Chapter 17

When I entered the room, it was pandemonium, people running every which way, talking on radios and drawing on maps.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Commander Ledger was speaking to Lieutenant Colt. When he saw me, he broke away and approached me. “Imbria has declared sovereignty. They state that Kohen Badshah is their new king.”

“They’re separating?” I growled.

That bastard. I knew it. He used me. I wanted to scream, to punch my fist through a wall. But I just stood there.

Ledger nodded. “Amerseans in the area have been marched to the border and told to evacuate. They are setting up a temporary wall.”

“A wall? It’s our land!” I screamed, and half a dozen people turned to look at me.

“Not anymore,” the commander whispered. “Not unless you want to take it back by force.”

“Of course I do,” I told him. “We’re not giving up half our country.”

Imbria and Amersea had been one for nearly all my life. Splitting again, different rulers, different territories… it wasn’t happening. My father would roll over in his grave. That bastard Kohen had planned this all along!

My mind went back to the people on the border of the Wilds that I’d met in the small city, to Kohen’s brothers in Sorak, and I faltered. “I don’t want civilian casualties, okay? I just want Kohen.”

Ledger frowned, his brows bunching together on his forehead. “Casualties are a byproduct of war, Empress. I can’t give you Kohen without death and destruction.”

My stomach tightened into knots. Why did I feel like this was wrong? Kohen snuck into my heart and murdered my father before killing me. Then he’d taken half of my country. I was well within my right to fight back.

“Empress, I need permission to green-light this mission,” the commander said.

I took in a deep breath. “Burn their half of the Wilds and their military bases. Leave the cities alone for now.”

He nodded and left, and it felt like a knife had twisted in my chest.

Then I remembered something he’d said: You attack Imbria first, Aisling. You lead an angry mob of soldiers into our land, and you burn a lot of it down .

Was that what this was? The fulfillment of one of his prophecies? Or was he controlling my actions with his predictions? And now I was doing them because he made me think I had no choice?

I wanted to bash my head against the wall in an effort to clear my thoughts.

“One more thing.” Commander Ledger slid a piece of paper in front of me and handed me a pen. “The admirals and I have made a list of top candidates to be your husband. This will make the entire empire look strong, so we are eager for your choice.”

I hadn’t looked down at the list yet. “I can only choose from this list?”

His face was cold as steel. “That is advisable, Empress.”

A veiled threat.

With that, I peered at the list and actually laughed out loud at the first name.

Jace Ledger.

I crossed it out right in front of the commander. “Hell no,” I said out loud and didn’t bother looking up to see his reaction.

Roc Keerin

Tyson Buckley

Tucker Corry

Calvin Bolton

Alek Warden

Six men. Only six men in the entire country were good enough to be my husband in the eyes of the admirals?

I hovered my pen over one name, wondering if it would be a mistake. The number of people I could trust was slowly drying up, and this person was about the only one on this list I thought I might be able to sleep next to without wanting a knife under my pillow.

I circled Alek’s name and handed it back.

The commander nodded. “I’ll inform him. We can spread the word about the engagement throughout the country. It will boost morale.”

Oh joy .

An engagement right before declaring war because a single woman was weak. Just what I always wanted.

I didn’t care at this point. I’d marry Jace if it meant the admirals would approve my plot for revenge. Kohen Badshah would pay for what he did to my family. I wouldn’t stop until his head was on a spike in the middle of Emberlane Park for all to see.

‘Don’t let this change who you are, Aisling,’ Liana warned.

‘Too late,’ I told her, and for the first time, I shut down our bond, closing off my connection to her.

I was dead inside. Kohen had killed whatever shred of lovable me was left. I was choking on the lies he had gagged me with.