Chapter 7

‘Oh, here she is. Queen Valare Arlom has arrived. Everyone bow before Your Tardy Highness,’ Mazyr taunted as I landed on the Isles’ Training Island.

‘You know, he was starting to question my ability to send a simple message, Valare. Not cool,’ Rynelle teased as he sat on a massive boulder, quickly twisting a dagger around in his hand, the blade glinting in the light. He ran his other hand through the top of his hair, scratching the side that was buzzed almost to his scalp.

‘How many times did I tell you to say 9pm on the note instead of 10pm. But no, no one listens to the best friend.’ Meredith sighed, looking exasperated as she leant against a tall willow tree.

‘My darling Amire, would you like to put your coppers worth in, while we’re at it?’ I walked towards Amire and took the seat next to her, completely undeterred by the jokes thrown my way from my tight-knit Sol family. These assholes weren’t to know that I had honestly tried to get here on time. Turns out negotiating to stay in my quarters didn’t sit as well with Eliasson as I had thought. He had all but demanded my presence in his bed immediately after dinner. Judging from his lengthy performance, I was guessing tiring me out to the point of sleep was his end game. I then had to wait for him to fall asleep before using my magic to ensure he remained in a deep slumber long enough for me to get back before he woke up. The wife life isn’t easy.

‘I’m good. Considering the conversation I heard earlier today, I’m quite impressed you were even able to make it tonight,’ Amire replied sympathetically, while also throwing me in the deep end.

‘What conversation?’ Mazyr asked, forever the busybody.

I groaned. ‘It doesn’t matter, it’s not relevant to what we’re discussing now.’ Honestly, I just wanted a distraction from the events of today, not to rehash them.

‘Amire don’t make me –’ Mazyr started.

‘Enough! You’re not pulling that twin magic shit,’ I growled.

Four pairs of concerned eyes landed on me, followed by complete silence.

‘We’re here to discuss our plan for how we’re going to kill Eliasson. Then I have somewhere else to be. So, let’s focus on the task at hand.’ All playfulness had left my voice. My directive was met with four stern nods.

I began to relay the information I’d received regarding the Royal Forum, the Marlyst King and Eliasson’s expectations of me, minus the heir talk.

Rynelle nodded, oddly seeming pleased with that information. ‘Mazyr, Amire and I managed to get away to Salistya yesterday. Queen’s orders. She’s getting toey, insisting the assassination takes place before the end of the Royal Forum. That way, all Dom representatives are in the same location and could be pinned as the suspect. So we will need to do it in a way that could be done by anyone.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me she ordered you to visit?’ I asked, offended they didn’t bother to tell me, but also feeling a familiar tingle of unease grow. I had thought I was taking too many precautions, keeping my true plans just between Mer and I. But maybe my unshakeable knowing there was more going on meant there was some weight behind the unease, some unknown shifting loyalty slowly making itself known to my subconscious.

As a group, we were in an odd situation about who it is we answer to overall. I’m technically loyal to the Kingdom of Arlom, seeing as I am its Queen. But as Sol, we were all loyal to Solista above all else. As that sits under the Queendom of Salistya, we were supposed to be loyal to and answer to Salistya. But the Solistan people, including Mer, don’t recognise Slaviya as their ruler, apparently, deeming me deserving their allegiance despite technically being an Arloman. Further complicating it is the fact that, as the leader, the four members of my Sol should answer to me. For three of them to have been summoned without my knowledge, and without thinking to tell me, added an unknown element to an already complex web. And I really didn’t need to be questioning my Sol’s loyalty with things beginning to be set in motion.

‘You’ve been busy, and I knew we’d see you tonight. Considering there was nothing of great importance, we didn’t think it would be a big deal.’ Rynelle shrugged, toying with his lip piercing. His lip caught on the spiked end of the metal, a lick of blood beading up. His tongue swiped over the red trail, laving his cut lip and clearly revelling in the stinging sensation.

I didn’t miss the wary glance Mer threw my way at his comment. Apparently, I’m not the only one uneasy about this situation.

Deciding the last thing I needed was a blow up between my Sol, I let the issue slide, storing the information for later examination. ‘Alright, in the future please let me know of any correspondence with Slaviya. I prefer, where possible, to not be on the back foot with her.’

I received a curt nod in response which did nothing to settle the anxiety creeping in. Why would Slaviya contact my Sol directly? As a courtesy and as the leader, she should have informed me.

Never one to disappoint, and sensing the awkward silence, Mazyr simply said, ‘Well, if we’re throwing out killing ideas to get things moving, you all know I’m a big fan of poison and I’m in a great position to execute it. Pardon the pun.’ He winked at me.

As expected, we burst into laughter, successfully breaking the tension.

‘Let’s start at the beginning with the methodology.’ I cleared my throat, wanting to focus on the task at hand.

‘Disguise. Deceive. Derail,’ Amire stated.

Every trainee Sol has the Solistan Assassination Methodology drilled into them in the early years of training. The elite Sol prided themselves on the idea that this methodology, when utilised effectively, underpins every successful assassination. In our case, the first two factors had been played earlier and solidified as time went on. Our disguise was each Sol member posing as palace staff, all placed in different areas for maximum coverage. The deception lay in the union between Eliasson and I, but the last section needed a bit of fine-tuning.

‘I think we should capitalise on the deception more to help with the derail component.’ We all looked at Meredith. She was always the strongest when it came to strategy. After myself, that is.

Meredith steadied her eyes on mine, an apologetic hint in them. ‘It’s quite clear that Eliasson has become attached to you, Val. Some may even go as far as saying he’s in love with you.’

‘Wait, what?’ Looking at the others, it was clear no one else shared my surprise.

‘He’s in love with you, Val,’ Meredith said gently. ‘Fyrel all but confirmed it to me. Even though I didn’t really require that confirmation as it’s plain to see.’

I could see a range of emotions on the faces in front of me. Agreement, pity, deep discomfit, and anger.

I felt a light nudge on my ribs as Amire whispered for my ears only, ‘His motivation for your talk today was not just based on commitment and duties. We both know they can be fulfilled without you being in his bed every night.’

With her words, Amire pulled the blindfold off my eyes, and I could see the light – or rather, the truth. I knew there was physical passion and chemistry there. Hell, I’d be lying if I denied that I didn’t feel it on my end as well. But love? How did I not see that for what it was? Because you didn’t want to acknowledge it, a little voice in my head answered.

It is all your fault. Sir’s whispered words rang in my ears. My heartbeat sped up in response, seeing the words anew.

I let out a few chosen curse words, aimed at myself. ‘Sometimes, I don’t think I’m cut out for this assassin life. It’s an easy role and I’ve missed the biggest clue,’ I muttered, shaking my head.

‘Don’t be silly, Val, of course you are,’ Mazyr comforted me. ‘In all fairness, the first task you’re given is to deceive a king through building an emotional connection with him, and you had to get married to do it. It’s an easy assignment to get lost in. I wouldn’t necessarily call it an easy role, and, for lack of a better word, you’re killing it.’ He gave a sheepish grin and came to sit on the other side of me. I was now the meat in a twin sandwich.

I gnawed on my bottom lip, a terrible habit that came out when I couldn’t get a handle on the anxiety swelling within.

‘What are you proposing, Meredith?’ You could always count on Amire to keep us on task.

‘I propose Valare uses her magic to create a realistic break-in scene. She can proclaim Eliasson died saving her. I can make sure Fyrel is out of action for the night.’ She winked at me, playing her part in this discussion perfectly.

‘I love how this plan revolves around your selfless act, Mer. Well done. But I’m not sure that’s going to be very believable with guards stationed outside their quarters, nor position Val well for when she’s interrogated.’ Rynelle shook his head, clear disagreement on his face. He was the pragmatic one in the group, always poking holes in a plan until it was as bulletproof as it could be.

‘I agree with Ry on this one, sorry Mer. There’s still a lot of underlying discontent that Eliasson married a Salistyan. I hear it all the time from nobles strolling through the palace gardens, believing their hushed whispers aren’t heard by others. They don’t trust Valare or her intentions. This would put her further into the spotlight, and I fear any action taken would result in a negative outcome. The last thing we need is an attempted coup immediately after Valare becomes the sole ruler of Arlom. We’d have ended up placing her in a compromising position where she may have to use her magic. Then they’ll be calling her a witch and it’ll impact the Arloman teens who come back home with their magic. It will undermine the work laid out for whatever comes next. Slaviya would then have our heads on sticks.’ Amire shuddered.

I could sit here and tell Amire not to worry about my sister, but the reality is that she technically does report to Slaviya and is supposedly loyal to the Salistyan Queendom, and therefore at risk of any grisly punishment my sister would see fit to mete out.

‘Granted everything runs smoothly, the Forum lasts two weeks. I don’t think we should make any moves in the first week and a half. I need to focus on the King of Marlyst and the sudden death of another royal isn’t going to help solidify relations when I’d be expected to partake in the week of mourning.’

It was an Arlom custom to spend a week mourning a loved one, and it was expected for those partaking in the week of mourning to stay locked inside their residence. Goddess knows when it happens I’ll be staying out of the public eye, but I won’t be staying indoors. My magic would have a field day, itching to be let out. No, by that time, I feel I’ll be deserving of a nice, long, Solista Isles holiday.

‘Poisoning is a viable option,’ I continued. ‘Efficient, effective and can easily be traced back to an individual who is unfortunate enough to be around at the time.’ But something wasn’t sitting right with this option.

‘But?’ Mazyr questioned.

‘But my knowing is telling me it is not how it should be done.’ I shrugged.

‘So, what do you suggest?’ Mazyr asked, not bothering to question my rationale.

‘Well, I may have been mulling over a plan,’ I admitted sheepishly.

Rynelle rolled his eyes. ‘Of course you have.’

At the same time, Mazyr chuckled while Amire shook her head, exasperated.

I ignored them. ‘This is what we are going to do.’

I outlined the plan, highlighting roles and responsibilities, placing emphasis on each of their whereabouts at the time of the assassination. After finishing, I sat back, my arms behind my head and feeling satisfied as I took in their awestruck faces at the elaborate plan.

‘Not bad,’ Rynelle said, his raised eyebrows the only physical giveaway that he was impressed. He was always a tough one to please, but his lack of questions meant I’d done a thorough job.

‘So, you want to tell me again that you’re not cut out to be an assassin?’ Mazyr drawled, playfully nudging me with his elbow.

‘Look at her smug look, she already knows Mazyr,’ Amire sighed.

‘Looks can be deceiving, Amire, we all know this,’ Meredith replied gently.

‘And pray tell, what are you insinuating Meredith?’ I asked, riding the arrogant wave of victory for a plan well thought out.

‘How long have you been planning this for?’ Meredith countered.

I cocked my head, playing the part of looking interested to see where she was going with this. But I knew exactly where she was going with this. ‘Three months.’ This admission, at least, was not a lie.

‘And you didn’t think it was important to involve us earlier on?’

‘I’d thought about it, but –’

‘No buts, Valare.’ Meredith cut me off, her voice growing with passion. Damn she was a good actress. ‘You’re a perfectionist and a control freak, but you also hold an astounding amount of self-doubt which will be your downfall in the end if you don’t let us help you. How many sleepless nights have you spent mulling all these details over in your head?’

Even though we had plotted this out, I was a little winded as I simply looked at Meredith, holding her angry gaze, both of us knowing she was right. There were more sleepless nights than not, and it was worse when I hadn’t been in Eliasson’s bed. I chose not to read into what that meant.

I felt Mazyr put his arm around my shoulder comfortingly, pulling me into his side.

Meredith nodded in defeat, my silence speaking volumes.

‘I know I need to work on my controlling tendencies,’ I blurted out, not being able to stand it. ‘There’s just so much on the line here. I wanted to minimise collateral on our end as much as possible.’

‘We all understand that you’re coming from a good place, Val,’ Meredith relented. ‘But you also need to see it from our side. Slaviya has been breathing down our necks wanting a plan and becoming increasingly more volatile. We could have been drip-feeding her information the last few months and saving our hides. You have a bit more leniency now you’re technically an Arloman, but we don’t have that luxury.’

The others nodded but remained silent.

‘I’m sorry. I’ll work on it,’ I promised, mentally crossing my fingers.

Amire wrapped her arms around my waist, snuggling in beside me, creating a true twin sandwich. ‘Don’t apologise, Val, we just want to be more involved.’ My eyes met Rynelle’s. He stared intently back, almost as if he didn’t quite know what to do with me.

I nodded, removing myself from the twins’ embrace. ‘Heart to heart aside, are we all in agreeance with the proposed assassination?’ I asked.

‘Heart to heart aside, are we all in agreeance with the proposed assassination?’ I asked.

I received a resounding, ‘Yes’.

‘Now, I have places to be. I’ll see you all in Amarald at some stage or another. If there’s anything pressing, send word and I’ll try to make myself available. With the Royal Forum approaching it’ll become increasingly difficult for me to get away, so make it worth my while.’

‘Have you got another rendezvous planned?’ Mer asked, curiosity filling her voice.

Strategically avoiding all eyes on me, I shook my head. ‘No, I have more pressing matters to settle.’ In truth, upon reflection, that night with Sir had rattled me. His treatment of me had opened up my eyes a little and made me question the authenticity of our relationship. It wasn’t just him in the situation, and telling me it was all my fault was becoming hard to justify to myself. No, I didn’t want to see him. Honestly, I wanted to avoid him at all costs.

Not waiting for a reply, I teleported out of there.

I landed on the other side of the island in a familiar front yard. It was a welcome sight as I hurried up the stairs to the porch, making my way inside without bothering to introduce my presence. They already knew I was here.

Through the narrow hallway, I entered the beautiful open plan kitchen and dining area. I ignored the expectant gazes of the couple sitting at the dining table and walked to the glass wall at the end of the room. From there I saw a stunning view of the cliffs which revealed the edge of the island. Dark blue ocean spanned from there to the horizon, spreading as far as the eye can see in every direction.

I let the view calm my mind as I breathed deeply. Already despising what was to come, I braced against the hit my ego was about to take before I even said the words.

I turned to face the two people staring at me, no trace of surprise at my dramatic show. It wasn’t the first time I’ve stormed in like an unannounced wrecking ball.

‘I need your help.’