“He’ll pay for his crimes. Adira has made a list and sent it to Empress Chandra.”
“There has to be justice.” Samar’s eyes said what her words didn’t. If her mother let them down, Khenshu would be in revolt against the Empire. Hell, Ashni might even back it. Her brother couldn’t be left to do this again. He had used his position as her brother, as a prince of the Empire, and as Empress Chandra’s son to get in close to people and even used their children against them. He was nothing short of a monster.
“There will be justice.” If her mother didn’t do the right thing, she would.
Samar gave her a small nod. “Now, you haven’t introduced me to the young lady. I’ve heard so much about her.”
“I’m sure you have.” Ashni laughed. “Lady Samar, this is my consort, Nakia Lysand, soon to be queen of the West.” Ashni held her head up high. Yes, maybe she’d give Nakia the entire West as a wedding gift.
“Consort, hmm?” Samar looked Nakia up and down and for once Nakia wisely kept her mouth shut. Ashni had once made the mistake of sassing Samar. She’d sooner slap her own mother than dare to do that again. “I hear she’s a good match for you. I also hear Layla complain day and night about her whenever she has my ear, but who wants to share a sister?”
“She doesn’t have a say in the matter.” Nakia rested her hand on Ashni’s knee.
“No, I don’t suppose she does, but now she knows how Ashni felt when she married Naren. I’m a bit disappointed she’s never brought you by the manor. Our traditions always have the family meet a mate before the relationship is official.”
Ashni could feel her cheeks flare, and she was glad most of her face was covered in bandages. “Things have been busy, Samar.”
“They weren’t busy when you were here for the winter.”
Why Ashni tried to argue, she’d never know. “We didn’t really know what this was at the time.” It was the truth in a way. She didn’t realize what Nakia meant to her until Nakia was gone.
“You still have to make time for tradition. From what I’ve heard, I approve, but I’d still like to see. I won’t approve of an official joining if that doesn’t happen.” Samar wagged her finger.
“Yes.” Ashni glanced at Nakia, who looked a little too amused at the exchange. Soon, Nakia would learn the intensity of Samar and know it was best to do what she said or else.
“Now, you should probably be in bed.” Samar gave Ashni a scolding look.
“She was just taking me. Promise.” Ashni motioned to Nakia.
“I was.”
Samar folded her arms and smiled. “Good.” With that Samar was gone, like the whirlwind she was.
Nakia blew out a breath. “I don’t know what I thought Layla’s mother would be like, but that was both it and not it.”
Ashni shrugged. “I still don’t know what to make of Samar and I’ve known her for years. I’m almost certain she’s what Layla’s people call a night nymph. They’re described as creatures of deep wisdom, who have knowledge well beyond the stars, but are relatively harmless as long as you don’t cross them. If you piss them off, they literally devour you with teeth sharper than even my own swords.”
“Well, to avoid that, I should get you to bed. Come on.” Nakia tapped her elbow, which got her to rise.
Ashni knew if she wasn’t careful, Nakia would be able to command her without words.
***
Nakia’s main goal was taking care of Ashni as she tried to take care of her beloved city. Ashni’s team was efficient and effective. They also backed Nakia whenever she suggested Ashni needed to do something for her own good and Ashni wanted to put up a bit of a fight. Nakia got to meet a lot of people who worked in Khenshu. Day by day, Ashni lost bandages, revealing burn marks on her face and arms. She was given salves and ointments and promises they would eventually fade.
Nakia thought of her own cut, going through her eyebrow, caused by her father. That would never fade, but Ashni never mentioned the mark on her face. Nakia wasn’t worried over the physical scar, but did fret about the mental ones. Will Ashni have the same trouble? Her body was marred by her brother. Will she be able to get over that?
“I’m ready to go back West,” Ashni said. Yes, she’ll get over it.
“Then why are we still here?” Nakia asked. Everything was in place for Ashni to return to her army, return to her dream.
“I’m waiting for word from my mother. We still have Amal and shouldn’t.” Ashni inhaled. “She’s studying the evidence Adira sent her. She’s the final judge when it comes to treason against the Empire. So, first, judges look at it and then she’ll look at it.”
“Judges will judge a prince?” Nakia would have to get used to the idea that no one was above the law in the Roshan Empire, except maybe Empress Chandra. She hadn’t seen any evidence the empress could be stopped by judges, law, or anything else. Sometimes, she felt like they believed Empress Chandra was infallible.
“No, for this, they’re just giving their opinion. My mother has final say.”
“Are you confident?” How many assassination attempts did Ashni put up with and her mother turned a blind eye?
Ashni sighed. “I don’t know. I just know I want to be here when her judgment comes in.”
The answer that came later that day didn’t lift Ashni’s mood. The Empress Chandra as Ashni kept saying with a sneer, decided they should just send Amal to her, going as far as sending an envoy for him. There were too many accounts and circumstances to sort through and she’d rather have Amal with her to ‘keep an eye on him.’
“That’s such bullshit. She never keeps an eye on him!” Ashni growled as she heaved the parchment across the room.
“Trust in Empress Chandra,” Layla said.
“I’ll trust in her to mess this up. He’s her fucking baby, after all,” Ashni said.
Adira arched an eyebrow. “It’s so funny to see your colored perception of your mother. Let’s send him off to her and get back to our business.”
“You’re too calm about this.” Ashni glared at Adira.
“It’s the right thing to do right now,” Nakia said. It would be one less thing for Ashni to worry about. One less thing to stress her out. Adira glanced at her and even though her mouth didn’t move, there seemed to be a light in her eye, like she was smiling.
Ashni sighed, her shoulders slumped, defeated. Nakia wanted to kiss her until she smiled, but not in the open, not with her closest present. They’d make fun of her and it would undermine her authority. Instead, she took Ashni’s hand.
“Let’s go take care of your destiny,” Nakia said.
“Yeah, don’t argue with your consort,” Layla said with a grin. Nakia wanted to glare at her, but Layla was helping. Ashni squared her shoulders and climbed to her feet. Onward to destiny.
Chapter Eighteen
ASHNI BREATHED IN THE air of the West. This was the third time she’d graced these shores and now the air tasted different. The sweetness remained, but not to the degree of enchantment it had. It was tinged with a hint of citrus, lightly burning her tongue as she inhaled. Oddly enough, it didn’t bother her. The burn felt like it healed tiny cracks in her.
“This is where I belong,” Ashni said, digging her feet into the soil.
“With me by your side.” Nakia stepped forward and took her hand.
“Of course, my dear queen.” Why not call Nakia a queen? She already introduced her to Samar and other officials in Khenshu as her consort. The only thing missing was time to have a wedding. When things settled down, maybe when it got too cold to wage war, they’d have their wedding. For now, there were cities and nations to conquer.
Their little group made their way back to the army, finding them several miles away from Valen. Hafiz greeted them, his face bright with victory, and Ashni clapped him on the shoulder to show her appreciation. But, she knew it wasn’t her praise he craved. He turned to Adira and grinned, looking much younger than he was.
“You did a good job,” Adira s
aid, but her tone was a little clipped. Ashni knew she liked to keep him on his toes, wanting him to reach his true potential without getting full of himself, but also feeding him the acknowledgment he deserved.
But it was an understatement to say he did a good job. “We need to see about getting you your own unit to command.” Ashni would have to do the same with Varaza, who according to every piece of correspondence that came her way, handled things with the power and efficiency Ashni had come to expect of her.
Hafiz threw his shoulders back. “Yes, Highness.”
“You’ve earned it.”
Hafiz had done everything she wanted and a little more. Now that she was back, it was time to seriously move. They had a strategy already worked out, and they needed to get back to it.
***
Nakia didn’t think anything could get her ‘barbarians’ to leave the West, but there were a number of factors that finally did it. One, they didn’t want to do another winter up north in the West. Even the Roshan who weren’t from Ashni’s desert territory felt like winter was serious business and they didn’t want any part of it. Two, Ashni wanted to check on Khenshu and relieve Samar of her regency if only for a little while. Samar had been in charge for over a year and she had a life aside from representing Ashni on her throne. And three, Empress Chandra reached out to Ashni, wanting to meet Nakia. So, now, they made their way back to Khenshu and Nakia knew Ashni was up to something.
“What makes you think Ashni’s up to something?” Bashira asked Nakia.
They were in Nakia’s apartments in the palace. Even though Nakia had grown used to sharing a bed and space with Ashni, she was quite insistent Nakia needed a space to do her own thing. Nakia agreed, even though she was still trying to figure out what ‘her own thing’ was. She had filled her year with sitting in on military meetings, learning self-defense from several willing teachers, reading up on Roshan culture and history, and honing her chess skills. When she had spare time, she had taken to writing poems to her beloved, who smiled whenever she read one.
“I haven’t seen her for almost three days. Her mother’s going to be here in a couple of days and I don’t know what to expect and she’s not helping me prepare to meet with Empress Chandra.” Nakia made a fluttering motion with her hand.
“She could be preparing for her mother’s arrival.”
Nakia shook her head. “She would’ve asked for my help.” Well, more like she would’ve helped and Ashni would’ve watched her work.
From being with Ashni over a year, Nakia learned to work alongside her as best she could. While she wasn’t useful in battle, she learned to negotiate with the best of them and Ashni always talked deals with her. It was a talent she didn’t know she had. She also learned how to organize events. Whenever Ashni needed a meeting with diplomats or representatives, Nakia was the one who arranged everything, much to Adira’s delight. It was a job she was glad to hand off.
“Shopping could get your mind off of it,” Bashira said.
Nakia laughed. “You always want to shop.”
“Well, the conquest’s going well and Aunt Adira got a huge bonus because of how she handled Khenshu while Queen Ashni was injured.” Bashira shrugged. As far as she was concerned, the bonus was pretty much hers because her aunts were childless and only spent money on projects.
Nakia grinned. She knew the real reason was because Adira showed up to the battle in time to protect Nakia and gave Ashni a chance to focus only on Amal.
“I can’t believe she got a bonus and two festivals in her honor.”
Nakia chuckled. She couldn’t believe it either. The only reason Ashni hadn’t thrown Adira a third festival was because they had to return to Khenshu. For both festivals, Ashni sent for Adira’s family, bringing them to wherever the army was in the West at her expense and letting them celebrate. For Nakia, this was wonderful, knowing Ashni would shower someone with honors for protecting her.
“I’m sure when the time comes, Ashni’s going to name a city in Adira’s honor,” Nakia said. Ashni had already thrown the idea around several times. It wasn’t something Adira wanted, but that didn’t matter to Ashni.
A servant rushed in, delivering a message and cutting their conversation short. They were wanted in the throne room. They looked at each other and shrugged.
“Is this an immediate thing?” Nakia asked.
“Yes. Please, come now.” The servant motioned to the door. “The queen requests it, Highness.”
Nakia’s stomach clinched a little. The servants had taken to calling her by that title, even though she wasn’t part of the royal family. Nakia and Bashira climbed to their feet and went to the throne room. Ashni was on the throne, waving Nakia to her, and Bashira found both of her aunts in the crowd of courtiers. No one was dressed to the nines, so she didn’t think Empress Chandra had arrived early, but something was certainly going on. Layla stood by the throne.
Nakia knew she had taken a spot Layla used to occupy when she was in the Great Hall. The first time it happened, Layla glared at her and tried to throw her from the seat, but Ashni gave her a stern look. It was established Nakia would sit at Ashni’s side from now on, sharing the throne. It was cozy.
“Why are we here?” Nakia asked, eyes on her love. Ashni still bore faint burn marks on her right cheek from her fight with Amal. It wasn’t until they removed the bandages so long ago that Nakia realized how close Ashni had been to losing her eye by her brother’s hand.
“Wait for it.” Ashni rolled her eyes as she put her chin in her hand. Well, this was a guarantee something annoying was about to happen. It explained why the nobility was there in their everyday clothing rather than looking ready for a ceremony. Everyone was probably going to go about their day as soon as they could.
An announcement rang through the hall. “King Jay Akshay and King Asad Akshay!”
Nakia’s eyes went wide. “Your brothers?”
“The older ones. One of whom is Amal’s twin. Oh, joy.” Ashni made a gagging noise.
The mentioning of Amal made Nakia’s stomach twist. He was being held in the Empire’s capital, Helli. He had been found guilty of a number of crimes, but no one in Khenshu felt he was properly punished for it. From her understanding, he was on house arrest. No one was allowed to see him beyond his family, any servants were deaf-mutes, and they weren’t there all the time, so there were days when he was totally alone. The isolation sounded awful, but she felt it was deserved, just like with her father.
Dorian had been placed on a tiny island off the coast of Ashni’s desert. A shelter of small rooms had been set up for him. Food was brought every few days, but no one stayed. No one visited. Such was the nature of punishment for the crime of treason in the Empire. Apparently, it counted as treason when Ashni took the city of Phyllida and Dorian raised an army against her in another city. Nakia didn’t feel sorry for him.
“Why are your brothers here?” Nakia asked.
Ashni let loose a long sigh from her nose. “Mom’s coming to see you, so they have to kiss Mom’s ass after Amal’s bullshit.”
Nakia scowled. “So, this is all a show? They don’t even care that Amal tried to kill you.” The younger brothers had contacted Ashni throughout the year, checking on her and her adventures, but never the older ones. Ashni shared all of those, hoping Nakia could get to know her brothers through the missives. These two, Nakia wanted to wait to judge them, but it was hard.
“Of course they don’t. But, that doesn’t matter to me. Asad might want to show he doesn’t share his twin’s beliefs, but Jay doesn’t really have to worry about that. He’s turned down the throne enough from scheming nobles for Mom to know he’ll wait for her judgment.”
Nakia felt like this was more than the throne for the older brothers. They might not feel the same way about their mother as Amal did, but they probably felt the same way about Ashni. She didn’t want to have to deal with people badmouthing Ashni.
When Jay and Asad entered the hall, it was easy to tell Jay was t
he older one, even if she didn’t know. He projected an air of eldest, tall and distinguished. He had the same amber eyes as Ashni, but they weren’t as feline. There was something else there, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. His wide body seemed to glow and she wondered if it was his fire. He looked like he had been sculpted from terra-cotta and then brought to life. His robes were rich, but not like Amal. Oddly enough, he didn’t take advantage of the Roshan’s love of colors, only wearing the royal teal and gold. Each step he took made a chiming sound, reminding her of Ashni with all of her bangles.
Asad was easy to pick out as Amal’s twin, even though they weren’t identical. A small scar marred his face across his nose. It stood out, raised sand across fine cinnamon. He was smaller than Jay, but broad and had a glint in his eyes that reminded her way too much of Amal. The difference was he looked like an experienced predator while Amal merely attempted to be one.
“Brothers, welcome!” Ashni grinned and put her hands up. Nakia was amazed how her lover could fake her enthusiasm where it seemed both genuine and forced at the same time.
“Thank you for hosting us, dear sister.” Jay pressed his palms together.
Nakia had to bite her tongue. If Ashni was so dear to him, why didn’t he bother to check on her after Amal pulled what he did? Instead of asking, Nakia smiled, too. It was the brightest expression she could manage, one she used when she wanted to appear almost vapid when they were in negotiations.
“You know most of the people here, but you haven’t met my consort. May I present you, Princess Nakia Lysand.” Ashni motioned to her.
Nakia stood and bowed slightly to the brothers, as that was the polite and expected thing for her to do. “It is a pleasure to meet you both.”
They bowed back. “The pleasure’s ours.”
“Forgive our lack of festivities for your arrival, brothers. More attention’s being paid to when Empress Chandra arrives. We had short notice with her, and we’re working in a hurry. I do have a feast prepared, but nothing extravagant,” Ashni said.
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