rotting down there, in case you were curious.”

  But Maeven didn’t care about Felton, Queen Cordelia’s traitorous secretary, only what he’d inspired me to do. “Idea for what?” she asked in a sharp voice.

  I shrugged. “To make you queen of Morta.”

  Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. She still didn’t understand what was going on and the cruel, cruel thing that I’d done to her.

  “Felton told me how badly Maximus used you and your bastard relatives to carry out his dirty work. I knew how strong you are in your lightning magic, and I couldn’t imagine why you would ever let anyone treat you like that. And I saw a way to potentially get rid of Maximus for good.”

  Maeven kept staring at me, although understanding was slowly beginning to creep into her eyes.

  “So I decided to play a game with you,” I said. “I didn’t know if anything would ever come of it, but I decided to try. When I spoke to you through the Cardea mirror after all your schemes fell apart at Glitnir, I told you that you had two choices—die or leave Morta. What I didn’t tell you was that you had a third choice—that you always had a third choice.”

  Her face paled, even as more understanding filled her eyes.

  “Every time we’ve talked in the mirror since then, I’ve been playing my long game with you. Preying on your fears and your pride and especially your rage at Maximus for all the cruel things he did to you and your Bastard Brigade. And then you brought Leonidas to the Regalia. Maximus was even crueler to your son, which was something else I used to my advantage. And my plan worked, and you actually did the one thing I wanted you to do all along.”

  “Kill Maximus,” she whispered. “You wanted me to be the one to kill him. But . . . why?”

  “So you would be queen.”

  “But why would you ever want me to be queen?” Maeven threw her hands up. “Now I have more power, more money, more resources. Now I can fully devote myself to destroying you and Bellona.”

  I shook my head. She still didn’t understand what I’d done to her. Not yet—but she would.

  “Sullivan once told me that I didn’t really know what it meant to be queen, and he was right. I didn’t know just how demanding the nobles would be until I was actually queen. My nobles might not have expected me to be queen, but they’ve started to accept me. I doubt that your nobles will do the same.”

  I gestured at the people still gathered around Nox and Leonidas. “You might have killed the king and the crown prince, but there are still some legitimate royals left, including Nox, your partner in crime. How long do you think it’s going to be before he or one of the legitimate royals challenges you for the throne? Or one of the wealthier nobles? You might have killed Maximus and Mercer, but in everyone’s eyes, you’re still just a bastard pretender. That’s the Morricone tradition, the Mortan culture, and that pretty little crown on your head doesn’t change any of that.”

  The last dregs of her smile slipped off her face, and she stared at the nobles as if she had never considered that they wouldn’t be on her side—and that they might already be plotting against her.

  Maeven shook her head. “It won’t matter. I’ll give them you and Bellona and Andvari, and they’ll support me.”

  I laughed again, the sound much harsher and far more mocking than before. “No, you won’t. Think about everything that’s happened over the past few days. I freed Maximus’s strixes, along with that caladrius. Even if you had Maximus’s ability to absorb magic and could have actually stomached drinking their blood, those creatures are long gone, and their power along with them.”

  Maeven didn’t respond, so I kept going.

  “Maximus slaughtered the rest of the strixes your guards brought with them, and I killed your bastard relatives on that ship in the harbor. These might have all seemed like small defeats at the time, but they’ve added up to quite a bloody mess. In the space of three days, I’ve cut you to pieces,” I snarled. “You’re going to have to travel back to the Mortan capital by land, which will take weeks. And once you finally do arrive, I imagine that you’ll have quite the struggle to secure your new throne. Why, I’d be surprised if you ever even get to sit on it.”

  “You lying, scheming, treacherous bitch!” Maeven hissed.

  I arched an eyebrow. “Me? I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who killed the king, your own brother. Face it, Maeven. You won’t be invading Bellona or Andvari or any other kingdom. You’ll be too busy trying to hang on to your own. If you’re lucky, you might avoid a civil war with the legitimate royals. But I wouldn’t hold my breath about it.”

  Maeven kept staring at me, thinking about all the ramifications of what she’d done, of what I’d tricked her into doing.

  “You told me yesterday that you made me queen. You were right about that, so I decided to do the same exact thing to you.” I smirked at her. “I bet that amethyst crown doesn’t feel so light on your head now.”

  Her hand drifted up, as if to touch the crown to make sure it was still on her head, but then she realized what she was doing, and she dropped her hand down to the side. “This doesn’t change anything.”

  “Oh, it changes everything,” I hissed. “Because while you’re in Morta, fighting for your crown and most likely your life, I’ll be in Bellona, building up my army and navy, securing my borders, and negotiating alliances with the other kingdoms. And by the time you finally kill all your rivals, or they kill you, I will be ready for anything that you or anyone else can throw at me. And then I will fucking crush you, just like I crushed Maximus and his magic.”

  Maeven didn’t say anything, but concern darkened her eyes. Even better, I could sense her growing fear as she realized just how effectively I had trapped her. Sweetest bloody aroma I’d ever smelled.

  Serilda had trained me to be a soldier, a fighter, a gladiator, and Xenia had schooled me in the s
ubtle art of being a spy and twirling my enemies into corners. I had learned from two masters, and I would always be grateful for the hard lessons they had taught me.

  But this scheme against Maeven was all my doing, from beginning to end. It had been my idea, playing to my strengths of waiting, watching, plotting, manipulating, and thinking ahead. It was my proudest accomplishment to date, and something that made me feel like I had finally earned my throne, just like a true Winter queen would.

  “You know what people say about Bellonans, don’t you?” I taunted her. “I’m sure you heard it often enough while you were at Seven Spire.”

  She wet her lips and whispered the words. “Bellonans are very good at playing the long game.”

  “Exactly! I’m so glad you remembered our little motto. I think that I did my kingdom, my people, and especially my family proud playing my long game with you.”

  Maeven pressed her hand to her stomach, as if she suddenly felt nauseous. The sight filled me with even more malicious glee.

  “Although I have to pay my respects to you as well,” I said. “You taught me an important lesson during the Seven Spire massacre, one that I’ve been thinking about a lot over the past year, one that I will never, ever forget. And now, thanks to me, you’ll always remember it too.”

  Maeven couldn’t stop herself from asking the inevitable question. “And what’s that?”

  I leaned forward and gave her a cold, vicious smile. “Someone always wants to kill the queen.”

  She kept staring at me, more and more horror filling her amethyst eyes, and more and more worry saturating her scent.

  “Good luck with everything,” I purred in a smug, satisfied voice. “I do hope that we can continue our chats through the Cardea mirror from time to time. I’m eager to hear about your progress in holding on to your throne. Goodbye, Queen Maeven. Long may you reign.”

  I dipped down into a traditional Bellonan curtsy, holding it far longer than necessary, just to mock her that much more. Then I straightened. Maeven was still standing in front of me, that same shocked, sick expression on her pale face.

  I smiled at Maeven again, then turned and left her alone in the corner to think about the horrible thing that I’d done to her.