But apparently the Omte felt differently. One platter was overflowing with whole crawfish, and I swear that I saw one of them still moving. Another had leathery soft-boiled alligator eggs on it, which the Queen insisted were delicious, but the thought of them made my stomach roll.
Four whole fried rabbits sat on a platter. Their heads were still on, which was especially unnerving, and I couldn’t help but feel it was meant to be some kind of message for us as Kanin.
The only things that seemed edible were a bowl of figs and blackberries, but even they didn’t look that good, thanks to the platters everything was served on. They were oxidized and dirty-looking, and despite my earlier appetite, I no longer wanted to eat anything here.
Queen Bodil Elak sat at the other end of the table from us, happily loading up her plate. On the back of her chair perched a large black-bearded vulture she’d introduced as Gam.
Bodil was only a little bit taller than me, making her small by Omte standards, and she was very pretty. Her long dark waves of hair were pulled up into a braided updo, and her gown looked similar to mine, although hers was in much better shape.
Her crown sat crookedly on her head, in large part because it looked like it had been bent many times, and given what I knew about the Omte, I imagined that it had been thrown against the wall on more than one occasion. It was a thick bronze, twisted around in an attempt to look ornate, but it reminded me more of an ambitious child’s art project.
She wore a necklace adorned with large gemstones, along with several gaudy rings and a bracelet. All the gems appeared to be imperial topaz, an expensive amber-colored stone. And these were all very large rocks she had.
For her part, Bodil hadn’t said much to us, other than insisting that the alligator eggs were delicious. It was her Viceroy, Helge Otäck, who had done most of the talking. He stood directly behind her, not eating anything, and he’d made all the introductions. He appeared much older than Bodil, probably in his fifties, but it was hard to gauge for sure because of how leathery and worn his skin looked.
Large and brutish, there was something very imposing about Helge. His scraggly light brown hair went down to his shoulders, and he wore just as much jewelry as the Queen. His eyes were the color of burnt caramel, and they were much too small for his face.
Along with the Viceroy and Queen, the young Prince Furston was here. He couldn’t have been more than five, and despite the fact that a place was set for him, he hadn’t sat down once. Instead he ran around the room, his dark brown curls bobbing as he laughed and squealed, and he’d grab whatever he wanted from the platters, preferring to eat on the go, apparently.
“Go ahead, eat,” Bodil said in a way that sounded much more like an order than a suggestion. She stood up and reached over, roughly ripping off a leg from one of the rabbits, then sat back down. So far she’d eaten her entire meal with her hands.
“Yes, of course.” Konstantin stood up first, serving himself an alligator egg and some fruit, before dishing up a similar plate for me.
“Thank you,” I mumbled softly when he handed me my plate.
I took a sip of the eldvatten they’d poured for us in heavy chalices. It smelled like turpentine, but it didn’t really have a flavor, unless “burning” and “fire” could be describe as tastes. I did my best to keep my expression even instead of gagging, and set the cup back on the table.
“So what brings you all here?” Helge asked, smiling in a way that reminded me of a viper.
“We’ve come to offer you information, and ask if you might be of some help,” Konstantin said carefully.
As Bodil tore into the rabbit leg, ripping the meat off with her teeth, the vulture squawked and flapped his wings. She finished the leg quickly, then tossed the bone up to the bird, who caught it easily in his beak. Gam swallowed the bone whole, the brown feathers of his head and neck ruffling as he did.
“What information do you have?” Bodil asked, licking her fingers clean.
“Bent Stum,” Konstantin said. “He was a member of your kingdom.”
Furston suddenly darted over to me and grabbed a fig off my plate. Food already stained his face, and he laughed in delight before running away again.
“Bent was exiled over a year ago, and last we heard, he was dead,” Helge said. “I’m not sure what information you have that could be useful to us.”
“We know who killed him,” I said.
“Furston, come sit with Mommy.” Bodil held her hands out toward him, and the little boy ran toward her. She pulled him onto her lap, and he settled into the folds of her dress, quieting down for the first time since we’d gotten here.
“Do tell,” Helge said, still smiling that reptilian smile of his.
“Viktor Dålig,” I explained, lying to streamline the story. Viktor had ordered the hit on Bent, and while it hadn’t been his hand on the sword, it might as well have been. “He’s a sworn enemy of the Kanin, and he killed Bent to prevent anyone from finding out his plans of attack. He recruited Bent, used him up, and then killed him.”
Helge inhaled through his nose. “That’s unfortunate, but that’s the path Bent chose when he left us.”
“He didn’t leave us,” Bodil corrected him, giving him a hard look from the corner of her eye. “We exiled him.”
Helge’s smile had finally fallen away. “Bent broke the rules. He wouldn’t fall in line.”
“I told you when we exiled him that this could happen.” Bodil ignored him and held her son closer to her. “It left him vulnerable to forces worse than he is, like this Viktor Dålig.”
“My Queen, we’ve already discussed the matter. Bent wouldn’t abide by the rules, and we must have order,” Helge said. “And besides, we don’t know if they’re exaggerating about this Viktor Dålig. He may not have had anything to do with Bent’s death. The Skojare said it was suicide.”
“The Skojare were misled,” Konstantin said. “I was there. I know Viktor did it.” Helge glared at him, and one corner of his lip pulled up in an angry snarl.
“I believe him,” Bodil decided. “Bent was my sister’s son. He was strong-willed and arrogant, and he’d never have killed himself. I told you that when we heard the news. None of it made sense, and you wouldn’t listen to me. Now we need to clean up the mess we’ve made.”
As furtively as I could, I exchanged a look with Konstantin of pleasant surprise. With only limited communication between the Omte and the Kanin, I knew next to nothing of the royal family. In Ridley’s conversations with the Queen after the initial incident in Chicago with Bent and Konstantin, she hadn’t let on that she had a connection to him, but that was typical for the Omte. They were a very secretive people.
Now that I knew that Bent was so closely related to the Queen, it boded well for our plan to enlist the Omte to help us.
Helge bent over, lowering his voice when he spoke. “Perhaps now isn’t the best time to talk about this.”
“My sister will never forgive me for what happened to Bent, but maybe there’s still time for me to make it right,” the Queen said, turning to us. “Do you know where this Viktor Dålig is?”
“Not his exact location, but he’s near Doldastam, planning an attack on the Kanin,” Konstantin said.
Bodil narrowed her eyes behind her long lashes. “So that’s what you wanted from us? To help you stop him from attacking?”
I nodded. “Yes. I thought we might share an enemy, and we could work together.”
“As strong as you are, even sending a few of your people would do irrevocable damage to Viktor and his men,” Konstantin elaborated.
“Why do you care what happens to the Kanin?” She shook her head, not understanding. “You’ve been banished.”
“Everyone I love is still in Doldastam. I don’t want them hurt or killed,” I told her honestly.
For a few moments, the room was filled with a tense silence as Bodil considered what I’d said. The vulture ruffled his feathers, and a crawfish crawled free from the platter, moving sl
owly onto the table.
“All right,” Bodil said finally. “We’ll help you.”
“My Queen, this Viktor Dålig has an army.” Helge was nearly shouting his protests. “We don’t need to get in the middle of the Kanin’s fight.”
“He killed Bent. No one gets away with killing one of our own,” Queen Bodil said firmly. Her strong jaw was set, and her dark eyes were filled with resolve. “We must be the ones that punish him.”
TWELVE
distrust
As Bekk led us up the long, winding staircase to our room, I lifted the length of my skirt to keep from tripping and tumbling to my death. I had to be careful because I’d smuggled a few figs in it, since I had no idea when we would eat again.
The Queen had directed us to wait in our room while she consulted with the Viceroy and other advisers to come up with a plan of attack. Helge had made it abundantly clear that he thought we’d be waiting a long while.
“How did your meeting go?” Bekk asked, looking over her shoulder at Konstantin and me.
“It went well, I believe,” Konstantin said, but he didn’t sound very confident.
I gave him a curious look. “It was better than I expected, actually.”
“Me too.” He met my gaze. “That’s what makes me nervous.”
“What exactly did you want from the Queen?” Bekk asked when we reached the landing. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
I looked over at Konstantin, who gave a noncommittal shrug. “I suppose if the Queen goes through with it, you’ll find out anyway,” I decided. “We asked for her help in fighting off Viktor Dålig.”
The smooth skin of Bekk’s brow furrowed. “I’ve heard that name before.” She looked away, thinking. “I can’t remember where, but it’s definitely familiar.”
“Maybe you’ve seen him on WANTED posters,” I suggested, since she’d seen me on one. “He’s been the Kanin’s number one enemy for fifteen years.”
“Maybe,” Bekk agreed, but without much conviction. “Anyway, why do you think the Queen would help you with that?”
“Because he killed her nephew,” Konstantin replied.
Bekk nodded. “And she agreed to it, then?”
“She said she would send people with us to help fight Viktor Dålig,” I explained. “She’s just deciding who and how many.”
“For what it’s worth, I’d be glad to go with you,” Bekk said. “To see something outside of these walls, and to fight any enemy that’s hurt our people. It would be a great privilege.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “We’d be more than happy to have you.”
She smiled thinly, then motioned for us to go back into our cell. When we were inside, Bekk paused before closing the door.
“We’re a good people,” she said. “But we’re a temperamental people. We mean well, but we can’t always be trusted. That’s something you have to keep in mind.”
I wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but I didn’t think she’d really expound on it. She closed the door, leaving Konstantin and me standing in the middle of the room, and the locks clicked loudly.
Konstantin took his jacket off and tossed it on the bed. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“What do you mean?” I went over to the sink and set my figs in it, since it seemed like the only clean place to store them.
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “There’s just something…” He trailed off and then lay back on the bed, letting out an exasperated sigh.
“Bodil seemed on board with everything.” I went over and knelt on the bed beside him. “That Helge guy seems like a total snake, but I think she’ll insist on sending at least a few men, and that will be enough for us to make a dent in Viktor’s army. We might even be able to stop them before they get to Doldastam.
“Then, of course, all we have to do is get back and somehow get rid of Mina, but that’s another problem for another day. We need to take all of this one step at a time,” I said.
“You’re right,” he relented, but he still sounded defeated.
When he looked up at me, he seemed so forlorn. His gray eyes had never looked so soft and sad before.
The sleeves of my gown fell just off the shoulder, revealing the scar on my left shoulder, and he reached up and touched it. An odd shiver went through me as he traced his finger along the thin ridge.
“That’s from me, isn’t it?” he asked thickly.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry, white rabbit.” He ran his fingers down the scar to my collarbone, and it made my breath catch in my throat, then he dropped his hand. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Why would you care if you hurt me?” I asked, forcing a smile. “You didn’t even know me then.”
The night Konstantin had attempted to kill my dad had been four long years ago. I’d only been a fifteen-year-old kid in tracker school, while he was older and a member of the elite Högdragen. We’d moved in entirely different circles, and I wasn’t sure he even knew my name when he stabbed through the shoulder.
“You looked so hopeful that night. Your eyes were so wide and so blue when I talked to you.” He smiled, looking both pained and wistful. “The whole world belonged to you for a moment.”
It actually had been an amazing night. I’d felt drunk on happiness, and talking to Konstantin had added to that. Of course, that was before everything came crashing down.
His smile had fallen away. “And the look on your face when you saw me with your father … I broke your heart.”
“I…” I started to argue, but it was then that I realized it was true. He had broken my heart. I swallowed hard and looked away.
“Why that night?” I asked. “Why did you have to do that when I was there?”
“Mina had been asking me to do it for weeks, and I had an opportunity.” He hesitated before adding, “I almost didn’t go through with it, and I think honestly my attempt was halfhearted. That’s why your father was still alive when you walked in.”
“You knew it was wrong,” I said. “How could you do it at all?”
“I loved her, and I would do anything she asked.” He breathed deeply. “But that can’t be love, can it?”
“I’m not sure that I’m the one you should be asking. I’ve never been very good at love.”
He sat up, moving closer to me. He used one arm to prop himself up, and his hand was resting right next to my thigh. “I know I can’t get absolution. I don’t deserve it. But do you think that I’ll ever be able to make up for the things I’ve done?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, meeting his gaze even though that made it hard for me breathe. “But I forgive you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said softly.
“I know. But I want to.”
He lowered his eyes, and abruptly, I got up. The air felt too thick, and I’d become acutely aware of the intensity of his proximity. I went over to the window, putting my back to him and breathing in the fresh air. And I wondered with mixed emotions how much longer Konstantin and I would be trapped in this room.
THIRTEEN
longing
I woke up with Konstantin’s arm draped over me. I didn’t know how or when he’d put it there, but there it was—strong and sure around my waist. Carefully and quietly, so I didn’t wake him, I slid out from underneath it and got up.
A full moon shone brightly in the night sky, bathing our cell in white light. Konstantin slept in just his boxers with a thin sheet over him, since the heat had gotten even more oppressive. I’d only worn my tank top and panties to bed, but I’d tried to keep distance between us. It hadn’t worked, apparently.
I stood next to the window, for a moment watching Konstantin sleep. His curls lying around his face, his dark lashes fluttering as he dreamt, his well-muscled bare torso—it was impossible to deny that Konstantin was a handsome man, especially when he was sleeping.
But something about this moment made me think of Ridley, and how I’d snuck out of bed
that cold night when all I’d wanted was to stay in bed with him forever. And despite whatever feelings Konstantin seemed to bring up in me, I still felt that way. I still wanted to be with Ridley more than anything.
The very thought of him made my heart ache. I missed him terribly, and I had no way of knowing if he was safe. If Mina was as insane as Konstantin made her sound, she could’ve locked Ridley up forever.
I knew that we needed to be here now, getting the Omte to help us put a stop to Viktor’s army, but the second that was over, I needed to get back to Doldastam. I didn’t care what it meant for me, but I would do whatever it took to make sure Ridley was safe.
My jeans lay on the floor in a rumpled pile, and I brushed a cockroach off them. I crouched down in the moonlight and pulled the TracFone out of my pocket. The battery was nearly dead, since it hadn’t been charged while we’d been here and I’d used quite a bit of battery life on the flashlight.
It was after midnight, and according to the clock, that made it Friday, May 16. It had been over a week since I’d left Doldastam, since I’d last seen Ridley. Would it be safe enough to call? And it was in the middle of the night. Who would be monitoring his calls now?
I bit my lip, staring down at the flashing battery on the screen, and debating what I should do. All I wanted was to hear his voice, to know that he was okay.
And then without thinking, I started dialing a number I had dialed hundreds of times before when I had been on missions. At that moment, the consequences didn’t seem to matter. I just needed him.
I held the phone up to my ear, listening desperately. It seemed to take forever until I heard the sound of ringing—faint and tinny. I closed my eyes, and in my mind I was begging Ridley to pick up.
But instead of Ridley’s voice I heard a despondent beep. I held the phone out, looking at it. The call had been dropped, and the message below the date warned me there was no service. I’d barely had a bar when I’d dialed in the first place, but I’d hoped that would be enough.
Crystal Kingdom Page 5
