by Jasmine Walt
Malika looked up at Lynx with bloodshot eyes. “He was scared you would talk him out of it, if you knew. And he was so . . . distracted, you would have known something was wrong.”
“He’s right. I would have stopped him,” Lynx said. Then she paused. “Mali, I’m worried about one thing.”
“Just one?”
Lynx managed a wan smile. “Axel’s lips—they were turning blue. Did you see that?”
“Between your kisses? To be honest, no. Anyway, what does that matter?”
Even Kestrel perked up, taking an interest. “My sister knows quarrel wounds.” She turned to Lynx. “Blue lips aren’t typical, are they? Not unless . . .”
Lynx and Kestrel exchanged frowns.
Malika leaped to her feet. “Unless what?”
Lynx ran her hands over her face before speaking. “I—I don’t know. It shouldn’t be possible . . . but yet—”
“What?” Malika’s voice spiked.
“Tell her, Lynx,” Kestrel said. “It’s her brother. As annoying as she is, she has the right to know.”
Malika glared at Kestrel and then faced Lynx.
Lynx took Malika’s hand but continued speaking to Kestrel. She wanted facts before saying anything to further upset Axel’s sister. “How would Felix and Lukan have gotten hold of it? That’s what’s making me doubt.”
Malika pulled her hand away and dug her nails into Lynx’s arm. “Stop protecting me. Kestrel’s right. He’s my brother, and I love him as much as you do.”
“Did Axel say anything to you about poisoned quarrels?”
Malika looked from Lynx to Kestrel. “No. Why?”
“Nothing to Stefan?”
“I don’t know. Please, Lynx, what’s going on?”
Lynx pulled away from Malika, darted to the door, and started pounding on it. If she was right, Axel needed her right away. “Mother Saskia! Open up. I have to speak to Lukan and Felix. Urgently.” She turned to Malika. “Blue lips and extremities are telltale signs of murghi, a Norin poison. It slows the heart, addles the mind, and then paralyzes the limbs. After that, death is sure.” Lynx lowered her voice to a grim tone. “It has stood for centuries between Norin and destruction by you Chenayans.”
Malika blanched.
Lynx pounded on the door again. “Mother Saskia! Winds! Where is this woman?”
The door flew open, making Lynx jump back.
“Your Majesty?” Mother Saskia bowed low.
Lynx blinked, wondering to whom she was referring. Then, she remembered. Mott was dead. That made Lukan emperor, and by default, it made her empress.
She brushed the title aside. “I have to speak to Lukan and Felix about Axel.”
The priestess looked doubtful. “It’s not safe.”
“That can’t be helped.” Lynx pushed past Saskia but, in her haste, tripped over her skirt and high heels. “Dragon’s arse. Someone give me a knife.”
Mother Saskia hesitated and then obeyed, handing Lynx her stumpy dagger. Lynx grabbed a handful of fabric and bent down, stabbing the dress just above her knee. Then, she hacked away at the silk.
Mother Saskia hissed. “Your Majesty, generations of crown princesses have worn that dress.”
“There won’t be any more crown princesses if I have anything to do with it,” Lynx said, relishing the screech of tearing silk. She stepped over the mound of discarded fabric with bare feet. “Where will I find them?”
The clatter of boots on stone drowned out anything the priestess may have said. Stefan stormed around the corner, skidding to a halt in front of Lynx. Fit as he was, his breath came in rasps.
“Axel . . . he needs you. Come. Infirmary.”
“Is Lukan there?” Lynx demanded, falling into step with him.
“Felix, too. Axel’s been poisoned.”
Skirt swaying, Malika ran after Lynx as she and Stefan raced down the passageway.
As they rounded the corner, Lynx heard Kestrel shout from behind, “Don’t mind me!”
Ignoring her petulant sister, Lynx ran on. The route to the infirmary took Lynx down different passages and halls, ones she had never seen before. In each one, people clumped, faces drawn and frightened, audible snippets of their conversation centered on the horror of the wedding. They dropped into deep bows as Lynx sprinted by. There would be no wedding party in the great hall tonight. Who celebrated the assassination of an emperor and the attempted murder of one of his heirs?
Only the assassins. Lukan will pay for this if it’s the last thing I do.
Breathing hard, she, Stefan, and Malika finally stopped outside a white door bearing the ubiquitous Dragon emblem. Stefan flung it open, and Lynx bolted in, dodging her way around beds filled with the sick and dying.
A priestess looked up from a man she was tending. She bobbed a knee and then gestured to a closed door. “In there, Your Majesty.”
Lynx surged past Stefan and Malika and barged into a small private ward. Stark and utilitarian, it was furnished with only a single wooden bed, a chair, and a small table with a bowl of water, a cloth, and a heap of bloody bandages. Axel lay on his stomach, his clothing ripped open to expose his back. His father sat at his head, mopping his sweaty face. Lukan leaned against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest.
Malika fell down next to Axel and took his hand. Stefan stayed close to Lynx’s side.
Lynx gasped when she saw Axel’s face. Although his eyes were closed, his wildly fluttering eyelids and rambling moans all pointed to murghi. She gently lifted his other hand and swore. His fingers were blue up to the first knuckles.
She turned to Lukan. “The poison. How did you get it?”
Felix answered. “That is unimportant. What matters now is to heal him.”
Lynx agreed. Still, she folded her arm. Murghi in the hands of the enemy was devastating for Norin. While she would do anything to save Axel, she also had to protect her tribe. That meant the destruction of all stocks in Chenayan possession. Axel was the only bargaining chip she had. Surely, Felix wouldn’t hesitate to answer her questions if he believed she might not save his son? She meant to, of course, but Felix wouldn’t know that.
She thrust her chin at the Lord of the Household. “Answer my question.”
Felix stood. “My son sacrificed himself for you, and this is how you repay him . . . by arguing details?”
“That sacrifice would not have been necessary had it not been for the two of you.” Lynx turned icy eyes on Lukan.
Lukan’s mouth dropped. “Don’t include me in this. I was as shocked as you were when that second quarrel hit.”
Liar! Dismissing him, she said to Felix, “The safety of my people is no mere detail.” She bit her lip, hating what she was about to say, but she knew Axel would not only understand but approve. “You want an antidote for your son’s poison, but it comes at a price—a full disclosure of how you got the murghi and how many stocks you hold.”
Felix’s jaw set in a hard line, and she wondered if he’d answer. Felix Avanov clearly didn’t like receiving ultimatums. Trouble was, despite her agony at every one of Axel’s ragged breaths, she wouldn’t back down. He would answer her, and she would save Axel. It was the only way this would end. She ignored Malika’s gasps of shock and focused on Felix.
Finally, Lukan broke the impasse. “He only had one dose. He got it off a dead raider who took you and your sister to Tanamre.”
Lynx had barely processed his words when her knees buckled. She had to grab onto the bed for support. “You . . . you murdered one of my raiders? Which one?”
On arriving at Tanamre, she had commanded three men who had accompanied them to reconnoiter the Chenayan military base—Onyx, Ash, and Buzzard—while Heron escorted her and Kestrel into the camp. Which of them had been killed? It couldn’t be Heron, could it?
“What does it matter?” Felix snarled. “These are trifles compared to my son.”
Lynx swung her fist to hit Felix, but Stefan grabbed her arm.
“No, Your Majesty,�
�� Stefan whispered, as if he were reminding her of her station. “That would not be wise.” He gestured to Axel writhing on the bed. “Please, focus and save my friend.”
Lynx lowered her arm, then fixed Felix with her hardest, coldest stare. “From your own lips . . . how much murghi do you hold?”
Felix pulled out his handkerchief and started blowing his nose. Lynx leaped forward, snatched the filthy cloth away, and tossed it on the floor.
“Answer my question, or I walk out of here, and Axel dies.” Her firm voice betrayed nothing of the pain and anguish hiding behind the façade of her gambit.
Malika’s accusing stare was almost too painful to bear. Hopefully, she would give Lynx a chance to explain when all this was over. Who could have imagined that the opinion of a Chenayan girl could ever mean so much to me?
Lukan, who had been strangely quiet, now drifted over and stood next to Lynx. Sneering, he said, “Well, Uncle, it seems you have finally met someone who will not let you hide behind your rag. It looks to me as if she has you on the run.”
Lynx shot him a look, wondering why he was siding with her. Whatever he wants, he’s not getting it. Ever.
Felix pulled his cape tighter around his shoulders and brushed his wispy hair from his face. “There was one dose, and only one raider died. My operators barely escaped with their lives. Heron . . . your raider? Is that your lieutenant’s name? He tracked them mercilessly.”
Lynx wanted to heave a sigh of relief, but she didn’t, working hard to maintain her icy stare as Felix said, “If it hadn’t been for the waiting airship, he probably would have caught them.”
Lynx studied Felix’s face. Finally, she let out that sigh. For the first time since meeting him, the Lord of the Household’s expression blazed truth. She moved to Axel and ran her fingers gently down his beautiful arm. Then, she picked up the cloth and knelt to wipe his face.
Although she knew he would not understand her, she pressed her lips to his ear and whispered, “Even if he had more stocks of poison, I would have found a way to save you. You know that, don’t you?” Ignoring Lukan’s gasp of protest, she dropped a kiss on the side of Axel’s face.
She stood to face her audience, delighted to see a softening in Malika’s eyes. Perhaps she understood after all. “My uncle, Bear. Summon him so I can brief him on what to write to my father.”
Felix and Lukan exchanged heavy looks.
Lynx’s heart raced. “I haven’t seen my uncle since the ball. Where is he?”
Felix cleared his throat. “Beyond our service. We will have to plan without him.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s dead,” Lukan said bluntly. He pointed to Felix. “He killed him. Apparently, Bear said he would help you spy.”
A combination of rage and guilt almost floored Lynx.
Lukan seemed not to notice. He glowered at Felix. “Just another bit of conniving my uncle has been engaged in these last few days.”
Lynx struck Felix across the face. He staggered, falling back toward the chair, missed it, and crumpled onto the floor.
“You murdered my uncle!” she screamed. “And my raider! You planned to kill me! And now you want my help? If it wasn’t for your son, I would tell you to drown in your own snot, you despicable little man.”
Lukan snorted a laugh, and Stefan’s and Malika’s eyes widened. Felix’s hands clawed at the air, and he tried to rise.
“I warned you, Uncle, but you didn’t listen,” Lukan said, with obvious delight, doing nothing to help him.
Lynx longed to know what Felix had done to anger Lukan, but there was no time to worry about that now. She had another agenda with her new husband. While Stefan and Malika helped Felix up, she spun to face Lukan. “And you, you rat. You wanted me dead, too. You won’t get away with it. I keep a long memory of my enemies.”
“How dare you,” Lukan said right back. “I told you, I had nothing to do with this. Like you, I’m an innocent bystander. This was all Felix.”
“Then why did Axel see you talking to the assassin about killing me?”
Lukan’s face paled. His mouth snapped closed; clearly he was marshaling his thoughts.
With no interest in what he had to say, Lynx pivoted back to Stefan. “Colonel Zarot, it seems you are the only one here I can trust—”
“You have other allies, too, Lynx.” Tao stepped into the room. “I will ensure any message you send to your father is carried by a loyal bearer.” Cold eyes turned to Lukan. “Someone not so easily swayed by my uncle.”
Lynx just resisted the urge to throw her arm around him. “There is no time for a message.” She brushed Axel’s matted hair. “Those airships Felix spoke of,” she glared at the Lord of the Household, who glared right back with vengeance and fury, “how fast are they?” She had no idea what an airship was, but she wasn’t going to waste any more time to find out.
“Faster than a train,” Stefan said. “He’ll be in Norin in three days. Unless your tribe has moved.”
Another squeak of relief escaped Lynx. Thanks to the egg raid planned for the wedding, the Norin would still be camped near Tanamre. “Three days it is. I’ll write to my father. Bring me ink and paper.”
Stefan moved to obey. He returned moments later, handing her everything she needed. She sat on the edge of the bed, next to Axel, with the paper balanced on her knee. Felix loomed over her expectantly. Stefan held the ink pot. Her skin burned, aware of Lukan watching her through hooded eyes.
“What are you going to say?” Malika knelt next to her brother, gently caressing his unharmed shoulder.
Lynx had no idea.
Father, I love him. Heal him for me. She couldn’t see her father accepting that when she was honor-bound to marry Lukan. But I did marry Lukan. That doesn’t mean my heart belongs to him.
She dipped her quill in the ink and wrote: Father, My honor remains in Cian, but I send you my heart. Please counter his murghi. She paused, realizing her father may think she had written the letter under duress. That meant she had to include something more personal. It was risky, but she added: The ruby next to his eye means nothing. But the guardsmen’s jaspers contain powers derived from technology predating the Burning. Axel will explain everything. She signed and folded the letter, wishing she had some sealing wax.
Felix obliged, dripping the melting wax onto the letter. Lynx hesitated, unsure of what to seal it with.
Tao stepped forward and pressed his signet ring into the hot wax. “Let him know you have other friends here.” Tao was still shooting glares at Lukan. Clearly, Tao had no trouble believing Lukan wanted her dead.
The wax had not yet hardened when Felix commanded, “Out with the bed. The airship is waiting at the launch pad.”
Tao and Stefan each grabbed an end and hefted the bed up, ready to march Axel from the room.
“Wait, Father,” Malika cried. “You can’t let him go alone. He needs someone to watch over him.”
“One of the priestesses, surely,” Stefan said, looking between Malika and Felix.
Lukan stepped forward, staring coolly at Stefan. “As emperor, I make that call, and I think it fitting that Colonel Zarot go.”
Stefan’s eyes darted to Lynx. With him gone, she was minus a vital ally. Still, Malika was right; Axel could not travel alone. She nodded, as if she had the power of veto or ratification over the emperor’s commands.
“Go. Tell Heron I send my love. Explain . . .” She paused. “You’ll know what to do when you meet him.”
“Enough of all this waffling,” Felix snapped, moving to the door.
Lynx was about to follow Axel when Lukan grabbed her arm. “You and I need to talk.”
43
Lynx wanted to shake Lukan off, to go with Axel, but Lukan needed dealing with. She could not live with a potential murderer. After waiting for the room to clear, she turned to him. “You do know that from now on, it’s war.”
Lukan’s breath hitched, and then he pleaded, “Lynx, listen to me, you’ve got
it all wrong. I planned to save you. Honestly, I did. I had this whole speech worked out that I was going to give the high-born. It would have changed everything.”
“A speech? That was going to save me from a quarrel?” Lynx shook her head in disbelief. “Tell that to Axel!”
Anger flashed across Lukan’s face, and his eyes narrowed. “Don’t talk to me about Axel. I had to stand in front of the whole court, watching while you kissed him not five minutes after we married.”
Ignoring his outburst, Lynx added, “I wouldn’t have needed saving if you hadn’t plotted to kill me in the first place.” Why she was debating with him, she’d never know, when all she wanted was to break his neck.
Because I’m not ready to take on the Fifteen yet. Until I am, I have to manage this man. For that, she had to bring him firmly under control. Everything she knew about him screamed that fear and humiliation where the best tools for nobbling Lukan Avanov.
Lukan confirmed her thoughts by saying, “I’ve now told you over and over that my intentions were pure, but you have chosen not to believe me. Lynx, you have humiliated me in every possible way.”
“And humiliation beats premeditated murder every time.” Lynx laughed mockingly. “Lukan, even if I believe you, you sported with my life.”
“What about Axel?” Lukan demanded indignantly. “Did he tell you what everyone was planning?”
“No. He didn’t. But that’s not the point. He made a choice to use his life to protect mine.” She scowled at him. “And what about next time?”
“Next time?”
“Yes! Next time your uncle decides I’m not worthy to live? How can I trust you not to plot against me again?”
Lukan’s hands gripped his hair and then fell back to his sides. He strode across the room and hit the wall with his palm. “Because I want you. I’ve always wanted you, since the day I first saw you. You know that. Why would I harm you?”
The memory of Lukan leering at her across the hall during the summer burned harsh in Lynx’s mind. Still, she would have expected the threat of her son to have changed that. Apparently, she was wrong.
“Want is not love. I’m nothing but an object to you. I saw that at the ball. And it played out again so beautifully when you schemed with Felix to kill me.”