Seas of Crimson Silk (Burning Empire Book 1)

by Emma Hamm

  She shook her head to clear it. “Have they left?”

  Raheem glanced behind them and nodded. “Your sisters are rather impressive. That was faster than I would have thought possible.”

  “Beastkin are impressive creatures. You know that.”

  “I do.” A shadow crossed over his gaze, and she knew he was thinking of his beloved wife. She wished she could have met this paragon of a woman. Although she might not have been a queen or anything more than a farmer’s daughter, but Raheem had held her in high regard. That was enough for Sigrid to wonder at what kind of woman she had been.

  The door to the Beastkin’s private quarters burst open. It was the first time the Earthen folk had forced themselves into the Beastkin’s home, and she would make sure it was the last.

  Jacques led them, the Council member who hated her kind the most. She knew for a fact that he kept three songbirds in cages, forcing them to remain in their animal forms because he thought it was entertaining. There had never been anything she could do until now.

  Now, she would remind him why he should never try to keep a woman in a cage.

  Jacques brandished a finger. “Just what do you think you’re doing? We are not giving you and your people any part of this country. Have you forgotten how we’ve kept you safe all these years?”

  “You’ve kept us in cages.”

  “We’ve kept you away from people who would try to use you to their own advantage! Just how little did you listen while you were here, foolish girl?”

  Sigrid’s mask hid her infuriated expression. She strode forward inhumanly fast, and he wouldn’t have seen her move until she was directly in front of him. She lifted a hand and slapped him so hard he fell back into the other council members.

  “You will never use my people as pets again. We are taking Woodcrest whether you want it or not. Do you hear me? If you try and attack us, we will start a war that will end all wars. Our fight is with Bymere currently, but do not think for a second that I will not fight two wars at the same time.”

  Jacques’ mouth gaped open, jaw working as he tried to mouth a retort. Coming up short, he merely looked at Hallmar and flailed a hand in her direction. “Do you see what happens when we give them freedom?”

  But the king wasn’t looking at the Council member. He was looking at Sigrid with a mixture of pride and sadness. “What is your choice then, Sultana? Your people are fleeing, I assume.”

  “They are.”

  “To Woodcrest?”

  She nodded. “There will be a few stops along the way, but please don’t try to hide our kin from us. We’ll find them, no matter where they are in Wildewyn. News will spread quickly that the Beastkin are gathering in Woodcrest. As I said, if you leave us alone, then I promise we will do the same.”

  “Are you so certain that you can promise that?” Hallmar crossed his arms over his chest with a gleam in his eye she recognized from the moment when he had tested Nadir. “You have started something you might not be able to control, Sigrid.”

  A pit formed in her belly. It frightened her to no end that he might be right. She cleared her throat. “If that is the way this ends, then so be it. At least I will know that my people are fighting for their freedom, rather than sitting in their cages.”

  She stepped away from them and lifted her arms at her sides. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and heard Raheem move toward the Council members.

  “You might want to move back,” he said.

  “What is she doing?” Jacques asked.

  “You’re about to find out.”

  Her skin and the fabric of her clothes melted away into the dragon. The room was too small for her, but that didn’t matter. She stretched her wings and rocked side to side until the stone walls cracked and then crumbled.

  The Council members shouted in fear, stumbling back into the main part of the castle. She didn’t care if they injured themselves. This wasn’t about frightening them; this was about sending a message.

  Raheem ran toward her as the floor began to give way under her feet. The stone disappeared under his feet and he leapt toward her. She caught him in a clawed foot and lifted into the air.

  The place where they had kept the Beastkin for centuries now was nothing more than rubble attached to the rest of the castle. She beat her wings in the air, hovering above the wreckage, and let out a mighty roar that shook the foundation of stone. Tilting her head back, she let out a banner of fire that made the air shimmer with heat.

  Through it all, Hallmar, king of Wildewyn, watched her while holding onto the castle stone. She wished she could stay with the man she might have called father. But there was more to this life than living safely within four walls

  Sigrid beat her wings and soared into the sky. Woodcrest and her people awaited her return, and then they would plan their war.

  Nadir

  “That’s it, men!” Nadir shouted. “Postures straight, eyes on your opponent! Don’t look down at your feet, you should know the footwork by now!”

  Over and over he shouted until his voice started to turn hoarse. It had been like this for a week now. He helped train their forces personally. The people wanted to see that they were preparing for an attack, that they would remain safe, and he was going to show them that nothing would get through those walls.

  Even if he wasn’t certain of that.

  “Sultan,” Abdul called out behind him. “We’ve finished the dragon slayer.”

  The words sent a line of ice and fire down his spine. His hands clenched and an image flashed in his mind. Sigrid, that glorious, moonlight dragon, falling from the sky. His dragon could barely stand the image, and the man hated every second of it.

  But he wasn’t just a man and he wasn’t just a dragon. Nadir was Sultan of Bymere, and his people had to come first. No matter how much he adored his second wife.

  Tucking his hands behind his back so no one would see them shaking, he strode away from the sandy training grounds and toward his advisor. They were outside of the palace, on the sands where the sun burned hot but they were visible by all. It was the perfect place to train so everyone knew what they were doing. At least, that was what the advisors said.

  Nadir only agreed to go along with their plan because he thought it was good for the men to train where they would fight. He didn’t want anyone coming to the Red Palace. The crimson stones would remain untouched in this battle as a symbol of Bymere. He’d see to it himself.

  They strode away from the training soldiers, sand glimmering under their feet in the heat waves.

  “It’s finished already?” he asked.

  “The men were enthused to create a beast killer. I think you’ll be impressed with what they have done.”

  Nadir wasn’t so sure. He didn’t want to see the creation that could kill not only his wife, but also himself.

  They crested a sand dune, and there it was. The dragon slayer.

  It was a simplistic design, something between a harpoon and crossbow that only a giant could have wielded. They placed wheels on either sides, and the base could be rotated. A soldier was already testing it out, leaning down to aim the deadly spear at the sky. The serrated metal tip would stick inside whatever it struck, tearing flesh if the beast tried to pull it out.

  The hairs on Nadir’s arms raised. He raised his eyes to the clouds for a moment and prayed his wife would not return.

  “What do you think?” Abdul asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “It appears as though it would do damage. The question is whether or not we could ever hit the creature.”

  “It wouldn’t be easy.”

  “All about the speed, eh?” Abdul clapped. “Men, show the sultan what this weapon can do.”

  The soldiers burst into action. One aimed the dragon slayer away from them, the other pulled a rope attached to a level. The bow cocked back, clicking through intervals until they all paused and shouted, “Release!”

  The man holding the rope let it go, and the spear flew so quickly Nadir
lost track of it until it passed over the sun. It moved faster than anything he’d ever seen before and with deadly accuracy.

  He couldn’t react the way he wanted to. He had to be proud of them, even with the pit in his stomach telling him to destroy the machine. That would kill her instantly if they managed to hit her with it.

  “Impressive,” he finally said. “I’ve never seen a creation like it before.”

  “Enough to shoot a dragon right from the sky.” Abdul clapped a hand on his back. “If that witch returns, then she’ll have a hard time getting close to us.”

  He was supposed to think this was a good thing. So, Nadir bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile and nodded. “Congratulations, advisor. I do believe this is a weapon that could kill a dragon. Now, how many of them are you building?”

  The proud expression on Abdul’s face faltered. “How many?”

  “Yes, how many. Do you think one of these things will hit immediately? How long does it take to load the weapon? The men cannot hope to hit her on their first attempt. She’s a dragon, not a bull.”

  A voice in his mind screamed to shut up. Let them have the contraption, they would never manage to hit her. The other, more logical side of him saw the weapon as his city’s last defense not just against Sigrid.

  But against himself as well.

  Nadir was torn in two directions, and his heart didn’t know which way to look. One side of him, the dragon side, longed for her to return. They could run away together, leave this horrible place behind and find a new land where they could live out the rest of their days. The other side knew how important it was for him to remain here, as sultan, and to continue his family line.

  His mother might not have been the sultana, but the blood of a sultan ran in his veins. He had a responsibility to his people and his land.

  Abdul interrupted his thoughts. “The men will work on those details. You’re right, of course. Impressive, Sultan.”

  Nadir inclined his head, turned on his heel, and walked away.

  Predictably, the advisor wasn’t ready to let him go anywhere just yet. Abdul fell into step with him. “How are soldiers training?”

  “Well enough.”

  “Should the Beastkin attack us, we will be ready.”

  “We don’t know if they’re going to attack us,” Nadir replied, trying his best not to growl the words. “They may very well retreat and never return.”

  “Do you think that’s likely? Wherever she took them isn’t going to compare to what they think is their home. They’ll return, mark my words. When they do, we must be ready for them.”

  Nadir wasn’t so sure. Sigrid was a convincing woman, and she wouldn’t have left with the Beastkin if she didn’t have a plan.

  No one had seen a Beastkin since Sigrid left. Everyone in the kingdom was looking for them, assuming that they were lurking in the shadows. But no one had seen a single one. It made the populace nervous, considering the stories usually popped up on a regular basis. Now, they were simply…gone.

  Leave it to Sigrid to make an entire race of people disappear with ease.

  He stared out over the sands and replied, “She wouldn’t want to attack our people unless absolutely necessary.”

  “There’s no reason why it would be necessary. They’re animals, we treated them as such.”

  “Watch your tongue, Abdul,” he growled. Yellow eyes flicked to meet Abdul’s and his vision shifted to that of what the dragon would see. “You’re speaking of my wife.”

  He didn’t need to add that Abdul also spoke of him. The way his advisor paled was enough proof to know the man had already made that connection. Though he was tolerated as a Beastkin because he’d been raised by a man Abdul respected, Nadir didn’t think for a second that Abdul truly thought Nadir capable of ruling the country.

  After that night in the caverns, Abdul had tried to become closer with Nadir. Perhaps the man thought that now they shared a secret. He seemed to think even in their meetings that he could speak over Nadir.

  For the time being, he would let Abdul think whatever he’d like.

  Nadir had plans for his country. There were a hundred and one things he wanted to do for Bymere, and he intended to put those into practice as soon as the advisors were looking the other way. This kingdom needed someone with a firm hand.

  Had his parents? He couldn’t remember. His brother certainly hadn’t. Hakim was more interested in making sure that everyone was happy, even if that meant that his orders were slightly contradictory. And though Nadir had worshiped his brother as a child, he now saw the faults in Hakim’s edicts.

  This was Sigrid’s doing, and he couldn’t thank her enough for it. Somehow, this cold woman had brought with her the winds of change. She’d accepted his culture while still retaining her own. It made him realize how much he was missing; how many things he could be integrating into his country that would be helpful.

  Nadir straightened and squared his shoulders. “Keep a watch on the men training. Their footwork is still sloppy.

  Abdul inclined his head. “Where will you be?”

  “The palace.”

  “Ah, yes. Saafiya has been asking for you.”

  He knew that she had been scouring the Red Palace searching for her wayward husband. He’d been avoiding her ever since the attack, mostly because he didn’t know how to face her. Rage burned deep in his chest that she would dare attack Sigrid, that she was the cause of his loss.

  He’d never struck a woman before, but his fists curled just at the thought. She had gone too far this time. Eventually, he knew he’d have to confront her.

  Today was as good as any other.

  Nadir sighed and nodded. “It will be a conversation she doesn’t want to have.”

  “She loves you, Sultan. The choice she made was the best for the kingdom and for you.”

  Nadir didn’t agree with that assessment in the slightest. But he still inclined his head and turned on his heel to make his way back to the palace.

  His advisors must have known that at some point he was going to grow up. He wasn’t the boy anymore who they could tell what to do, and he would do it without question. He was growing into his manhood, or at least he hoped, in a way that would better the country.

  Some of the advisors would be quick to follow this change. He did believe that a few of them loved Bymere as much as he did. Others, such as Abdul and Saafiya, were only advisors because this was their grasp at power. If they could control him, then they were as good as sultans.

  Had there been advisors like this when his father ruled? Nadir tried to remember, but he didn’t think that he’d ever seen them back then. There were, of course, advisors. They came from far and wide to tell his father their opinions of the outer stretches of Bymere. But there hadn’t been so many living in the palace, constantly watching over their sultan.

  That needed to change. And he planned on doing it as soon as possible.

  Sigrid and her king were right. He was just a puppet for those who did not have royal blood in their veins. It was time to take back his throne, no matter what they thought.

  He strode through the streets with purpose. No guards followed him. They wouldn’t need to. Nadir could take care of himself, but he also liked to think that his people trusted him. The trust had grown between Bymerians and their sultan in the recent months.

  They understood that he would do everything he could to take care of them. That he had chosen them over his favored second wife, even if he had let her run. Nadir had heard people talking. They didn’t blame him for letting such a beautiful woman live.

  The men who had seen Sigrid’s face very quickly spread the legends of her beauty. She’d become something like a myth in Bymere. The strange woman with a mask who hid her beauty from the world so she wouldn’t blind it.

  The rumors made Nadir smile. She wasn’t quite the paragon they’d built her up to be, she was rather average if he were truthful, but her strength shone through all the layers of her physical body
and turned her into something more like a goddess than a woman. He didn't’ blame the men of Bymere for falling in love with her instantly.

  A commotion from the street ahead caught his attention. Curious, Nadir stepped into an alley. He’d found out so many things lately by simply listening in on conversations. Perhaps not the most glamorous of roles he’d chosen for himself, but people were far more honest with each other than they were with their sultan.

  A tiny body raced into the alley after him. The child slammed into his legs and fell backward onto her bottom.

  She was little more than a slip of a girl. Dark hair tumbling down her shoulders in tight curls, unusual for a Bymerian child. Her large eyes stared up at him as horror filled their dark depths. Her caramel skin turned ashen the moment she recognized who he was.

  Nadir smiled softly, not wanting to frighten her. He stooped down onto a knee and held out a hand to her. “It’s all right, don’t be afraid. Did you steal something? I’ll pay for it if you’d like, provided you don’t do it again.”

  She shook her head, scrambling backward on all fours.

  Strange reaction. And here he’d thought all Bymerians within the Red Palace were enjoying his rule.

  Nadir tried again, licking his lips. “Not stolen then? I’m a good listener, and it sounds like there’s at least a few people chasing you. What did you do?”

  A tear leaked from her right eye, traveling down her rounded cheek. She glanced over her shoulder at the sound of footsteps growing ever louder. “I didn’t do anything.”

  Her whisper made little sense. He frowned. “You must have done something, little one. They’re chasing you.”

  Another tear slid down her cheek. “I did nothing, sir. I just wanted to see the dancer from high up. I’m too small to see through all the people. I turned into a dove, like my mother taught me even though she said that I could never, ever do it in public. But the colors were so bright, I just wanted to see.”

  His heart froze in his chest. This little girl with limpid eyes and great crocodile tears was a Beastkin. He’d made it very clear that Beastkin were not welcome within his home, and that they would fight them.