Chapter Eleven

The man wears a bluish-green ensemble laced with gold accents, his shoulders wide and his posture rigid. Though I'm still pretty far from him, I can see the same golden band around his forehead, the same dark blue jewels that I saw in the painting of Empress Morimento. He wears dark, scuff-free boots along with what looks to be black gloves.

"Stranger, come closer," he says, his voice carrying across the hall.

I don't want to. Of course I don't freaking want to. Out of all of the possibilities I imagined, this never occurred to me. Where is Empress Morimento? Who is this random guy?

"Uh, no thanks," I tell him. "I'm good right here."

"If you don't come closer, we cannot discuss what you came here for. I prefer not to shout across the room." His lips barely move when he speaks; it's almost uncanny, like he's talking right into my head.

I definitely don't want to get any closer to this guy, but something makes me inch forward anyways.

Blond hair so light it's near white, cut short to his head on the sides, though a bit longer on top. Eyes a brilliant, vibrant blue. Skin without a flaw, no blemishes or scars to be seen. A body beneath those fancy clothes that is slender and strong simultaneously.

It's only when I stand with ten or so feet between us that I realize he's not that much older than me. In his mid-twenties, maybe. And, what's worse—he's hot. I called Frederick bookishly cute, but this guy… oh, this guy is on another level. Sharp cheekbones, a clean-shaven face, a strong, square chin.

Still, just because the dude is hot doesn't mean I trust him.

"Who are you?" I ask the most important question, the one I wondered the first moment I saw him, and yet, as I speak it aloud, it dawns on me. The similar features, the almost unnatural beauty… I know the answer before he says it.

"I am Emperor Morimento," he says as his blue eyes drop to my feet, slowly taking me in. "And you are not only a stranger to Acadia, but a stranger to this world."

I glance down at myself, at my filthy clothes—clothes that don't belong here. "That obvious, huh?" When I meet his stare again, I find him wearing a mixed expression, like he doesn't know what to make of me.

"You should not be here, and yet here you are," he says. "Perhaps you have come to save us all." God. Not him, too. First Rune and now this guy? "Judging by the look on your face, I must assume you came here expecting to find my mother. Perhaps you have heard about the…" His handsome face darkens, though he doesn't move an inch. "…madness that overtook the empresses years ago. Let me put your mind at ease: my mother is dead. She died a long time ago."

Hearing that doesn't exactly make me relax. There's something about this I still don't understand. I don't have a degree in the history of Laconia, but I'm pretty sure there are no male emperors.

"How—" I start, but then I stop. I don't know how to say this without sounding rude.

"How did my mother die without having a true heir? You are right to wonder. It is a curious thing. Empresses are not forbidden from having children, but their children are not in line as heirs. Do you know how empresses are chosen?"

I shake my head, though it's hard to take my eyes off him. The more I look at him, the more unreal he seems, in both body and aura. The vibe I'm getting from him is mixed. Even his handsome face can't push away the suspicion inside me.

"Empresses live long lives. Their magic fuels them. They do not wither away, nor do they grow old. It is only when they find someone worthy that they relinquish their position, and in doing so, their lives as well. An empress must die for the next empress to take her place. It is the way of things… until recently."

"You're saying," I pause as I put it all together, "your mom died before she chose her replacement?"

He frowns slightly, and it annoys me that even his frown is handsome. "Yes."

"So what happened to her magic?"

"I don't know. Perhaps it remains in this place. Perhaps it is the reason I cannot leave this throne."

I blink at him. "You can't get up?" Oof. To be stuck to a chair for eternity, now that doesn't sound like a fun time. Handsome as he is, that's a tough break. Mom died and stuck to a chair; not something you hear every day.

The Emperor's blue eyes are on me, his stare piercing. "I have been waiting years for someone to break the bonds that tie me to this throne—and finally, someone has come. What is your name?"

I croak out an awkward sound, and then tell him. "Rey. Look, buddy, I'm sorry about your mom and about the whole—" I gesture to the throne. "—stuck to a chair thing, but I'm not here to fix everyone's problems. I just want to go home."

"I would be in your debt," he says. "I would be obligated to do everything in my power to help you go home, if that's what you want."

It's tempting, I'm not going to lie. As an emperor, maybe he could help me more than Frederick. Maybe he could somehow get his mom's power and use it to send me home. But… I told Frederick I'd try to get him his dad's research. I don't go back on my word.

"I—" I'm seconds from telling him I can't help him, which he must sense, because he then tells me something that shuts me up immediately.

"I can also give you the answer to the question you've wondered your whole life."

The words die in my throat, and all I can do is stare at him. My heart beats fast for a whole different reason now. I'm not dumb. I know I can't trust him. I know he's probably saying whatever he can in the vain hope that I agree to help him, but I am curious about what that means.

What is the question I've been wondering my whole life? What could this emperor possibly know about me? He doesn't know me. He doesn't know where I came from or how hard I had to struggle to get here. He literally met me five minutes ago and he's trying to tell me my whole fucking life.

I let out a hard breath to calm myself down before asking, "Just for curiosity's sake, what would you need me to do?"

His response is just as insane as I knew it was going to be: "Kill Empress Krotas and Empress Gladus."

The words are so strong I have to take a step back. That's all, huh? He thinks he'll be able to stand once all the empresses are dead? How in the world does that make sense? How does he know that will even solve the problem?

He must see the confusion on my face, because he explains, "The other empresses are the only ones in Laconia with magic. If they are gone, the threads that tie me to this throne will grow weak enough that I can break free on my own. Their presence keeps magic here. You have seen the troubles Laconia faces, have you not?"

I nod, still too flabbergasted to say a thing.

"The plague. The blight. The scourge. These woes came upon Laconia to punish us. The moment my mother died, Acadia has seen less. Damage has already been done, but if I am freed from this chair I can help my people rebuild. I can return Laconia to the great realm it used to be."

Finally able to speak, I tell him, "Look, I'm sorry. I am, but I can't help you. I can't kill two empresses on the off chance that it might free you. I'm just a girl—"

"A girl who wanders past the afflicted outside the gates. A girl who can walk through the storms without the scourge tainting her." So confident in the way he speaks of me, but how does he know all of this? "You are so much more than you think you are, Rey. You have the power to save us all. You are exactly what we need… what I need."

He thinks destroying the others would cause the woes to stop, but what about me? What about Rune? If he knew about the magic I can summon, would he want me dead, too?

I shake my head. "I can't. I'm sorry, but I… I just came here looking for Frederick LaRoe's research. I promised his son I'd follow his path to Acadia and look for it. He was researching the woes and ways to counter them."

"Yes, I remember him. An old man, tainted by his journey here. My mother confiscated his things and threw him in the dungeon. He died a long time ago." How he can speak of something so awful and yet sound so matter-of-fact about it gives me the ick.

Although, I guess, if I was magically tied to a chair, unable to move for years and years, I'd care about only one thing, too—getting off it.

"By that time, she was already mad. I was… a child. There was nothing I could do. I was born only a few years before the first sign of the woes appeared in our lands." The Emperor heaves a great sigh, and I'm pretty sure I see his gloved hands tighten on the armrests of the throne. "I cannot fix what has been done. I can only attempt to mend the future, and I can only do so with your help."

I look away from him. I bet, if things were normal here, he'd be so high and mighty, so stuck up his own ass, he wouldn't even look at someone like me. But since he's out of options, AKA desperate, he's practically begging me to help him.

But he wants me to kill for him, and that's just… that's just too much.

The Emperor must sense my unwillingness, because he declares, "If you do not aid me, then you will leave this castle empty-handed, to return to LaRoe's son. Perhaps when you realize he cannot help you, you will have a change of heart."Along with his words, the guards lining each side of the room shift in their armor, ready to attack me.

So if I don't help him, he won't let me see Fred's research. Of course. It's all about what I can do for him, not what he can do for me. I'm already on one wild goose chase. I don't need to go on a second—and a more dangerous one at that.

I mean, two empresses? He wants me to kill two empresses for him. That's not exactly a tiny favor, and it's possible that he won't know how to get me home, either. Honestly, I'd rather take my chances with Frederick.

I smile at him, though it's more of a pissed off smile than anything else. "Your people skills need a little work, Emperor, but I guess you can't practice them much since, you know, you can't get off that chair and your people are all zombies. So have a nice life and fuck you." I mock-bow and then twirl on my heels to march out.

For all I know the guards along the walls are also zombies. I can't see under their helmets, not one inch of skin.

I storm through the castle, pissed beyond belief as I emerge outside and start taking the stone stairs down to the metal gate. "I can't believe that guy," I say. "What an asshole." At least I got Fred's journal for Frederick. Better than nothing. It'll have to do.

Rune is delicate when he says, "Perhaps you should've considered his offer."

That nearly makes me trip down the stairs, and I lift my right wrist and glare at the glowing tattoo on my skin. "What?"

"He is Empress Morimento's son. Surely his aid would be better-suited to your needs than Frederick's."

I scoff. "Yeah, right, and all I have to do to get his help is kill the other two empresses. No, thanks." Like, I might've defended myself against crazed animals, but I'm no killer. I can't set out to murder someone, even if they might deserve it for not protecting their people.

"Ridding Laconia of the empresses might stop the woes," Rune says. "Perhaps they're the ones that began them. Perhaps their magic went sour."

"For someone who's such a pain in my ass, you're acting pretty fucking reasonable right now," I hiss at my wrist. "I don't like it. I've made my decision and that's that. I'm going back to Laconia to give Frederick his dad's journal, and he's going to help me. I'm not going to kill the other two empresses."

"Fine. It's your decision. I can't force you to do anything. Still, I do think you are making a mistake. If he knew you were coming—and he knew how capable you are—the others must surely know as well. How long do you think they'll let you go wandering about?"

My gaze shifts down, past the metal gates, to the zombie-fied people outside it, clamoring to get in. What did Emperor Morimento call them? The afflicted? "What are you saying, Rune?"

"I'm saying they might know of you as well, and unlike the Emperor, they don't need your help. They'll view you as a threat, and they'll try to get rid of you themselves."

Rune is, weirdly, making sense, but still, I don't like it. I don't like any of this. God, I just want to go home. Is that so much to ask? Is it too much to ask that I can close my eyes and suddenly wake up back home? This world and its problems aren't mine.

"Well, I guess if that happens, you and I better be ready," I grumble out, and then I leave the same way: using a magical slingshot to heave me up and over the gate.

Damn it. The last thing I need is more complications. As I work my way out of the city, I hope I never have to see Emperor Morimento again. I don't want to kill for him. I don't want his help if it comes with blood.

Still, as I leave Acadia, I can't help but get the feeling I'm going to see him again.