by Cheryl Oblon
“She needs my help with the negotiations. I think she’s just going to hold out on her decision until we get the Bachal treaty locked up for another year or two and send them home. Punishing me for following a vision is counterproductive if you want to utilize a Royal Seer.” I checked the time.
“Nemal hasn’t been around at all since yesterday. Is everything okay?” she asked.
“I have no idea. I went up to see my aunt, and he went to talk to his mother. She came up, but he didn’t. She doesn’t want him to know that truth, or anyone else, for that matter.” I’d told Marel the truth. Between Simma and myself, she’d find out, anyway.
“I won’t say a thing. It’s such a wild idea. Your aunt voluntarily gave up power and locked herself away for some future war’s outcome. And Simma. What a powerful spell caster. To give up love and life at court and all for some future good that could change. Any little thing could change the course of the future. You knowing you win the war might avert the entire conflict.” Marel savored her dessert as she pondered the information.
“That sort of thinking is too deep and circular for me. It’s not going to be easy, but she believed in her vision. I have to believe in mine. I asked my aunt if it was all true, with Simma out of the room. She said it was her vision. It was true, and as soon as she’d made the change, her nightmares of war stopped.” I’d had my doubts about Simma’s story at first, which was why I needed to her to return with me, but everyone had secrets. My aunt had confirmed enough for me to trust Simma.
“Of course their story is true. It’s so out there. What else could it be?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Being the Royal Seer comes with power, normally. If you’re an adult. Why would my great aunt give it up unless it was true? I guess it’s possible that Simma could cast a spell to make Gurol look crazy without her permission. Once everyone bought into the story, she could send the daughters away and put my mother in line. But the queen and her daughters would’ve wanted to talk to Gurol first before they agreed to anything. I considered that scenario, and it’d have to be a massively powerful spell and more than one for it to work.”
Marel grinned. “Now you’re seeing lies and conspiracy everywhere. You have power and visions. You’ll get back to a good place. I have faith.”
“Well, if Simma wanted my mother back, and my mother just needed enough power to override any objections, the spell move would’ve made it possible. Mother already had me to continue the line. She’d be so close to the queen. For all I know, Simma used a spell to create a vision, to create a reason why my mother would need to be in line as the Royal Seer. Then, maybe she could convince her to divorce my father. Protect the royal information from a potential spy. She and Simma could be together and happy. Let others worry about the rebels.” I shrugged.
“You’re spiraling into a lot of treacherous moves. Would Simma risk that when it was a long shot? Even if it all happened that way, and Simma went after your mother, would the queen have permitted that? Homosexual relationships are equal and fine, but at the highest levels of royalty, it’s never been done.” Marel tapped the spoon against her lips.
“It will be, eventually. I’m not saying it would’ve been easy. But if Simma is that powerful, she could’ve put a spell on the queen to convince her.”
“Then the healers and other spell casters remove it, and Simma is arrested. There are a lot of protective measures around the royals. Simma had to have permission to do what she did to your great aunt. The queen wasn’t under the spell, either. Poor Simma. She may have thought she’d have a chance. Instead, she and your mother both suffered alone.” Marel’s cheeks went pink. “She had you, of course.”
“I know what you mean. I feel terrible, too. My father and mother were both so unhappy. Using each other. How messed up is that? Simma is taking a big risk to be here.” I admired her being true to herself.
“She and your great aunt sacrificed a lot to make sure we win some future war. You won’t let them down,” Marel said.
“It might not even be my generation. Might be a daughter I have, someday.”
Marel cocked her head to one side. “The way the negotiations are going, I’ll be impressed if you hold off war another year. Remmy says things are very bad according to Faldar.”
“One problem at a time.” I had to pay a visit tonight, and it wasn’t about the Bachal. “Tomorrow, I want to make sure that the healer comes here to see me. The male one who saw me before.”
“Are you feeling weak?” she asked.
“Tell him I’m not sleeping well. You keep finding me up and think I need something to help me rest,” I said.
“You’ve refused anything like that. No one will believe it.” She shook her head.
“I know. That’s why you go to him and tell him I’m not sleeping. Ask him to drop in like he’s checking on my scar. Make sure it’s healing and no signs of infection. He can check me over, and if he thinks I can use something and I resist, tell him to give it to you so you can try and convince me later.” I nodded.
“You want to test it?” she asked.
“I want to see what we get.” I smiled. “I need to go out tonight. Keep an eye or ear out for Simma. Unless you’re going out with Ballan.”
“Actually, my mother wanted to talk to Simma. She remembers her. I don’t think my mother knew the details, but at least it’s someone else from her generation who she might enjoy talking to.” Marel nodded.
“That’d be nice. Thank you.” I tapped my fingers on the table.
“Just go. You should talk to Nemal.” Marel cleared up the dishes.
I nearly blurted I wasn’t going to see Nemal, but I didn’t want to admit where I was going, so it didn’t matter. “Fine. I’ll go, but I’ll be back late.”
“Good.” Marel winked.
“No, not like that. I need an ally, not a boyfriend. I’ll see you in the morning.” I exited the suite before I said too much. Or defended myself too much.
After an hour of walking the corridors, I felt my opportunity. My father had been moved into a back room. The one my aunt had been in on my first trip. After knocking out one guard, I slipped into the room, unnoticed. I scrambled things on the surveillance. I felt for my aunt, but the rumors were true, she was gone. Crashing a party wasn’t major crime, and she was too crafty to be connected to traitors directly, even if she had bold political views.
“You came to see me again.” He opened one eye. The other was swollen shut.
I wanted to comfort him. To drag a healer in there to fix him. Then I thought about him marrying my mother for access to this very castle. Spying on her and her friends and using that information for the rebels. No doubt he’d spied on me. Asking about my day and time in school might not give him too much information, but I was in the castle school, so he’d had access to it.
“Why did you leave my mother?” I asked.
“Stop dwelling on the past. I’m trying to save your future. Let them have me, but you need to get away.”
“If you were spying on the royals through my mother, why did you leave? Did she catch you? Was she going to turn you in?” I asked.
“She always suspected. Turning me in would serve no purpose. She went through my things, too.”
“That’s not a marriage,” I said. “It’s a joke.”
“You are as much mine as hers. I want you safe. People said you’d left, but here you are. Leave. I’ve sent two friends. You can trust them,” he said. “They will help you. Let the queen kill me, but you can escape to freedom.”
“What is your definition of freedom?” He believed every word he said, but I didn’t.
“Kimess, no one will harm you. No one will threaten to kill you or keep you prisoner. This queen is using you. Once she doesn’t need you, she’ll kill you. Why do you think she hasn’t passed judgment on me or your mother yet?”
“How do you know she hasn’t judged me and Mother yet?” I asked.
“I have friends. Your mother knew too much about what was happening at the castle. The secrets. The queen could’ve had your mother killed, and now, she’s the judge. If she doesn’t think she can control you, she will kill you. Everyone will go along with it. You can’t trust them.” He tried to move.
This time, he wasn’t tied to a chair, simply chained to the wall, but his body was weak, bruised, and filthy. He had a bucket of water within reach.
“Nemal is making sure you have food and water?” I asked.
Father nodded. “He could be an ally. Run away with him.”
“He’s a prince. He’d be a fool to run. So, these friends of yours. One is a healer who offered me marriage, and that was just creepy and weird. The other is a very quiet healer who offered to help me flee.”
He looked me in the eye. “He wasn’t supposed to contact you yet.”
“He healed me. I was shot with an arrow. I’m not sure if that’s the work of your friends or not. I bled a lot. Maybe they were aiming for the queen.” If he was behind it, I wanted him to have guilt.
“But you’re okay. That’s good.” He gave me nothing.
“The healer didn’t hurt me. But, if I needed something, for example, is he someone to trust or not?” I asked.
“You can trust him. I’d rather you let him smuggle you out of the castle. Get gold and jewels from the estate, and get out of the country,” he said.
“I’ve already gotten out and back into the castle on my own. I fetched Simma, so she could attend Mother’s funeral. She has so much to teach me.”
“That bitch screwed up a lot of things,” he said.
I took a step closer. “So did you. And my mother, I’m sure. No one is perfect. You always had the blinders on, though. Your hobby was more important. Whatever you thought was priority had to be everyone’s top issue. So self-centered.”
He grabbed my hand. “Break me out. We’ll flee together. You can do it. Get the healer to meet us. I’ll be fine in no time, and we’ll be out of here.”
“And go where?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you that now.” He looked me in the eye.
The Bachal? Was that what the king’s brother had been doing down here? Recruiting rebels? Or was it another country that was neutral for safety until the war blew over? I couldn’t read his mind for the plan.
I knelt down and kissed his cheek. “The guilty run. I’m not running. Goodbye.”
Chapter 27
The punishment for sneaking out and bringing Simma back could’ve been worse. I was under strict orders to make the negotiations my top priority. Nothing else came first. Two days of intense negotiations with the Bachal had everyone frustrated. I blocked out the tension from others, but I was tired and sick of going in circles.
During a break, I sat in the queen’s private study off the large council room where the negotiations were happening. Minnette stared at her lunch.
“They continue to offer nothing,” said the ruler of the third family.
“They have nothing to offer,” chimed in the ruler of the second family.
“There must be something. We will not be sucked dry by a parasite,” the queen replied.
“They have soldiers,” I said.
It’d occurred to me while talking with Simma. It was a last ditch effort to get them to give up something.
“Soldiers. Why would we need their soldiers here?” Minnette asked.
“We have a sufficient army,” the ruler of the fourth house said.
“But if they are taking over other smaller countries, we could be on their list to invade, so we need to bulk up the army. The Bachal are likely spreading their troops too thin. Taking more soldiers from them weakens them if they want to be a threat. We can see how trained they really are. Learn more about shifters and see how they do under a queen.” I smiled. “They keep showing off their soldiers, so they must want us to believe they have plenty.”
The queen smiled. “It may not benefit us, but it weakens them.”
I nodded. “They won’t want us to think it does. They’ll act like they’ve got plenty.”
“But what if they put those soldiers here to spy?” Minnette asked.
“No doubt, that’d be their plan. So they’re likely to agree to this option. But we can contain their troops. Train them in our ways, at first. Isolate them to certain patrols and duties,” the queen said.
Minnette smiled. “Eventually, they’ll learn some things, but they’ll have plenty of food and no war. Let them see what peace is like and whose side they end up loyal to.”
After the lunch break, the large group reassembled for negotiations.
“Your Majesty, we are growing tired of the debate. You’ve asked for much.” The queen’s serene calm returned.
I watched the Bachal king closely.
“We turn to our friends to help. When times are better, we will help you in return,” he said.
“That isn’t good enough. We want something, now, in exchange for help. Men,” she said.
“Men? You lack men?” The king laughed.
The queen smiled. “I wouldn’t say that. But we could use a boost of soldiers. Guards. Our borders are long and some of the people in the outskirts complain about people crossing in and stealing. Ten thousand men should help a great deal.”
“Ten thousand?” the king asked.
He kept his face neutral, but I felt his fear. The loss of troops would hurt him.
“You’d have ten thousand fewer men to feed and house, which should help the supplies we give you go further. We’ll accept the responsibility for those troops for the year.” The queen nodded for the scribe to draw up the treaty on the tablet.
“A year? You want these men for an entire year?” the king asked.
“Yes, until we’re back here doing this again next year. Unless you’d like to extend it to two years. Same food given. But, then, I’ll need fifteen thousand men for two years.” The queen had him, and she knew it.
“Perhaps you’d like one of my commanders to stay here and manage the thousands of men?” he asked.
She shrugged. “My commanders know how to keep men in line. I expect you’ll instruct them to fight for and obey me as they would you. This is not a joke. You have shown us your assets in trained soldiers. We could use some of them. It’s a fair offer.”
“It is fair. I will consider it. It would take time to move in that many troops. Do you have accommodations for them?” he asked.
“That can be done in less than a week. Plenty of space. They will need some training in our laws and ways. But the added man power will help patrol the borders and keep the capitol safe.” She leaned back.
“We can resume tomorrow morning, and I’ll have an answer for you by then.” He stood and bowed to her.
“The troops must be delivered and inspected before you leave. Any rebellion or evidence of spy activity by your men and the food supplies will stop,” she warned.
His face went white, and I felt the frustration and anger he was suppressing. The man nodded and walked off with his entourage in tow.
The queen stood and retired to her small room. We all followed, and Minnette actually smiled at me.
“That worked well. He’s not happy, but he can’t say no. I’ll need the head of the Queen’s Guard here soon. The rest of you, keep this development very quiet until he agrees. We’ve had a hard couple of days, so relax this afternoon. Thank you.” The queen nodded.
The women dispersed. I tried to follow them.
“Wait a minute, Kimess,” the queen said.
I turned and waited.
“He’ll say yes?” she asked once the room was clear.
I nodded. “He has no choice.”
“One or two years?” she asked.
“Right now, he is thinking one. Make you go through this again. His men would be here to show off and revolt, if he wanted, next negotiation. They could just take what they need. But
it’s a lot of men to give up. I doubt he could find fifteen thousand he’d be proud of. We’ll get the best, because he needs to show off.” I smiled.
“Excellent, very good work. Good idea.” The queen waved her hand in dismissal.
“Thank you,” I said.
Minnette glared at me. One minute, she and I were on the same side, and the next, she resented me for doing my job. Maybe one day, she’d realize that I would offer the same advice to her or any queen I served. It was the right move for the situation. Who’d thought of it didn’t matter. We’d thought of it in time.
Simma was visiting my great aunt for the afternoon. She seemed to prefer fewer people and those in her generation that she knew to my millions of questions. I couldn’t blame her. I probably reminded her of my mother. Alone, I walked the gardens where I’d been struck by an arrow. Marel was off with Ballan, and I felt like I should be doing something, but I didn’t know what.
I turned a corner into the hedges and spotted Nemal.
“Mad at me?” I asked.
He arched an eyebrow at me. “My mother said you had a vision. Left the castle. Came back with a friend of your mother’s.”
“I’m sorry I ditched you. It was important for my mother’s friend to see her body.” A slight lie, but the fewer people who knew about Aunt Gurol, the better. Not that I would mind handing over the tiara to her. I’d dreamed about it last night, but it’d never happen.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me close. “That’s not what’s bothering me. You could’ve gotten killed. Running around on your own in the middle of the night?”
“Do you think I’m that helpless? Friendless? I didn’t go alone, and I had a friend making sure I was safe all along.” I fibbed again. Zoma couldn’t track me at Simma’s, but the rest of the time, she was looking out for me. Nemal needed to treat me like an adult.
Nemal’s body tensed. “That’s where Ballan really went?”
“Don’t you trust him?” I asked.
“Of course. It should’ve been me, though.” Nemal kicked the grass.
