I had to put effort in, to make sure that my fists didn’t ball up or my face didn’t turn red. This was because of the comment about Lox not wanting royals killed, not wanting them killed “anymore.” It was all such corruption. Even the common soldiers of Akadia new of Lox’s treachery in the attacks of Shaundakul, and Karatel, and so many others. I did not know where the King or council stood with this; I could only assume that they endorsed it. So while Akadia pretended to be right in their doings, it was all a farce. Even soldiers knew that the way things went only hinged upon how Lox decided they should go. The next soldier’s reply only reinforced this idea.
“So long as Lox decides it’s for the best, I say the sooner the better,” he said. And then, “But who do you think would replace him?”
“Well, both of his Lieutenants are fighting with him in Democedes.”
“Don’t you think it’s more likely the Commander would choose a replacement outside of Venoc’s battalion. Say, Dracla?”
I had to work to hide my reaction again, but this was not the first I’d heard of Cyric taking Venoc’s position.
“No. I don’t think Dracla would leave Lox’s service. He’s his man from start to finish.”
“Maybe there’s a chance Lox will do away with Venoc’s position completely. What’s the point of three commanders, anyways? Scanth is useful enough, but Lox may just as well take control of Venoc’s battalion.”
The soldiers grew quiet as a group of handmaidens passed. I made sure to enhance my interest in the crate of cloth, testing colors against one another. After the others had cleared one of the soldiers laughed.
“I’d say, it’s a good thing for Venoc that Dracla’s in Akadia. You know what would likely become of Venoc otherwise…”
His voice cut out. I thought he wouldn’t go on. I looked at him anyways, to see if I might guess what he had meant. He wore a smile and he had a finger at his throat. Slowly, he slid it across. Before I could grasp it fully, a loud voice jarred my attention to the street.
“Princess Solidor?” a soldier called. He was one at the front of a group of four. Soldiers in pure-gold; I recognized them as Molec’s personal guards, those that stood in the throne-room.
I felt the attention of the soldiers I’d been spying on as I straightened up. I wondered if I’d been discovered again. Already I had spent some time in the prisons for trying to escape, though not for very long for when the warden had heard of it, he’d sent me out, muttering some like, “no woman of Dracla’s belongs underground.”
Now I lifted my chin bravely to the gold guard, fully prepared should he send me to the prisons again, or whatever he meant to do.
“The King has requested your presence,” he explained. “If you would allow us to escort you, we’ll take you now.” He gestured to the palace, its entrance in sight.
I narrowed, hardly able to understand why I might be being invited now of all times. And I did not want to go for Molec was evil and cruel and had lied to me. All the same, I doubted that these guards were really offering me a choice. I didn’t know why, but I thought of Cyric; he was outside the city today training his men, or so I’d heard. In the end, recalling that he had advised me not to go to the palace was the reason I agreed without a struggle.
I nodded to the guard, then followed him, sparing only a short glance at the soldier with his hand still lingering at his neck.
#
I thought that I would be taken to the throne room, but the soldier led me through a different route, into a much smaller dining chamber, the sort where private dinners might be held, a low table in its middle, pillows for chairs, and couches surrounding all of this. The king sat comfortably in one of them, and besides myself and the soldiers, there were two Lords and three Ladies, one residing close to Molec.
They were laughing as I entered, apparently about something they’d been discussing before. It filled my body with seething anger. Then the guards stood back, and Molec turned his attention to me, then the rest did. The expressions of the Lords was such that I thought of Cyric, outside the city, training his men, but I only chided myself for this folly.
“Princess Ellia,” Molec greeted brightly, “It’s been too long since our last meeting. These are some of my most honored councilmen. I was hoping you might join us to discuss your country.”
I had been all prepared to attack him, plunge his trays of food and drink into chaos, lash at a face or two if I could. But here he was saying he wanted to discuss Shaundakul, and I was uncertain that I should resist such an opportunity. In the end it was only enough to temper me.
“Do you think that I want any longer to sit and speak with you of my country? You made a promise. You said that the weapons against the chimera would not be built, but I hear all around Akadia that they have been.”
“Princess, please,” Molec laughed, “Don’t exaggerated my words and make war between us. I said that I would put the issue off in honor of your arrival. And I did. This was very generous, you must realize.”
“I’m not going to find anything you do generous, Molec. More times than I can count you have betrayed me and my people, and even now you wage war against my friends.”
“Surely you must not have had the chance to learn of proper diplomacy to speak so,” Molec chided, none of the humor gone from his tone. “Who are the Yanartians, that you would show such interest and loyalty to them? Aren’t your people here?” He gestured a hand to the open seat beside him. “Sit down, Princess. Calm yourself. I’m sure that you and I can help each other.”
My chest locked up tight. I felt the eyes of all the others, watchful, clearly not surprised by anything that Molec was saying; I guessed that these were those that surrounded him often, because he didn’t seem to be taking care with his words as he had in the throne-room. But I didn’t know how to respond, because what he said hit me hardest. I had been in Yanartas so many months, and doing what I thought was best; now as I saw my people here, I felt such guilt at abandoning them. Could I truly fight for them so far away? And what if I could help from within Akadia better than I had outside of it? But how could I do anything with a King who went back on his word. A king who allowed…
“Your distress is so obvious,” Molec went on, “here before us. Not to mention your bouts in the prison. There’s no reason for you to be having such trouble. It makes me wonder if you’re not in duress under your master’s care?”
My eyes flashed to him. I thought of the soldier in the street, with his hand at his throat. “I can think of nothing worse than being under his care!”
A few of the Lords and Ladies laughed, while Molec put on a smile. “I would not have thought this to be your position, what with the Lieutenant being Shaundakulian. It makes me all the more hopeful that we may help each other. Forget the war for just a moment, Princess. Tonight will be the first of the banquets that we attend and I would like us to be at peace. Even, you might share a position of honor beside me. Why not talk with us now of how you can help your people? You may have noticed that not many of them preside in the palace district. The sun knows, this isn’t because of their skills and appearance. They resist Akadia, too much. You could show them that we are not enemies. Who knows what our union might lead to.” Something showed in Molec’s eyes then. A sort of self-assured delight, that matched more his initial reaction to me, before Cyric had told him that I belonged to him. I thought then of the King’s disposition, of the many ladies surrounding him, of what Cyric had said of Molec in the throne-room. “Do you know that it was I who sent your dresses to you Princess?” Molec added. “There’s much more I could do for you.”
I blushed at his tone. I wondered that he shouldn’t be more attentive of the Lords and Ladies near, but then they showed no reaction, and it made me think that they must expect this behavior, that this was something the king did often. And that made me think of Amalia. The heat in my face grew to anger.
“I see what you are doing, King,” I told him. “Have you not considered that I hav
e been to Akadia before now? Have you not considered that when last I was here, Tobias Denathar was still alive?”
Molec’s face, for the first time, lost all of its humor and turned pale, but it wasn’t only him, it was the Lords and Ladies around him. They responded, as if, well, as if they knew what I spoke of as well as him.
“You are a wretched, rotted, king. I would die before forming a union with you!”
The Lord and Ladies looked shocked, while Molec turned bright red. Truly, red. He looked as if he might explode with anger, then his next words came out seething. “You will leave us,” he said.
I thought he meant me, and I was glad to obey, but instead his Lords and Ladies moved off. They ushered the guards along with them. Molec’s expression was still so angry. I made an attempt to go with them, but the guard slammed the door behind him. I looked back at Molec. He faced away from me, having risen from the couch. My chest rose unsteadily, imagining the anger that had been in his expression. I thought of the knife back in Cyric’s room and wished that I had carried it with me.
But then, to my surprise, when Molec turned, his expression had lost most of its anger; he was still red, his fists were clenched. He met my eyes precisely.
“Amalia has gone to Yanartas?” he asked straightaway.
I narrowed. Not because of the question. Because of something in the way he had said her name. I thought that I should not tell him, but then…
“She is safe there. She will never return here.”
His face flashed with angry red again, but only for a moment, and then his fists had unclenched; his chest heaved up and down beneath his thick tunic. He looked away from me. “I had thought that he might have…” Molec swallowed and when his eyes found mine again, they were much harder. “So she’s with the Warriors? And I suppose she’s wasted no time falling back in with her own?”
There was poison in his tone, but absolutely no indifference. I thought then of the way Amalia had spoken of him. Cold, distant; telling of a meeting long ago when they were both very young.
“She should never have come to Akadia in the first place,” I said.
Molec’s faced flushed more brightly. He grimaced. “That’s what she’s been telling you then? She’s told you that I forced her to remain? That I tortured her here? No doubt she tells all the warriors this.” Molec started to pace.
His distress was so… I had not guessed that he could have possibly truly cared for her. Now I felt some hope, not much, but enough to make me speak. “She does not tell everyone everything. She told me because of Tobias. He was my friend. I watched Lox kill him before my very eyes.” At these words Molec started shaking, it gave me all the more hope to go on. “Lox told you that I had been here before, but did he tell you that the day I escaped was the day that he killed Tobias Denathar? Do you believe his lies that Tobias was a traitor? I was there and that was not the reason he killed him. Lox gave no reason.”
“Lox tried to arrest that captain,” Molec said, with great effort. “He resisted. The commander was forced—”
“He was not forced. I was there. Tobias was alone. Lox came with help. He came with weapons.”
“Tobias was in the forbidden temple.”
“He had taken me to the granted temple to show me where the dragon’s had once visited. Is that a crime? He meant only to be kind.”
Molec hissed.
“I thought until now that you must have allowed Lox to murder Tobias. Is it possible that you do not even realize he was unjustly murdered?”
“Lies,” Molec spat. “These are Amalia’s lies. I have heard them before.”
“If Amalia knew that Lox had murdered Tobias, it was because of her own perception. I was the one to tell her that I had seen him do it.”
Molec turned from me. I gripped my fists and I marched towards him. No matter what sort of King he was, I would make him hear these words.
“How could you convince yourself that Tobias was a traitor? Did you not see how your son thought of you? How he loved Akadia? I saw, and I knew him only days. Do you not see that any actions he might have taken were for the good of Akadia? Lox is evil; he plans to destroy everything.”
Molec had his face turned hard from me now, his fists tight, his face bright red; he was sputtering arguments to himself. His unstable demeanor prodded me on.
“Don’t you see, King, that it is not too late? You have heard of Tobias’s ghost that fights with the Yanartians. Well, he is no ghost. I know him myself. He is a good man, like his brother was. He is loyal and strong. And he is your son.”
“You do not know of what you speak!” Molec erupted, he threw me away from him with the force of his turn. “I have no sons. Tobias was not mine, and I know no Yanartian.”
“That is a lie. If you would see the truth you would choose to stop this war.”
Molec’s eyes flared wildly. He spoke in shouts. “Who are you to say such things? Have you ever ruled a country? Do you know what it means? I am only a king. There are councilors. There are the commanders. Akadia has become an army, its soldiers not mine to command.”
I coiled back, struck with shock. Just as quickly as his anger had come, it sank from him and turned to fear. He was trembling furiously. It was all so obvious. This king did not wish his sons murdered at all; perhaps he even cared for them, perhaps he even cared for Amalia.
“You’re afraid?” I said, weakly at first, and then demanding it of him: “You’re afraid? That’s why you won’t punish Lox for killing your son? You’re afraid of him?” I could hardly believe the very words I was saying. “You’re the king.”
“Don’t. Don’t. I’ve heard enough of this. I’ve heard it from Amalia. Neither of you understand.”
“I understand perfectly. You’re allowing a monster to use your kingdom to destroy everything, to betray your allies, even to fight against your son.”
“No one controls my kingdom,” he shouted. “I rule. Amalia made her own choice. As did her children. It’s not my fault that they die.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, the anger leaving my tone, now I felt only lost. “How can you be such a coward? Your sons are the bravest men I’ve ever known. Tobias was so brave, I couldn’t tell you how brave he was when Lox came to kill him.” Despite myself, my eyes filled with tears; Molec was looking at me with horror. “And Lucian, he lived without his brother for years only to discover that he had been killed, but still he fights for his people. He fights against the monster who killed that brother. He fights against the kingdom of his own father.”
The king shook from head to toe. I felt now that I could push him over should I choose; I felt no fear of his rage or anger, not this man, this small, weak man. Slowly Molec’s expression tightened in on itself; he grew hard once more, his face damp with sweat.
“They are not my sons,” he said, through clenched teeth. “You do not know of what you speak.” He repeated such phrases as this over and over to himself.
My body, my muscles, the whole of me fell tiredly to be looking at this man. I lost any of the hope I had gained that he might rise to stop Lox, that he would or could do anything at all. The sight of such a king and such a father filled me with disgust.
“You are right, Molec,” I said, though he couldn’t have heard me well past his mutterings. “They are not your sons.”
CYRIC:
I stood in the throne-room, not relishing the time it was taking for Ellia to be brought out from Molec’s chamber, but at least I knew the guards were with them now. I had no time or patience for this. I’d had to stop before training was done. Thanks to palace custom I’d had to bathe and change before I could even come inside the palace. One would think that since I’d given Ellia free reign of an entire district that she could keep out of trouble, but she continued to frustrate soldiers, and now she was with Molec, which was one of the only things Lox had stressed that I should not allow to happen.
I paced the space in front of one of the throne-room’s gold pillars, then I
heard footsteps from the side hall. Two soldiers exited and behind them was Ellia. It had been days since I’d seen her, at least seen her out of bed. She wore one of her extravagant Shaundakulian gowns, silver, studded with pink gems. For the sake of her meeting with Molec I wished that it was not so favorable to her. Since she kept her hair braided, and wore her crown, and with the dresses, looking at her was like being back in Shaundakul. Considering the news I’d just received, this was the last thing that I wanted to be reminded of.
I met her eyes, letting her know how great of a nuisance she was to me, maybe even a hated nuisance, and then I walked forward.
“How long was she in there alone with him?” I asked a guard.
“Less than an hour.”
“I hope you enjoyed yourself,” I said, resting the full weight of my gaze on Ellia.
She took a deep breath, until her chest was high and her lips were tight, then she turned and stormed towards the exit.
I was about to follow her when I felt a hand on my arm. “The king orders that she not attend the banquet tonight,” the guard told me, “And no others until he says otherwise.”
I measured his face, trying to read if it would tell me anything. “Did he give a reason why?” I asked.
The guard remained silent.
I gave him a short glare of disapproval, then followed after Ellia.
“Well, was I right or not?” I asked, shocking her as I came up beside her. After recovering from my nearness she continued on, descending the steps of the palace exit.
“Stop mocking me. It’s not as if you care.”
“You’re right, I don’t care.” I would have, if I’d thought she’d caused mischief, but from her demeanor and Molec’s order, it was clear they hadn’t been making friends. Whatever had gone on, she’d just made my life easier.
I watched her grimace. When she made to abandon me for the streets, I caught her hand. “You think I’m going to let you roam around after you disobeyed me?”
“You just said that it didn’t matter to you.” There was no sarcasm to her tone, only distress.
Fallen Kingdom (Fallen Trilogy book 2) Page 9
