Under the Stars

by Rebecca A. Rogers

  “And you want my men to ride into battle for you?” Kelin assumes. “I should’ve seen that one coming.”

  Zarek says, “What other choice do I have? I could be killed, or worse—they’ll harm Andrina. I can’t let that happen. I’m defenseless, but I’m afraid it is the only way.”

  Kelin bites off a piece of bread, chews, and swallows before giving Zarek an answer.

  “No. I don’t want to throw my men into a battle without properly knowing what’s going on.”

  “I just told you!” Zarek cries, and then stands. “What else do I need to do? Drag Hadi and every last one of my people in here so you can interrogate them?”

  Kelin laughs.

  Zarek continues. “I cannot sleep at night for fear someone may kill me. I feel as if I have to be on top of everything, so I know what their actions will be next.”

  “That’s a delightful story, brother, but I’m not in the mood for such fairytales. Your people love you, as always. If Hadi is the one speaking these lies, then you should take care of him. He’s only threatening you with this babble so you won’t send him to the edge of this earth. I’m afraid you’ve been fooled by a man who only seeks what he can’t have.”

  Zarek leans halfway across the table so he’s close to Kelin’s face. “He will have it should I die.” He points at me and says, “By law, the crown does not go to her; it goes to the next in line from a political stance since I do not have a child.”

  “So much talk and not enough execution,” mocks Kelin. “If you would listen to me, you’d see that I’m correct on this.”

  Zarek falls back. “If, however, something does happen—”

  “You will have my army.”

  Zarek’s face smoothes. “Thank you.”

  “Now, let’s eat and drink and forget why you came here in the first place,” Kelin says.

  As the night passes, Kelin turns out to be a jester. He seems calm about everything, even major issues such as Zarek’s. But why hadn’t Zarek told me any of this? Was he afraid I would lose sleep like him? No, I think he wants the best for me, and that includes keeping me happy. Had I known, I might’ve returned to Legora.

  We say goodnight to Kelin, who has offered us a guestroom. In some ways, Halgan reminds me of Legora—the cozy dwellings, people willing to break their backs just to feed their families, and the sound of insects smacking into the dome.

  I try to push all worries out of my mind, because tomorrow we’ll return to Valyad and face Hadi.

  47.

  I stir early the next morning. Zarek isn’t beside me, and voices carry from the hallway. I should dress before he comes back. We’ll be leaving soon, returning to Valyad by nightfall.

  “Promise me,” says Zarek from outside the room.

  Kelin replies, but I can only hear the sharp edge of his words.

  Is the state of Valyad really in trouble? My stomach constricts when I think about Zarek confronting Hadi. What will be the result?

  The door swings open.

  “Ah, you’re up,” Zarek says. “Good. We need to leave right away. I’m afraid if we wait much longer, it will be after dark when we arrive home.”

  “What’s going on?” I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  “Kelin has promised his armies should anything happen to me. That’s all.” He seems shocked, at first, that I overhead their conversation, but then he shrugs.

  I yawn, sliding off the bed and grabbing the few clothes I brought with me. I shove them into my bag and change into a new outfit—one that will be able to resist the sun and sand.

  Within the hour, we’re riding under harsh light and, once again, eating grit. I keep my cheek planted against Zarek’s back so I won’t catch dust in my eyes. It’ll be hours before Valyad comes into view. And until then, there’s nothing I can do but watch miles and miles of endless wasteland pass by.

  My thoughts begin to wander. What were Zarek and his brother talking about? Gut instinct tells me it was another conversation about aid from Kelin’s militia, but I won’t place money on it. Asking Zarek is out of the question since he’s frazzled about all of this.

  So, I sleep. At least until we get there.

  Zarek pulls me off the saddle ever so gently. “Wake up, my dear,” he says.

  “Here already?” I mumble, unable to open my eyes yet.

  “We are. Why don’t you get washed up and retire to bed? I will deal with Hadi.” He’s trying to be gentle, but there’s a blanket of hatred beneath his face.

  “I thought we were going to confront him. You know, together. As King and Queen.”

  “I think it is best if I do since I am the one he wants,” he says. “Come now. You need your rest. Especially after last night.” He grins and pushes me toward the front entrance. “Guards, see to it that she reaches our bedroom.” They nod and escort me through the hallways.

  If I’ve learned anything so far, it’s that Zarek gets what he wants. And he should. After all, he’s King of the New World. But I don’t want him to face this alone.

  “Take me to where the King is,” I demand. The guards eye one another.

  “Majesty—”

  “I want to be where he is. Please escort me there.”

  One of them says, “We have direct orders from the King to make sure you reached your room safely.”

  “And you both did a great job keeping me alive on the way here. Now you can return to your usual posts. Don’t worry—I’ll be fine.” I don’t give them a chance to protest. I scramble through the hallways, accidentally bumping into a few people. They give me their usual scowls. But tonight, I don’t care.

  When I notice the doors to the dining hall are shut—and heavily guarded—I know they’re inside.

  “Excuse me,” I say, but the footmen aren’t eager on letting me by.

  “Sorry, Majesty. The King has ordered that no one, not even you, are to enter,” says one of the guards.

  So he knew I’d at least try.

  Since there’s nothing I can do but wait, I return to our bedroom. I won’t know the results until Zarek returns. I just hope he listens to his brother and sends Hadi away.

  If there’s one person I wish I could talk to right now it’d be Malik. He always has words that make sense, words that keep everything in perspective.

  But I have to be patient.

  I have to wait.

  Several hours pass, but it feels like days. When Zarek enters the room, his body slumps. Exhausted. Weak. Like he’s put up a fight.

  “What happened?” I ask, helping him get to a chair.

  “He is not leaving. We have worked out an arrangement, though it was tough to convince him.”

  I grab Zarek’s face and make him look at me. “What kind of arrangement?”

  “The kind that affords.”

  “You paid him off?”

  “I cannot lose him, Andrina. He is the Governor of Valyad.”

  “Find a new one, then!” I can’t believe he’s going to give Hadi money to keep him around, when our lives might be in danger. What is Zarek so afraid of?

  “I wish it were that easy, but even if I send him to the Forgotten Sands, he will find his way back, and he will tell everyone their King takes more then he should from their wages, supports no other cities like he is supposed to and keeps the money for himself.”

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Zarek’s nothing more than a selfish man, only wanting money and riches and power for himself. And I married him.

  Pushing past the sudden lump in my throat, I ask, “How can you be so cruel?”

  “Cruel in your world, my darling, is politics in mine. These people never knew the difference.”

  “I knew the difference. I knew it when I came to you for help and you refused to do anything. You couldn’t convince me that you were throwing jewel parties in the gardens and had no supplies for Legora. No, it doesn’t take a person of political standing to figure that out.”

  He stares at the floor, looking up once I’
m finished. “Legora’s been taken care of.”

  “What about these other cities? Halgan is one, no doubt. Is that why your brother detests you?”

  Zarek leaps to his feet. “My relationship with Kelin is none of your business.”

  “You dragged me into this. You were the one who wanted to show me you had a family member that was still alive. So don’t tell me it’s none of my business.”

  He seethes anger from every pore. “I could have you arrested for this, you know.”

  I hold out my arms, palms up. “Arrest me, then. I’m not going to sit by and watch as you destroy your kingdom and the rest of the world.”

  Zarek collapses into the chair. “Whether you choose to speak out or bite your tongue will not help me at this moment.”

  “I’m only trying to help. Give back to those you’ve taken so much from. Lower the taxes. Provide more food and supplies. Valyad wouldn’t be the only one thanking you.”

  He runs his fingers through his hair. “They would know. What will I do? Wait as they mass and prepare to destroy me? I cannot let that happen.”

  “You can start by being honest with them. It’s better than lying or holding back information. If Hadi snakes his way through these corridors and gossips hatred toward you and I, then we’re finished. Nothing would stop your people from razing this place. They’d reclaim Valyad, and Hadi would be their savior.” I kneel down beside him, resting my hand on his arm. “Trust me. You have to do the right thing.”

  “Andrina, you do not understand this quandary. Either way, my people will find no comfort in knowing their beloved King has robbed them of what little money they have. I could tell them the truth, yes. The stars know I have pondered that on many nights. But whether I tell them, or Hadi renounces his words, they will find no peace.”

  “Tell them, no, show them you’ll give back. Lie if you have to. There’s still a chance to make this better.”

  “There is nothing left to give back.”

  “So, that’s it. You’re giving up. Aren’t kings supposed to lead their people—be above them?”

  “Do not belittle me. I have enough to think about.”

  “If that’s your choice…”

  “I am sorry.” He lightly kisses my cheek. “But what else am I to do?” He breezes past me and exits the room.

  I can’t believe I’m stepping aside, not doing anything to stop this madness. Sure, Hadi could tell them everything, but if it came from Zarek, he might actually have an opportunity of salvaging his respect.

  48.

  I wake early. The moon still hugs the sky. Silence fills the freezing, empty room.

  Zarek’s body weighs down the surface next to me. A hot, sticky, red liquid adheres to my leg. I’ve felt that same consistency before—when the gypsies were raided. I couldn’t remove it from my hands or my mind. The sand eventually swallowed it, turning ooze into dry clumps.

  I lay unmoving for the longest time, unable to turn over. My eyes are swollen. My pillow is stained. All I can concentrate on is how I’ll tell Valyad their King is dead, his body as cold as the air outside.

  But I can’t stay in here forever. At some point, someone will want to know where the King is. My body follows orders from my brain; it says to take one last look at the dead man beside me. Even though I’ve killed before, I’ve never felt such pain in my stomach as I do now.

  He’s face up. A blade’s handle protrudes from his heart.

  I scream. Louder than I ever thought possible. My stomach and my mind are so disheveled that I can’t see straight, and plunge off the bed.

  The door in the adjacent room bursts open.

  “Majesty?” one of the guards asks, eyeing me warily. He must see Zarek, because his eyes jump back and forth between me and the lifeless corpse on the bed. Before I can say anything, he stumbles out the door, yelling the entire way.

  All I can think about is how this was planned, and how I’m left to pick up the pieces.

  Hadi. That’s who it had to be. Who else desires the crown so much that they would murder their King? But why not kill me, too? He has something else coming my way.

  Two more guards rush into the room, followed by the Governor. They lift me off the floor.

  “What did you see?” Hadi asks.

  “I saw nothing,” I say, gagging on the words.

  Hadi scoffs. “You were lying in the bed next to him!”

  “I was asleep!” I retort.

  His eyes glare into mine, reaching past the exterior. “I’ve heard enough. Take her away.”

  “Wha—? Where am I going?”

  “Where all criminals are detained. The dungeons,” he foams.

  I’m dragged from the bedroom. “I didn’t do it!” I call behind me, but I know Hadi couldn’t care less.

  The cold hallway provides no comfort to me. Neither does the cell they lock me in. Didn’t Zarek predict Hadi would do something thoughtless?

  Hadi steps into the cell moments later and says, “This is what’s going to happen. You will address Valyad tomorrow. They need to hear King Zarek is deceased, and it needs to come from your lips.”

  “I will say nothing. This isn’t my fault.”

  “My Queen, you were the only one in the room at the time of his death.”

  “You expect everyone to believe I killed Zarek without remembering?”

  His face shows no remorse. “I need you to tell them what happened. We can’t put the blame on anyone else. Nobody was there but you.”

  “This is so unfair,” I murmur. Hot tears course down my face.

  He fusses. “You should have thought about that before you ran a knife through our King’s heart.”

  “It’s your mistake he’s dead.” I shake my head in awe. “Tell me, Governor, how did it feel to murder a man?”

  His lips curve upward in one corner. “You should know, Andrina. You’ve done it before.”

  “Because I had to, not because I wanted to. There’s a difference. How do you know that anyway?”

  “Zarek told me everything.” He shrugs. “Not that it matters now. We have our killer. But let me tell you a little about our wonderful King. He was too obsessed with collecting and spending money. That’s all he cared about. The only reason he married you is because you were uninterested with any financial gain, and he thought you’d produce an heir. And that’s when I told him the people had a right to know that he was ripping them off.”

  “So, instead of letting the people make their own assumptions, you took matters into your own hands?”

  Hadi walks to a table by the window and stares out. “He refused to do anything to correct the situation. Had I said a word to the people, he would’ve sent me off.”

  “But you threatened to come back for vengeance.”

  “Of course I did. Zarek was too young to hold the position of King. Valyad and the remainder of this earth need someone who’s been in politics for years. Someone who knows what they’re doing.”

  I huff, thinking about how crazy this sounds. He’s standing in front of me, admitting he took Zarek’s life, and I can’t do anything about it.

  “So, you believe that you’re that person,” I state.

  “I am . I’ve known for a while—something telling me I would take over the crown, that it’d be mine.” His face lights up with joy, then promptly dims. “But the one thing standing in my way was him. And now it’s you.”

  “If sitting on Zarek’s throne is what you seek, and I’m the last person in your way, then why didn’t you kill me, too?”

  “Because I wouldn’t be able to claim the throne if I admitted to such a high act of treason, could I? For a while I didn’t know who the murderer would be. Perhaps a citizen. Maybe one of the guards. But you came along and changed everything. It was then, regretfully, that I realized you would willingly take the blame.”

  All of this has been planned since I showed up? Why hadn’t Zarek told me prior to our marriage that there were problems in his court?

 
; “If I go in front of Valyad, I’ll tell them the truth,” I say, jutting my chin out.

  “My dear Andrina, if you decide not to comply with my wishes, then the bodies of your family will be left to rot somewhere in the desert.”

  Blood drains from my face; it’s a warm, tickly sensation. Hurt my family? They don’t even know what’s going on. Mama’s probably in her booth, selling pottery. Mattie’s at home, sleeping the day away. I don’t want to imagine a few of Valyad’s militia murdering them while they dream, then dumping their inert shells so they can be picked apart by mangals and consumed by sharsans.

  “Okay. I’ll do it,” I choke. Not from tears this time, but from anger. Thick as honey through my veins. Slugging through my body.

  “We will keep you in here overnight. You can’t exactly sleep in that bed after your husband was killed in it, can you?” he asks, relishing the disgusting joke. “Tomorrow, once you explain how much Zarek will be missed, and so on and so forth,”—he rolls his eyes—“then I will step forward and accuse you of murder. Just so we’re clear—try to make it believable.”

  “But my family… They’ll be free? No harm done?”

  “That depends on the manner in which you perform, my dear.”

  I gulp louder than I should. I have one night to let the day’s events settle in my head. One night to hope and pray that I can perform well so that my family isn’t harmed. One night until I’m convicted of murder.

  49.

  “Miss?” Daphne’s voice rings out.

  I breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness it’s you. How’d you find me?”

  She runs to me. Her hair is untidy, and her eyes are as puffy as mine feel. “It’s all over Valyad what happened. I figured they’d keep ya here, since…ya know. Tell me it’s not true,” she says, breaking into tears.

  I can’t help but cry as well. “It is.”

  “Valyad’s never not had a king.”

  “I woke up yesterday and he was dead, and then everything was blurry after that. They said I have to be the one to tell Valyad’s people.”

  Daphne hugs me. “That’s such a big burden. Whatever happens, I’m here for ya.”