Within Ash and Stardust

by Chani Lynn Feener

  “My daughter is dead!” Tilda took a threatening step closer. “After everything I’ve done, everything I’ve sacrificed, she was murdered anyway. What happened to the promise your father made me?” She directed this last part over Delaney’s shoulder. “He swore she would be protected!”

  “He lied,” Trystan said. “He’s the one who ordered Olena to take Delaney into the woods. What happened after that is ultimately on him. He’s the one who put your daughter in danger.”

  “Why would he do that? Why try to have her killed? Delaney is the heir, exactly like you wanted. I did everything you wanted.”

  “My father tricked me, just as he tricked you. He never intended mutual rule.”

  “He’s been playing you,” Delaney told her. “Order them to stand down, and we’ll tell you everything that happened.”

  “I can guess well enough on my own, Miss Grace. One”—she motioned between Ruckus and the Zane—“or both of them killed my daughter to protect you. Am I close?”

  “This isn’t her fault.” Trystan gripped Delaney’s hip, clearly ready to shove her out of the way if he had to.

  “No,” Tilda agreed, “it’s yours, and your father’s, for orchestrating all of this.”

  “We want to stop him, same as you.”

  “I want to kill him,” she said. “After I’m done killing you.”

  “Think about your people.” Delaney was running out of time to get through to Tilda; that much was obvious. “Murdering Trystan will only put them in greater danger. The Rex will declare war.”

  “Let him.” She laughed, but the sound was grating, turning into a sob at the end. “I gave up my people for Olena once. I’m more than willing to do it again.”

  “I don’t believe that.”

  “Then you’re more naive than I thought.”

  “You really want Vakar to know that you’ll abandon them? For revenge? Think of all those families, Tilda. All of those daughters still alive. You’ll just hand them over to the Rex? You’re the Basilissa; you have a duty.”

  For the first time since they’d started this, Delaney saw a hint of doubt flicker through the other woman’s eyes.

  “You want to get back at the Rex for what he’s done here—well, we want to help you. Trystan has a strong hold with the Kint people, and a good portion of the Kint army. If the two of you combine resources, we should be able to come up with a way to stop the Rex. Take from him the one thing that actually matters: his crown.”

  “How will that be putting my people at risk any less, Miss Grace? What you’re suggesting also leads to war.”

  “Not if we can expose him before he finds out he no longer has the two of you on a string.” And, thanks to this conversation, she thought she might have an idea how to go about that. “We discovered the Rex is the true source behind the Tars. If we can find proof that he’s in league with them, a well-known terrorist organization, we can get him dethroned.”

  “There’s no way the Kint people will stand for that level of betrayal,” Trystan quickly agreed. Part of him was probably a little annoyed he hadn’t thought of this himself.

  Tilda narrowed her eyes at them, thought it over. “He’s to blame for the Tars? How do I know you aren’t lying to save yourselves?”

  “Why would we come all this way and risk this much on a lie?” Delaney asked.

  “So you returned my daughter’s body in, what? The hopes that you could convince me not to kill you both, and agree to yet another convoluted peace treaty? I suppose you’ve thought about what happens if we are successful in removing the Rex from his throne?”

  Delaney couldn’t cover up her frown fast enough, and when Tilda saw it, she laughed, and this time the sound was sharp and mocking.

  “He really has you convinced he’ll make a better Rex than his father, doesn’t he?” She shook her head. “I help you now, and as soon as another End gets crowned king, Vakar and Kint are right back where they started before we came to a peace agreement.”

  “That’s not true,” she insisted. “Trystan doesn’t want a war any more than you do.”

  “You’ll forgive me, Zane, if I find it hard to trust that.” Tilda canted her head, lips pursing. Whatever turmoil she was feeling over Olena, she was trying hard to pack it away, to think clearly.

  Which could either work in their favor, or against it. Delaney wasn’t really sure which way the scales were tilting. The Basilissa no longer looked like she was about to tear them limb from limb, though. There was something cold and calculating in her eyes now.

  “I want peace,” Trystan said. “I’ll give that to you in writing, if you want.”

  “Your father and I had an agreement in writing,” she stated, “and you see how well he held up his end of the deal. No, I’m unwilling to believe you’d give up your life’s ambition. Not without a little collateral to ensure it.”

  “My goal has always been to do what is best for my people.”

  “And as Miss Grace has so delicately pointed out, as the Basilissa, that needs to be my defining goal as well.” Tilda paused for a brief moment, then pulled her shoulders back and exhaled slowly. By the time she was done, the tear tracks on her cheeks were the only remaining indication she’d been a wreck only a few short minutes ago.

  “I want to protect my people, but I also want revenge for my daughter. No matter what happened in Inkwell, one thing is very clear, and that is that ultimately, the Rex is to blame. Therefore, I am willing to join forces, Zane, but not until I have assurances that if we are successful, Vakar will be safe from Kint.”

  “Of course, Basilissa.” Trystan bowed his head slightly. “You have my word.”

  “Oh, it’s not your word I’m looking for.” Tilda set her gaze on Delaney unblinkingly.

  A pool of anxiety welled in her chest, but before she could even think of something to say, the Basilissa continued.

  “Most of my family was destroyed during the war,” Tilda told her. “Olena had no other close relatives who could vie for her place. There’s no one of blood relation who could announce an official claim to my throne, which means the Zane can decide to fight it. He might be agreeing now not to go to war, but you and I both know he’ll take Vakar without hesitation once I’m gone and there’s no one left to stand in his way.”

  Delaney wanted to deny it, but it was true. Trystan wouldn’t find fault in taking Tilda’s throne. He wasn’t a bad person, but he was still the Zane, and he had been raised by the Rex. He wouldn’t see a problem with taking over, would more than likely think of it as him helping Xenith get stronger.

  Kint was more advanced, had larger numbers … proof that his kingdom was already flourishing in ways Vakar struggled to achieve. In Trystan’s mind, combining the two would merely mean providing strength to what was once his enemy.

  Knowing his line of thinking made it impossible for her to argue with the Basilissa’s concerns. The fact that the Zane didn’t say anything to deny those concerns further solidified them.

  “Except for you,” Tilda added.

  Delaney’s breath caught in her throat, and she felt Trystan’s hand on her hip tighten in mutual shock. “Excuse me?”

  “I refuse to allow Kint to take full control of my kingdom, to put my trust in the word of an End. Who’s to say he won’t claim Vakar and change our ways to suit his? That’s typically how takeovers work, and I won’t have that.”

  “I don’t understand how I—”

  “Yes, you do.” Tilda had her Tellers deactivate their fritzes. “You will agree to remain my heir. You are Uprisen, the people already expect it, and more important, the Zane is in love with you. If we are successful in removing the Rex, I will train you in the Vakar way, and groom you to take my place as Basilissa. When the time comes for me to step down, you and the Zane will go through with your betrothal, ensuring equal hold in both Kint and Vakar.”

  “Delaney…” Trystan’s voice filtered through her head, but she couldn’t listen to him right now. He’d already made i
t pretty clear what he expected from her, hadn’t he?

  “If you mean what you say, that you truly want peace, this is the only way to get it.” Tilda smiled, but there was no mirth in it. “Or I suppose you could shoot me after all. Unless you agree, I won’t help you, and without me, you stand no chance of stopping the Rex. You and I both know once he’s conquered my planet, he’ll come for yours next, Miss Grace.”

  Part of her was wondering how the hell she’d ended up right where she’d started; the other half, however, wasn’t as surprised. Somewhere deep down, she’d sort of known something like this was a possibility. No one walked away from a deal with the royals completely free.

  Or in her case, it seemed, free at all.

  If she agreed.

  That was the one clear difference this time around. Tilda wasn’t going to force her, and the Zane had remained surprisingly silent after his one attempt. Whether or not he’d try to force her hand later was yet to be seen, but for now, in this moment, the choice was entirely up to Delaney.

  Inadvertently, her gaze swept toward Ruckus.

  Staying on Xenith was a major life choice, without adding to it the fact that she’d be agreeing to marry Trystan.

  “If you’re struggling with the decision,” Tilda said a bit smugly, “think of all those families, Miss Grace. The Rex won’t show mercy to either of our people.”

  No, he wouldn’t. But if this all worked out, the Rex wouldn’t be around to threaten Earth much longer. With him out of the way, Delaney could leave without fear or guilt that her home world was in danger because of it. Trystan and Tilda would be upset, of course, furious even, but she doubted they’d take it out on an entire planet.

  Ruckus had already mentioned escape; he’d help her get away. Especially since leaving was sounding like the only way they could be together. They could do it as soon as the Rex was dethroned, while everyone was distracted.

  Though the idea of sneaking off without any sort of explanation to Trystan bothered her.… Delaney swept those misplaced emotions to the side. He’d be fine without her, the king of Kint, exactly like he’d always wanted. Eventually he and Tilda would come to some sort of agreement that didn’t include Delaney giving up her life.

  “All right,” Delaney heard herself say, slightly detached, distracted by her racing heart. “You have my word.”

  CHAPTER 12

  “Delaney.”

  She tried not to start at the sound of Trystan’s voice, having not heard him enter the room. It’d only been a few hours since the incident with Tilda, not nearly enough time for her to process everything that had taken place.

  Everything that she’d agreed to.

  Ruckus was lying on the bed, still unconscious, and she’d taken an empty seat next to him. They’d been brought here almost immediately after the Basilissa had agreed to help them, led through the palace by the same two Tellers who’d witnessed their whole exchange. As of now, the plan was to keep their presence quiet, to minimize the chance word would get to the Rex.

  Sanzie, who’d been left outside the ship during their meeting, was on the other side of their door, the only person Trystan trusted to guard them.

  Delaney also hadn’t been able to meet the Sworn’s gaze, so she was glad Sanzie had remained outside the room and out of sight. She knew she didn’t really have a reason, or more important, a right, to be angry or jealous toward her. Even more so now that she’d made this major decision while Ruckus had been unconscious and unable to participate in it. But knowing that didn’t make ignoring her feelings about it any easier.

  It wasn’t even so much that she was jealous, per se, more that she was hurt. There weren’t many people on this planet she felt close to, and she didn’t want to lose Sanzie’s friendship. This lie made it hard for her to be in the same room as the Sworn now, and she hated that. Staying upset wasn’t an option, though, not when they needed to be a strong unit.

  When it became apparent Trystan wasn’t going to take the hint and leave, she sighed, dropping an arm onto the edge of the bed so she could rest her head in her palm.

  “Not right now,” she said, watching the steady rise and fall of Ruckus’s chest. They had no idea when exactly he’d wake up, only that it should be sometime within the next hour. She was trying to prepare herself for when he did, and what she’d say. How she’d explain she was bluffing and still intended for them to leave together. The Zane absolutely could not be present for that conversation.

  “Tilda set those terms, not me,” he pointed out, which only made her quirk a brow.

  “So you’re not happy about it at all then?” She snorted when he didn’t reply. “I can’t talk about this right now, Trystan. I need to think.”

  “I didn’t come here to pressure you about that, in any case,” he said, clearing his throat. “I need to go. My father will be expecting me by tomorrow night, and now that we’ve secured Tilda’s aid, I’ll leave at least knowing you’ll be safe here.”

  “Are you joking?” Delaney was up and around the bed in a matter of seconds, instinctively grasping his wrist. “No way. You can’t go to Carnage.”

  “I have to. We can’t afford not to keep up appearances. While I’m gone, you and the others can work on a way to expose my father’s connection to the Tars. I’ll try to find some evidence in Carnage while I’m there. If he’s kept any, that’s where it’ll be.”

  “It isn’t safe.”

  “My father doesn’t know about Olena, and he’s already expecting me. We’ll be in more danger if I don’t go. We have the advantage, but we won’t for long.” He paused, took in her expression. “You’re concerned for me, even after what Tilda made you promise?”

  Delaney closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Things were happening too quickly. They’d only just arrived and now he was running off to meet his father, the most dangerous man on the planet. Getting Tilda to agree to help had felt like a win, despite what Delaney had agreed in exchange for it, but if anything happened to Trystan, none of this would matter.

  “Kint won’t follow anyone but you,” she said.

  “But the majority of them still won’t if my father remains the Rex. You knew I was going to have to leave as soon as we brokered this deal with Tilda.”

  Yes, of course she had; they just hadn’t discussed it. Logically, she knew if Trystan didn’t go, his father would come looking, probably starting here since he was aware of his son’s visit to the Basilissa.

  “I didn’t think it’d be this soon. We only just got here. What if Tilda changes her mind, or—”

  “She won’t.” He eased his wrist free from her hold and ran his hands up her arms comfortingly. “You made a very compelling argument, Delaney. Offering her a viable solution in the form of exposing my father’s ties with the Tars was brilliant. Sanzie will be here, just in case. And you’ve proven you can more than handle yourself.”

  Not against an entire palace full of Tellers. She would have said as much if she hadn’t just processed his other comment.

  “Sanzie isn’t going with you?” She shook her head vehemently. “You can’t go alone.”

  He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth tipping up slightly, though it was obvious he was trying to hold back the smirk for her benefit.

  “Yes, okay, fine,” she snapped. “I’m concerned about you going to Carnage to confront your psycho dad. Happy?”

  Trystan cupped the side of her face. “You’re tempted to demand I stay; I can see it in your eyes.”

  “Would that work?”

  He clucked his tongue. “You don’t give me orders, Lissa. Though I will admit, watching you give them to others is a sight.”

  “Trystan”—she placed her hand over his, not even caring that she sounded desperate—“don’t do this. You remember I almost just watched you die? I don’t want to do that again.”

  He was quiet a moment, and then whispered, almost too low for her to hear, “Kiss me.”

  She froze, her mind blanking, her feet freezing
to the ground. They’d only kissed once before, during the Claiming ceremony, and that had been because they had to. The guilt she’d felt afterward had been all-consuming; the only reason she’d been able to shake it was the fact that, the day after, she was distracted by the Rex’s betrayal and Olena’s attempt to kill her.

  But, looking back on it, it wasn’t hard to recall why she’d felt so guilty. It hadn’t been because they’d kissed; they hadn’t had a choice in the matter, after all. It was that she hadn’t exactly hated it.

  Trystan took in her expression and let out a sound from the back of his throat, part disappointment, part arrogance. Like he’d known that was the reaction he was going to get when he’d asked her.

  He ran his thumb beneath her eye, then eased close enough that he could press his lips to the center of her forehead. He left his mouth there a breath too long, but she couldn’t shift her toes, let alone convince her body to move away from him.

  When he retreated, she felt the loss of his warmth, and kind of hated herself for noticing it. Silently, she watched him walk to the door, reach for the handle.

  Just before he turned the knob, he glanced back, his cornflower-and-crimson-red eyes catching hers.

  “You’ve got to decide, Lissa,” he told her. “That’s what I remember.”

  Then he left, and the words he’d spoken while they’d been in that cave played through her mind like a war drum beating after him.

  “I decided I love you,” he’d said. “Now you need to decide.”

  * * *

  RUCKUS LISTENED TO their exchange, pretending to still be unconscious. At first he’d told himself he was doing so to give them some semblance of privacy, but that wasn’t the truth. Part of him, the part that hated the fact that she still wore that Claiming ring around her neck, had wanted to hear for himself how they reacted to each other when they didn’t think anyone was listening.

  It was wrong, and deceptive of him, but he couldn’t help himself. Ever since he’d seen her hovering over the Zane’s hospital bed, he’d known something was different between them. Then, after tonight, how things had gone, he feared they’d never get back to where they’d been, that Earth and their home there was a dream he was foolishly clinging to, one that he’d never have again.