by M. D. Laird
“What makes you so sure I would be a target?”
“Because,” he started as the attendants served the first course, “you have the potential to make the most lethal weapons in Anaxagoras—people would fear you, but they would also want them for themselves.”
“If that were true, then surely they would have weapons from Lycea?”
The king sneered. “Only Arkazatinia sullies its land with Lycean filth—no offence intended.”
Eve sipped her wine and ignored the comment. She was relieved that the idea of Lycean weapons caused such offence, though the king was apparently willing to lower himself by allying with a Lycean queen. “If we were to ally then our armies could take on the armies of the islands and Vernasia—that would deter them from attacking.”
“What is in that for me?”
Lord Ezra spoke. “Your Majesty, I am Lord Ezra of the Impærielas. I am afraid that it would be against the values of the Impærielas for Her Majesty to make the weapons, but we can still offer a valuable alliance. We have alliances with witches, fae and we have skilled thorian and hominem armies in addition to the angel and demon armies. We are, without adamantine, a much stronger force than any country in Anaxagoras. If we were to ally then, as Her Majesty says, it would be a deterrent enough. The island lords and the Vernasian king would have to be quite mad to attack us.”
“What if I should ally with the island lords and the Vernasian king against you? You have strong armies, and your queen has great power, but we are strong on our own. We have more alchemists than you do and we have mines rich with alchemical rocks. We have uncovered secrets that your land is not even close to discovering. Your preoccupation with science and technology and making money in Lycea has left you blind to the possibilities of alchemy. Perhaps I can share them with you. We could make each other very wealthy indeed—just imagine, no more worry about how you will pay for your public services.”
“We have no desire to wage war against you, Your Majesty,” Ezra continued. “We wish for a peaceful alliance, but if you do not want to sign a treaty with us then we will accept that, and we will not stir up trouble with you. We will be at peace as we have for many years. Perhaps Her Majesty will give a little more thought to the marriage to your son if that will make you feel more at ease with our peace.”
Eve wanted to glare at Ezra but kept her anger from her expression. The king raised his chin.
“I shall make you a deal, Your Majesty,” the king said. “Marry my son, and I will not declare war on your lands.”
Eve’s eyes met his. “Please forgive my ignorance, Your Majesty,” she said, “but I fail to see how such an arrangement would make our alliance stronger. Unless me taking your son to my bed puts my magic at risk in a way which will allow you to take it from me then I cannot understand what can be gained.”
“Those are my terms, Your Majesty,” snapped the king.
Eve sat back and thought through her options.
I can’t let us go to war for my own selfishness. He did say they had powerful alchemists—what if they take the magic from me? I need to know if there is a way to protect myself.
“May I take a few days to consider my options before I give my answer,” she said. “I should also like to meet your son. Also, I will have some things I wish to discuss before I can agree.”
The king gave an arrogant smile. “Take as long as you wish, Your Majesty,” he said. “And what things are they?”
“I will not agree to the marriage unless you make forced marriages illegal. I have also heard that you conduct brutal punishments against prisoners—that must stop.”
The king sipped his wine. “That can be arranged—once you have consented to marry. It seems our alliance will protect many people,” he gave her a self-satisfied grin.
Eve did not know whether he had another plan or if he was just pleased that he would have the rest of their lives to work on her about the adamantine weapons. Eve’s thoughts were interrupted by a member of the King’s Guard who entered the room and approached the king to hand him a note. The king read the letter and wiped his mouth.
“I’m afraid I am the one who must leave early,” he said. “I have urgent matters to attend to. I look forward to receiving your answer, Your Majesty.”
The king strode out of his dining room and down the stairs to his dungeon. The dungeon was full of guards, and they bowed towards him as he entered.
“She is over here, Your Majesty,” said Victor.
The king smiled and bid the rest of his guards to leave. “I see you have chained her in the same place as her love, Victor. That’s very cruel.” He laughed. “Now, Eleanor, why didn’t you send word you were coming?”
The princess glared at him.
“I’ve been waiting for you to return after one of my guards saw you a few nights ago,” he said, acidly. “Where is your husband?”
“He’s at home?”
“And he lets you out alone?”
“He thinks I’m seeing a friend.”
“You mean he trusts you after he knows you were tainted by that farm boy.”
“Well, you married me to a demon.” She laughed. “You should have guessed I would be able to wrap him around my little finger. They don’t know they’re being lied to unless they can smell it on you—all I have to do is wear perfume to counter the scent, and he believes everything I say.”
“You have always been a vile little bitch.” He snarled. “Why have you been coming here? Has the queen put you up to this?”
“The queen doesn’t know I’m here either—no one does,” she said, smiling wickedly. “I had hoped to take advantage of your guards being distracted by her visit. I knew it was risky, but it was worth it for a chance to kill you and your henchman.”
“I don’t know why you look so happy,” he said. “You have been captured, and you’ll be killing no one.”
“No.” She snarled. “But I have the chance to tell you what I think of you. You now know that I hate you enough to want you dead. I have always hated you, but I despise you even more for what you did to James. I can also die in peace knowing that you are going to burn in Hell for what you did. I have it on good authority that you have both condemned yourselves.”
“You are a disgraceful daughter, Eleanor. I have always been ashamed of you. It says a great deal about you when the only person who can stand to be around you is a demon. I am within my rights to execute you for breaking into the king’s home. But first, you will suffer.” He turned to Victor. “Use the bullwhip. Don’t worry about the scars and keep going until you get bored or she’s unconscious—whichever comes first.”
Eleanor glared at him, her chin high with defiance. He left the dungeon to the sound of her screams as the whip struck her back.
Thomas flew back to his guild in the midspace. He knew the princess had been captured when he heard the guard’s shouts as she entered the tunnel. He was tempted to go after her—the tunnel wasn’t quite in the guild, and he could have saved her. In the end, he could not risk his decree. He left the vector as they had agreed it would give the impression she had arrived at the guild alone.
He felt irritated with the princess. He had known it was a bad idea—he knew she would get caught.
She had better not implicate me!
If she did, the consequences for his guild would be disastrous.
Stupid girl!
When he arrived at the guild, the queen and her party were still to arrive. He went to his office and poured himself a glass of brandy. He did not want to go to his bedroom just yet.
He eyed the document in front of him. He had the princess sign a statement to confirm that she had been given several warnings that the prince would not rescue her if she were captured by her father. The document stated if she were captured then she would no longer be considered a member of his guild and he was under no obligation to protect her. He would never be able to show the document to the king but it would satisfy
his duty with regards to his decree and would keep Hell off his back.
He gulped the brandy before pouring another and sitting back in his chair with his feet on the desk. He glanced at the landscape image the princess had painted that now adorned the wall of his office. His life would be quieter without his wife.
I’ll be able to meet other people.
He supposed he should be relieved—marriage imposed a lot of limitations upon him and had caused him no end of trouble with the king. He was free now.
I should be happy about that.
He gulped down the brandy before midspacing to his room.
“I can’t rescue her without breaching my decree,” said Thomas to Eve over breakfast the next morning. The prince had explained that the princess had visited the guild to try and find evidence of the Crown and had been captured. Eve felt furious that he had left her and had not gone inside to rescue her. “There is nothing I can do.”
“You’re just going to leave her with that monster?” she screamed. “He will torture her.”
“She knew the risks, Your Majesty. She knew there was a good chance that she wouldn’t survive.”
“She might survive if you save her. You’re letting her die!”
“She knows I can’t risk my decree; she won’t be expecting me to save her. I gave her a celestite—she won’t be in any pain.”
“A what?”
“A celestite. It is an alchemical substance that eliminates pain. I gave it to her before she left. She has implanted it under her skin so she would not suffer if she were caught.”
Of all the evil things!
“You told her you had no intention of saving her?”
“She knows that, Your Majesty. She accepts it.”
“You cold-hearted, selfish—” Eve screamed. “I will make you suffer!”
Thomas howled as he fell to the floor under her torture.
“Stop this at once!” shouted Jacob.
Eve stopped, though her anger did not dissipate. Her power thundered through her veins just waiting for another excuse to unleash it.
“Please leave us,” said Jacob to everyone in the room. He turned to the guards who had heard the commotion and had midspaced through the wall. “Rejoin your brothers in the dining hall. We will be fine here.”
Thomas pulled himself to his feet. He glared angrily at her, but he said nothing and stormed out of the parlour.
“That was a disgraceful display, Your Majesty,” said Jacob firmly.
“He deserved it.” Eve growled.
“Why did he?”
“Because he is cold-hearted, evil and selfish and he will just let his wife die rather than risk breaking the rules to save her. He deserves everything he gets.”
“Your Majesty, you have worked with demons for three years, and you still don’t understand them.”
“I understand them perfectly fine. My guards would save me. Calab would save me.”
“Calab is an exception as well you know, it is unfair to compare the other demons to him, and your guards are bound by their duty to Arkazatinia and their oath as a guard to protect their queen.”
“So when they don’t have a duty they are evil bastards, is that what you’re saying?” She snarled.
“You are being very unfair. They are not evil, they just don’t see things the way you do, and you resent them for that. Prince Thomas has a duty to protect his guild and all the demons within it and to follow his decree. If he breaches his decree they will all be exiled from Axandria and that will put them all in a very difficult position. High Prince Sonneillon will be furious—Heaven would be furious.”
“I can’t believe you’re defending him—you can’t possibly agree with him.”
“I don’t have to agree with him to understand his position, Your Majesty. I just have to understand that, for him, this is the way things are. He likes the princess, but he sees the risk of saving her is too great. If you were not at the mercy of your emotions, you would see that as well. You might not agree with him, but you should try and accept that this is his view of the situation—and likely the view of most demons—and you should not persecute him for it. You told Thomas that you wouldn’t aid his revolution as it would be considered an act of war. It is the same thing.”
Eve pressed her fingers to her temples and gave an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know how you can stand it. It must pain you.”
“It pains me that the princess is in trouble. It does not pain me that Thomas will not help because I accept that this is the way things are. The princess accepts him, but you do not—you fight the demons, you always have. You become frustrated with the demons and the angels because they will not think like you. Because they will not break the rules to save people.
“You are thorian, and you were human once, and you are reckless and careless. Demons and angels do not think as you do. The demons are impulsive by nature, but they are compelled to follow the rules. Calab, for whatever reason, was able to break them easily, but other demons cannot. Angels are equally fastidious of rules. We can break them, but we won’t. Neither demon nor angel will cast them aside, regardless of the consequences. Our ruling is from Heaven. It is from a far greater power than anything here on earth and is more important than any life—no matter how precious they are to you.
“I’m sorry if this is not what you wish to hear, Your Majesty, but you must understand because I will not stand by whilst you torture anyone else. We have an obligation to protect members of our guild and we can extend this, when the need arises, to protect others. I will protect the demons if necessary. You may be my queen, but if you threaten our decree like this, there will be consequences.”
“Are you threatening me, Son Jacob?”
“I am, Your Majesty.”
Eve swallowed. Wow! She had seriously pissed him off. Damn me and my flaming temper. I wish I didn’t have this magic. Why do I have it? I can’t be trusted with it.
Thomas had left the guild with Arakiel after he had left the parlour. He could not launch a rescue effort, but he could try to speak to the king—maybe he could reason with him.
It was mid-morning when they arrived at the Guild of Rexalis. Prince Thomas rang the bell and requested an urgent audience with the king. The king kept him waiting for almost an hour before inviting him into his throne room.
“What is it, Prince Thomas?” the king asked gruffly. “This is not my usual day to receive visitors, and I am very busy.”
“My wife did not return home last night after visiting her friend,” said Thomas. “I had the queen use her watch to find our vector, and it is stationed close to your guild. I wondered if she came here.” Thomas did not know if the queen’s vox would find the vector or not, but it sounded plausible, and the king would be unlikely to know either.
“Why did you allow her out on her own?” snapped the king.
“She isn’t my prisoner,” said Thomas. “She has always returned before. I don’t think she has run away as she has taken no belongings with her.”
“My guards found her attempting to break into my guild, it is not the first time she has been seen.”
“Break in?” said Thomas. “Why would she need to break in? Surely she is allowed to visit.”
“She wanted to kill my attendant and me.”
“Why?” asked Thomas, trying to appear confused.
“Because I executed the farm boy.”
Thomas continued to appear baffled. “Where is she now?”
“In my dungeon. We have taken her prisoner for treason.”
“Can I take her back?”
“No. She is being held for treason.”
“I can make sure she doesn’t get out again.”
“Prince Thomas, you don’t appear to grasp the seriousness of the situation. She has tried to murder the king.”
“You said the guards caught her breaking in? Surely then she didn’t get close enough to attempt murder? You could give
her a warning—I will give her a warning, and I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The king looked thoughtful and sat back against his throne. “I might be willing to consider a trade.”
“Why do I need to trade? She is my wife.”
The king smiled. “Your quest is almost complete, and the queen is on the cusp of agreeing to marry my son. Now, I promised you a duchy if you completed your quest, I have one free in the east, and I’d like you to consider relocating there.”
“Why? We have caused no problems for you where we are.”
“Don’t act dumb, Prince. You know I want the adamantine.”
“High Prince Sonneillon would move the adamantine if we were to relocate.”
“There are exceptions to that rule,” sneered the king.
“We have done nothing to deserve eviction.”
“Let’s just say that I have found a clause which can give me access to the adamantine without you incurring the wrath of Hell.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Your Majesty.”
“I can make it worth your while.”
“No, thank you. I will just find another wife.”
The king glared at him and gritted his teeth impatiently. “The princess has committed treason and the sentence for treason is death; however, I may be willing to forgo the ultimate punishment if you pay a sum to the Crown.”
“What sum?”
“One hundred thousand.”
“One hundred thousand mirs!” remarked Thomas. “That amount would pay for all the land in Rexalis. Why not just keep the duchy—I don’t need it anyway.”
“Do you not see the value of the duchy, Prince? It comes with a title and a voice in my court.”
The prince shrugged.
The king appeared exasperated. “One hundred thousand and I will release her. It is a fair price and one I know you can afford.”