21. Adina

21

ADINA

F rom my invisible corner, bound and gagged, I watched in horror as my body double met her gruesome end right before James's eyes.

Bingo, my faithful companion, lay frozen against my neck, rendered useless by the genie's overwhelming power. He was struggling to get free, and I hoped that he would be more successful than I was.

James stood rigid with shock, offering no resistance as two guards dragged him away at his father's command.

"I trust you will dispose of the body," King Jaimesh said, his gaze fixed firmly on the bastard who held me captive. The monarch's discomfort with the corpse was palpable, as it should be.

What kind of father forces his son to witness such a barbaric act?

Does the man possess no heart at all?

"I'll handle it, of course," the seneschal—Jeffry, I recalled—replied obsequiously, setting the ornate sword on a nearby table.

Looking at the pristine, bloodless blade, I frowned.

It's an illusion! It's all a lie!

I struggled against my bonds, desperate to make any sound that might draw the king's attention so he would at least look at the blade and realize the deception, but I was trussed up tighter than a mummy in an ancient tomb.

Bingo worked tirelessly to shake the genie's power, but progress was agonizingly slow.

I needed to find James, to tell him I was alive. Then, I'd kick his royal ass for letting me believe he was a mere servant when he was the crown prince of Londabad!

No wonder he'd been so clueless outside the palace walls. The poor guy had been locked in his gilded cage since birth, the city's most precious jewel. The rumors of his beauty, grace, and skill with a blade had all been proven true. If only he could see through this elaborate deception.

"I do hope the prince sees the wisdom of your swift judgment, Your Majesty," Jeffry added as the king turned away. "Killing the little thief was truly the only option. You can't have traitors to the throne running around the city, after all."

"No," the king said heavily. "No, that would be... that would be bad, of course."

"Traitors must be punished," Jeffry continued, his voice a sibilant whisper.

I noticed him rubbing the cloudy ring on his finger, its misty interior seeming to swirl. "Those who defy the king's will must be punished. I am the instrument of your will, and it is my pleasure to see it done."

"Yes..." the king murmured. "Yes, you are the instrument of my will."

"I hate to even say it, but your son is not free of blame either," Jeffry suggested quietly, as if trying to plant the idea in the king's mind. "He is a traitor as well."

It hit me then. Jeffry was using genie tech on the king of Londabad! Talk about high treason.

"Perhaps your heir should be set aside..." Jeffry whispered.

"Perhaps he—no! No, of course not." The king seemed to snap out of his trance. "He's my only heir, and Maryana would kill me if I did anything to imperil him. No, no. James will be the next king. There's no one else fit for the position."

Jeffry's smile turned sour. "You should return to the queen and your guests, cousin. Your son will recover in time, and I will take care of this mess. It will take some work to spirit the body out of the palace, perhaps as much as a few days."

"Take the time you need. I must... return, yes. To my wife. And my... guests." The king shook his head as he walked away, leaving me alone with the traitorous bastard.

Jeffry turned to me, waving his hand to dispel the illusory corpse. "Well," he said with false pleasantness, "that was quite the show, hmm? I do believe our mutual friend bought it entirely." Another wave of his hand, and I knew he could see me once more. "I suppose you're wondering why I didn't really kill you, especially once I had the king's permission to do so."

I was still bound and gagged, so all I could do was roll my eyes.

"James is engaged to my daughter," Jeffry continued. "The next king of Londabad shall be my grandchild, and sooner rather than later, if I have my way."

Why did he need to wait for a grandchild when he could control the king with the genie?

Well, duh. He wanted his descendants to sit on the throne of Londabad.

Before I could further dwell on the disturbing implications of that statement, Jeffry continued his villainous monologue. "The king is well under my command, as you can see, even if he resists some of my orders." He sighed. "Everything would have been so much easier if he was more susceptible to the genie's power." He scowled at his ring. "This genie is not powerful enough to give me complete hold on the king's mind, and James seems to be entirely immune to its influence. I've been trying for years with little luck."

"But now I have you." He smirked as he leaned down and gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "You're a thief, and a very good one, from what I was able to glean from Mustafa before I killed him. If you're good enough, little thief, then you might just be able to survive a trip to the Vault."

The Vault? He had to be joking. It was a legendary storehouse of pre-apocalyptic wonders, supposedly filled with incredible ancient technology, art, and wealth. But it was said to be outside Londabad's gates—a death sentence for anyone who ventured there.

"Oh, it's closer than you think," Jeffry said, reading my expression. "Not far from the edge of the city, in a crevice in the mountains. We could be there in a day on the proper transport, which I happen to have." He rubbed his ring again. "Yes, I think this is the perfect time for a little breaking and entering. You're going to go into the Vault and find an object for me, and if you want to live, you'll do it with a smile on your face. Do you understand?"

I nodded, not that I had much choice. But I harbored no illusions about what lay ahead. Jeffry had already as good as killed me. The moment I retrieved whatever he wanted, he'd dispose of me like yesterday's trash.

Good thing I've always got a few tricks up my sleeve.