Oath of Destruction

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  “I doubt it.” Kerdan was from Russek. That was reason enough to hate him.

  After Nathenek left, Savenek finished dressing.

  Once he was ready, he headed to the stables where they were supposed to meet up. He found Odar, Kerdan, and Mayra already there with horses saddled and ready to go.

  “We’re waiting for my sister?” Savenek asked. Shocking. Allyssa always arrived last. It was surprisingly annoying.

  “I’m here,” Allyssa said from behind him as she glided into the barn. She went over to her horse and mounted, not bothering to specifically address any of them.

  Relieved he wouldn’t have to see his sister kiss Kerdan hello, Savenek led his horse out of the stables before mounting. Three of Kerdan’s men were already outside on horses. A dozen Emperion soldiers were off to the side. Two riderless horses were loaded with weapons—one had bows and arrows, the other spears and swords.

  Allyssa exited, followed by the rest of their party. “Are you finally going to let me teach you how to shoot a bow and arrow?” she said to Kerdan.

  “Only after I teach you to throw a spear.” He nudged his horse onward, leading the way toward the forest.

  Mayra steered her horse alongside Savenek. “I heard you were with my father at the crack of dawn.”

  He wondered if Neco had told her about their encounter. He really hoped not. “We trained together,” was all he said, trying to be evasive.

  The fog had disappeared leaving the morning air crisp and cool.

  “My mother had a talk with me over breakfast. She wants to make sure I behave properly.”

  “I’m sorry about last night.” Savenek had been alone with women before. He’d even spent time with Mayra in Apethaga. For him, it was difficult to remember that the rules had changed because of his position. Perhaps he should apologize to Mayra’s mother for kissing her daughter alone in a dark room.

  “It was worth it,” she said.

  “I agree.” Savenek lowered his voice and asked, “Do your parents suspect anything?”

  “With regards to what?”

  “The assassination plot.”

  It took her a moment to answer. “I’m not sure. My father has been questioning where Marek is. I’ve continued to tell him what we decided upon, that he’s training at the barracks, meeting with the City Guard, or that you sent him on a personal errand. My father is starting to question why he hasn’t seen Marek at all.”

  Savenek had known it would be difficult to mislead Neco. But Marek was the only person capable of carrying out the mission. “I should probably tell your father I sent him to do something for the Brotherhood.”

  They entered the forest, traveling along a narrow path. Under the cover of the pine trees, the air was colder. Savenek could see his breath coming out in tiny white puffs.

  “I don’t know,” Mayra said. “My father is pretty tense with everyone due to arrive for the wedding. We may be able to get away with it.”

  Savenek wasn’t sure how much longer they could last. And Marek should be back by now. However, Savenek couldn’t stress over the fact Marek was a day late because it would only upset Mayra. Marek probably got held up because of the weather or something along those lines.

  Kerdan and Allyssa were riding side by side leading the group, followed by Odar, then Savenek and Mayra, with the soldiers trailing behind them. “Let’s go and keep Odar company.”

  “I thought you didn’t like Odar.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Then why do you want to ride with him?” She eyed him suspiciously.

  “I like Russek less than I like Odar.”

  “Ah,” she replied, as if that explained everything. Mayra nudged her horse, joining Odar.

  Savenek came up on Odar’s other side. “So, Kerdan’s a big hunter?”

  Odar nodded.

  Savenek glanced back at the soldiers accompanying them. They weren’t Allyssa’s guards, nor were they his. He looked closer. They were members of the Brotherhood.

  “Whose idea was it for these guards to go with us?” Savenek asked.

  “When I arrived at the stables, Nathenek was ordering this squad of men to go with us.” Odar peered over his shoulder at the guards. “Why? Is something the matter?”

  The trees parted. They came to a small clearing—six people standing in the center of it.

  Rema, Darmik, Neco, Ellie, Nathenek, and Marek.

  Savenek was about to ask if they were going to join them on their hunting expedition when everything suddenly fell into place. They knew. As to whether Rema was about to yell at them for their treasonous actions or not, Savenek couldn’t be certain.

  The Brotherhood surrounded them, spreading out in a circle facing outward. Savenek dismounted and joined Odar, Mayra, Allyssa, and Kerdan as they stood before the empress.

  Rema had on brown pants and a tunic, her hair braided and wrapped around her head. Her eyes scanned the five of them, and Savenek had no idea what she was thinking or feeling. However, seeing her dressed like that—standing in the middle of the forest, a sword at her waist—he understood one thing. There was a reason Rema had kept control over Emperion for the past two decades, despite being a woman who’d grown up on Greenwood Island.

  Kerdan was the first to speak. “Your Majesties, I’m going to take my men and do another sweep of the area. We’ll return shortly.”

  Rema gave a curt nod.

  Savenek groaned. Kerdan didn’t seem the least bit fazed by seeing them here. Plus, he’d arranged for this outing. Which could only mean one thing—the Russek king had snitched on them. Savenek curled his fingers, making two fists. He would pummel Kerdan.

  Kerdan withdrew his sword, gliding past the Brotherhood into the dense trees, his three men following silently after him.

  Allyssa

  Allyssa ran forward, wrapping her arms around Marek. “You’ve returned.” She’d been so afraid something had happened to him.

  “I have.” He hugged her back.

  While she was curious to know about his trip and what Prince Kren, Odar’s brother, had said, she knew not to say anything until her mother had spoken. Had Marek discovered something? Had he been the one to tell her parents about the assassination plot? Not that it really mattered. She was just thrilled her friend was home and he appeared to be unharmed.

  Rema cleared her throat. Allyssa released Marek and moved back to stand alongside Savenek, Odar, and Mayra. Kerdan still hadn’t returned.

  “Killing another person is never to be taken lightly,” Rema said. “I was forced to kill Emperor Hamen in order to take back my throne. Allyssa and Odar, you had to kill Jana and her children to protect Emperion and Fren. Savenek and Mayra, you’ve had to kill for the betterment of Emperion as well. We all understand that taking a life is never easy.” Pausing, she nodded at Darmik, apparently wanting him to chime in.

  “I agree,” Darmik said. “Which is why Rema and I have been hard at work with our most trusted advisors,” he pointed to Neco and Nathenek, “trying to decide what to do should our peace talks fail.”

  Allyssa bit her bottom lip to ensure she didn’t say something she’d regret.

  “You four are playing a very dangerous game,” Rema said, taking a slow, measured step forward. “I am first and foremost your empress. You must obey me, or I will have you charged with treason.”

  Bloody hell. Her mother and father not only knew about the assassination plot, but they were also pulling rank—speaking as the empress and emperor of Emperion instead of as her mother and father.

  “I suspected something when Marek went missing,” Neco said.

  “And like I mentioned before, Rema and I are working on several contingency plans,” Darmik said. “It didn’t take Neco and I long to figure out what you are up to.”

  “Thankfully, Kerdan confirmed our suspicions,” Neco said.

  Kerdan?

  “Yes,” Darmik said. “Kerdan suspected Savenek and Odar were up to something. He immediately came to me fearing th
at if there was an assassination, there would be far-reaching consequences, especially if the empress and emperor did not know ahead of time.”

  Well, when her father said it like that, it did make their plan seem a bit naive. But they didn’t intend for anyone to know it was an assassination. It was supposed to appear as an accident. So, in theory, there shouldn’t be any consequences. Allyssa shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Sorry?”

  Rema’s piercing gaze fell on Allyssa. “I expect better from you.”

  Her mother’s words felt like a punch to the stomach.

  “If there’s going to be an assassination,” Rema said, “it needs to be a flawless plan.”

  “What are you saying?” Savenek asked.

  “That assassinating the Telmena royal family has always been a possibility,” Darmik replied.

  “We just need to try for peace first,” Rema added. “Then if peace fails, we will be justified in killing.”

  “Why are we all here?” Allyssa asked. Out in the middle of the forest, alone.

  “To plan,” Neco answered. “We can’t risk anyone overhearing.”

  Which included servants and soldiers. Thus, the reason for the Brotherhood.

  Kerdan returned with his three men. “All clear.” He stood next to Allyssa, clasping his hands behind his back.

  “Then let’s get to work,” Rema said.

  “The first order of business,” Darmik pointed at Marek, “is a report on your mission.”

  Now that Allyssa was paying closer attention to Marek, she could see the lines under his eyes and the stubble on his cheeks. His appearance seemed to suggest he’d barely slept the entire time he’d been away.

  “I was able to secretly meet with Prince Kren. He says the king and queen are building up the army and plan to take over Emperion if Odar doesn’t produce results shortly. The people of Telmena aren’t happy about being forced into the army, and there is a lot of unrest. Kren is worried because his wife, the princess, is pregnant. He’s afraid the people will rebel, which will throw Telmena into the midst of a bloody civil war. When I asked Kren if he would be opposed to us killing the king and queen and he and Jestina taking over the kingdom, he seemed relieved. He made it clear he didn’t want to know the details, but would work with us after it was done.”

  “Anything else?” Darmik asked.

  “Yes. Kren insists Telmena remain its own independent kingdom, free from Fren and Emperion rule. He said that while he and Jestina will work with us, they don’t want to be controlled by us.”

  “Odar,” Darmik said, “what do you think?”

  “I know my brother well. Kren is insisting on this to make sure my overbearing father doesn’t control Telmena—or him. Kren left for a reason. I made him a promise, and I intend to honor that promise.”

  Interesting. Odar rarely spoke about his brother. But listening to him here, it almost seemed like Kren married Jestina not because Odar didn’t want to, but to get away from his father and live his own life. Perhaps Odar wasn’t as selfish as Allyssa had thought.

  “Good to know,” Darmik responded. “Marek, is there anything else?”

  “Yes.” Marek pulled out a small satchel, handing it to Nathenek. “It was right where you said it would be, still buried and undisturbed.”

  Nathenek undid the tie, then pulled out several papers. “Here is all the evidence we need to show Telmena is conspiring against us.”

  “Evidence?” Allyssa asked, trying to get a better look at the papers.

  “Documents showing Hamen is from Telmena. Also, these show that Telmena considered Hamen to be the true ruler of Emperion. It is their belief the line should have shifted to them upon Hamen’s death, therefore making the king and queen of Telmena the rulers of Emperion.”

  “Do you think they intend to challenge our rule?” Rema asked.

  “Yes,” Nathenek responded. “When they come here for the wedding, I expect they’ll make a bid for the throne. They know you’ll deny it. However, the seed of doubt will be planted in the other kingdoms. Once Odar marries Allyssa, it will only be a matter of time until they ask Odar to kill the empress and emperor. Upon Rema and Darmik’s deaths, they will expect Odar and Allyssa to graciously hand over Emperion to them. They will have what they want with minimal loss to themselves.”

  “Is this why you were in Telmena?” Savenek asked. “To discover their plan?”

  “Yes,” Nathenek answered. “They are also building up their army as Marek mentioned. When Russek lined their army along the Russek border, we responded to the threat at once. Telmena feels that if they do the same, you will take them seriously.”

  Allyssa’s heart pounded. She’d had no idea Telmena had been planning to overthrow Emperion for so long.

  “The Brotherhood has also discovered that there are small groups of Telmena people in Emperion with kepper poison,” Savenek said. “Two of the three groups have been apprehended.”

  “How has this happened?” Allyssa asked, furious their enemy could so easily enter their kingdom.

  “It is easy for a man or two to slip past our defenses,” Darmik said.

  “What is the point of these Telmenas? Why are they here? What do they hope to accomplish?” Allyssa started pacing in the small clearing. She glared at her brother. Why hadn’t he told her any of this information sooner?

  “I think they plan to assassinate the Emperion royal family if things don’t go their way,” Nathenek said.

  So basically the Telmenas planned to do exactly what Allyssa and her family intended to do. The irony wasn’t lost on her. She stopped pacing and faced everyone.

  “I agree,” Kerdan said. “That’s what I would do in their situation.”

  Allyssa shivered. Everyone was due to arrive shortly. This was one deadly game they couldn’t afford to lose.

  “Do we still intend to broker peace when everyone is here for the wedding?” Allyssa asked. It seemed too dangerous to continue with the plan, especially knowing Telmena wouldn’t agree to it.

  “We have to,” Rema said. “Otherwise, there will be war on the mainland. I can handle discord with one kingdom, but not with all the kingdoms.”

  “After they refuse to broker peace and leave, we’ll assassinate them,” Darmik said. “Before we start planning the details, I have one last question for Odar. How will your parents react to you not marrying Allyssa?”

  Odar rubbed his face. “I’m not certain.” He hesitated, scratching the back of his neck.

  “What is it?” Darmik demanded.

  “My parents would handle the situation with Telmena much better if I were to marry Allyssa and sit on the Emperion throne.”

  Allyssa heard the noise of fist hitting flesh. Odar’s breath whooshed from him in an audible sound. He stumbled, losing his footing. Allyssa glared at Kerdan, but he shook his head. When she whirled around, she realized her brother had been the one to punch Odar. “What did you do that for?” she asked.

  “This devious little snake is trying to use the situation to marry you,” Savenek spat.

  “I was just being honest,” Odar said, righting himself. “I didn’t say I wanted to marry her.”

  “You didn’t have to,” Kerdan said, voice menacing. “It was implied.”

  “I’m sorry, Odar,” Allyssa started to say.

  “No,” he replied. “I know you don’t want to marry me. The last thing I want is to be wed to someone who doesn’t like me and would rather be with someone else.” He massaged his side.

  “What is your solution to ensure your parents don’t retaliate?” Kerdan asked.

  “When all of this is done, I will return to Fren with my parents. We will remain there. They won’t be able to do anything if I insist I didn’t want to marry Allyssa and am relieved to be home.”

  “We won’t ever make a move against Fren,” Darmik said. “Not as long as there is peace between us. I give you my word.”

  “That is all I want,” Odar replied.

  “Now that we
have that out of the way,” Rema said. “Let’s get to work.”

  Allyssa paced in her room even though she was exhausted from plotting with her parents all day. They’d come up with a handful of plans, some more dangerous than others, all of them risky. The entire ordeal was starting to make her stomach twist in worry. To top it off, the first royal party traveling to Lakeside had been spotted about twenty miles away. It was due to arrive late tomorrow.

  She plopped on the chair in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames. Kerdan had been here for two days, and she still hadn’t had a moment alone with him. It was driving her mad. She couldn’t believe he’d rode all the way here from Russek just to make sure she wasn’t marrying Odar. It was romantic in a wild sort of way.

  She sighed.

  A light tapping came from the wall. Getting up, she went closer to the wall and listened. The sound was coming from her laundry chute. Pulling it open, she yelped in surprise. Savenek was wedged in the chute.

  “Don’t laugh,” he said. “I’m barely hanging on.”

  “What are you doing?” If he was trying to get into his room, he’d missed a turn.

  “I’m here to see if you want to sneak out.”

  Surprise washed through her. “Give me five minutes.” She ran to her dressing closet, then quickly changed into pants and a tunic. Grabbing a cap, she headed back to the laundry chute. Savenek was nowhere to be seen. After climbing inside, she slid to the bottom, finding Savenek standing there waiting for her.

  He motioned for her to go ahead. Without uttering a word, she led him out of the laundry room, through the castle, and off the grounds. Once they were in the town, the twins walked side by side along the street.

  “Feeling restless?” Allyssa asked.

  Savenek shrugged. “I figured that once everyone arrived for the wedding, we wouldn’t be able to leave the castle. And I really needed to be away from my guard. I never have a moment alone.”

  While Allyssa loved being back in Emperion, she was having a tough time getting used to her guard following her around, too. At first, when she had been in Russek or with Nathenek, she’d felt isolated and alone. However, she’d gotten used to the privacy, the independence, and the freedom. Even though she was thrilled to finally be home with her family, it was hard to have someone watching her all the time.