30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Elessan

E lessan wrinkled his nose as the human guard led him down the steps into the dungeon. The stench of unwashed bodies, rot and sewage washed over them. They passed one landing with an empty guard room on his right, complete with a table and scattered playing cards.

His guide reached the bottom and froze.

Frowning, Elessan pointed his sword at the man's back. "Why are we stopping?"

Footsteps sounded from the hall to the right. A heartbeat later, a man with a ruby-red gemstone fused to his forehead stepped into the light.

Brooks.

Elessan squeezed his sword until his knuckles popped. The two of them were due for a rematch, certainly, but of all the times and places…

Not now, when Aliya's life was on the line.

The Arcane Inquisitor's eyebrows drew together. "Didn't I kill you once already, elf?" When Elessan didn't respond, he shrugged. "It doesn't matter, you all look the same to me." He drew a short sword and brandished it.

The human guard lunged out of the way.

Elessan leaped forward, tapping his blade against Brooks'.

The inquisitor flicked the tip of his weapon down, bringing it in a tight circle around Elessan's sword and up toward his throat.

Elessan leaned back as the metal sung through the air a finger's width from his chin.

They circled, slowly moving to the left.

Black and red fabric flashed in his peripheral vision as the old guard scrambled back up the stairs as soon as his pathway was clear.

He snorted. Cowardly human.

Brooks tapped Elessan's sword and jumped back before he could riposte.

Flashing his fangs, Elessan lunged, aiming for the inquisitor's left flank. He supposed he should be grateful the human guard was staying out of the way.

Slamming his sword aside in a skillful parry, Brooks leaned forward with a quick stab toward Elessan's sternum. "Are you so eager to feel your own blade in your gut a second time, knife-ears?"

Elessan spun aside as the tip passed through where his heart had been a heartbeat before. A phantom pain sliced through his abdomen as the tissue around the old wound stretched.

"I'll separate your head from your shoulders, elf. Let's see if you can come back from that."

Their blades crossed again and again as they danced forward and back, sending echoes off the walls and down the stairs. Any hope he'd had of surprising Malkov was likely gone.

"You're welcome to try." With a grunt, Elessan pushed the inquisitor's blade away a little too hard, leaving himself wide open.

Brooks spun in a circle, his weapon slicing through the air at neck level.

Elessan bent forward as the metal flew past overhead. Standing tall, he held his sword out to counter as Brooks completed his spin.

Anticipating the block, Brooks flicked his wrist again, bouncing his blade off Elessan's and slicing for his gut.

Elessan stepped back onto the stairs.

"Don't think the high ground will save you, mountain elf," Brooks growled.

Elessan flashed his fangs. He wasn't so concerned about saving himself as he was about Aliya.

Brooks followed him up the stairs to the landing with the guard room he'd passed bare minutes before.

"Why do you support Malkov?" Elessan asked as he shoved the other man's weapon aside.

The red stone on Brooks' forehead flashed, making his eyes shine red. He slashed at Elessan's knees. "Power, elf."

Swallowing against the dryness in his throat, Elessan tilted his head and circled to the right, stepping into the empty room. "Any ruler can grant power. Why serve a corrupt one?"

Brooks' eyes glittered. "Few can grant access to magic." He flashed his teeth as he followed Elessan inside. "Every mage he kills, I get some, courtesy of the magestone's bond to his tattoo." His fingers flickered with red light that flowed like morning mist over the mountain tops.

"Why do you want all this power?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!" Brooks flicked his nails and five red blades no longer than his fingers coalesced and flew through the air.

Valek!

Elessan bent backward as they soared past, slamming into the wall behind him with a crash that sounded like lightning. Contracting his abdomen, he sprung back up onto two feet and into a front handspring followed by an aerial somersault that put him behind the inquisitor, blocking the exit. He spun and slashed across Brooks' shoulder blades.

"Have you considered just walking away?"

The man arched his back and screamed as he spun, twirling his weapon. "Give me one reason why I would abandon my benefactor."

Elessan parried, driving the sword harmlessly aside. "Your city has been overtaken by dwarves and elves. Do you truly think you can kill us all before one of us gets you?" His riposte aimed right for Brooks' jugular notch.

With a quick flick of the wrist, Brooks slammed his blade off-target and over his shoulder. "I don't have to finish off everyone. Cut the head off the snake, the body dies."

Elessan clenched his jaw until the tendons snapped. He needed to end this quickly, or the inquisitor would stall him until it was too late to save Aliya.

This snake would be biting back. He lunged forward, crossing swords with Brooks several times in underhand and overhand attacks as they spun slowly around the room.

Red light flowed down the Inquisitor's blade faster than Elessan could blink. As they clashed together, a jolt of fire exploded from his fingers up through his arms and into his torso. His vision flashed white as he sailed through the air. He slammed into the wall with a crack as the oxygen exploded from his lungs.

Stars twinkled in his peripheral vision.

Brooks chuckled, raising the fine hairs on Elessan's neck.

As far as skill with a sword went, they were evenly matched. But with the addition of magic, Elessan was sorely outmatched. It would only be a matter of time before Brooks defeated him yet again. And this time, he wouldn't have Zadé around to patch him up.

Brooks' slow, self-satisfied cackle rasped against Elessan's ears. "Give it up, knife-ears. Your race is inferior, and once my king drains your girlfriend of her power, we'll have enough Whisperers to wipe out your entire army."

No!

He shook his head. No way could he let either of those things happen. Not just for him or his race, but the entire world that would suffer if the elves were no longer able to stand up to the Cerels.

Brooks pulled back and lunged, aiming to skewer him through the heart.

Elessan groaned, raising his arm and deflecting the blade just enough that it slammed into the rock just past his bicep. The metallic tip sheared off, flashing in the light as it flew across the room. Raising his right leg, he drove his heel into Brooks' gut.

The inquisitor stumbled backward, cracking his head and landing in a sprawl beside what looked and smelled like a waste disposal shoot. He opened and closed his eyes several times, his gaze unfocused as he stared off in the distance.

Pushing himself away from the wall and blinking to dispel the last of the flashing lights from his vision, Elessan strode to the man. Wedging his sword between Brooks' hand and the guard, he flicked the weapon across the room, where it clattered against the wall.

Grabbing the inquisitor's hair, he wrenched the man's face up until he could stare into the whites of his eyes. "This is for Aliya, your queen." He rammed his blade between Brooks' ribs and into his heart, which exploded with a satisfying pop he felt more than heard.

Pulling his weapon free, he wiped it on the man's tunic and shoved him down the disposal chute, face-first.

Good riddance.

Now all he had to do was find Aliya.

Taking a few deep breaths to settle his heartbeat, he shoved his sword back in its sheath.

Elessan kicked in the door at the end of the lowest level in the dungeon.

Malkov whirled around. "How did you get in here?" The book in his grip tumbled to the floor with a thud .

Elessan's heart leaped into his throat. Aliya lay on a stone table in the middle of the room. Various torture devices hung from the walls, most of which he was all too familiar with. Heat rose from his chest until the back of his throat and mouth burned. If Malkov had hurt her, he'd use each and every tool here to extract the maximum amount of pain from the despot.

"Aliya! Aliya!"

She didn't respond as he called her name.

By Abaddon…

He couldn't be too late. Not with how they'd left things between them.

He lunged at Malkov. The king dodged his sword, but his reactions were surprisingly sluggish.

Malkov seemed drained. Whatever the cause, Elessan intended to take full advantage. He'd finish the king here and now. With Aliya on the human throne, they'd usher in a new era of peace between the races. Even if he had to drag the sun elf king and the dwarven thanes to the treaty convocation himself.

He swung his swords at the king again.

Malkov backpedaled, tripping over a stool. He crashed to the floor and held his arms over his head. "No!"

The king flicked his wrists in the same manner Aliya used to conjure her magic. Elessan threw himself to the ground as the fireball flew overhead. The conflagration exploded against the bookshelves in the far corner.

Malkov snarled and lunged, his fingers curled into claws.

Elessan caught the king with his feet and threw him overhead into the burning shelves.

He screamed, rolling around on the floor amid a pile of scrolls as his cloak smoldered. He crawled from the wreckage, anger warping his face. "You won't find me as easy to assassinate as my parents, elven scum!"

Elessan flipped from his back to his feet. "We'll see about that. But your death won't be quick. You'll suffer for everything you've done to Aliya, and to your people." Not to mention his people and the other races of the world.

Malkov coughed the smoke from his lungs. "Mages aren't people. As their king, their lives are mine to take as I deem fit." He glanced at the stone table. "Including hers!"

Elessan hefted his sword and lunged. Malkov reached toward Aliya and clenched his fingers in a fist. She arched her back and screamed.

Her voice stopped Elessan in his tracks. His heart leaped into his throat as his thoughts shattered.

A sword of black flame appeared in the king's hand as Aliya slumped down.

At least she wasn't dead.

And Malkov was stealing her magic right in front of him. Elessan's vision tinted crimson. He bared his fangs and slammed his sword down in a vicious arc. The king barely had time to lift his blade to parry. Their swords crashed together in a shower of black sparks.

Behind him, Aliya coughed.

Elessan's head spun toward the sound of its own free will as he continued to push against Malkov's blade. "Aliya?" He couldn't see through the smoke.

Somewhere in the corners of the shadowy room, a cat screeched. A fuzzy black shape lunged toward Malkov. Landing on his shoulder, it raked its claws down his face.

The king screamed. "Shadow? No!" The pressure from his blade against Elessan's disappeared.

Elessan whirled around as the king's sword swung for his throat and dropped prone. He knew better than to take his attention away from his opponent in a fight. Rolling to his feet, he thrust one sword up through the king's ribs and felt the satisfying pop as it pierced Malkov's liver. For good measure, he brushed his second blade across the king's neck.

The dying man collapsed into a pile at his feet as the cat leaped gracefully from its perch on Malkov's shoulders.

Elessan whirled to face the unmoving body on the table. "Aliya!" His stomach hardened as bile burned in the back of his throat.

He stumbled forward, landing at the edge of the slab on his knees. Taking her cool, limp hand in his, he pressed it to his cheek.

She didn't react.

"No, Aliya." Elessan's voice trembled, his vision blurring as he blinked back tears. His throat tightened. After everything, he couldn't be too late.

He rested his ear against her chest. Her heartbeat was so slow and irregular he almost missed it.

Her hand shifted. Something cold and metal pushed against his face with an unpleasant shock.

"Valek!" How had he missed her manacles? They were iron, judging by his reaction.

He peered closer. Underneath the handcuffs, her wrists were blistered and bloody.

Scrambling over to Malkov, he started patting down his robes.

The king was still breathing. Stupid magic. Malkov had stolen more than he'd realized. Aliya likely had very little power left.

The king muttered, "Shadow, no…not you, too."

Elessan yanked on the mage's robes viciously. Valek. No key. He studied Aliya's bindings one more time. Maybe he could break them? Some manacles were notoriously easy to open.

He reached for his lock picks as the room contracted and tilted sideways, throwing him off balance.

He blinked, looking around. The full moon had already risen.

He couldn't deal with this right now.

Aliya gazed at Elessan. If she concentrated, she could feel his hand holding hers. And his tears falling on her arm.

Don't cry, El.

"Valek. Cursed moon," he mumbled. Pulling back, he went to lay her hand back down at her side. "I need to get out of here."

Aliya twitched. The full moon was tonight?

No, El. Don't go. She didn't want to die alone. Seeing his skin come alive with the stars again, well…there were worse things she could have as the last thing she saw.

Making him stay would take effort, though. She closed her eyes and pinched her face tight. There! She'd managed a finger wiggle.

Elessan jumped like he'd been shocked.

"Aliya? Aliya!" He kept his gaze focused on her corporeal body, but she still caught a quick glimpse of tear trails down his face. He mumbled something, but she couldn't make out the words. His fingers brushed her cheek.

If only she could feel them.

She reached out to brush his tears away, but her hands made no contact.

Don't be sad, El. You've ended the Elven War. She glanced over his shoulder to where Malkov lay. And the king wouldn't be able to steal anyone else's magic. She sighed. Her promise to the Mage Underground was fulfilled. At least Elessan wouldn't lose his life due to her Irrevocable Vow.

Her kernel of magic twitched, pulling at the string as it fought to follow the others she'd freed. The filament stretched thin. She smiled and exhaled. It wouldn't be long now.

The ceiling overhead darkened.

Elessan's skin sparkled as galaxies of stars appeared. The bits of twinkling lights were beautiful on him, in contrast to the tortured bits of magic trapped in Malkov's essence.

Elessan sniffled and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He opened his eyes, which again reflected the same shade and brightness of the full moon.

"Aliya?"

She blinked and tilted her head sideways. His eyes met hers, where she hovered several feet above her body.

Can you see me?

He nodded. "And hear you. What's going on?" His gaze traced the remaining filament tying her magic to her. "Is this your magic?"

Don't worry. It won't be too long now.

"Too long?"

Until the magic separates, and I die.

"What? Do something! Put it back."

Tried. Can't. She raised her hand and pointed at the ceiling. It wants to go with the others.

"Others?"

The ones I rescued from Malkov's robes. They were trapped. But I couldn't reach them all.

The ocean waves rocked her again, and she closed her eyes.

"No, Aliya! Stay with me." This time his fingers felt solid on her face as he stroked her phantom cheek. "Please, sweetheart. Open your eyes."

A teardrop landed on her face.

Don't be sad, El. It doesn't hurt anymore. And I'm so tired.

"I don't understand. The Aliya I know would fight for her life. Where's that Larimar spirit I've come to know and love?"

Love? She frowned.

Elessan chuckled, but it rang hollow.

Malkov gave me something to drink. It's making the world spin. She held up her noncorporeal hand, rocking it back and forth like a boat on rough seas. The table does this. Can't concentrate.

The stars on his face hovered above her. "I need you to fight for me, sweetheart. Please. While I figure this out. Open your eyes."

She tried. But with the rocking table and the soothing sound of his voice, it was easier to keep them closed.

Threading one hand through her ephemeral hair, he pressed his lips to hers. His fingers caressed her scalp.

She groaned in the back of her throat. Not fair.

He broke the kiss slowly and held his arm up where she could see the lights dance across his skin. "You like the way I look when this happens, right?"

She pursed her lips and nodded. It's magnificent.

"Keep your eyes on me, sweetheart, okay? Watch the stars."

Okay. She fought and managed to crack one eye open, then the other.

He reached toward her magic. Grasping it as though it was the most fragile thing he'd ever held, he brought it close to his face.

The stars meandering across his body shifted trajectory and converged on his wrists and fingers as though her magic was some sort of magnet.

Her light glowed in response. It got brighter and brighter until she had to close her eyes and turn away.

When he spoke, Elessan's voice was breathy and distant. "I see. I…I think I know what to do, how to fix this."

What? She turned to face him, peeking from between barely opened lids.

He cupped her magic gently in the palm of his hand, bringing it over and laying it against her collarbone. Placing his hand over the spark, he pressed it against her skin.

Heat and light radiated from where his hand met her sternum. Starlight burst from his hands, blinding her through her eyelids. The bindings around her wrists broke free and tumbled to the ground with a metallic clank.

She took a deep breath as warmth chased the fog from her mind. The table pressed against her shoulder blades. Her wrists burned and tingled where the iron manacles had touched them.

"Aliya!" His free hand slid under her head, hugging her against him.

She threaded her arms around him and buried her head in his chest, squinting against the light. The moisture squeezing its way through her lids may not have been entirely due to the brightness. "El…I thought you were dead." He smelled so good, like summer sun and pine forest with a salty overlay of sweat.

He barked a laugh. "You thought I was dead? I nearly lost you. "

She shook her head. "You should've, I don't deserve to live. It's my fault Karlee and Kord are dead."

"Who and who?" He shook his head. "Don't say things like that. Of course you deserve to live."

Her voice broke. "And Cressida."

"Cressida?"

She turned away, unable to face him, grief tearing the words from her throat. He deserved to know. "Her shield. It was holding the assassins off, but they were killing Lindir, so I shot a bolt of magic. It disrupted hers. They wouldn't have been able to get to her if I hadn't ruined everything."

He pulled her into a sitting position, cradling her head against his chest. "Shh. Cressida trained for centuries; she was a skilled battle mage. You weren't the one to shoot the Dragonstick into her chest. Her death is the humans' fault, and theirs alone. Even if they only achieved it by sheer luck."

Aliya wrapped her fingers in his tunic and shook her head. This was all far too good to be true. "I knew you were following me, and they left a Whisperer in the woods to kill anyone tailing us. I thought your death was my fault, too."

The heat faded from where his hand lay against her chest as the stars faded from his skin. "Tsara made me wait to go after you, so we ended up being out of range." Elessan slipped two fingers under her chin and tilted her head up until she met his star-filled gaze. He lowered his mouth to hers, lips meeting in a gentle brush. "I can't believe I found you." He smiled, flashing his fangs at her. "The war is over." Elessan threw a glare over his shoulder at the king lying crumpled in the corner. "We've won. The realm is yours."

She blinked twice. "But…the elves…"

Elessan shook his head. "The elves marched on Lions Grove. For you."

Right. Aliya raised both eyebrows and threw him a look. The elves had been raiding the borderlands her entire life. They were enemies of the realm, not its allies.

He smiled, clearly enjoying this joke, and dropped his voice. "The dwarves, too."

Wait, what? She studied his face, looking for any indication he was lying. "You're serious."

Elessan nodded. "It was a stunning battle. You should've seen it." He pulled back and bowed. "The city is yours, Your Majesty."

Aliya frowned and slapped him on the shoulder before pulling him upright. "Stop that!" If everyone started bowing and scraping to her, she might just have to kill them all.

"I know this isn't what you wanted."

She sighed, a heavy weight settling on her shoulders as she glared at Malkov's body. "No. But it's what the realm needs. I pretty much decided when I was kidnapped. There was no turning back once I emptied Malkov's dungeons."

"You did what?"

She flashed him a quick smile and told him about orchestrating the jailbreak, freeing her father's guards and Malkov's magical prisoners. And about the large iron door in the dungeon. She was careful not to mention her father.

He smiled, his eyes gleaming with more than moonlight. His hands rested against her jaw and neck. "It seems you were busy while I was away."

She reached up, catching his hands and threading her fingers between his. "Will you stay here? In Lions Grove, with me?"

"Of course." He stroked her cheek with one finger. "As long as you need."

Something released inside her and she sighed. If he was beside her, being queen wouldn't be so bad. It might even be survivable. "How about forever?"

Elessan chuckled and brought her fingers to his lips for a kiss.

"Svialto! Did you find her?" Tsara's disembodied voice rang through the room.

He stood, removing a handheld mirror from his pocket. He opened his mouth to answer but froze and turned to her. "Aliya, um…" He waved his hands at her, from her head to her feet. "Before I answer Tsara's call, maybe you want to look more like she expects?"

Aliya looked down at herself. Her pallid body glowed with a pale blue-green phosphorescence that melded with the sparkles of the stars dancing across him. Her hairless skin, stretched to the point of tearing over legs and arms that were too long for her shortened torso. Her stomach froze while she burned with shame. She was in her natural form. Aliya covered her face with her hands and turned away. How could she have let him see her this way?

"Hey." Then his hand was on her shoulder, spinning her back around to face him. "What's wrong?" He tugged her hands, inviting her to uncover her face.

She allowed him to spin her around, but kept her face buried and downcast. "I—I never wanted you to see me like this."

"Is this what you look like without the shapeshifting?"

She nodded, keeping her head turned away. "It's my natural form." The shape so hideous she hadn't worn it since she was five.

"Aliya." He pulled her hands from her face into her lap. "Look at me."

Best to get the rejection over with quickly. It would hurt less that way. Biting her lip, she opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever met. Inside and out." He ran his fingers down her arms, snagging her hands and pinning them against his chest. "I've never cared what you look like, but you…" He gazed at her with wide eyes, drinking in every detail of her face, her skin. "You're the most stunning being I've ever met."

She blinked, certain she was hearing things. "You think I'm…pretty?" She studied her translucent skin, glowing with phosphorescent light in the dim room, and frowned. This form lacked a well-defined nose, the prominent cheekbones or the hourglass figure everyone seemed to consider attractive. She studied his face, again finding no evidence of dissembling. Men were so weird sometimes.

He nodded. "I wouldn't mind seeing more of you like this." He held up his arm, with the fading stars dancing on his skin. "Just as I'm fairly certain you wouldn't mind seeing me on full moon nights."

The tiniest smile curled the outer edges of her lips. He was right about that last part.

The mirror in his hand lit up blue. "Elessan? Svialto? You there?"

He bit his lower lip and looked at Aliya.

Oh, right. She closed her eyes, summoning the gold hair, tan skin, and oh-so-prominent cheekbones of the shape she'd favored her entire life.

Holding the mirror so they both could see, Aliya gazed upon the reflection of Princess Tsara of the sun elves.

"It's about time. I was getting worried." Tsara nodded at her. "Your Majesty. Glad to see you're alive." Her gaze turned toward Elessan. "Things are getting tense out here, and I don't know how much longer Hedul and I can hold it together. We need word from the palace." A commotion sounded from behind her, and the princess threw a glance back over her shoulder. "Dang it! Get out here, quick." The mirror went dark.

Elessan shoved it back in his pocket. He turned to Aliya and held out his hand. "Are you ready?"

Ready? To face an army of elves and dwarves, not to mention a city full of scared humans, and explain they'd killed the king, and she was taking over? Her stomach turned hollow and plunged into her feet. Not likely. She swallowed.

He squeezed her hand. "You've got this. I have faith in you."

Something whistled through the air and slammed into Elessan's shoulder. The faint scent of blood tickled Aliya's nose.

"Valek!" He slapped his hand over the wound and spun around.

Malkov stood, leaning against the wall. His fingers smoked from whatever spell he'd just used. "Stupid elf. I warned you. You can't assassinate me."

Aliya blinked, studying the deposed king. "El," she asked in Elven, "do you see a ghost image overlaying him?" She didn't see it anymore, but she was no longer incorporeal.

Elessan frowned. "Yes…"

Malkov growled and waved his fingers in complicated motions. Magic hung heavy in the air.

"If I hold him down, can you pull the last bits of light from his cloak?"

His gaze flicked to her for a brief second before returning to the king. "I can."

At least he didn't waste time asking why. Aliya pulled a tiny thread from the kernel of magic solidly repositioned inside her chest and flung it at Malkov. The thread broke into four strings, each of which snagged a wrist or an ankle and pinned him to the wall, spread-eagled.

Elessan tugged a light free that only he could see, scrutinizing it. "What are these?"

"I think they're the magic he's stolen from others. He seemed to get weaker when I freed some of them earlier."

Malkov fixed her with a glare. "Traitor! That magic was our last hope to defeat the inferior races!" The king screamed as Elessan ran his hands up and down around his torso, freeing the last bits of filched magic. "Assassin! Assassin! Get your hands off me. Guards!"

Elessan dusted his hands on his pants. "It's done." Turning back to Malkov, he said, "It's over. You've lost. The dwarves and elves have overrun your city. Your guards are either dead or imprisoned, and you won't leave this room alive." He drew his sword.

"El, wait." Aliya stepped up beside him.

Raising an eyebrow, he held his blade out to her. "Do you want to do it? Technically, his life is yours."

What? She glanced at her finger, to the gold ring that symbolized her vow that was still nestled securely in place. "Do I want to kill Malkov? Of course not. But… Don't I have to, to fulfill my vow?" And save Elessan's life.

Maybe her vow would be satisfied if Malkov died, regardless of who killed him?

She stared at Elessan and shook her head. "I don't want to start my reign with death."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed. "You won't be. It begins with life ; yours, the magic users' throughout the realm, and every soldier on both sides who would've fallen in the war."

The image of the veteran on the street a few days ago flashed through her mind.

Well, that was one way to look at it. But still. She bit her lower lip. Her chest ached at the weight of such a decision.

Elessan settled his sword against Malkov's chest. "Aliya, he needs to die. He's killed so many others, terrorized you… If he's left alive, his loyalists will be a threat to you and the realm. And I don't want to lose you for breaking your vow."

She didn't want to lose him, either.

Aliya swallowed hard before dragging her gaze to meet Malkov's. Elessan was right. He needed to die, but… "Not here. Not like this."

Elessan frowned, patient sympathy in his gaze. "Aliya…"

"It should be public, where the charges can be read out loud. There should be no doubt as to why, or by whom."

He smiled and hugged her close. "You'll make a wise queen."

At least he had confidence in her. Her stomach quivered. "There's an execution block set up in the main square already. That's as good a place as any, if we can get him there." If they didn't do this quickly, she'd lose her resolve.

Malkov struggled against his bindings. "You can't execute me! I'm the King! The court won't stand for this coup!"

Elessan nodded. "We'll get him there." He pulled out his scrying mirror. "Tsara? Can you send a contingent of guards to the dungeons for escort duty? Grab one of the soldiers we took hostage in the castle and have him guide you down here."

"Sure, Svialto," the princess' voice drifted back. "Be there in a few."

Malkov thrashed against her magical bonds and pierced her with his hate-filled gaze. "You'd let the elves win? You're no better than they are!"

"Shut up." Aliya flicked her wrist and a gag appeared in the king's mouth.

Several minutes later, footsteps sounded in the hallway.

"Svialto!" Princess Tsara led a contingent of six guards into the room. She halted, nodding at Aliya. "Your Majesty."

Aliya sighed. That title was going to be hard to get used to.

Elessan nodded at Malkov, still magically bound to the wall. "We need to take him to the square for execution. Can you clear the way?"

Tsara licked her lips as her eyes glinted. "With pleasure."

The wood of the raised platform bowed slightly under her feet as the sun started to dip beneath the horizon. No humans filled the market, but that was to be expected after an invasion. Eyes did peek out from the shadows and from behind curtains. That would have to be enough. They would witness the events, and word would spread through the city like wildfire. Elves and dwarves packed the square, with more trickling in every second. It seemed they all wanted to see the human king brought down.

A black cat with quicksilver eyes settled on the edge of the roof on the nearest building and nodded to her.

The red-cloaked guards sat with their backs to the castle wall, under close watch by the dwarves.

Aliya's gaze fell on Princess Tsara. In Filathas, Tsara had been the epitome of composure and grace. Not a hair or piece of clothing out of place, the quintessential royal. Today, with her stylized headdress slightly askew and her hair in a cascading tangle, she looked like a warrior surrounded by her soldiers. The princess had her arm wrapped around a younger male who could have been her brother. And next to Tsara…Zadé.

The moon elf winked and saluted the dais with two fingers to her forehead.

Elessan stepped up beside Aliya, gesturing to a dwarf with a large axe and an iron choker around his neck. "There's Thane Hedul, leader of the dwarves." He gave her a mischievous grin. "Cousin of Kavol Bluntforged, the dwarf in Westcliff who introduced us to Jalius."

Aliya blinked. It was a small world…maybe too small. She turned to Elessan. "Did you plan all this?"

He shook his head. "Sometimes, a coincidence is just a coincidence. It was fortuitous, though." He cleared his throat.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Never mind, we'll talk about it later."

She sighed and turned back to face the square. From her elevated position, she had a clear view of Pat's restaurant, closed and dark like the rest of the vendors. One day soon, perhaps the market would thrive again. She would do her best to make it so.

What would Pat do, if he'd known who'd been guarding his shop from brigands the past few nights?

Tsara's guards forced Malkov to his knees and pushed his head over the chopping block.

Aliya licked her lips and pulled her shoulders back, staring the king in the eyes. She cleared her throat and drew a small strand of magic to project her voice across the square. "Malkov Cerel, for your crimes against mages, the elves, and the realm, I, Queen Aliya Larimar Cerel, sentence you to death."

Malkov bared his teeth at her. "You can't—"

An elven sword slammed through his neck, carving a divot from the wooden block below. Malkov crumpled to the ground as Aliya let her magic that had been holding him immobile dissipate. Elessan watched the head roll across the platform as he flicked the blood from his blade. "Survive that, you bastard," he muttered in Elven.

The ring on her finger disappeared like mist on a warm summer morning.

Aliya took her first breath as a free woman and smiled.

"It's over. We did it." She looked out across the square. "The occupants of the city are not to be harmed or harassed. Those who cause problems are to be brought to me." She looked pointedly at Elessan. "Or him."

A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd. Yeah, Malkov's nobles probably loved that. She sighed. That was another viper's nest that needed clearing out.

Elessan wiped his sword on the fallen king's robe. He stood, shoved the weapon into its sheath, and held his arm out to her. "Your Majesty. Shall we?

Aliya put her arm in his and let him escort her off the platform. Things were about to get infinitely more complicated. She'd never been very good at navigating the cutthroat maneuverings of court, probably because she'd been so sheltered growing up. Her father had never exposed her to it. "I think we should enjoy the next few minutes, El. It's likely the last opportunity we'll have for some time."

"What are you going to do about Malkov's nobles? His guards?"

"I don't know." It was overwhelming to contemplate.

"You could purge them all. Start over fresh."

Aliya shook her head. "No. I can't run the entire realm by myself. I need people with experience, who others are used to following, to help with the day-to-day minutiae."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few heartbeats before nodding. "You're right. The elves could help, until you establish your own guard and secure power, but the humans will feel better if they see others of their race in charge. How will the nobles react to this? Will they suck up to you in hopes of keeping their positions, or band together against you?"

"I hope the first. I don't know if I have the strength to take on the entire nobility right now."

He squeezed her hand as they stepped off the dais. "We need to gather your council, whoever they are, and have a meeting immediately." He swallowed. "And there's a few things I need to tell you about the economic state of your realm."

Aliya's stomach plummeted. That sounded like it was about more than just an impending famine.

As they approached the carriage that would take them back to the castle, Aliya's father elbowed his way through the crowd to meet them at the foot of the coach.

He smiled, and a look of pride swept over his face. "Daughter."

Aliya ignored him and turned to Elessan. "One hour, in the throne room. Tsara, Hedul, Zadé and Jalius should all be there." She glanced over her shoulder and speared Baron Larimar with her gaze. "If you want to attend the council meeting, make sure the heads of each family are present, as well as the treasurer." Aliya climbed into the carriage.

The baron sputtered. "Now, just a minute—"

"One hour."

Elessan slammed the door in her father's face.