“Another round my dear!” Maddox yelled to the petite servant girl who hurried over with the wine. She filled his cup along with those of the half dozen gorgeous Seraphi women sitting at his table. They wore short, wispy silk dresses that revealed much of their bronze skin and voluptuous figures. They each sat on ornately embroidered cushions surrounding a low, round wooden table inlaid with the traditional Seraphi spire fish. The table was covered with the very best food in Seraphi-tangy golden yora fruits, creamy soups made with maera beans, smoked fish with sweet ela sauce, and decadent chocas pies for dessert.
Maddox put his arm around the very drunk woman to his left. She wore a strapless, pale blue dress that tended to slip down whenever she moved her arms. Her sleek, black hair smelled like honey.
“My prince,” she said, “tell us more about Miera. Are the women as beautiful as they say?”
He stared at her full lips thinking she was his best choice for the evening.
“Oh they’re pretty enough with their rosy-gold skin and those silver swirls you ladies like to paint on yourselves, but they’d be much more attractive if they weren’t so serious. Something about that damn Akinado brings everyone down. He talks nothing but business, which is important- don’t get me wrong. But I’d rather not talk about it while I’m eating dinner. So I ended my visit early and came here. I don’t think President Akinado appreciated that much but I’m not concerned about him. I’m far more interested in you at the moment.” He kissed her full on the mouth, making her blush.
Maddox took another swig of the spiced wine and closed his eyes. He was hot with inebriation and the cool sea breeze coming from the open doors felt heavenly. He wasn’t accustomed to such beautiful weather that didn’t change every week.
He was staying in the villa of some Seraphi royal- he couldn’t remember which. Its ceilings were so low Maddox could hardly stand upright, but the lavish décor suited him quite nicely. The floors were made of polished, white marble and covered with plush, brightly covered rugs. Dazzling mosaics of turquoise and silver tiles adorned the walls and much of the ceiling. The assorted lounge chairs, sofas, and floor cushions were incredibly soft and embroidered with silver and gold seascapes.
He felt far more at home here than in Yantra.
“Ready for another turn, Prince?” A man in silk trousers and a variety of jeweled, silver chains covering his bare chest held a pair of gold dice out to Maddox.
He was too drunk to gamble anymore tonight. Maddox stood up, towering over the Seraphi man who was no taller than a young woman in Yantra.
“Not tonight friend.”
He grabbed a jug of wine from another servant and stumbled out of the villa onto the soft white sand. He slowly made his way to the shore and sat down close enough to let the tide roll over his feet.
Maddox drank deeply from the jug and gazed out at the sea. He knew this place belonged to him. He could feel it in his bones. He would soon be king of Yantra and he intended to take what was rightfully his. Seraphi made all of its money trading with Yantra anyway- why not simplify the process?
Miera was fine and one day he would seize that planet too, but for now, Seraphi seemed far superior. “Now is the time.” He said quietly to himself.
……….
The next night, Maddox found himself in bed with a disgustingly poor, Mieran peasant woman named Miyuki. He didn’t know exactly how she ended up in Seraphi but he didn’t care too much. She mentioned something about working at a banquet or something, but he was too hungover to recall the details of their conversation. There was something intriguing about her. As he turned over and admired her striking beauty and voluptuous body, he could not focus on the looming air of mystery surrounding her. She had a rosier complexion than the average Mieran and a silver crescent shape on her cheek that reminded him of a canna spectralus flower. She kicked the ratty blanket off of her revealing long, shapely legs.
Miyuki turned to him with black, almond-shaped eyes and said “Open those windows, I’m sweating to death.” Not a request- a demand made of a prince.
Yet Maddox got up and did as she asked. Cool air flooded the stuffy little hut and he crossed the creaky, splintered floors back to her bed. He wouldn’t personally call the pathetic straw pallet a bed, but with a little more of that rose mead she offered, he’d fall asleep just fine.
He kissed her and played with a strand of her bright magenta hair. He twirled it in his fingers and thought it was softer than the hair of any woman he’d known. And he’d known a few.
Miyuki was far too bold for a peasant living in total squalor, and normally Maddox would scold a woman in her position for such behavior. However for some reason, her commanding nature didn’t gall him; it intrigued him. She was the only interesting person he’d met on his whole damned trip.
“Miyuki, I’d like to tell you something.” Maddox figured she had no one to share his plan with and he could use her help.
“Yes?” She said.
“I didn’t come here just to fool around. This isn’t really a vacation- it’s a chance for me to transform Yantra into the most powerful empire in Tribunaus. Or at least make a beginning. My first thought was Miera, but Seraphi would be a timelier asset. And frankly, it’s an easier conquest.” Maddox took her hand and gazed into her eyes, as he prepared to hypnotize her with his notions of power and greed. He continued, “Yantra needs Seraphi- the textile production, spice trade…the tourism revenue alone would restore our economy. If I take hold of these industries, Yantra will be stronger than ever,” the power hungry prince pulled Miyuki closer, and spoke in almost a whisper.
“And I would treat my Seraphi subjects far better than their rulers do. Yantran people are happy and generally healthy- I will be just as kind to the Seraphi people. They would be part of a peaceful and prosperous empire. Do you see the mutual benefit?”
Maddox knew she wouldn’t really understand but he wanted her to feel as if he valued her opinion. He always found a bloated ego easier to manipulate.
“Yes…yes I see it! I am sure that Seraphi would be better off under your rule. But why do you tell me this?” Miyuki sat up, excited.
“Because I need your help.” He too sat up and grabbed her hand.
“Poison them.” She said with a steely glint in her eyes.
“Poison them?”
“Yes. Lavender moosewood berries. Virtually undetectable. I can make a tea with them that you can pass off to some serving girl as a gift at the state dinner. Every member of the royal family will be there…and they’ll all be dead within a few hours. Very simple, but I need to know what you will do for me if I help you.”
Maddox had no idea how she knew about the state dinner or how a peasant girl with no life beyond scrubbing floors and pleasing the tourists could plan an assassination, but maybe it was a Mieran thing. Maybe she had a little education before she left for Seraphi. It didn’t matter; he was absolutely thrilled by the prospect of conquering Seraphi.
“If you help me kill the royal family, I’ll make you my wife, and you can rule beside me as we build the greatest empire ever known.” Miyuki stood up slowly from the bed and walked outside. As he waited for his pawn to return, fantasies of wealth and power played through his mind in a frantic loop that made him tremble with excitement.
He looked up and Miyuki was standing before him, holding a cluster of the deadly purple berries in her hand. She gave him a sly, crooked grin. Maddox picked her up and spun her around the room making her squeal with excitement.
IV. The Witch of Tulim
Sweet is the swamp with its secrets,
Until we meet a snake;
'Tis then we sigh for houses,
And our departure take
—Emily Dickinson
Maddox went to his mother’s sitting room to offer her a cup of spiced java, when he heard her discussing the future of Yantra. “He’s a loose cannon… He’s not ready for the responsibility of leading Yantra. I just don’t trust him to make the right decisions…He was such
a sweet boy…How did he become this menace? I fear for him. We have time…. Maybe Astrid would be a better fit…. Everyone adores her and she’s already so diplomatic…. Ok, we’ll talk again.” He didn’t have a clue who she was talking to but it was clear to him that the rule of Yantra, which he so desperately craved, was slipping through his fingers
Maddox stormed up the spiral staircase back to the kitchen, his face hot with rage. He threw the cup of spiced java against the wall, and flew through the open window, weaving through the trees with tears streaming down his face. His heart pounded as he cut through the thick forest to the river. The wind hit his face, gently brushing the tears away. His wings were as smooth as blades and he sliced through the air with perfect ease. His mind was racing and he had no clue where he was headed. He just had to get away. Maddox had been groomed to lead the strongest nation of Galara since birth, and in an instant, all his plans dissolved into obscurity.
His earlier escapades in the nearby planets of Miera and Seraphi were catching up with him. He should have expected this after the long speech his mother gave him when he returned home from Seraphi. Money, power, obsession, danger- that was about all he’d heard through his pounding headache. Yet Maddox never expected his own mother to betray him…to cast him aside for his sixteen year old sister.
Unfortunately he hadn’t accounted
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