Chapter 11

Istumbled through the dining room in our Royal Quarters hours later only to be met by a dishevelled and alarmed Meredith.

‘Thank Goddess you’re here, I’ve been trying to find you to warn you that –’ she whispered before being cut off.

‘Well, hello sister.’

My body stiffened, a cold rigidity settling through my whole being at the sharp familiarity of the voice.

This was awful timing. Granted, there was never a right time to be in her presence. But especially not when Sir’s scent was lingering on my body and my eyes were probably still swollen. Here’s to hoping she didn’t notice.

Pivoting, I faced the door of my bedroom where my older sister stood. My eyes trailed the length of her body. I took in the long-sleeved moss-green gown that covered her from head to toe, a look I only ever saw her wear during the Royal Forum. Ordinarily, she wore the mandatory hideous Salistyan-prescribed uniform, despite being the queen. Her sharp jawline and high cheek bones looked impossibly gaunt, much more so than the last time I saw her, and her brown hair was piled up into a tight bun on top of her head, not a strand out of place. Those wicked lips of hers were pursed in evident distaste, while her mossy green eyes shone with the unforgiving cruelty I knew she possessed. They were the eyes of our father.

‘Slaviya.’ My curt response was the only thing I could manage. I received an unimpressed eyebrow rise in response.

Forcing myself to expel the deep breath I was holding and loosen my shoulders, hoping she wouldn’t notice the deliberate action, I sauntered across the dining table. I dropped onto one of the chairs and draped an arm over the back of another. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure of your unannounced presence?’

‘Is it unannounced or are your staff merely incapable of executing basic duties?’ she countered.

It took all my willpower to not grit my teeth. I glanced towards Meredith, her tense body frozen in the same spot she was in when I had first arrived. ‘You’re dismissed, Meredith. Please ensure my sister and Bastra’s quarters are ready for their stay.’

‘Valare, I believe you need a reminder about who Meredith answers to.’

The damn controlling witch.

I mockingly placed a hand on my chest in false offense, sniffling, ‘And here I thought you wanted to spend some quality one on one time with me, not train my already trained staff. You’re breaking my heart, Slaviya.’ Probably not a great move to goad her, but her controlling tendencies were already grating and I had been in her presence all of a minute.

Her eyes narrowed, yet she surprisingly conceded. ‘I’m interested to see how the trained-assassin-turned-maid performs her duties. Make sure my quarters are to my standard and you need not bother with Bastra, I came by myself. You are dismissed.’

The condescending bitch didn’t even look at Meredith, narrowed eyes never leaving my own.

I broke Slaviya’s gaze to look at Meredith and she nodded, shooting me a look of thanks as she darted out of the room. At least one of us could be saved from this conversation.

I returned my gaze to Slaviya, waving my hand in invitation to the chair opposite. She proceeded to lean against the door frame and cross her arms, maintaining her physical advantage while levelling me with a challenging stare.

I didn’t supress the grit of my teeth this time. ‘Come on Slaviya, are you really going to play it like this? Who are you trying to impress here? Look around, it’s only us,’ I said, gesturing to the empty room.

‘What if I prefer standing?’ she countered.

I shrugged, her stubbornness a familial trait. ‘Suit yourself, but we both know your energy is drained after the teleport from Savast.’

My sister had trained as a Sol after her magic revealed she had strengths in both fire and earth. Despite her superior magic to the everyday mage, a teleport of great lengths is taxing on the body, unless you were travelling to the Isles, where the Temple of Wystia regenerated our energy immediately. I was fortunate that my abilities made teleporting great distances a breeze, so never missed an opportunity to prod Slaviya about that fact.

I waited to see if she would move to the chair. Her only response was to subtly sag further into the door frame.

‘To what do I owe the pleasure of your unannounced presence?’ I repeated.

‘I thought I would arrive a few days before the Forum commences to see how things are tracking here.’

Translation, you better have an assassination plan for me.

‘That’s nice of you.’ I smirked, deciding to make her work for the information.

I caught a flicker of fire on the tips of her fingers, the only visible sign that I was getting on her nerves, before she leant more heavily against the doorframe.

I sighed, my magic latching onto her body and pulling her towards the chair, not letting go until she was dropped onto the seat in front of me.

‘Valare,’ she spat out.

‘Oh, save it Slaviya. This isn’t a conversation to have when your legs are failing you like a little baby lamb fresh out of the womb. At least have the decency to sit down. Or in this case, to be physically made to sit down. You’re welcome.’

The bags under her eyes were more noticeable now that she was closer. I don’t even know why I cared. I should’ve just let her fall, a lesson for her stubbornness. But the softer side of me – which I hate to admit exists even with Slaviya – didn’t want her to hurt. The rational part of my mind knew she wouldn’t care if the shoe was on the other foot. But I couldn’t let it happen. It wasn’t in my nature.

‘You would have lasted one day as the Queen of Salistya before someone came for your head. Vulnerability is weakness, Valare. Did Father not teach you anything?’ The ruthlessness of her words paired with the sneer on her face caused an involuntary shiver to roll down my spine.

‘Oh, he taught me something, alright. Just not what you’d expect,’ I muttered. All of my father’s advice, for lack of a better description, was taken with a healthy pinch of salt. Whatever he suggested, I’d generally do the opposite. I refused to be like that bastard.

Her eyes wandered up my body, taking in the low-cut dress that showed off an ample amount of cleavage, my shoulders completely exposed. Her expression gave away her disgust, the provocative nature of the clothing a stark contrast to her modest Salistyan gown. She tutted in disapproval but had enough sense to not comment further. For now, at least.

‘I trust you have an assassination plan in place?’

Finally, she cut to the chase. The real reason she came to Amarald early. The fact she chose to discuss this here, when Eliasson or another could walk in at any time, cemented her arrogance.

‘Yes. It will be on the last night of the Forum when we have the closing ball. This will allow for negotiations to take place without distraction. When Eliasson heads to the bathroom, I will alert my fellow Sol, and follow him to execute the plan. I’ve set my alibi in place. It will go smoothly.’

She nodded her acceptance, clearly having zero regard for how it was executed as long as it was done. ‘We need to discuss the next steps. I have soldiers stationed at the mouth of the Pass. They are awaiting my order to cross and enter Arlom territory.’

‘What? You can’t infiltrate Arlom the minute their king is found dead. Are you out of your mind?’ I cried, forgetting myself as I digested this news.

‘I can and I will.’ She was completely unapologetic.

‘You can’t and you won’t,’ I countered firmly.

‘Need I remind you, Sister, that the reason you are the queen of this Dom is because I put you there. There is a bigger game here, more things to keep away, and you would do well to remember what your part is in all of this.’

I watched her fingers clenched around the arms of the chair, as she attempted to restrain herself from lashing out. Knowing Slaviya, this kind of reaction would only arise if there were something out of her control, like if she was relying on something or someone else. In this case, it looked like she was relying on me. Glee imbued my tone as I realised I may just have the upper hand. But my mind snagged on her comment about keeping things away. I took a stab in the dark. ‘The beasts of the Tidal Seas getting a little bit out of control, are they?’

The tidal beasts. The bane of Salistya’s existence and the reason for their army. I’d had many encounters with them, often being interrupted during training sessions with Varqel to dispose of them when I was on the Isles. For some reason, they always showed up near his house.

They were awful creatures, ranging in size and shape, lurking in the depths of the Tidal Seas. They left destruction in their wake, easily able to take down unprepared or untrained mages whenever they appeared. They had always been an issue for Fyriane. However, in the last decades, the frequency of their visits to our continent’s shores had increased significantly. I hadn’t seen them as of late, though, given all my time is spent here in Arlom, and as Slaviya was less than willing to share information, for her to be implying they are becoming more of an issue, it must be bad.

‘It’s under control,’ she replied coolly, but far too quickly to be believable.

‘Your army is suffering,’ I guessed again, my knowing trying to tell me something.

‘Suffering,’ she remarked. ‘No, Valare, we are not suffering. But the beasts are getting bigger and closer to our shores. They’re making their way down the coast and heading towards Arlom.’

Well, that’s not good. Usually they stuck to the Solista Isles and Salistya.

‘Let me guess, the Solistans refuse to help?’ I asked, already knowing the answer.

She met my question with a cold glare and silence. So, this is why she needs me and why she has the army where it is.

The Salistyan Queendom’s duty within Fyriane was to protect the land from the beasts and prevent them from entering the Pass between the Doms. It wouldn’t be a good look for my sister if Salistya couldn’t uphold its part of the agreement. If Salistya were to fail at this, it wouldn’t simply mean the protection of Fyriane was compromised, but it would severely hinder Salistya’s continued support from the other Doms. It would leave the Queendom vulnerable.

‘I can have a chat to Varqel, see if they will provide assistance for a while until it’s under control,’ I offered, knowing that even if the request came from me, it was still likely to be refused. The Solistans were strict about upholding their part of the contract with Salistya, doing exactly nothing more and nothing less, including only dealing with the beasts when they came for the Isles themselves.

‘That won’t be necessary,’ she replied stiffly. She always hated that I had a stronger relationship with the Solistans. Granted, it wasn’t hard for me to build a better relationship considering she had refused to live at the barracks in her time on the Isles, instead opting to stay away from everyone in her Royal House, pompous as ever. How she had thought it would make it easy for her as a ruler is beyond me.

‘Between my Sol and I here, the beasts will be taken care of if you hold off the majority. I won’t require aid on the Arlom side. Not to mention, I’m going to have a hard enough time as it is being accepted as the sole ruler of the Kingdom. Having Salistyans cross the border will only compromise my position further,’ I pointed out.

‘It’s either that or the Arlom children on the Isles come home early to serve their Kingdom, Valare. I’m not willing for our plan to fall the minute the first move is complete. The army will ensure that doesn’t happen.’

I knew what she was doing. Backing me into a corner, knowing full well I would not let children fight our battles.

‘Absolutely not! They aren’t even fully trained mages yet. I refuse to put innocent children out there to be slaughtered in the name of saving your hide,’ I replied without thinking. ‘And our plan? There is no our. You haven’t even broached what this plan entails past my actions here. And you know what? I actually don’t want to know. Don’t include me in your warped schemes. You exercised your power as my former queen and put me in this position. I didn’t ask to be here and I’m not a willing participant after the first move is complete. I won’t risk Arlom when it’ll already be destabilised, and that’s what the army will do.’ The more I spoke, the angrier I got.

‘You really need to work on being less dramatic.’ She rolled her eyes, dismissing my words entirely. Slaviya was so delusional she believed I would mindlessly go along with her plans and never question a thing.

‘My powers alone are more than capable of keeping the beasts at bay here. If I require your help, I’ll let you know. But for now, your aid is not required,’ I said, finality evident in my voice.

‘Valare –’

‘They have always existed. The tidal beasts aren’t news to anyone, Slaviya. If they are becoming more common and moving in new directions, maybe there’s a reason behind this. You need to focus less on infiltrating Arlom and maybe place more emphasis figuring out why they’re moving further south,’ I cut her off, diverting the conversation before we ended up arguing in circles. I may not be a born Arloman, but I will be damned if I see untrained children sacrifice their lives, especially for something that was so unknown. I refused to rule like my father.

Slaviya was unable to conceal her worry at my question. She cleared her throat and shifted on the chair before stubbornly replying, ‘No.’

I released a frustrated breath. ‘You need to bring this up at the Royal Forum, Slaviya. Nyarelle can find more information in the archives. Where they come from, what they’re capable of. We need to start asking these questions if they are becoming more of question.’

‘I can’t. The Queendom must not look weak,’ Slaviya refused, shaking her head.

‘This is a Fyriane-wide issue, particularly if they are coming down more. It doesn’t just affect Salistya or Arlom. Maybe this can form a stronger unity between the Doms, Slaviya,’ I insisted.

‘No, we keep this to ourselves. The only reason I’ve told you is for you to understand what we’re facing.’

‘If you don’t bring it up, I will.’

Her face took on her usual scowl, any trace of the worry removed from her face. ‘Valare, don’t use this information as an invitation to discuss confidential matters of my Queendom with the other –’

‘Valare, are you here?’ Eliasson shouted as he entered the room, suddenly interrupting us. I had been so involved in our conversation I hadn’t felt him approaching.

His eyes landed on mine, before his body tensed up when he noticed Slaviya sitting across from me. ‘Oh.’

I stood up and walked towards him, making every effort to ensure I came across as calm and collected.

‘Darling, Slaviya decided to visit us a few days early, isn’t that sweet? She must be getting soft in her old age. Apparently, she wanted to spend some quality family time before everything begins,’ I smiled, placing a hand on his chest and giving him a kiss.

Eliasson stared at me, disbelief clouding his face. He knew this was unlikely to be the reason Slaviya had come, having known her for many years. But it turned out he was a much better actor than me as he slid his arm around my waist and faced Slaviya once again without flinching. ‘That’s so lovely, Slaviya. Thank you for coming early. It’s a pleasure to have you here, as always.’

He was lying through his teeth – I don’t think there was anyone on the continent that disliked my sister more than him. Except Fyrel. Her stubborn refusal to learn the Arloman culture was a sore spot for someone as patriotic as Fyrel.

‘Please, Eliasson, we’re family now. No need for the formalities,’ she said coldly.

Staring at the affectionate display with curiosity, she sniffed the air and zoned in on me, a cruel smile forming. ‘The scent of Arlom sure has changed since I last came here,’ she purred.

I stiffened at the way her eyes lit up with a knowing glint. It seems she had been distracted by our conversation too and only just realised the scent of another man on me. I shot her a scathing look, warning her to keep her mouth shut. She responded with a predatory grin, knowing she had something over me. The bitch.

‘Has it? How interesting…’ Eliasson said innocently, probably thinking Slaviya was as strange as ever. I needed to get out of here.

‘Slaviya, it was great talking to you. Perhaps you should retire to your room after your journey. I’m sure you’re tired.’ I stated, leaving no room for argument. She needed to leave before this turned into even more of a mess.

Slaviya sent me a withering look, aggravated by my dismissal but not pushing it further. ‘I expect dinner will be at the usual time in the Royal Dining Room?’ she said, as she stood and gracefully walked straight past us and out the door, not giving us a chance to respond.

The minute the door closed, I blew out a breath and walked away from Eliasson to slump back into the chair.

‘What was that about?’ Eliasson asked, concern in his voice.

‘Oh, you know, just the big sister trying to control me. Same old, really,’ I shrugged nonchalantly, deciding to keep the newfound information about the tidal beasts to myself for the moment. It was a problem that I intended to address when the time was right, and after the conversation with Slaviya I didn’t want that to be now.

Eliasson’s eyes flashed in irritation as he growled, ‘Your loyalty is not to her or Salistya anymore. You’re the Queen of Arlom. If she has a problem with that, she can go through me.’

I felt my heart soften at his protectiveness. ‘It’s okay, Eliasson. She knows that. But she wouldn’t be her if she didn’t try.’

His shoulders visibly loosened with my reassurance, and I relaxed slightly too. It’s always good to know I’m not the only one that’s on edge around Slaviya.

‘Have I ever told you how thankful I am to be married to you?’ he asked.

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. ‘No, you haven’t, but I’m trying not to take offense at the timing of it. If you mean to compare my sister and I, there really wasn’t any competition to start with.’

‘Alright, maybe that wasn’t the best time to say that.’ A cheeky grin lit up his face, mirth filling his eyes. ‘But in all honesty, can you imagine Slaviya and I married?’ He shuddered.

‘That’s a pretty comical image,’ I admitted.

‘Thank the Goddess it didn’t come to fruition,’ he replied.

Thank the Goddess, indeed. He would be dead by now otherwise. Unexpectedly, my heart sank at that thought.

Changing the subject, I asked, ‘What did you come in here for, anyway?’

‘Oh, I was warning you that your sister had arrived,’ he answered sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

I chuckled. ‘Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who dropped the ball.’ I sighed, getting up to make my way to my bedroom and process Slaviya’s information.

‘Where are you going?’ he asked, a tone of concern in his voice.

‘I’m going to lay down for a few hours to decompress and work myself up to sitting through dinner with you two.’

‘Fair enough, I’ll leave you be then. Would it make things better if I asked Fyrel to join?’

My eyes lit up at the prospect of Fyrel and Slaviya in the same room, knowing full well their history. I couldn’t stop the mischievous grin that arose on my face. ‘Please?’

He chuckled. ‘Consider it done.’