Within Ash and Stardust

by Chani Lynn Feener

  So he’d stayed still, his eyes closed, his breathing even, and had listened in on their conversation. They’d kept their voices down, but in the silent room he was able to make out every word.

  He’d been about to give up the ruse, however, when they began arguing over whether or not Trystan should go—Ruckus still didn’t one hundred percent trust that Trystan wouldn’t cut another deal with his father, but he knew the Zane had to get to Carnage before the Rex grew suspicious—but then he’d gone and ordered Delaney to kiss him.

  In the following quiet, Ruckus had actually feared she was doing it, had strained to hear and almost opened his eyes, torn between needing to see and not wanting to. When the Zane had made that disappointed sound, giving away that she hadn’t done it, he’d felt a wave of relief so strong, it actually made him feel more guilty for eavesdropping.

  It was a while after the Zane left that Delaney returned. From the sounds of it, she was sitting next to the bed, though he still didn’t open his eyes to be sure. She took his hand in both of her own, bringing it up so she was clutching his arm close to her chest.

  Through her clothing, he felt the press of the metal from her necklaces.

  He thought about how uncomfortable she’d gotten when he’d exposed that he knew she was still wearing the Claiming ring. He’d hated the way it’d made him feel, knowing that she was concerned he’d get angry or jealous. He was jealous, but that was his personal issue to work through, not hers. The last thing he wanted to do was burden her with anything else.

  Which was why he hadn’t asked her to take it off. Why he’d waited so long to even bring it up. He’d seen it the last time she’d come to visit him in the dungeons on Inkwell. She’d tried to hide it by tucking it beneath her shirt, but he’d recognized the outline of the ring, known immediately what it was.

  It bothered him that she hadn’t told him about it herself, but he understood why she’d felt the need to keep it a secret. He’d been locked in a cell, after all, and she’d been doing everything she could just to keep her head above water. So he hadn’t said anything, knowing that she’d tell him eventually, when the time was right.

  And once he was free and they were together again, he hadn’t drawn attention to it because what would be the point? He saw the way she looked at the Zane, even though she tried so hard to hide it.

  He saw, and it cut him every time he did. But getting angry wasn’t going to help anyone, especially when it was also obvious she was torn by the way she felt toward Trystan. He hated it, hated the idea that she could feel anything for the Zane, but he was also grateful, in a sense, that she’d had that support while dealing with the Rex.

  Ruckus was grateful that he knew Trystan wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her, that he had in fact risked his life and his station on numerous occasions in the past. How could Delaney not have developed feelings after all that they’d been through?

  He felt a bit slighted that she’d fallen for the guy who’d thrown him in a cell, but being in there had given Ruckus a lot of time to think. And to come to grips with the fact that he was as much responsible for Delaney being dragged back to Xenith as Trystan was. He’d let her do the Uprising ceremony. Hadn’t fought against the Basileus when he’d suggested it. Hadn’t explained things to Delaney. Hadn’t batted an eyelash, in all actuality.

  She shifted, and the necklaces pressed more closely against him. He could have asked her to remove the Claiming ring, and he had actually intended to do just that when he’d brought her to the Dust Market. He’d hoped to replace it with a symbol of his own, the star-stone. As soon as he’d seen her reaction, however, he’d changed his mind.

  There was a reason she hadn’t taken the Claiming ring off, and while he wanted her to take it off, he didn’t want it like that. He didn’t want her to do it out of guilt, or obligation. Didn’t want her to make a decision because he’d asked her to make one, because he’d made it feel like an ultimatum.

  But he also wasn’t sure how much longer he could endure this. He needed to hear her deny the Zane’s claim, to toss that ring aside in place of his. It was stupid, to need reassurances from his girlfriend, yet after everything that had happened …

  He needed to know, once and for all, if he’d lost her.

  Just as he opened his eyes, the door across the room opened again, and he turned to watch the Basilissa enter.

  “Good. You’re awake, Ander.” She gave him a curt nod—no apology for having knocked him out in the first place, but okay—and then immediately turned to Delaney. “The Zane just departed, which means we need to start discussing how you expect this plan of yours to work.”

  “What’s going on?” Ruckus slowly eased himself into a seated position. When he faltered some, Delaney rushed to help, only pulling back slightly once he was propped against the headboard.

  He’d gathered from her conversation with the Zane that the Basilissa had agreed to help them, and it was nice that he wasn’t waking up in a cell somewhere. But he hated that he didn’t know any of the details on how they’d managed to convince Tilda to be on their side.

  “Someone needs to fill me in. Now.”

  “They’ve told me the Rex is behind the Tars.” The Basilissa caught his eye. “Is this true, Ander?”

  “Yes. A ship attacked us just outside the border. They were Tars.”

  Tilda quirked a brow. “You mean to tell me you didn’t have a plan prior to that?”

  His plan had been to get off this planet before the Zane ever woke up, but Delaney had had other ideas. After that, in truth, the best he could come up with was simply keeping them alive long enough to eventually get them off Xenith.

  “The Rex is holding Gibus hostage, and he’s created the Tars for some unknown reason. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to gather more details on what exactly that was. We knew we needed your help,” Delaney said.

  “Because you had no one else.”

  “Because you’re the ruler of Vakar.”

  Tilda hummed and glanced between the two of them.

  “Exposing the Rex’s connection to a terrorist group is the only plan we have,” Delaney reminded her.

  Ruckus spoke up. “That’ll work. We just need enough proof to shake the Kints’ belief in him as their king. Having the support of the Vakar ruler will help press the issue. Many have been waiting for a reason to denounce him for a long time now, as you well know.”

  “Yes,” Tilda said, her lips twisting in a scowl, “the Zane is better liked by his people. I am aware. That changes nothing. His father will have to undergo a trial, no matter how great the proof against him. During that time, those still loyal to him will stop at nothing to clear his name.”

  “Which, again, is where you being the Basilissa comes in handy.” Delaney had a hand on Ruckus’s shoulder, and he could practically feel how nervous she was through their connection, despite the fact that her voice never wavered. “When that time comes, you make it public and perfectly clear that you’re siding with the Zane. You want Trystan on the throne, it’s time for a change, you’ve always known the Rex can’t be trusted.… Say whatever you have to in order to convince them. Most of Kint doesn’t want war, either.”

  “I give them a clear way to avoid that,” Tilda said, and nodded her understanding. “And it helps sway them into denouncing the current Rex.”

  “Exactly.”

  “It could work, Miss Grace. But…”

  Delaney tilted her head, waiting, and when Tilda didn’t follow that up with anything, prompted, “But…?”

  “How do we get proof?” Ruckus answered for the Basilissa.

  “Precisely, Ander. How is the real issue here. I doubt the Rex has information that can connect him to the Tars just lying about. Even if that’s the real reason the Zane has gone home, it won’t be easy, if even possible, for him to find what we need. Does he even know what to look for? Evidence is a pretty vague concept.”

  Delaney ran a hand through her hair in frustration, dropping down on
the edge of the bed next to Ruckus. “So you’re saying this plan actually sucks.”

  “I’m saying that, until we have something concrete we can hold over the Rex’s head,” she corrected her, “this is all working theory. Can I side with the Zane against his father once their people are more susceptible to that notion? Of course. Will they take the bait to avoid more bloodshed? Probably.”

  “Why couldn’t you just do it now?” Delaney asked. “The two of you joining forces could be enough.”

  “It isn’t,” Ruckus told her. “If Trystan even tried it, he’d risk losing a vast majority of those loyal to him. A Zane siding with the enemy in order to steal the crown? It’s not very respectable.”

  “Right,” Delaney practically growled. “Tradition.”

  She was no doubt thinking about how that was what had gotten her stuck in this mess a second time. Tradition was the stepping stone Trystan had used to make her the official Vakar Lissa. Ruckus wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive himself for his hand in making that possible.

  “We can’t just sit here hoping he finds something while he’s in Carnage, then,” Delaney said after a moment of silence. “He wanted us to figure out how we’d get the information to the public. I’m guessing that won’t be too complicated.”

  “There are news outlets I trust,” Tilda told them. “As for filling your time and being useful, your files have been left untouched, Ander. I know you’ve kept a large amount on the Tars and their past transgressions. Perhaps, now that you’re aware of their connection to the Rex, you’ll be able to spot something you overlooked before.”

  He thought about it, nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Unfortunately, the palace is still under Kint control. It isn’t safe for you to be roaming the halls, and I certainly cannot reinstate your status without drawing too much suspicion.”

  She was right: He couldn’t risk using any of his old access codes on the off chance the Rex had men monitoring the palace’s systems.

  “You have friends here”—it was clear this wasn’t a question—“and you can give a list with a few names to Sanzie, and I’ll get in touch with them. If they aren’t currently in the palace, I’ll send for them immediately. They’ll be able to move freely, and can bring whatever files you need directly to you in this room.”

  Delaney had stiffened some at the mention of the Sworn, and it took all of Ruckus’s strength not to look her way. Tilda was clever, would easily catch on that something was off between them, and besides, this wasn’t the time to continue their talk about his past.

  Or Delaney’s.

  Her parting conversation with the Zane was still fresh in his mind, and he wasn’t exactly happy about it.

  “I suppose since the Rex alerted you about my ‘death,’ it’s not safe for me to be walking around, either,” Delaney said, frowning when her words caused the Basilissa to appear perplexed.

  She glanced between the two of them. “I assumed that had been kept from him, along with news of my daughter. If the Rex is aware he no longer has a foothold into Vakar, we have a more imminent problem on our hands.”

  “What do you mean?” Delaney slowly rose from the bed. “The Rex is the one who told you that I was dead, isn’t he?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “We received a coded message yesterday morning. In it, I was told that both you and my daughter had been murdered. When the Zane radioed in that he was approaching the palace and had something to show me, I assumed he was bringing me both of your bodies.”

  “That’s why you brought along Vakar Tellers and had them shoot without asking questions,” Ruckus surmised. “You had their weapons set to stun to avoid causing a political issue should the information end up being bad.”

  “If he was truly bringing me the bodies of my heirs,” Tilda confirmed, “then I was willing to hear him out before killing him, yes. But then I saw Delaney, clearly alive and well, and that there were still two body bags on the tables…” Her voice trailed off, and neither of them pressured her into continuing.

  “You knew Olena was dead?” Delaney asked, cutting into the silence. The panic in her tone caught Ruckus’s attention. “You’re certain that’s what the message said? Not that she was injured and in surgery? In critical condition?”

  “I knew she was dead, Miss Grace,” she replied tightly. “The fact that I’d had the information hours before your arrival, and therefore was able to process it, is the only reason you were given the chance to speak to me at all.”

  “But the message, it came from Inkwell, right?”

  “Delaney.” Ruckus reached for her, grasped her hand, but she didn’t tear her gaze off the Basilissa. It took him a moment, but he figured out what she was getting at fairly quickly.

  The only people who’d known about Olena’s death had been in Inkwell. While he’d been unconscious, she and the Zane must have assumed the Rex had been the one to expose them, but he’d only been told about Delaney. He’d thought Olena was still alive. If Tilda had received a message stating otherwise, it meant someone in Inkwell had betrayed Trystan.

  “Actually, no,” Tilda said. “We traced the message back to Carnage.”

  Delaney was moving for the door without a second thought, forcing Ruckus into motion in order to stop her. He caught her before she could open the door, and she spun on him with a hiss that surprised him.

  She looked terrified and furious all wrapped into one.

  “We have to stop him!” She tried to shake off Ruckus, but he held on to her arms tightly.

  “Who?” Tilda asked, but it was clear Delaney wasn’t paying attention to her anymore.

  “It’s too late,” Ruckus said, trying to calm her down in the process. “He’s already taken off.”

  “So contact his ship!”

  “The one he brought us here on isn’t registered to Vakar systems. We’d have to ask the Kints to look up the vehicle number, ultimately alerting them that something was wrong.”

  “Something is wrong!” Finally Delaney shook him loose, but she didn’t try for the door again.

  “I’m sorry to say”—Tilda held up a hand—“I’m unclear as to what is going on.”

  “It’s a trap,” Delaney snapped.

  “For?”

  “The Zane,” Ruckus answered, watching as the breath stuttered out of Delaney, an almost lost expression flickering over her face.

  “The Rex knows about Olena,” she said. “Trystan is in danger.”

  CHAPTER 13

  His father met him on the tarmac.

  Which immediately had his hackles rising.

  The Rex was many things, but an attentive father wasn’t one of them. Yet here he was, waiting with his hands folded in front of him, watching the ship Trystan had managed to procure at the last minute hover above the landing zone and then slowly lower.

  He was doing a fairly good job of hiding the fact that he was still angry at his son’s delay—only years of experience allowed Trystan to see through it—and smiled broadly as soon as the Zane stepped from the ship and headed his way. The Rex even went so far as to wave, moving to clap his son on the back once he was close enough.

  “I had thought you’d leave it until the last minute. When I heard you were arriving earlier than expected,” the Rex said, leading them toward the stairwell that trailed from the roof to the innards of Carnage Castle, “I had to come see for myself.”

  He had to find out why, he meant. This whole show was made to put Trystan on edge, make him wonder what his father was up to. Of course, the fact that he was trying so hard to mask his lingering irritation also meant this was supposed to distract the Zane.

  From what? That was the question, and until he figured it out, the only thing he could do was play along.

  As soon as they started down the stairs, the familiar smell of the place assaulted his nose, and Trystan almost gave up his steady facade. There were very few things on the planet he hated more than that smell: a mixture of salt, smoke, and musk tha
t always reminded him of home. And how much he detested being there.

  “My business with Tilda concluded sooner than I thought it would,” Trystan said, forcing himself to ignore the disgusting scents and focus on reading the Rex’s physical cues.

  “You mean the Basilissa grew tired of your moping.” He clucked his tongue, his arm moving to wrap around the broad width of Trystan’s shoulders. He tugged him closer. “Son, I know it must have been very upsetting, losing your human, but she’s meaningless in the grand scheme of things. You’ll see. Once you’re on the Vakar throne, you’ll thank me.”

  So he still believed Delaney was dead. Trystan sighed internally. That was something good at least.

  “She wasn’t just a human,” he sneered, making sure to add an extra layer of outrage to his tone. He wouldn’t be expected to grieve openly—the Rex had trained him to be “stronger” than that—but a reaction was required to sell this ruse. It was a thin line. Too much, and he’d give himself away, exposing that Delaney lived. Too little, and he’d do the same.

  The Rex was clever.

  “Of course not, son.” He tightened his arm in what was probably meant to be a comforting squeeze. “She was your human. I know.”

  “Don’t patronize me,” Trystan growled, and this time he didn’t actually have to fake his anger.

  “Never,” the Rex said, ultimately doing so again. “You look like you could use some rest. I was hoping to have you attend the meeting with the council at my side, but no one should see you like this. When was the last time you slept, Trystan? Please don’t tell me you’ve been up all night, crying over her corpse? How morbid.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” he replied thickly. “You didn’t shed a single tear for Mother.”

  It was probably too far.

  The Rex paused with one leg hovering over the last step. They’d gone down several flights and were finally on the right floor, but instead of continuing, the Rex swiveled his head slowly until he was staring at Trystan darkly.