by Gwynn White
Lynx hesitated, and her eyes flickered closed. Her face writhed with indecision. Whatever her internal struggle, she finally looked at him and said, “Can you promise me you’ll sort out Mott?”
“I give you my word. I won’t let anything happen to you or your family.”
She licked her lips, her eyes tortured. He was beginning to give up hope when she said, “Give me your axe.”
Axel’s heart soared, and his breath came easy again. Never had he imagined proposing to a woman—and being accepted—over the handle of an axe. It explained why he was willing to risk everything.
A voice called. “Is someone there?”
“Oh no, the she-witch,” Lynx hissed, looking around.
“What’s she still doing around?” Axel asked, speaking to himself more than Lynx.
“Huh?”
“She’s supposed to be deported to the prison camps.” Axel sighed at yet another unexpected development.
“No doubt she plans to zap me again for daring to vanish.”
“Not while I’m still breathing.” Axel snatched a kiss from Lynx’s open mouth while unbuckling his axe. “Here. Hide it. Don’t let the witch find it.” He stood, stepping away from Lynx. “Princess Lynx is here, Mother.”
“Dragon’s curses!” Holding an oil lantern, Mother Saskia broke into an ungainly jog. “Is she all right, my lord? What an uproar we’ve all been in.”
Axel didn’t bother answering because, in the dancing shadows, he noticed another figure running up the passageway toward them. He called out, “Tao, Lynx is freezing. Chuck me your surcoat.”
Ignoring the command, Tao elbowed passed Mother Saskia, stopping at Lynx’s side.
Lynx stood, showing no obvious sign of the axe.
But he wasn’t taking chances on the she-witch finding it, so he tugged the shoulders of Tao’s surcoat. “She needs this.”
Lynx played along with him by pretending to shiver, but he noticed she rubbed herself with only one arm. The other curved behind her back, hiding the axe.
Tao ripped off his coat. Annoyingly, he decided to be a gentleman and wrapped it around Lynx. “I’m so sorry, Lynx. Honestly, I don’t know what happened back then.”
Tao’s hand brushed Lynx’s back, and his eyes widened with recognition, followed by surprise. Lynx stiffened, and Axel held his breath, wondering if Tao would betray them.
But he needn’t have worried. Not about Tao.
His cousin shot him a reassuring look, turned to Saskia, and said, “Princess Lynx needs strong arms to get her back to her apartment. Advise the other searchers she has been found. Warlord Avanov and I will help her to her room.”
“Tao, you can manage Lynx on your own,” a quiet voice said from the shadows.
Axel’s stomach knotted as Lukan stepped into their circle of light. Although addressing his cousin, Lukan looked directly at him. “The great Warlord Avanov and I have a few things to discuss. About Lynx, as it so happens.”
Mother Saskia’s head swiveled between him and Lukan. The priestess clearly didn’t want to be caught in the cross fire of anger roiling off the crown prince, because she bobbed a curtsy. “Of course, Your Highness, I will alert the others.” In a flurry of white, she sped away down the passage.
Axel stepped forward to meet Lukan. Feigning calm, he said, “Your timing is impeccable. I was coming to look for you.”
Axel’s eyes widened with surprise when Lukan ignored him and spoke again to Tao.
“Get her out of here.” Lukan looked at Lynx with disdain. “We’ll talk later.”
Axel expected Lynx to say something, but clearly, protecting her axe was her only priority. He agreed.
“Hold me tight this time, Lynx,” Tao said, opening the door to the labyrinth shortcut where Lynx had vanished so many hours ago. She gripped Tao’s arm as if her life depended on it, and together, they stepped through the doorway.
Axel turned to face Lukan—and the most important negotiation of his life.
Chapter 36
Lukan circled Axel in the wan light cast by the gas lamp he placed on the floor between them. He noticed with grim satisfaction that, for once, Axel had lost his irritating smile. In fact, his cousin seemed . . . agitated.
At least that was something.
Still, Axel’s hand tapping a rhythm on the hilt of his sword was a minor display of distraction compared to the turmoil boiling inside Lukan. His heart was beating so hard he could feel the blood pounding in his head. It was giving him a crushing headache. He couldn’t worry about that now.
Axel had to be brought to heel. Today.
It was the only way they could work together to govern the empire, a goal Lukan was still committed to, regardless of Dmitri’s ultimatums. He opened his mouth to speak¸ but Axel beat him to it.
“Lukan, I have an offer for you.”
Lukan’s jeering snort bested anything Axel could offer. “I’m not here to bargain with you. You’ve crossed a line, Axel, and I won’t—can’t—let you get away with it.”
“Why? Because your pride is hurt?”
“Damn you! This isn’t just about pride. I’m the crown prince, but that means nothing if people don’t honor me. You have never given me the respect I deserve. And now you and Lynx have humiliated me in the worst possible way—in front of my father.”
Axel laughed bitterly. “Is that how you see it? Funny, I seem to recall spending my entire childhood taking your father’s kicks so you didn’t have to. How many times did I stand between you and him when he was ranting, ready to knock your head off your shoulders for something you did? Like hiding in the archive when you should have been practicing sword fighting.”
Lukan grimaced, not wanting to admit that what Axel said was true. He had hated his obligatory fighting lessons and had always skipped them. Axel had indeed covered for him, even taking his beatings. “My father always preferred you. Everyone did.”
“Right,” Axel said. “I’ll bear that in mind every time I remember him smashing my head against the wall when I was protecting you. And what thanks did I get? Nothing. But, Lukan, today, you can change all that.”
Lukan waved his hand disparagingly, refusing to allow Axel to dominate this discussion—or to guilt him into doing something that didn’t serve him. “I’m your crown prince, and you are my subject—”
“And there we have it.” Even in the dull light, Lukan could see Axel’s eyes flashing. “Your sense of entitlement leaves me breathless. For years you used me, let me take your beatings, not because we had a friendship, but because you considered me your subject. Now, I use you as much as you used me.” Axel’s voice dripped bitterness. “You taught me well.”
Lukan swallowed hard, wishing the pounding behind his eyes would cease. “It’s not like you’re getting nothing from the . . . arrangement. There are other generals in Chenaya whom I could appoint as Lord of the Conquest when I come to power, but I have offered it to you.”
“Because I’m the best!” Axel shouted, slamming his hand against the wall. The crack of his palm, mixed with his voice, echoed down the long passageway.
Lukan—and Axel—froze, conscious there could be ears hiding in the dark.
His cousin took a deep breath, paused, and then whispered, “Look, none of this is helping. I guess you’ve heard by now that your father wants you dead.”
“My father has wanted me dead since the first day I skipped sword practice.”
“True,” Axel admitted. “But now he’s brought in an assassin. Trust me, this man won’t fail.”
Lukan blanched. Although he anticipated some retaliation for his crazy attack on his father, it wasn’t this.
“You’re lying.” But he knew he was grasping at smoke; Axel spoke with conviction. Lukan lurched back, knocking into the wall. He caved into it, needing the support. “What do you know?”
“Enough to make a bargain worthwhile—for you.”
Lukan guessed what Axel wanted out of any deal they struck: Lynx.
&nbs
p; It brought Dmitri’s words about Axel and Lynx loving each other into stark relief. The trouble was, Axel allied to Lynx would leave him hopelessly vulnerable. Especially as he still hadn’t made up his mind what to do about her. No matter how insane, he could not bear her rejecting him when he craved her so much. He bought time by saying, “And I’m to believe you will get nothing from this deal? How philanthropic of you.”
Axel leaned in so close that Lukan could feel his breath. “How much do you want to live?”
With sickening certainty, Lukan understood. “Y-you’re the assassin.”
Of course Axel was.
If anyone could callously kill him, it would be his cousin. And, of course, his father would choose his capable nephew for the task. Fear, like a tightening rope, clutched at Lukan’s throat, and he struggled to breathe. For the first time in his life, he wished he carried a weapon. Not that it would do him any good against Axel. Finally, he managed to gasp, “When? Where?”
“As I recently said to someone far more appealing than you, that information comes at a price. Which brings me back to the deal I have for you . . . are you willing to negotiate, or do I walk away now and let justice take its majestic course?”
“I’m open to discussion.” Lukan raked his brain for some bargaining chip. Fealty to the office of crown prince seemed most logical, but Axel had made it clear Lukan had burned through all claims on his cousin’s loyalty. With nothing to offer, he prevaricated. “I know how much the empire means to you, Axel. We always agreed to work together to expand the borders, to make it even greater than it is now. Why would you risk that by killing me?”
“I have another offer on the table that means more to me.”
Lukan could only guess at the meaning of that cryptic comment. He licked his lips. “It’s only by uniting our talents and cooperating with each other that we will keep . . . renegades under control.”
“What you mean to say is, it’s only if I cooperate with you that you will keep renegades under control,” Axel scoffed. His derisive smile locked back into place. “I have my own ideas on how to tame the Norin . . . renegade.”
Axel was talking about Lynx! That meant he knew she was the one from Dmitri’s prophecy. Lukan choked on his own saliva. When he stopped coughing, he rasped, “You know . . . about . . . everything?”
Axel folded his arms casually across his chest. “I know I wield ultimate power here. If you want me to unite that power with yours—puny as yours may be—then you’re going to have to give me what I want. In exchange, I will give you what you want.”
A flare of anger at Axel’s insufferable arrogance ignited in Lukan’s chest, but he worked hard to suppress it. Since the ball, his anger had already exacted too high a price. As much as it irked him, as usual, Axel was holding the best strategy tiles.
“And what do I want?” Lukan asked. “Other than to live, of course.”
Axel pulled out his flashlight and shined it carefully down the passage.
When Lukan saw there was no one eavesdropping, he turned expectantly to his cousin. “Well?”
“Your father, dead in a box, with six feet of sand above his face.”
“That would be . . . convenient.” Even though Lukan’s pulse quickened, the throbbing in his head eased—until he remembered Lynx. He fingered his silver buttons. This was it. Down to the line. No more room for wrangling. “What do you want in exchange for this service?”
“Come on, Lukan, not even you are this much of an idiot. You know exactly what—or, should I say, whom I want.”
Lukan sucked in a breath. “Lynx, I suppose.” Handing over a girl to his cousin would cost enough, but to relinquish Lynx, the girl he had craved for months and had yet to conquer . . .
Axel grinned.
Had his thoughts been so obvious? Damn him. Lukan realized Axel was speaking.
“—easy trade. I sort out your father, and you publicly renounce all claims on Lynx. In one fell swoop, I’ve solved all your problems.”
Despite knowing that Lynx loved Axel, a flush of anger burned Lukan’s cheeks. “And Lynx has agreed to all this?”
“I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.” Axel’s voice dropped. “Agree to this, Lukan, and you dodge the Dmitri Curse.”
Dodge the Dmitri Curse? Lukan frowned. Was it that simple? If Axel married Lynx, would she no longer be a threat to him?
Perhaps.
As far as he knew, the curse’s wording specified that a Norin princess’s son would destroy her emperor husband. Would Lynx marrying his cousin nullify that clause? Lukan silently cursed Dmitri for not giving him the book. If he knew the exact terms, he could move forward with confidence.
Without answers, Lukan hedged. “What about Tao? My father despises him as much as he does me.”
“I’ll leave you to work that out.”
Lukan fiddled with his button. Tragically, it was entirely possible his father wanted both him and his brother dead. That was complicated, though, and showed his father’s complete ignorance of the dynamics amongst his three heirs. Axel and Tao were closer than brothers. His cousin’s legendary loyalty to his friends meant he would never harm Tao.
Tao, with his spineless love of the low-born, claimed not to want the throne, but if it were offered to him, would he refuse? Lukan gave a tiny shake of his head. Of course not. No one would refuse the Chenayan throne. It was the greatest prize on the planet. Even Tao would know that he could do more for the low-born from the emperor’s chair than he ever could as a mere prince.
So, while Tao lived, Axel had no easy access to ultimate power. He was forever stopped from advancing beyond Lord of the Conquest. Even better for Lukan, if Axel murdered Mott, Tao would stand as a protective shield between his heart and Axel’s blade. Lukan knew his brother wished him no ill. All this weakened Axel’s spread of tiles.
Maybe, just maybe, he could win this strategy game.
And then there was Lynx.
As much as Lukan craved her, she had humiliated him in every way possible. How could he reward that by giving her Axel? It was inconceivable.
Lukan straightened his back and fixed Axel with his most regal stare. “No.”
“No?”
“Your ears are working perfectly. I won’t trade you Lynx for my father’s life. You are not the only person in the empire who could take care of him for me.”
Axel hissed in a breath. “Are you completely insane? Has Thurban’s voice finally driven you over the edge?”
Lukan lunged forward until his nose was almost pressed against Axel’s. “What do you know about Thurban’s voice?”
“Enough to bargain with you. You know the terms.”
“Damn you, Axel, don’t you get it? I’m not giving you Lynx! You have already robbed me of so much . . . my brother, my father’s respect, my position amongst the Fifteen. They think the sun shines out of your arse—bastards don’t seem to realize that you’re a permanent eclipse. I’m not giving you Lynx as well.” Lukan drew himself up to his full height. “Now tell me what you know about Thurban, or by the Dragon, I will make sure you never hold a position of power in Chenaya when I take the throne.”
Axel stepped back, but his laughter sent a chill careening right through Lukan. “You are so pathetic. Lukan, this is my final offer. Lynx for your life. Accept it or die. Now. Because in ten seconds, I’m leaving.”
Lukan’s fist crashed into Axel’s jaw.
Caught off guard, Axel’s head snapped back. But only for a second. Lukan braced himself for Axel’s fists, but his cousin surprised him.
Face hard, Axel leaned right up close. “Wrong answer. Watch your back, Lukan. You’ll never know when I’m coming.”
He strode off down the passageway.
A flush of icy horror washed through Lukan. He had hit Axel! The one person he needed most if he was ever to rule Chenaya successfully. He slumped against the wall as his mind struggled to process what he’d done.
Axel had baited him first.
Th
at wasn’t a good enough excuse. Cursing his temper, he shouted down the passage at Axel’s retreating form, “I’m not without allies! I am well capable of protecting myself from any scheme you might hatch!”
“Sure you are,” Axel called over his shoulder. “The only way you’ll find anyone to support you is if you reprogram the jasper chips, burning your name in the brain of every guardsman in the country.”
Desperate to be out of the cloying darkness, Lukan picked up the gas lamp and surged to the shortcut out of the maze. Slamming the door behind him, he lifted his face to the sunlight streaming through the window in the hall and closed his eyes.
But there was no time to relax in the soothing rays.
Despite his bravado, he had to rally some support to protect himself from his cousin. No easy quest, he admitted. With no service in the military, allies with fighting skills were thin on the ground. Perhaps with the promise of sharing part of his archives, he could bring a faction of high-born to his side? Head pounding, steps heavy, he turned to leave the room.
Count Felix stood at the door.
“Ah, Crown Prince,” his uncle crooned, taking his arm. “Come, you and I have much to discuss and a very short time in which to discuss it.”
Too shocked by his encounter with Axel to resist, Lukan allowed himself to be led away.
Chapter 37
Lynx stopped outside the door to her bedchamber and gripped Tao’s arm. “I can’t take my axe in there,” she whispered. “The room is filled with cameras.”
“Who is your lady-in-waiting?” Tao asked, just as quietly.
“Lady Tatiana. She wafts around, making unhelpful comments.” The sour-faced woman had appeared at her door a couple of times, ostensibly to help Lynx dress. Lynx had not invited her into her room.
“Tatiana’s bark is definitely worse than her bite. She would help if she knew it was for Axel.”
Lynx bit her lip, surprised to learn that about her brittle lady-in-waiting. “But she’s not here. I can’t risk someone coming and seeing me with it.”
