Chapter Thirty-Eight
“PAREN WAS THE ONE WHO PLOTTED to ruin the wedding,” Emily said, quietly. “He smuggled guns and explosives into the palace, intending to use them to slaughter the guests.”
“And us,” Imaiqah said. She sounded badly shaken. “He might have killed me.”
“He might not have intended to kill you,” Emily said, as gently as she could. Paren had never struck her as anything other than a loving family man. He hadn’t tried to marry Imaiqah off to the highest bidder, let alone put her in danger. “But he did plan to kill the king.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know just how far he intended to go, Imaiqah. Nanette clearly worked to make things worse, first by sabotaging the uprising and then by killing Paren before he could take control. I don’t know what she intended to do either.”
Alassa gave her a sharp look. “You should have told me.”
Emily looked back at her. “And then what?”
She met Alassa’s eyes. “What would you have done, if you’d known? What would your father have done? What would have happened to hundreds of innocent people if your father had even suspected the truth?”
“What did happen to hundreds of innocent people?” Imaiqah’s voice was very quiet. “You should have told us. Instead...”
“You would have been killed, when the time came to swear that you knew nothing about plots against the king,” Emily said. “You could only make such an oath–and survive–if you were truly innocent. And the only other option was to flee.”
Imaiqah sighed. “I understand your logic. But you never gave us the chance to choose.”
“Except even giving you the chance would have risked discovery, when I took the throne,” Alassa said. She looked down at the grass. “We could have worked something out, if we’d known we had to. There are ways we could have finagled the issue.”
“Perhaps,” Emily said. “But would your father have listened?”
She allowed her fingers to run over the snake-bracelet, wondering if this was the end of her first two friendships. Alassa and Imaiqah had every right to be mad at her, even if they understood the reasoning behind her decision. She ran through it again and again, wondering if she’d made the right choice. But she’d been the only one who knew. She could not have asked them without setting disaster in motion.
“He took Paren’s betrayal hard,” Alassa said, flatly. “Paren was only ennobled because of his service to the king. My father expected gratitude...”
“Your father didn’t keep his side of the bargain,” Emily pointed out. “And that’s something you’re going to have to watch.”
“I am not in the habit of breaking my word,” Alassa said, icily. “I will not betray those who assist me.”
“Your father thought he could buy Paren off with a minor ennoblement,” Emily reminded her. “And Paren was not so willing to abandon his principles–or the people he left behind when he moved onto the Royal Mile.”
Alassa ran her hands through her hair. “I wish you’d told us. I understand why you didn’t, but I wish you had. As it was...we were surprised. If I’d known, before Imaiqah had been arrested, I could have made preparations for the day the truth came out. And maybe she would have been more careful about answering a Royal Summons.”
She met Emily’s eyes. “Are there any other secrets you’re hiding from us?”
“Not about your kingdom,” Emily assured her, quietly. “What are you going to do about your father? And your uncle?”
Alassa clenched her fists. “I’m going to have to overthrow them, both of them,” she said, grimly. “Uncle...may not be able to offer much resistance, but the noblemen backing them”–she spat–“the Noblest, can muster considerable force. More, now they’ve thrown aside the king’s controls. I don’t know if they managed to take the city or not, but either way it’s going to be a long war.”
Perhaps, Emily thought.
“Father was building up a vast army when...when I was arrested,” Alassa added, after a moment. “He’ll hesitate to strike directly at Swanhaven, when he realizes where I am, because that would mean exposing his back to the Noblest...unless he genuinely thinks he can win a war on two fronts. If not...”
Alassa stood and started to pace. “An alliance with the Noblest may seem the best option, but I can’t trust them. They would want to turn the clock back a decade in exchange for their help. And they’d probably want me to give up much of my power and marry someone of their choice and that”–her voice hardened–“I will never do.”
“I understand,” Emily said. She looked at the faint bulge under Alassa’s shirt. “What about the baby?”
“Oh, they’ll probably want to foster the child,” Alassa said. She laughed, bitterly. “I was raised by my father, who was raised by his father...that’s three monarchs who were raised by men who understood the dangers of letting the nobility get out of control. They’ll want to make sure my son doesn’t think he can bash their heads in when they get too rowdy.”
She rested her hand on her swelling abdomen. “And I will do whatever it takes to ensure that I have a strong kingdom to pass down to this little one.”
Emily cocked her head. “Do you know...?”
“If it’s a boy?” Alassa shrugged. “I never checked. I daresay I could find someone willing to check, if I wished, but...it doesn’t matter. Boy or girl, the child is the heir to the throne and no bastard son is going to take that from my child.”
Imaiqah cleared her throat. “So you will keep your agreement with the Levellers?”
“More or less,” Alassa said. “Embracing the New Learning does seem to be the only way to survive, doesn’t it?”
Emily nodded. “You’ll have men willing to fight for you. The king and the nobility will have to rely on conscription.”
“And Tam said that much of Alexis is rebelling against the king,” Imaiqah added. “Your father may be in a tight spot.”
“Not unless they have a way of breaking into the castle,” Alassa said. “My father could hold the castle, the guardhouses and the major roads...the rest of the city is immaterial. He can simply starve them into submission, if he’s feeling patient.”
“Food was already running short,” Emily said.
She thought of the huge surpluses that had been produced in Cockatrice and scowled. Who would have thought that allowing the farmers to keep most of their produce would actually improve production? Food prices had been dropping across Cockatrice because more food was actually available. But the entrenched aristocracy wasn’t willing to give up its claim to everything the farmers produced. They could hardly be surprised when the farmers didn’t grow more than the bare minimum to feed their families.
It would mean giving up power, Emily thought. But I never considered that I had the power in the first place.
“It won’t be easy,” she said, quietly. “Your father was coming unhinged.”
“I know,” Alassa said. “He was starting to crack up even before he knew about Paren.”
Emily eyed her, wondering if Alassa really did have what it took to wage war on her father. If she’d shot Randor, only a few short hours ago, the war would be over by now...no, part of the war would be over. Alassa would have inherited the crown, but Randor’s minions might have tried to keep her from the throne and the Noblest wouldn’t have recognized her claim anyway. Their decision to use Duke Traduceus as their figurehead meant they logically couldn’t recognize Alassa as their monarch. Not, she supposed, that logic and reason meant much to the aristocracy. They’d twist everything out of shape until they got what they wanted.
“We’ll be with you,” Emily promised, quietly. “But...be careful.”
“I will be good,” Alassa said.
Imaiqah leaned forward. “So...you and Cat? How did that happen?”
Emily had to smile, even as her cheeks reddened. “You want to talk about that now?”
Alassa giggled. “Is there anything else to do while we wait for the boys?�
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“Probably not,” Emily said. She felt too tired to do much of anything, save sit down and wait. Her body wanted rest, but falling asleep now would be a very bad idea. “We just...we just walked out together, back at Whitehall. And then...”
She tried to put it into words, but nothing seemed to quite fit. “We ended up in bed together, after the first riot,” she added. “And then...we just enjoyed ourselves.”
“It is enjoyable,” Imaiqah said, deadpan.
Emily felt her blush grow deeper. “Yeah. But...”
She shrugged, unsure what she wanted to say. Cat had made it clear that they were nothing more than friends with benefits, although...he had risked his life to save her from the executioner’s axe. She made a mental note to ask him how he’d done it, although she could think of a couple of possible solutions. A man in a shapeless black outfit, complete with hood, could be anyone. Cat had probably found the executioner getting ready, turned him into something unnoticeable and stolen his clothes. Emily wondered if the executioner would have the sense to run, when the spell wore off. Randor would be looking for scapegoats and no one would defend a man they regarded as a legal murderer.
“His family isn’t that distinguished,” Alassa said, after a moment. “But he is clearly talented and powerful. You could do worse.”
“I’m not going to make babies with him,” Emily protested. “I...”
“Why not?” Alassa touched her baby bump significantly. “You and he would have powerful children.”
Emily shook her head, firmly. “Not now...not yet, anyway. I don’t know where things will go.”
“You have plenty of time,” Imaiqah said. “But make sure you and he both know the score.”
She smiled in bittersweet memory. “There’s nothing that makes matters worse than finding out you want one thing and your partner wants something else.”
“I know,” Emily said. “He was quite clear on what he wanted.”
It could be worse, she knew. She’d once seen a boy berating his ex-girlfriend, demanding to know why she’d thought he’d spent all that money on her. Of course he was interested in her sexually. She wondered what it meant that neither Caleb nor Cat had spent vast sums of money on her, although she suspected it was meaningless. She was richer than both of them by several orders of magnitude.
“Have fun, then,” Imaiqah said. She pointed a finger at Emily, meaningfully. “And make sure you keep up with your potions. Etta had a scare three years ago and it nearly killed her.”
Emily shrugged. Etta had never really impinged on her attention. One of Imaiqah’s roommates, she thought. Probably a girl from a commoner or noble background, if a pregnancy scare had threatened to turn into a disaster. A magical family wouldn’t be quite so furious if a daughter got pregnant out of wedlock. She would take a year or two off to deliver and wean the child, then she could either bring the baby up herself–as part of the family–or hand it over to her parents and go back to study. It was, she felt, a more rational response to an unplanned baby.
Particularly when abortion is banned on pain of death, she reminded herself. There would be no way to terminate a pregnancy without risking discovery and death.
“I took my potion last month,” she said. The potions always lasted three months, unless she chose to drink a counter-potion early. “I should be fine.”
“Be careful,” Alassa said. “You are a Baroness of Zangaria.”
“Only until your father gets around to striking me from the rolls,” Emily said. She was surprised it hadn’t already happened. Five of the remaining barons were in open revolt, while two of the other four were on the verge of revolting themselves. Alicia wouldn’t dare lodge a protest and Baron Gladstone was a known loyalist. “It won’t be long now.”
“And if he does, I’ll reinstate you,” Alassa promised. She touched her baby bump again, her fingers running over the bulge. “I’ll want you to be the child’s protector, if things go badly wrong.”
“Jade will protect both of you,” Emily said, quietly.
“I know,” Alassa said. She smiled, just for a second. “But anyone who wants to kill me, particularly after the baby is born, will also want to kill him.”
Emily nodded. Jade loved Alassa. He’d do everything in his power to protect her–and avenge her death if someone killed her. A powerful combat sorcerer with nothing to lose...there were necromancers who might tremble at the thought. No, Alassa was right. Anyone who killed her would also try to kill Jade. He’d certainly try to protect and raise his child, even if he didn’t seek revenge. No one would expect him to abandon his baby and walk away.
“If it happens, I’ll be there for the baby,” she said. “I just hope you’re not expecting me to raise him.”
Alassa giggled. “I could do worse.”
“Nightingale,” Emily said. “Or Shadye. Or...”
“I was thinking more of someone appointed by my father,” Alassa said, primly. “Although I suppose Nightingale was technically responsible for my education.”
“He did a fine job,” Imaiqah said, mischievously.
Alassa grinned, then sobered. “I’d expect you to do your best,” she said. She touched the space between her breasts, lightly. “It won’t be easy, if the worst happens. But I have faith in you.”
“Thank you,” Emily said. That meant a lot to her. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”
“It isn’t over yet,” Alassa said. She peered into the distance. “It won’t be over until the war is over.”
That won’t be the end, Emily thought. All the stories of happily ever after never seemed to talk about the struggles in rebuilding a kingdom. Reconstruction had been just as fraught as the Civil War, but it wasn’t studied so extensively in classes. You’ll have to reform your kingdom and somehow balance competing demands from a hundred different factions. And...
A thought struck her. “We had some help from Alicia,” she said. “Will you remember that?”
Alassa’s face darkened. “If I must. And if her child’s parentage is never revealed.”
“Some people are already talking,” Imaiqah said quietly. “The old biddies of both genders counted on their fingers and deduced that Alicia was already pregnant when she married.”
“Bah,” Alassa said. “It isn’t as if anyone cares.”
“They do,” Imaiqah said.
Emily sighed. A magical family might like the idea of the bride being pregnant before the wedding day, just to prove that bride and groom were compatible, but aristocrats preferred to believe that the bride was a virgin when she married. Not, she supposed, that it mattered in Alicia’s case. She was beautiful, but enough people knew that Lord Burrows was more interested in men than women to question if he’d been the one who’d impregnated her. And Alicia had been a king’s ward. Very few men would have dared to try to seduce her.
“They can blame everything on Lord Burrows,” she said. Her face twisted in distaste. “I’m sure the thought of being a Baron, in all but name, was enough to convince him to...perform.”
Alassa chuckled. “It really is astonishing how desirable a large inheritance can make you.”
She squatted on her haunches. “Very well. If Alicia doesn’t cause trouble for me, directly or indirectly, I’ll leave her alone. Everyone will believe, or claim to believe, that Lord Burrows fathered Alexis. But if she does cause trouble it will be the end of her. I want you to make that very clear to her.”
“I will,” Emily said. She wondered if Jade had had the foresight to pack up the chat parchment when they abandoned the warehouse. “I’m sure she’ll be relieved.”
“Yeah,” Alassa said. “I’m sure she’ll be relieved too.”
Emily looked up, sharply, as she heard feet tramping towards them. She readied a spell with the last of her energy, preparing herself for what might be her final fight, then relaxed as Jade stepped into the clearing. He was carrying a staff in one hand, but his face was calm. Cat stood behind him, looking relieved.
“They’ve agreed to join us,” he said. He’d been fairly certain that his connections would help, but he hadn’t been entirely sure. “And to start the march on Swanhaven City.”
Emily lifted her eyebrows. “You expect resistance?”
“I expect that whoever Randor put in my place will have made himself unpopular,” Jade commented. Swanhaven had revolted before, shortly after the wedding. Jade had been popular, when Randor had given him the barony, simply because he wasn’t either Lord Hans or Lady Regina. “However, he will also have a number of troops under his command.”
“Your troops,” Alassa said. She stood, her blonde hair glowing in the light. “I don’t think they will bar our way to the city.”
“I hope not,” Jade said. He helped Imaiqah to stand, then looked around. “Once we have Swanhaven, we move directly to Cockatrice. And then we can really start preparing for war.”
“If we manage to get control of Swanhaven,” Cat said, quietly. “This could still go badly wrong.”
“Jade trained the troops,” Alassa told him. The confidence in her voice was startling, for someone who’d spent six weeks in prison. “They won’t try to stop him.”
Emily hoped, as they started to walk down to the hunting lodge, that Alassa was right.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“IT’S GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK, My Lady,” Bryon said, as Emily stepped into the office. His eyes moved to Imaiqah. “And you too, My Lady.”
Emily nodded. Randor had appointed someone to control Cockatrice, after she’d been exiled and Imaiqah had been sent to the Tower, but the newcomer hadn’t had the time or the inclination to really make his mark on the barony. Bryon had been demoted, along with a handful of others, and replaced by the newcomer’s cronies...yet he hadn’t been kicked out of the castle, let alone executed. The newcomer’s policies had been halfway towards triggering a revolt when Alassa had escaped the Tower, but he hadn’t even had the sense to make sure of the loyalty of the guards. There had been a very quick and bloodless coup when Emily appeared at the gates, and that was that.
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