“I’m sure you know King Caligo is little better than being in bed with the Roshan,” Owen said.
“And yet you’re the one who brought this idea to my father.” Her father was gone enough for it to seem like a good idea, but then again, he thought he could manipulate the Roshan when he sent her to them as well.
“It takes a savage to beat a savage. He’s not to be trusted.” Owen’s face twisted like he tasted something sour.
She smirked. “And you are?” She was surrounded by people who betrayed each other at every turn. I’m not so stupid.
“We only need him through the marriage. He has no kin, only you and your father after you’re married. He could have a little accident.”
Nakia’s jaw flexed and she swallowed down her disgust. The backstabbing never ended. No one kept his word on anything. She could only wonder what betrayal Caligo had planned, unless this was a sickness only her father and those around him held. You would be free of him. She didn’t want it that way, though. “Is this your suggestion or my father’s?” Probably Owen’s. Her father would need Caligo a little longer than the marriage. Someone had to command his army after all.
He smirked, but a strange twinkle lingered in his eyes. “Let’s say it’s your father’s suggestion. We could have everything we need after you marry Caligo, and he’s not necessary. And we both know you don’t want to be married to that thing.” His lips curled in a sneer.
“Thing?”
Owen wagged his finger. “Thing is as accurate as I could call it. Some say he’s a demon. There are tales his father was a dragon who raped his mother and his soul never fully formed. There’s talk that he’s actually dead already, but he’s not allowed in the Underworld for the gods find his existence too distasteful. Do you want to lay with that? Have children by that?”
Nakia shuddered, remembering his cold, clammy touch. He could be a walking corpse for all she knew. She wasn’t sure dragons existed anymore, having only seen images in painting, mosaics, and other art, but his cold, dark eyes could’ve been the eyes of a dragon, the ultimate predator.
“What do you suggest?” She had a feeling she was about to be handed poison for the second time to kill a reigning monarch in only a few months. How the hell did I manage to go my whole life without handling poison until this year?
“I have wedding gifts for you,” Owen replied with a smile. He held up a small purse and opened it to reveal several small vials with dark red liquid in them. “Use it whenever you see fit, but I would do it before he wants to start on an heir.”
Nakia nodded and accepted the bag, unsure if she would use it. It felt heavy in her hand, like the weight of the world was in the bag. She hadn’t killed anyone and wasn’t sure if she could, no matter how horrible her circumstances might get. Her throat burned at the thought. What if things do get that bad? She held out some hope the Roshan would invade, as planned, and Ashni would show up. A glimmer in her heavy heart.
She went through with the wedding ceremony but wasn’t really present for it. She could hear flute music, but it sounded more like a dull hum than music to her ears. She didn’t know many of the nobles there, except from seeing them at a distance over the years. It didn’t matter, knowing people wouldn’t make a difference.
She barely took in the bridegroom, beyond to imagine him being the dead son of a dragon. The more she looked at him, the more she could believe it. Under his pale skin, there seemed to be little lines, perhaps cracks, but it gave his flesh the appearance of being scales. The chill she felt wafting from his body held true to him being a corpse. His wedding clothing only supported the notion, a striking black tunic, even though she had always been told black was the color of mourning. Is he mourning, too? She doubted it.
Black seemed to be his color. Somehow, he seemed even more bent as they stood before the crowd, her swearing herself to him and his pledging to take care of her. Two lies to the gods in under thirty seconds. Well, it’s not like the gods held any love for me before the lie.
At the wedding feast, she could’ve poured one of the vials into Caligo’s wine, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not just because she hadn’t killed anyone before, but it seemed incredibly stupid. She’d be the prime suspect if her husband died at the wedding feast with her so visibly unhappy. She didn’t want to think about how her father would react. Owen watched her the whole night, as if trying to force her hand. What would he gain? Does he think I’d view him as my savior and then marry him? It would give him access to the throne of Phyllida and possibly Nex if Caligo didn’t have any family.
At one point during the festival, Nakia locked eyes with Owen. She took a vial from the pouch and watched his face light up. Then, she watched him crumble as she poured the dark liquid onto the floor. I am no one’s pawn, not anymore.
Chapter Four
ASHNI STOOD AT THE bow of her ship, eyes focused ahead on the West. The mist of the ocean and the warmth of the sun danced on her face. The sea air never failed to invigorate her, and it stoked the fire in her belly. With each inhale she felt more like herself, like pieces of her slid back into place.
But, beyond the magic of the salty air, this was really it. The final moment. They wouldn’t turn back in the winter. They wouldn’t see Khenshu again until they’d taken over all of Kairon and the rest of the West. Khenshu would be the capital city of the Western end of the Roshan Empire. Eventually, the world would be Roshan, like her father dreamed. That was the big plan, but there had been some tweaks on what would happen when they touched down, so she could have peace of mind as she conquered whatever was in front of her.
A surge of seawater crested the ship’s hull and splashed onto her face, pulling her out of her thoughts. Spitting, she wiped strands of sienna hair from her eyes. At least her braids saved her from having a full mop of curly hair in her face. You too, Narayan? To have the God of the Sea practically spit in her face did nothing to her confidence as far as taking the West but reinforced what happened with Nakia was a punishment of some kind. I didn’t think all the gods stuck together like this, but whatever. As long as the fleet lands, I’m still on track to do what needs to be done. She’d be fine as long as the sea god didn’t decide to sink her fleet and that didn’t seem to be on the god’s list of things to do. She toweled off and stared down her destiny.
“Changing the plan?” Adira asked as she stepped next to Ashni.
“The plan has already been changed,” Ashni replied. Adira knew that, but was probably hoping for a change to the change. No, everything was done. “Aren’t you pleased to be letting your best lieutenant try his hand?”
“It’s not that. I trust Hafiz to do all that I taught him and more. Besides, he has his mother there to direct him if anything should go wrong.”
“That he does. So, the plan is the plan.” Ashni wasn’t as confident in Hafiz as Adira was, but he was her protégé. It was time to see what Adira taught the young warrior about leading the most important battle he’d ever be involved in. He could either sink or swim, and Ashni was certain anyone who caught Adira’s attention in battle would swim to the point of making fish envious.
Adira ground her teeth. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go to Phyllida? You could take Princess with you.”
Ashni glanced at Adira. What would life be like if Adira didn’t worry over matters that were already settled? In the past, Ashni would’ve made a sex joke, but she wasn’t in the mood. Right now, she needed Adira to understand why she set things up the way she did.
“Will Princess stop me if I go too far? Who’s going to remind me that we’re here to take the West and not for me to burn the whole accursed thing to the ground?”
Adira nodded. “You make a point. But, you really think Naren’s ready to watch the Princess as she leads an attack?”
“He has her back.” As much as she loathed to admit it. Naren would never be her favorite person and she’d never pick him to be her sister’s spouse. He wasn’t on Layla’s level as a warrior, he la
cked her ambition and drive, he wasn’t that smart, he was lazy and a glutton, and sometimes seemed to think his wealth made him better than others, even though he hadn’t always been so high on the social ladder. But, he’d do everything in his power to keep Layla safe and on task.
Naren chased Layla when her recklessness got the better of her and put his body on the line to make sure she wasn’t touched. Ashni had seen him do the impossible when he thought Layla needed him, reacting faster to situations than he ever did on his own, like following her over an enemy wall before Ashni even knew what happened. He had saved Layla’s life that night, shoving her to the side and inhaling poisonous powder. Ashni believed the only reason he didn’t die from it was because Layla needed him alive. Most thought she should respect him from that, but he hadn’t done it enough. Layla did the impossible on a regular basis, and Ashni saved her dozens of times.
Adira nodded. “But, he can’t stop her like we can.” Sometimes, they felt like Layla acted the way she did, reacting rather than thinking, because they were there and she trusted them to pull her back.
“He’ll have to learn. He can stop her from getting killed, but he needs to stop her from killing the wrong person, stop her from rushing through it all, and learn sometimes you need to be subtle. I’d like for him to prove to me he deserves my sister. He should complement her, make her better, and walk alongside her at the same pace rather than letting her drag him along. How dare he marry someone who should live among the stars and not be able to keep up with her?”
Adira arched an eyebrow. “You really want to do that now?”
“We don’t have a choice. I can already feel what I’m going to do when I lay eyes on Caligo. There’s no way my kitten wants him and there’s no reason he should have her. So, I’ll get her and teach him why he shouldn’t touch what’s mine.” Ashni made a fist so tight her nails bit into her flesh. This was why she needed Adira with her. She wouldn’t be able to control herself once she saw that rotter.
They hadn’t gotten many reports on Caligo or Nakia’s marriage, but some wise soul made sure to mention the marriage wasn’t Nakia’s choice. It seemed to be part of the scheme of some Phyllidan noble called Owen. He was the one who brought Caligo to Dorian. Her spies sought more information on Owen.
She was also made aware Nakia would be taken back to Caligo’s land when the wedding was over. It was Kairon tradition, so Ashni planned for it and split their forces. Layla would replace her and lead their original planned attack while Ashni went to retrieve Nakia.
“I doubt she’d like you claiming her like that,” Adira said.
“Why not? In her culture, isn’t that what husbands do? Claim their wives as property?” The words tasted funny on Ashni’s tongue. There were no such things as a “husband” or “wife” in Roshan culture. Married people had a spouse, or several spouses, but no words existed to let a person know the gender of the spouse.
Adira scoffed. “Yeah, and why do you think she fit in so well with us? Her culture is bullshit in that regard. She doesn’t want to belong to anyone. I’m not even sure she accepts most of her culture at this point. She just didn’t know any different until us. So, try to remember that when you go rescue her. The last thing we need is for you two to have another stupid misunderstanding.”
Ashni scowled, but Adira had a point. She had already caused two rifts between her and Nakia from acting like she was in control. Nakia was unpredictable and didn’t want to be forced into anything. I’ll respect her. Actually, it was one of the things she loved about Nakia. She’d go to Nakia, but she had to give Nakia a choice. She wasn’t entitled to Nakia in any way, shape, or form.
“Let’s go over the plan once more with Princess, if only to be sure. After that, we’ll work through it again with Hafiz and the other generals,” Ashni said.
Adira nodded, and they moved away from the edge of the ship. Layla was with Naren, near the bow of the ship. Naren was eating, which wasn’t a surprise, and they were playing a game of mancala, which also wasn’t surprising. Layla felt like the game helped keep her mind sharp and she liked playing before battles. The game was moved as Ashni and Adira sat down.
“Guys, we’re fine with the plan,” Layla said before anyone could speak.
“We’ve got this.” Naren had the nerve to put his chin in the air, like he wasn’t one step away from being totally incompetent.
Ashni couldn’t be more skeptical if she tried and even Adira gave him a deadpan look. Layla scowled at them both.
“I’m not an idiot, guys. I’ve led attacks before,” Layla said.
“Never without us,” Ashni replied.
“How hard could it be?” Naren asked with a shrug.
Ashni flinched, hand balling into a fist for a quick moment. But, she caught herself before she hit him. He was serious. This person who probably wouldn’t get out of bed before noon if he wasn’t married to someone who had to keep moving had the nerve to think what they did was easy. Naren barely did anything that didn’t involve following Layla when the fighting began.
“I love that you think planning and executing an attack is easy. Why haven’t we been letting you lead us into battle all this time?” Adira inquired, properly insulted if her sneer meant anything.
“Because we like to win,” Ashni replied.
Naren scoffed. “How do you know I couldn’t win? Obviously the gods like me more than they do you right now.”
Anger flaring as fast as lightning, Ashni grabbed Naren by the throat. How dare he throw her fall from grace in her face like that! Calm down, you don’t need the gods. You said so yourself. Yes, she might have said so, but no one had the right to point out the gods had abandoned her. And how could the gods just abandon me? What have I done to deserve this? She didn’t have any answers and swallowed the pain of knowing the gods weren’t with her. She had to be tougher, for Nakia and for not just her father’s dreams, but the dreams of their people.
Layla and Adira jumped, pulling her away. She was tempted to take Naren’s windpipe with her, but she decided to let him live. Surely the gods wouldn’t be happy with her should she murder her sister’s spouse, even if he deserved it. But, the gods aren’t with you, anyway. The sky darkened and the ship rocked, but everything cleared up once Layla and Adira glared at her.
“And this is why you’re coming with me,” Ashni said, nostrils flaring as she pointed between her and Naren. Layla crawled over to Naren and cradled him to her chest.
“I can see your point,” Adira replied.
“That wasn’t right,” Layla said, petting Naren’s head.
“Why? She’d taunt you if you lost me,” he replied.
Layla locked eyes with her sister. “No, she wouldn’t.”
Ashni shrugged. She probably would, but she’d also help Layla get back her irksome spouse with all her power, even if the ass was dead. She would walk into the Underworld by Layla’s side, right up to the flaming gates of Jaha, and rip his soul back from any creature that tried to stop them. It had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her caring about her sister. Maybe one day when he did something worthwhile she’d change her mind, but at the moment, the only reason he mattered was because Layla loved him. Ugh.
“First off, Ashni didn’t lose Nakia. Nakia was noble enough to honor her father’s agreement. Which is good, as it seems she was the only one who had honor at that moment,” Adira said, cutting a hard glance at Ashni.
“You tell a group ‘keep the gold’ once and you never live it down,” Ashni grumbled.
“Because who in their right mind tells someone to keep gold that’s about to finance the dreams of hundreds of thousands of people, especially when you can easily get back the person you want?” Adira gave her a smug look.
“I think we’ve established I wasn’t in my right mind,” Ashni replied.
“And you never will be again, such is the nature of our ailment.” Adira patted her on the shoulder.
Ashni groaned. “Great, something else t
o look forward to. Have the gods actually forsaken me?” She looked to the sky. “What did I ever do to you, Dad? I just rode with you from the time you allowed it, learned all I could, and put your lifelong goal into action. This is the thanks I get?” Even as she made this joke, she could feel deep in her heart, she longed to be back in the gods’ favor. You can do this on your own.
“Isn’t it the same thanks he got? After all, he ran into Chandra. Your hellcat isn’t nearly that,” Layla said.
Ashni never thought of that. Her mother had been an obstacle placed in front of her father. She wasn’t sure if he conquered the obstacle or what the gods intended when her parents met. But, Nakia wasn’t her mother. Or is she? Nakia was the only person to give her pause and rethink something she had done. Anyone else outside of Adira and her sister, she bowled over and went about her business. And even Adira and Layla had to earn her respect to get her to pause.
What if Nakia’s appearing or disappearing isn’t about being abandoned by the gods…but being tested instead? Oh, damn. I’ve never been tested before. What the hell am I supposed to do? What do tests from the gods look like? Nakia? My mother? It seemed so. The thought of being tested was better than the notion of being abandoned, but she didn’t understand how these tests worked. Is my treatment part of the test, part of my failing, or simply the gods forsaking me? She didn’t know the answers and didn’t want to think on it right now. I don’t need the distraction. Another gush of ocean water splashed onto her face. Maybe that answered those questions.
***
Nakia found herself traveling more in the past year than she had in her entire life. Now, she was on her way to Nex, her new homeland. She and her husband shared a carriage. The inside wasn’t glamorous, barely comfortable, and she couldn’t help comparing it to when the Roshan had transported her a few months ago or when her countrymen took her home. There was hardly any cushion on her seat and no back support. Bits of wood cracked and splintered around her. She felt every single imperfection in the road. Not the transport one would expect of a king. The only saving grace was Caligo had to sit across from her as there wasn’t enough space for them to sit side by side.
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