Chapter Fourteen

Tanitha lasted exactly until Prince Kaion shut the door behind them, its close sounding all too final. Her legs, which had begun trembling as she walked away from Darius, suddenly felt impossibly weak, and she stumbled against the wall, her breath ragged. She pressed the heel of her palm against her forehead, her entire body trembling. She couldn't do this, she thought, the realization cutting through her like agony. The first Trial had almost worse than killed her. She couldn't go out there again, couldn't go face whatever terror Naratha next contrived for her.

She also couldn't face the fact that she might have just seen Darius for the last time.

Prince Kaion, to her relief, didn't speak. He just waited as she fought to control her breathing, one shoulder still pressed hard against the wall for support.

Finally, she wiped her eyes, then stood up straight. Occasional trembles still running through her, she forced herself to square her shoulders as she turned to face Darius' brother.

He was regarding her with unnerving assessment. "You don't really plan to do as you told him you would, do you?" he asked. Tanitha bit her lip, not sure how to reply. "You don't plan to delay. Otherwise, you wouldn't be half so frightened right now. And you wouldn't have been half so determined to hide it from him."

Tanitha took a trembling breath, then slowly shook her head.

"Why?" he asked, his tone surprisingly gentle.

"You said it yourself," Tanitha said. "You said it yourself that it would be pointless. That Naratha will not soften toward me, and even if she did, it's Alethia who has the leverage right now."

"But it would give you more time," he said, tone still gentle.

Tanitha gave a short, broken laugh. "More time to contemplate the possible ways they might kill me? That's all I have right now, isn't it?"

He considered this for a moment. "I don't believe it's all you have, no," he said. Before she could ask him what he meant, he said, "Come. I've made a few arrangements that might make at least some of this more bearable."

Tanitha fell in step beside him, trying to keep her stride steady despite how badly she wanted to simply bolt, to run away from all of this. But that would mean running away from Darius, which was something she would never do.

"Arrangements?" she asked.

He inclined his head slightly, still walking. "I'll explain. The public believes that Naratha fought Darius when he told her he intended to wed a human woman. There are rumors that she immediately had you imprisoned as a result, courtesy of one or two of your guards, I imagine. But that's all to the good; it's near enough to the truth that no one should think to look closer. At least, that will be true until the Awakening," he said making a bit of a face. "I'm still not sure how we're going to handle that one. People will be suspicious and question the official narrative if Darius doesn't make a public appearance."

Tanitha tried and failed to stifle a stirring of foreboding. It didn't seem impossible that, if pressed too hard on the subject of Darius' disappearance, Naratha might choose to more decisively eliminate the cause of it.

"What's the rest of the story?" Tanitha prompted.

"That upon meeting you, she was impressed enough to allow you to attempt the Trials," he said. "Your performance with preserving the grain will bolster that. It was dramatic enough that even the city's demons are wondering if you might in fact be a valid contender."

"Oh?" Tanitha asked, unable to keep a dubious note from her voice.

"Yes," he said, motioning for her to follow him as he turned right at an intersection. "That's dangerous in its own way, of course— there are plenty of demons who don't want to see a human elevated like this— but most are willing to let this play out. Some are even lauding Naratha's strategy. Having a human as a prince's consort would vastly improve the royal family's popularity, and being beloved does tend to reduce the likelihood of armed revolutions and the like," he added with a shrug. "So I don't think you need to worry too much about any demons deciding you've risen too high above your natural station and trying to assassinate you, or anything like that. Not yet, anyway."

"Except for Alethia," Tanitha said, trying and failing to be as unperturbed as he seemed at the possibilities he'd just raised.

He snorted. "Alethia doesn't need to bother with being underhanded. Oh, you're nominally equal in status to her now, by the way. You've been granted a title and a decent-sized family estate south of the city." Tanitha gave a quick shake of the head, startled, and he continued, "Naratha announced it this morning. Publicly, it's in recognition of your earlier performance and your perceived value to the throne, whatever happens in subsequent Trials. Privately, it's meant to soothe some ruffled feathers in Zharen; if people think of you as land-holding nobility rather than some orphan girl, it will help things."

Tanitha could not have cared less about arbitrarily-bestowed wealth given for the purpose of public relations with a city she'd never visited, especially when it was given with the assumption that she'd die long before she could lay proper claim to it.

"And… those are the arrangements you mentioned?" she asked dubiously. They'd reached the foot of a steep set of stairs. At the top, Tanitha could just make out the shine of morning sunlight filtering in through a wrought iron door. They started up together, and after a few steps, Kaion spoke again.

"No, I'm getting to those. But speaking of feelings in Zharen… the public story is that Alethia is your friend and ally," he said. Tanitha looked at him incredulously as he added, "We've seeded rumors that she knew about you and Darius all along and was a willing participant in giving Darius time to determine how he might best present you to Naratha." He held up a hand as she started to speak, forestalling her. "I know that sounds absurd to you, but I'd advise you to adhere to the fiction. It's to minimize damage to her reputation."

"She wants me dead! Why would I do anything to protect her ?" Tanitha protested hotly.

Kaion stopped, turning to face her directly as she paused as well. "You can detest her all you like," he said, a slight edge to his voice. "But if you care about the possibility of war between Karazhen and Zharen, you won't let anyone see your true feelings. Do you understand?"

Startled, Tanitha gave a nod. He watched her for an uncomfortably long moment, then let out a quiet exhalation. "Come on," he said. "I'll take you to your rooms."

"Rooms?" Tanitha asked, confused.

"You're a popular public figure now, remember?" he said, a hint of wryness entering his tone. "What would people say if they heard the woman who saved the city's food stores was being held in a dungeon?"

Though the new rooms were a far cry from a dungeon, they nonetheless were still a prison. That was clear enough from the moment they arrived, from the presence of the guards who waited outside the beautiful carved doors. And the moment Prince Kaion took his leave, the door shutting behind him, Tanitha strode to the window, pushing the shutters ajar.

The window was perhaps forty feet from the ground and there was, of course, no possible way to climb down. Not that it mattered; Tanitha already knew that she wasn't going to attempt to escape. No matter how much Darius had urged her to flee, she wasn't going to do that to him, and she wasn't going to do that to herself. She wasn't going to spend one more moment than she had to fearing that Naratha, the threads of fate, or anything in between, were going to endanger her or the people she loved. Running now meant running forever. She wouldn't do that. And she suspected Naratha knew it, too.

She took a deep breath of the fresh sea air, the scents of salt and life a welcome reprieve after the close stillness of the dungeons. She could see the harbor from here, the ships and the people working them. Beyond it, the veridian sea shone in the morning light. It all seemed peaceful, but there was a strange disconnect between the everyday beauty of the scene and the dangers that she knew still waited for her.

She stepped back from the window, then decided to take inventory of her new quarters, more to stop her mind from traveling down a road of worry and fear than anything else. The main room of the suite was circular, and though it wasn't large, it was still well-appointed. The walls were smooth plaster, the lower portion decorated with a beautiful geometric mosaic mural. The bed had a thick mattress densely stuffed with what felt like fine wool. The windows were framed with curtains of finest linen that rippled gently in the sea breeze. There was a smaller adjoining room similarly appointed, likely a maid's quarters, as well as a water room with an absurdly large bathing basin, the entire thing tiled in alabaster.

Tanitha returned to the main room and paced around its perimeter, her footsteps muffled by a plush sheepskin rug. It was beautiful, yes, but again, it wasn't any less a prison than what she'd just left. She closed her eyes, her heart aching as she thought of Darius, trapped in the darkness of the dungeon. She'd spent more time in darkness than was fair herself, much of it at Darius' insistence, but she couldn't find it in herself to be angry about that, or to take any satisfaction in their respective reversals of fortune. He hadn't wanted to hurt her. He'd never wanted to hurt her.

Against her wishes, her mind turned back to what he'd told her about why all this had happened. Oracles, a prophecy of greatness… it all felt so empty, so meaningless. Words that could mean anything had to be valued the same as words that meant nothing. And yet, what different people believed the words meant would directly impact her life. Her life, her chances at even staying alive.

At that moment, the door abruptly opened, and Tanitha whirled, her heart jolting as Alethia of Zharen walked in.

Alethia securely shut the door behind her, then turned to look at Tanitha. Tanitha couldn't read anything in her expression at all; it was perfectly neutral, bordering on serene, even. Tanitha wished she could affect a tenth of that level of tranquility; she knew there was more than a hint of fear in the way she was holding herself, but she couldn't seem to relax her posture.

"Good morning," Alethia said calmly. "It seems that you've recovered well. I hope your new accommodations are to your taste?"

Tanitha debated how to respond, whether she should take her lead from Alethia and pretend that they were anything other than enemies, or if she should demand that Alethia drop the pretense, insisting on honesty from a demon who clearly wanted her dead. After several seconds of wrangling with opposing instincts on the subject, she decided to simply answer the question.

"This is certainly more comfortable," she said. "But I didn't surrender myself for the sake of comfort. I surrendered myself so that Darius could walk free. And that has not happened."

Alethia took the padded seat nearest to the door, her posture perfectly relaxed and casual. She set down a linen satchel that she'd been carrying beside her. Against her better instincts, Tanitha took the seat nearest to the window, about five paces from where Alethia sat, watching her warily.

"I have no say in Darius' accommodations," Alethia said, "so I'm afraid you'd have to discuss that with Queen Naratha." She regarded Tanitha for a moment, then added, "I do, however, have significant say in what happens to you. "

Tanitha fought to keep her expression neutral, though her heart was beating hard. "So I've gathered," she said. She folded her hands together tightly, then decided to take the plunge. "Why did you take me to Darius?"

Alethia gave a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You overextending your abilities and being left a hollow shell of yourself would have been convenient, I admit," she said, her tone casual enough to set Tanitha's teeth on edge. "But I also would have found it a rather unsatisfying ending."

Tanitha's hands felt cold. "And what conclusion to my fate would you find satisfying ?" she asked, her heart beating hard.

Alethia gave a quiet chuckle. "Why the suspicion? I've done nothing to harm you. One could even argue that I've acted in your best interest so far." A skeptical noise escaped Tanitha despite her determination to remain inscrutable, and Alethia arched an eyebrow. "Without my intervention, you would still be languishing in a dungeon, counting months, then weeks, then days, until your execution," she said mildly. "I gave you a chance to save yourself."

"You gave yourself a chance for the people to see you as blameless in my death," Tanitha retorted. She folded her arms. "I just want this to be clear between us," she said. "I know what you really want. I saw this for the trap it is the moment Her Majesty presented the option to me."

"You have no idea what I want," Alethia said. For the first time, a slight chill had entered her voice, her casual fa?ade fading. "You know nothing about me," she said. "You have no idea what I have suffered in my life, and you have no idea what I have done and will continue to do to prevent more of the same." She regarded Tanitha for a moment, and the ice in her expression faded. "If you were so certain that the Trials were a trap, then why would you agree to them?" she asked, a note of genuine curiosity in her voice.

Tanitha's hands tightened slightly around each other. Why, indeed? It wasn't just about Darius; she'd already secured his eventual release by coming here. Nor was it solely about being with Darius, no matter how badly she wanted that. She couldn't even say it was about preserving her own life.

No, at the heart of the matter, she'd agreed because of what was implicit if she somehow managed to succeed. She wanted to live, obviously, but more than that, she wanted a life where she was in control of her own destiny. Where the whim of a stronger being couldn't destroy everything she held dear.

"Perhaps I'm not the only one here who doesn't know what the other has suffered," she said quietly, in answer to Alethia's question.

Alethia gave a small, ironic smile. "Oh, I don't think that's true," she said, with a level of confidence that sent a trickle of foreboding through Tanitha. Alethia leaned to the side, lifting the linen satchel she'd brought in.

"Just a few documents," she said, in answer to the apprehension in Tanitha's gaze, though this answer offered precisely no reassurance. "After your refusal to submit to any testing or assessment, Queen Naratha decided to explore other ways of determining your abilities, and your background." Tanitha's blood chilled. "There was a rather impressive collection of instructional materials in Prince Darius' Hold," Alethia said lightly. "Combined with the records the Sanctuary has kept since the day this city took you in… Actually, I'd say we have a rather good picture of who you are, and what you're capable of." She glanced at Tanitha as she unrolled the first scroll. Tanitha fought to keep her expression free of the sudden dread she felt. "You really ought to have either hidden or destroyed these if you didn't want Naratha to know everything there was to know about you," she said, sounding mildly reproving. "First, you're a foundling. A plague survivor. The razing of Spaudia… I imagine that was unpleasant," she said, quirking an eyebrow.

Tanitha's jaw tightened. It had been much more than "unpleasant" in Spaudia's last days before the city burned. It had left her with deep scars and deeper fears, but she'd walk into the Akkenthian Sea holding a millstone before she'd admit that to Alethia.

"I make a habit of surviving," Tanitha said.

Alethia chuckled. "I'll admit, you have done a rather impressive job of dodging your most likely fate so far." That, Tanitha thought with a sudden spike of pain as she remembered the oracle she'd met as a child, wasn't true. She'd walked directly into a fate that could have easily been avoided if she'd just refused to listen to her fears. But she couldn't dwell on that; she needed to focus on Alethia.

"So," Alethia was continuing, "A young plague survivor who somehow manages to hide possessing the most prized ability in the world. A soul-speaker, though we obviously already knew that much about you," she said, her glance conveying exactly which usage of that ability she was referring to. Tanitha set her jaw, refusing to let her recollection of the memory of Darius' pain the moment of the soul-binding show on her face.

"But what else can we deduce about you?" Alethia asked thoughtfully. She lifted out another scroll, once Tanitha immediately recognized; she'd read it probably a dozen times, curled up on one of the benches of the Hold's gardens.

" On the Persuasion of the Soul ," Alethia said. "A classic text, though somewhat unhelpful in certain applications of the ability. For instance, it's rather lacking in detail on exploiting the bonds between mind and body, on commanding the body to do as you will it to do. So I imagine you have no practice in using soul-speaking either to hurt or to heal. It's unsurprising that Darius would have neglected bringing you materials on that subject; he wouldn't have wanted to instruct you in the exact skill set that could be used to force him to unconsciousness, I imagine." Tanitha fought to keep her rising tension from becoming visible in her posture or expression. Alethia lifted a pair of additional scrolls. "Of course, you did have access to Perithion's collected treatises on controlling large numbers of creatures," she said. "Which was expected, given your demonstration yesterday. You didn't handle that Trial in the way I thought you would," she added, sounding thoughtful. "Or the way I suspect Naratha hoped you would. In any case, though, she possesses a much better understanding of you now, thanks to the rest of these."

Tanitha swallowed. She knew exactly what else was in those scrolls besides treatises on soul-speaking. Anyone could logically deduce what she'd been working on, what she'd been practicing.

What her strengths might be, but more importantly… her weaknesses.

"And how did you think I might address that Trial?" she asked, keen to derail Alethia's thoughts from that matter, though she strongly suspected it was a futile effort.

"Actually, when I saw the nature of the Trial, I was rather certain Naratha meant for you to compel a segment of the human population," Alethia said lightly. "It would have worked. A few hundred humans carrying sacks of grain… yes, it would have worked. You would have passed the Trial. A few people probably would have collapsed with exhaustion, and you would have clearly conveyed where your allegiances were." At Tanitha's wary expression of confusion, she elaborated, "With demonkind, even at the cost of your own."

Tanitha swallowed. Gods, she hadn't even considered the implications of that. She thought of what Prince Kaion had said about the common people celebrating her "betrothal." Had Naratha been trying to corral her into doing something that would shift the tide of public opinion against her? Forcing hundreds of people into unwilling and unwitting servitude for her own personal gain certainly would have done it.

"It doesn't have to be a matter of demonkind's needs against human needs," Tanitha said. "This city was founded by both. All of the Akkenthian cities were founded by both."

"True," Alethia said calmly. "But they are only ruled by one. And you seem to think you have a chance at changing that." She lifted another scroll with a meaningfully raised eyebrow before returning her attention to it. "So, let's see. You have a few general elementalist scrolls, with one or two containing instruction on manipulating water. Here we have The Song of Rivers… it's a classic text, but very basic, and there's nothing additional on that subject. Fire, air, and light, however… it seems that you moved to at least a middling level of those rather quickly. So," Alethia continued musingly, "if I had to guess what your other abilities are…"

"Are you relying on the idea that I won't be able to use those to as great effect?" Tanitha asked, forcing her voice to remain calm. She couldn't afford to give anything away, not by any slip of expression or tension of her body. "Because I had the impression that you and Queen Naratha made a similar assumption before my last Trial."

Alethia gave a small chuckle. "I won't deny that you're an impressive soul-speaker," she said. "But whatever you might be trying to imply, no, I don't believe that you're equally talented in fire and light, from the level of these texts." She leaned back, resting her chin lightly atop one hand. "Not that it matters," she added.

Tanitha looked at her sideways. "Why wouldn't my strength in those areas matter?" she asked slowly.

"I believe, when terms of this were set, that you insisted on being treated as I otherwise would have been?" Alethia asked calmly. Tanitha gave a wary nod. "That might present a problem for you," she said. "Seeing as my strengths are rather different."

It took Tanitha several seconds to understand the implication. "You mean… you mean that she intends to put me through the same Trials that you would have undergone," she said, her entire body going numb.

"It's a strong possibility," Alethia said, her voice and posture still casual.

Tanitha leaned back in her chair, the implications striking her hard enough to chase away her determination to remain at least outwardly unruffled. Depths of the Abyss… she didn't know much about Alethia, but given that she was famed for being able to hold the form of a sea-drake, it seemed extremely likely that her gifts were tilted toward water. An element over which Tanitha had absolutely no control.

Tanitha swallowed. "That isn't what I meant when I said that I should be treated as you would have been, and you know it," she said, fighting to keep her voice level. "You both do."

"Perhaps you should have been clearer in your requirements, then," Alethia said easily, leaning back. Tanitha forced herself to keep her breathing level and slow despite how her heart was racing.

"You can resign yourself from this, you know," Alethia said, watching her. "You can abandon the Trials. You came very close to losing yourself during the first one. It's not as if you can be forced to continue."

Tanitha gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "No?" she asked. "If I stop, if I resign, I die. Not today, not tomorrow, but I will die. Because without those Trials, I'm just the woman who made it necessary to imprison a prince. Naratha will kill me. So I fail to see how I truly have choice here."

"Of course you have a choice," Alethia said, still casual. "It's between dying alone in a few months or risking dying much sooner and taking your child with you." She looked at Tanitha with consideration. "Or you could just request that the remaining Trials take place after the birth, I suppose," she said with a shrug. "Naratha might grant that."

Tanitha's jaw tensed. Then—

"You're a coward."

She hadn't planned to say the words, hadn't even consciously registered them in her thoughts before they left her lips. But nonetheless, there they were, and she couldn't even persuade herself to soften them or take them back.

Alethia looked at her incredulously, a dangerous edge to her expression. "Excuse me?"

"You," Tanitha said, her voice shaking, "are a coward. You want vengeance on Darius, but you know you can never touch him, so you instead come after me. You, a demon woman born to power and privilege, have set yourself against me, a human woman without connections, influence, power, or even family. You are stronger in every conceivable way, and yet you choose me as the object of your anger because you know you can't hurt the true cause of it." Her voice was still shaking, but not from fear. "And when I prove that perhaps I might be a worthier opponent than you first anticipated— when I show strength and determination and resourcefulness— you change the game. You alter it, looking for ways to defeat me that you think I can't possibly counter."

Alethia's expression was cold, but Tanitha pressed on regardless. "And then," she said, "And then , as if that wasn't low enough, you try to leverage the life of my child into convincing me to give up." Her hands, though still resting on her lap, were shaking. "You know, I was raised to believe that the demons were our protectors," she said, her voice tight with anger. "That we served them because they served in turn by guarding our interests, guarding our safety. And maybe that's true for some, but it certainly isn't for you. You are petty, and cruel, and yes, you are a coward." She took a ragged breath, steadying herself. "I am going to do these Trials, and no, I will not be delaying them," she said flatly. "So if you are going to attempt to murder a woman carrying a child, a woman who never wronged you, you should be prepared to face that fact about yourself."

Alethia's gaze was still cold. For several agonizing moments, she said nothing. Then, she stood, the motion steady and controlled. Tanitha followed suit, keeping her eyes locked on Alethia's.

"I'll take that under advisement, then," Alethia said, the lack of any particular inflection or emotion somehow only making the words more chilling. She inclined her head slightly. "Rest well, Tanitha," she added as she turned to the door. "I imagine you'll need it."

With that, she left, the door closing firmly behind her.