I inhaled sharply. His words cut deep, but I wouldn’t let my anger or pride kill Morgana. “If I was to consider agreeing to your terms, what exactly would they be?”
The corner of Morgana’s lip tugged upward as he watched me carefully, searching my gaze with intent. A shock of pain coursed through my body, as he felt me from the inside too. “I need power, to harness souls so I can come back. I also need the daughter of Xenos of Berovia.”
I had been right. The firstborn daughters were something to do with it. “Neoma.”
“She must come and perform a ritual. Her sacrifice will be sufficient payment, with the souls required to bring me back to the living, to spare you both.”
My gaze flicked around the dungeon. I didn’t want Neoma to die. My few memories of her at the castle from when I’d been kept prisoner there were fond. She was a decent person and didn’t deserve to be sacrificed. “There must be another way. Something else you want.”
“No,” he said icily.
“How many souls?”
An unsettling smile set over his expression. “A hundred.”
I closed my eyes. “I can’t kill a hundred people.”
“I’m certain you will find a way.”
I shook my head. “I won’t do it.”
“I feel her soul withering away.”
“She wouldn’t want me to do it.” I gripped the sides of the stool, my nails digging into the splintering wood. “Morgana would rather die than help you.”
“Yes. But you’re not Morgana. You’re willing to do what others won’t, for the people you love. It’s no surprise you and the faery king are drawn to one another.”
The statement was too personal, striking a chord deep inside me. Blaise had said it before. He won’t always do the right thing, but he would by me. Was I the same?
“You’re no hero, young queen,” the necromancer said slickly. “Quit trying to act like one and agree to this like we both know you will. At least now you can save Morgana from her anguish sooner rather than later.”
Tears swam in my eyes. “That was the old me. I love Morgana, but I won’t risk everything to save one person. She wouldn’t want me to. The answer is no.” My stomach hurt as the words left my lips.
He sneered. “Let me add some extra motivation, shall I? If you do not agree to bring me back, I will find a way to reduce this pathetic kingdom to ash, burn your forests and crops, bring plague and disease…”
My gaze narrowed. “You couldn’t.”
“I’m inside her”—he pointed at himself—“and you. More will come along who will turn to my magic, and through each of them I will change my goal to destroying Magaelor. When I put my mind to something, I get it in the end. Are you willing to risk it?”
We stared off for a good minute, until I blinked. My lips parted, uncertainty watering my eyes. I couldn’t risk Magaelor, Morgana, and myself. If I’d had more time, perhaps I could have found a way out of it all, but time was something I didn’t have.
“Take your time.” He picked at Morgana’s nails. I slumped my head and rolled it back until I heard a pop in my neck. Everything in me ached. His presence was heavier than stone.
“Only if you leave us both now, without the need of potion. No more controlling us.”
“If you make a deal in blood, then it must be fulfilled. If you don’t, the entire kingdom will turn to ash. I’ll find a way. It may not be this year, or the next, but at some point during your reign, you will see everything you love disappear.”
I believed him. My words shook as they left my lips. “I agree to your terms. We have a deal.”
He approached the bars, the shackles pulling the chains along the ground, chinking over small stones. “You have seven days to prepare. On the seventh day, bring me back, when the moon is full.”
“Why when it’s full?”
“Full moons are the ideal time to perform a ritual.” He looked me up and down one last time and closed Morgana’s eyelids.
Morgana collapsed to the ground at the same time the heaviness lifted from me. He had gone, as he’d promised, and now I had to kill the same people I’d sworn to protect.
***
Adius stopped me as I hurried to Morgana’s room. “Your Majesty. One of King Blaise’s ships has arrived from Berovia. We haven’t allowed them onto land yet. What should we do?”
“Let them dock. I know what they were sent for.” They must have retrieved the Amulet of Viribus. Now, only the Ring of Immortalem stood between Blaise and the curse.
He nodded. “Right away, Majesty. Also, the girls for the Ruby Circle have arrived. They’ve been shown their rooms. There are only twenty, as per your request.”
It was a far smaller number of ladies than was present the other times the tradition had been celebrated at the castle, but it was definitely not the right time for many visitors. “Send Florence to organize everything and keep them entertained.”
“They’ll expect your presence.”
I sighed, and my shoulders slumped forward. “I’ll make sure to see them tonight. First, I must see Morgana.”
He walked at my side through the large corridors. Morgana had been out cold for hours, but one of the maids had informed me she had finally awakened. I’d locked myself in the office, wondering how I was going to murder a hundred people and bring Neoma to Magaelor. In my hand was a letter, a treaty, the only hope I had to gain their trust.
He cleared this throat. “Excuse my intruding, but the lords will be expecting punishment for Lady Marissa’s murder.”
“She wasn’t herself, Adius. I can’t get into why, but you must believe me.”
“I do.” His expression hardened. “I saw her. There was something sinister about her.”
“There was.” A shiver snaked down my spine. “Regardless, tell them I will discuss her punishment at the next meeting.”
“I shall schedule one.”
“Adius.” I paused, stopping for a moment in the middle of the empty corridor that connected to the west wing to where Morgana was. “It’s been overwhelming, and you being at my side… it has been a relief. I trust you, and that says a lot. Which is why I’ve been wanting to discuss an important matter with you.” I smiled. Out of all the anguish and sadness of late, this was a small happiness, something I felt I was doing for the right reasons. “There is still an opening for royal advisor. I hadn’t filled it because I didn’t know who I wanted, but it’s obvious. I would feel honored if you took the position. It has better pay. I would ensure you are gifted lands for your service. A nice place where you and Florence can retire one day.”
He hesitated. I knew the life of a guard, of a general, was what he preferred, but Florence preferred a particular lifestyle, and this could give it to her—to them both.
“I am humbled by your request, and there is no greater honor than serving at your side, but may I take it under consideration?”
I nodded. “Of course.” I turned and walked again. “I need you to find Blaise and tell him I no longer require the potion.”
He glanced at me sideways but didn’t ask why. “I’ll go to him now.”
“Also.” I handed him the letter.
He took it and raised his eyebrows. Shining back at him were the words “King Kiros of Berovia.”
“Take this to the messenger to send to Berovia. It must arrive in Kiros’s hands.”
“I will ensure it is sent immediately.”
“Thanks, Adius, and do think about the position. I would find it a great help. You already act like an advisory. I know it’s not the life of a general, but there’s no one else I can trust.”
He nodded with a hint of a smile, then turned and walked back in the direction we came from. I took a deep breath and continued to Morgana’s room, nervous at what awaited me on the other side of her door.
TWENTY-FIVE
I sat on the edge of her bed, dipping her downward. Her bloodshot eyes were focused on the chandelier hanging overhead, and her long brown waves we
re matted. Those and her chapped lips were the only signs she’d been possessed by a centuries-old being. I grabbed a brush and began pulling out the knots. A maid tried to interject, but I wanted to do this for her.
“Everything is going to be okay now.” I brushed a tangle out and sighed. The pixies had done an amazing job at healing her. They would come in handy, especially with the letter I had sent. They were one of the terms. “I’m handling it.”
“What did you promise him?” Her pointed stare found mine.
I looked around the room. Only a maid clattered around with a tray of tea. “Leave,” I ordered. “Leave the tea.”
The maid placed the peppermint teas on the side table, then left us alone.
“I did what I needed to do, to save you,” I whispered. “And Magaelor,” I said before she could get mad. “Like you did when you saved me.”
Morgana let out an exasperated sigh. “You should have let me die.”
“Like you should have me, but apparently, neither of us listen to reason.” I licked my lips, rolling my eyes. A storm was brewing behind the window. “He threatened Magaelor. He’d have brought plague and disease. I don’t need a centuries-old, vengeful necromancer whose motivation is to destroy my kingdom. I had no choice.”
She sat upright, rubbing her temples. “You don’t need to.” She stopped me from brushing her strands.
“I want to,” I said, brushing out her curls. “I’ve missed you.”
“You still haven’t told me what you promised him. Winter.” She gave me a discerning look. “Tell me everything I have missed, and don’t leave out anything. I need to know.”
I looked down at the steaming cups. “For that discussion, we might need something a little stronger than tea.”
I finished filling her in, and she nodded along, taking everything better than I would have. I explained how I needed to kill Vahaga and what André had told me and my mother, about the spirit realm, what the necromancer wanted me to do, the attack on me at my coronation, and my offer of a treaty to Kiros.
“You sent a peace treaty, to Berovia?” She entwined her fingers. “We would have a better chance at kidnapping Neoma if I were going to allow the plan to go ahead, which I’m not.”
Dismissing her statement, I clicked my tongue. “Kiros might say yes.”
“He will not.”
“He might.” I charged with hope. “I’ve seen it, glances of him reading the letter. He smiled.”
“That could mean many things.” She furrowed her brows. “I see your foresight has come in. Or, shall I say, you have finally allowed it in.”
“It’s not like I was purposely shutting it out before.” I smirked, delighting in our back and forth, like the old days on Inferis.
“You shut out more than you will ever know.”
“Very cryptic.”
A hint of a smile curved her full lips. She lifted her tea to them and sipped.
“Blaise and I are together.” I looked up. “It’s complicated.”
“When is it not with you two?”
I arched an eyebrow. “You knew?”
“Of course I did. It was always meant to be him.”
A snugness settled into my chest. “How are we going to find these souls? I mean, one of them can be Vahaga, but—”
“Winter!” She scowled. “You cannot even be tempted by this offer. You should never have agreed to it. While I appreciate the sentiment, it will cost you your soul. You are our queen and cannot be a murderer.”
“I already am.” I referred to my father. “What am I supposed to do? This is a hundred lives to save a million, to save us too. Magaelor needs you.” I didn’t like feeling vulnerable, but she was my family. She’d been there when no one else was. She had rocked me to sleep after André died. She was the one who kept me glued together when I was falling apart on Inferis. She taught me knowledge was power and made me feel like I was worth something. Moreover, she’d always believed in me, and I wasn’t ready to let her go. “I need you.”
The sharpness on her features softened. “I will carry out the task for you. It will be my burden now.”
“No!”
“You will not question me.”
“I’m not going to let you do it alone. I’m helping. Queen or not, I am your friend, and this was my promise. It’s my kingdom to save.”
She let out a long shaky exhale. “Then we must do it together.”
“Wait, Morgana…” An idea flitted into my mind. “The spirit realm reaches only to the tip of Magaelor, correct? Not beyond.”
“Yes.”
“Then the people who died in the battle, I mean, could their souls still be there? Without the spirit realm to go to?”
“They may have found peace.” She pressed her hands together. “Let us hope.”
“But there could have been some who didn’t.” It was an awful thing to think, but I thought it anyway. “Lost souls of lunas who died there, who wanted to wait to go to the spirit realm, they’d still be wandering, and hundreds died. What if enough remained, enough to bring him back?” I felt sick to my stomach by saying it, but between a hundred already dead versus killing a hundred living, it was no real choice. They were men and women who had fought for me, and some against me, but still. “Edgar found his way to the spirit realm, but I buried him on the border of Magaelor. The others were buried in Niferum.”
“It could work.” Sadness pinched her lips into a frown. “Their poor souls.”
“We can set them free.” I lowered my voice to a whisper, as if the necromancer might somehow hear me even though he had left us both. “The deal was to deliver him Neoma and the souls, but once he’s back here, as a man, he can be killed. He said he’s immortal and can’t be killed by the Sword or Dagger, but I believe it a lie.”
“Why do you think it’s a lie?”
“Why else do you think he’d mention it? He doesn’t even want me to try. If there was an object that could kill me, I’d start a rumor it couldn’t. Why would anyone even try? They’d be too busy looking for alternative ways to kill me. The Objects of Kai were designed—forged—to kill any immortal.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. “I believe you may be right.”
“We let him come back, then we cut his head off for good measure.”
“You’re spending far too much time with Blaise.”
“Not enough, I think.”
“You forget one thing, Winter.”
“What?”
She blew out a tense breath. “One of us has to get close enough first. This is a creature that is stronger, more cunning than anything we have encountered before, and he has magic.”
“I know.” I felt more determined than ever. I got my friend back and had a plan that could save my kingdom. “This way, we won’t need to kill anyone innocent. Only the guilty.”
“Speaking about Vahaga, you must be careful. His death will be looked into. He is the high priest.”
“I got away with it before.”
“From what you said about the attack and Vahaga knowing, you haven’t.”
Ferocity guided my tone. “I will this time.”
***
Blaise grazed his fingers lightly over my thigh as we lay in bed. Evening approached with the last of the sun’s rays kissing the horizon. I had to go down to the dance soon, where the ladies from the Ruby Circle would be eager to make an impression. I had been happy with just Nissa and Marissa as my ladies-in-waiting, but Marissa was dead and needed replacing.
Blaise pressed his lips against my hand. “You need more than one lady,” he said, as if he could read my thoughts. “I know you don’t want to host the Ruby Circle.”
“I don’t,” I admitted, rolling my head back against the soft pillows. “I know I have to, but with everything else happening, it seems a little silly to host these events.”
“It’s precisely why you should. You need to appear as if nothing bad is happening behind the scenes. Did no one tell you? The role of a royal i
s to pretend as if everything is perfect, when really the world is descending into chaos.”
“I know.” I blew out slowly. “Will you be by my side?”
He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. My heart raced. “Do you even need to ask?” he asked against me, his hot breath tingling my skin. The smell of clover smoke and scotch lingered on his lips. He kissed my collar bone, then my neck.
“Oh,” I groaned.
“I don’t have to stop.” He let out a low growl. “I don’t want to.”
“Then don’t.”
“I love you,” he whispered against my skin, as if it were a secret we didn’t want to share yet. It was all ours.
“I love you too.” Twice I’d said it, and both times it cracked vulnerability into me.
He pushed my wrists against the sheets, pressing against me. “I’m going with you to take him down.”
I looked up. I shouldn’t have told him about Morgana’s and my plan with the necromancer. I should have known he’d want to take over. “I’m capable of doing this.”
He gazed into my eyes, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “I know you are, love, but I want to do this for you.”
I pushed him off me, sighing. “I’m not going to have the same argument with you as I did with Morgana.”
“She’s helping,” he said slowly.
“Yes, but she wanted to do it on her own at first.”
“Ever so stubborn.”
I laughed. “Says you. I think Morgana’s worried you’re a bad influence on me, you know.”
He licked his lips, looking me up and down. “Love, I’m a bad influence on everyone but you. You and I are two sides of the same coin, remember?”
“I know,” I said, breathless, and he leaned in for another kiss. I closed my eyes and melted into his embrace. Soon it would be time for battle, with Vahaga and then the necromancer, and sooner or later, I’d have to find a way to destroy the spirit realm. Until then, I’d let myself enjoy slices of happiness.
The Fate of Crowns: The Complete Trilogy: A YA Epic Fantasy Boxset Page 72
