***
“Jade, you need to at least stand by the throne, even if you won’t sit in it.” Zebediah’s voice echoed in the throne room, despite his low tone. He clasped his hands behind his back. “Even if you aren’t yet queen, you still hold power and sway here in Doldra as the princess. Remind him of that. Be mindful of your positioning.”
Jade spared him a glance and tried to nod. She climbed the three steps of the dais, but didn’t go near the thrones, with their gleaming gold and encrusted gems. She’d never sit there. Not even for a scene like this with Bentley. He’d sat there when he was just a governor, and while that was a gross misuse of his power, that was his prerogative.
To sit on the throne would be as good as accepting the crown, as far as she was concerned. And that would never happen. Politics and the trappings of royalty were not for her.
The double doors on the far end of the throne room opened, and Bentley strolled across the black-and-white marble floor, seemingly impervious to the beauty of the room. Not once did he glance down at the design the luminary crystals embedded in the floor made. Nor did he look at any of the white marble pillars that fanned out to connect to the balcony above. No, his sneering gaze was for Jade, and Jade only.
He’s spent so long here, he doesn’t even notice it.
Jade’s stomach roiled. Another reason she could never be queen here. She never wanted to be so accustomed to such opulence that she didn’t even notice it.
Bentley didn’t slow his pace as he got closer, and she could now hear the quiet jingle of the metal pins dangling on the left breast of his jacket. He looked the part of governor. From the polished shoes to the imposing military dress suit to the coiffed hair, he looked every inch the leader that she wasn’t. His eyes didn’t leave hers, and his lips twitched in a smirk.
He knew that he intimidated her.
Jade tried not to bite her lip or tug at the folds of the dress she’d changed into with her mother’s help. Krista had braided Jade’s hair in the style of a crown while Samantha tightened the laces of Jade’s dress, reminding her that, if not royalty, Jade was the daughter of two airship captains, and as such could not, and should not, be cowed by a mere lackey.
Too late.
Bentley reached the bottom of dais, and Zebediah and Zak moved together, preventing the former governor from coming up to meet her face to face. He took a step back and glared up at her. “Tell these Monomi to step aside.”
Jade took a deep breath. “No.”
Bentley’s eyes narrowed. “Then return to Aerugo with me and plead their case. They need someone to speak on their behalf, now that they’ve broken the treaty. Or do you want their blood on your hands?”
Ice churned in Jade’s stomach, and her eyes shifted to Zak as if a magnet had switched on. He’d tensed, but still faced Bentley. Zak’s black collar hid what Jade knew was there. Scars. So many scars from when he’d been whipped on account of her. She already had Monomi blood on her hands. But Bentley’s meaning was clear—he was talking of lifeblood. They were now all in danger because of her. She swallowed. “I—”
“She refuses.” Zebediah growled. He drew his shoulders back and towered over Bentley. “As do the Monomi. We will not stand down. Not now. Not ever.” He lifted a finger to point at the blond Aerugan. “We have proof that you orchestrated the attack on Stohner Shipping Yards. Not only is killing your own subjects frowned upon in polite society, but you knew that she”—Zebediah swept his hand back at Jade—“was going to be there and could have been killed.”
Zebediah didn’t move, but something in his words or countenance must’ve hit a nerve, because Bentley paled under the luminary chandelier.
He looked at Jade over Zebediah’s shoulder, then shook his head with sorrowful eyes. “I know about that, yes. And I’m afraid that wasn’t me, but the one who worked under me, Overseer Nevin.” Bentley spread his hands. A deep line creased on his forehead in a show of concern. “He’s always hated the Monomi and royal family, ever since the Fall.” He looked at Zak and leaned forward, as if confiding something. “His family had worked in the palace, you know. Left him bereft when so many of them were killed here. My guards told me after the attack on the shipping yards, they saw your man, your traitor—Victor, was it?—hand something to Nevin. They must’ve planned it out together. I had no knowledge of it happening, and I am sorry for the attempt on your life.”
False sincerity dripped from Bentley’s words, and Jade’s stomach twisted. It was because of this man that her grandmother had lost good men and women that day. His fault that Briar had lost a leg. His fault that her father was dead, when he might have survived if Ben hadn’t had to fight first, before leaving to warn him.
“I don’t believe you.” The coldness in her tone surprised her, and yet Jade didn’t regret it. “And I’m going nowhere with you.”
A flash of anger lit Bentley’s eyes, and his hands clenched. “You will regret this.” He rocked forward, completely ignoring the Monomi in front of him as he looked over their shoulders, his eyes piercing her. “Don’t make me force my hand.”
“She said ‘no.’” Zebadiah’s deep voice lashed out. “That means no. This meeting is finished.”
Bentley’s jaw locked, and he was still staring at Jade. “So be it. Whatever happens next is on your head, princess.” He spun on his heel and stalked out of the throne room, slamming the door behind him.
The cold fire that had burned in her veins moments before abandoned Jade, and she sank to the edge of the dais. She gripped the loose fabric of her skirt and raised her face to Zebediah and Zak. “Was that the right decision?”
Zebediah offered her a tight smile. “We’re not backing down. And we’re not giving up.” He held out his hand, and she considered it before letting him pull her to her feet. “I’ll be honest. One way or another, we need a Doldras on the throne, Jade. We can’t trust Everett or his lackeys.” Determination shone in Zebediah’s eyes as he held onto Jade’s hand, his calloused hand engulfing hers. “But that should be in its own time, not something forced.” She could hear the echo of Zander’s words in Zebediah. He squeezed gently before letting go. “A ruler who is forced to rule will not rule with the wisdom and compassion needed.”
Chapter Nine
Weston
“We’ll be there soon, sir.”
Weston nodded at Niles and clutched his seat. He clamped his teeth together, trying to remember the breathing technique that Andre had taught him last time they’d flown together—in a royal airship, with its quiet gliding through the air, not the racket and turbulence of a steam-based dirigible being run by people whom Weston could only assume were sky-junkers. Francene had warned in her schedule that Weston shouldn’t trust the airships with much, just to pay whatever they said, get on, and get to Doldra.
Because traveling under such pressure and with questionable company made air travel so much easier. Weston loosed a shaky breath and his stomach quivered as the airship bounced on another wind gust. Andre understood how much Weston hated to travel. Even the time Andre had rescued Weston from his kidnappers, he’d helped to distract Weston from dwelling on the fact that he was in the air.
Only birds were meant to be in the sky. It wasn’t natural, the lack of solid ground beneath his boots.
How did Jade enjoy this? What was it about this torture that she loved so much?
Jade.
He had to find her. He had to save her.
Weston rubbed his face in his hands. How had it come to this? What if she rejected him to his face before he even got to talk to her? She was the princess of Doldra. What if she put him under house arrest or something, or wanted to press charges for him punishing Zak last summer?
But Andre was rarely wrong, and Weston was sure that Andre was right about needing her help, and needing to protect her from his own kingdom. He’d find a way to talk to her.
If only he’d had time to talk to Andre about the confirmed Void Born sighting. Should he be as afraid as some o
f his staff were? Should he shrug it off and focus solely on saving Jade? Was there anything he could, or should, do on his way to Doldra? He’d tried to go back to the prison after talking to Francene, but upon arrival he’d learned that Andre had been moved to the dungeon, and Weston was forbidden to see him.
He was truly alone.
The airship shuddered under him, and Weston sucked in a breath. He would survive this flight, as he had all the other flights that Andre forced him on, and he’d figure out his next step.
He’d waited in his father’s shadow for so long, trusting in Everett, believing that he was the leader Weston should aspire to be. Weston had wanted to please his father, make him proud, but nothing he did ever matched up to what Everett wanted. Weston was weak. Not strong enough. Not ruthless enough.
And what he was about do? The exact opposite of what would please his father. But he had to stop Bentley from harming anyone, and he had to convince Jade that Andre was in trouble and needed her help.
Andre believed in him. Andre was the one who’d pulled Weston out from under his father’s oppressive expectations, the one who’d tried to shelter him from his father’s abuse. Andre was the one who’d rescued him and had modeled what honor and integrity looked like. Andre had known the whole time who Jade really was, and he’d protected that secret to his own detriment.
Weston couldn’t let Andre stay in prison one second longer.
The airship bumped underfoot, and the sound of steam hissing told Weston they’d landed. He grabbed his newly completed air-pistol, snatched a bag of extra shot off the table, and ran out the door on wobbling legs.
He’d figure out his plan of action once he found Bentley.
Chapter Ten
Jade
Jade picked at her plate. There were days that she’d happily eat cherry tomatoes right off the vine, but not today. The wild rage in Bentley’s eyes had scared her, sinking into her soul, providing her nightmares with plenty of fuel. She had to get out of here. Everyone would be safer if she wasn’t around as a political figure. She was the lightning rod in a storm, and if Bentley’s words had any truth in them, her friends were going to get hurt.
Zebediah reminded her several times during lunch that after nearly eighteen years of the Monomi being treated as lepers within the city, they were ready to do whatever it took to be free again. It was time.
Krista nudged Jade. “Stop thinking, and eat already.” She gestured across the table to where Zak, Zebediah, and several other Monomi sat eating and talking. “Everyone’s almost done, and you’ve barely started.”
Jade stabbed her fork at a bite of meat and bit into it. The dragon meat was delicious, but it did nothing to help her appetite.
Samantha settled her hand on Jade’s arm. “Maybe you should rest after lunch. There’s nothing else on the schedule for today.”
Garnet nodded and leaned over the table to see past Samantha. “That’s not a bad idea, you know. May—”
Someone raced into the room and slid to a halt by Zebediah. Ensign James Brigley, one of Jade’s father’s friends. Hat askew, mustache rumpled, James looked like he’d run all the way from the edge of the city to reach Zebediah. “Bentley wants to see you and the princess.” James’s fists trembled. “He has hostages.”
Garnet’s gasp cut through the immediate babble of the Monomi. The fork slid from Jade’s numb fingers as she looked across the table at Zak, fear in his eyes echoed in her heart. Dimly, she felt Samantha help her stand and heard Krista say she would stay with Briar. Zak touched Jade’s arm and she grabbed his hand. Who did Bentley have? Please, not someone I know. Guilt flooded her the moment the thought formed. It didn’t matter if it was a stranger or Zak. It was a life—a person whose day had taken a turn for the worse because of her. She had to set this right. Somehow.
Zebediah looked over at her, his eyes firm despite the concern in them. “If this is his ploy to get you to take up the crown, don’t give in. If you negotiate with him now, he’ll know he can use hostages as leverage against you again once you have the full power of being queen.” He shook his head, muttering softly enough that she wasn’t sure if he’d meant for her to hear him. “He’s finally snapped.”
But what if someone got killed because of her? One of her people. Her heart clenched.
By the time Jade and the others arrived at the City Circle, her skin burned with sweat and her chest ached along the scar line. A huge throng of people had gathered around the fringes of the expansive circle, Aerugan military ringed within. A soldier shifted and she could see Bentley pacing. He spotted her and grinned widely. Deranged.
“Behold, the princess has come!” He waved a hand, and the guards parted, letting Jade and those with her see clearly who Bentley had. Zak swore. She stumbled as she saw the prisoner, and Zak held her steady, her feet moving forward of their own accord.
Bentley had Zander.
Zander knelt on the pavement of the circle, lurid bruises visible on his arms, a blindfold over his eyes. His ragged breathing sliced through Jade’s heart. Zandra lay on her side next to Zander, also blindfolded, but with a gag tied so tightly it cut into her skin.
Zak swore again.
Jade held a hand out, dazed, as if to push away the guards that had already moved out of her way. Not them. Please, not Zak’s family. Her hand tingled from lack of circulation with Zak’s grip, but she didn’t protest. He was all that kept her from running forward.
She opened her mouth, but words wouldn’t come. She tried again. Her voice rasped in her ears. “Explain yourself.”
Samantha drew by her side, taking Jade’s other hand in her own firm grip.
Bentley’s eyes danced with madness. “It’s simple.” He tucked his hands behind his back as he started walking the edge of the circle where his guards kept the onlookers back. “You refuse to take the crown; thus you are not queen. You have no right. No rule. No sway over this nation. The Monomi have violated the treaty in the land that I hold power in. Lord Everett agrees. This disobedience cannot be tolerated. This whale spawn—” He stopped by Zandra and kicked her in the ribs with his boot. She curled in, tears dampening her blindfold while the gag held back her grunt. “Killed two of my men today when we were just stopping by for a friendly visit. And this one”—he stalked toward Zander—“killed two more. He’s not supposed to be trained at all. Someone has been breaking the rules.”
Zebediah passed Jade, holding his hand out to her and Zak, motioning for them to stay put. “If someone has been breaking the rules, then don’t take it out on the boy. Punish the one who did the law breaking. Me.”
Jade’s mouth opened in a silent protest, heart lurching. What was he doing?
Zak released her hand and whispered, “Stay here.” He joined Zebediah. Their poses couldn’t have been more different. Zebediah, with his head bowed in a show of submission, while Zak stood tall, his hand on his sword hilt.
“It’s too late, Zebediah.” Bentley shook his head as he stroked the braid on his uniform. “You had your chance to follow the rules, and she had her chance to return to Aerugo with me. Now you both pay.” He flicked a hand. “You let your guard down.”
Movement on the edge of Jade’s vision drew her attention, and she stifled an oath as armed men burst out of nearby buildings, pushing their way through the crowd. She whirled at the sound of swords being drawn behind her and trembled, helpless horror rippling through her body as her guards clashed with the overwhelming number of Bentley’s thugs.
“Stand down, and they’ll live,” Bentley called out. “You’re outnumbered.”
Before she could reply, rough hands seized Jade, and she shrieked as she was bodily dragged from where she stood by her mother. Samantha yelled as she reached out, clawing at a nearby guard to reach Jade. Zak turned, his hand flying to his dagger hilt, but one of Bentley’s thugs walloped Zak in the solar plexus, dropping him. Another guard held a sword out at Zebediah.
The men holding onto Jade dragged her a few paces forward, then
jerked her to a halt. A third guard held a knife to her barely healed shoulder.
“There are consequences to every action, Highness.” Bentley spat the title like an insult. “The Monomi chose to break the treaty. You chose to not listen to Lord Everett and me.” He gestured at Zak groaning on the ground and Zebediah’s terrifying countenance of fury, her subdued contingent of guards beyond. “They let their guard down.”
Bentley slid a dagger out of a sheath on his belt. He held it up, turning it this way and that, catching the sun on its edge. He lurched forward, using Zander’s black hair to pull his head back, baring his throat. The tip of the dagger poked into Zander’s skin, and blood dribbled. Zander cried out. Zandra arched her back, her lips moved, but Jade couldn’t hear her. Zander sucked in a ragged breath and gritted his teeth.
Bentley raised his gaze from the teenager, and Jade’s blood chilled at the malice in his eyes. “These Monomi will be an example.”
Chapter Eleven
Weston
Weston drummed his fingers on the metal window frame of the steamtrans. Everything about this trip seemed to move so slowly, despite the whirlwind of haste. First thing he’d do when he found Jade would be to apologize. Then he’d find Bentley and stop him before he did anything rash. And after that threat was taken care of, Weston could work to convince Jade to help Andre.
One thing at a time.
Lumps poked at his butt and legs from the uneven seat, and he shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. He gave up and jittered in place. It felt wrong to be traveling without Andre. Keeping calm under this pressure without him seemed impossible. Weston’s guards were not friends, by any means, and he keenly felt the lack of his one friend now. He’d get Andre out of prison. There was no other option.
The steamtrans rumbled and slowed, then halted. Weston bolted to his feet. Three strides had him next to the driver. “What’s happening? Why did we stop?”
Void Born Page 8
