by J. C. Owens
Taldan could not have a better person at his back, and Isnay was more than glad that it had turned out as it had, the two brothers closer than they or anyone else truly understood. There would be no sibling murders in this reign, thank the gods. Instead, Isnay felt that the two of them could forge a partnership that could make the empire stronger still and perhaps pave the way for a future where family members might work together.
The door flew open, admitting a furious Naral, who then slammed it shut with enough force to make Isnay’s ears ring with the sound.
“Cousin?” He made a move toward Naral, but his cousin flopped into the nearest chair, scowling fiercely, hands clenched upon the arm rests.
Prince Zaran eyed him with weary resignation. “Now what?”
“The emperor himself has forbidden me to go with you into Odenar.” Naral bared his teeth, eyes flashing with fury.
The younger prince’s expression was surprised.
“Of course you would not be allowed to go. You’re the head of the security forces here, Naral.”
Naral glared at him. “I don’t give a damn what my job is. You aren’t going alone.”
Zaran raised a brow. “As my brother would say, think about this logically. I’ll hardly be alone, with an army at my back and Shadows surrounding me.” He cocked his head, regarding the other man gravely. “You’re brave, but your sword won’t make the difference.”
Naral gave a disgusted snort. “Like they’ll take care of you? They see nothing but your title, not the man. You are as bad as Taldan, never thinking of your own needs. You need someone with you.”
Isnay stared in surprise at his cousin before glancing at Zaran.
The prince had a peculiar expression, softer somehow than his normal cold demeanor.
“You’re a fool to have the emperor annoyed at you. I will be fine.”
Naral folded his arms over his chest, scowling, refusing to answer and looking rather like an overgrown toddler.
Isnay bit back a smile. His cousin was so overbearing, so loud and forceful with his emotions, but he cared fiercely for everyone around him. He was a good man, though he could learn a thing or two about tact. The man didn’t have a diplomatic bone in his body.
Isnay had spent half his life soothing ruffled feathers that Naral left in his path. He was exasperating and sweet in the same package. It was good that he had Taldan behind him because the gods know that he would have been in serious trouble a time or two over his attitude.
“I’ve talked to Gratolin. He and two of the men are going with you. It’s the best I can do, damn it.” The frustration was clearly evident.
Zaran moved to lay a hand on his shoulder, a small, rare smile tilting his lips. “I thank you then, but taking your second in command away? Now? You will need him with the coronation only days away.”
“I’ll make do. You’re more important.” Naral scowled more deeply before rising to his feet impatiently and storming out of the room as precipitously as he had arrived. Rather like a human hurricane.
Zaran and Isnay glanced at each other, and neither could prevent a small chuckle from breaking free. The gloomy atmosphere had definitely been lightened.
“He wears himself into the ground, worrying about everyone and everything.” Zaran’s wry observation was nothing but the truth.
“You and Taldan are his family. He considers you brothers. There’s not much you can do about it once he makes up his mind.”
Zaran’s expression went blank for a moment, then he turned away, back to his desk. “I need to make lists. Would you help, Isnay? We leave for Odenar tomorrow evening.”
Isnay laid a gentle hand on Zaran’s shoulder. “Are you ready for this, my prince?”
Zaran paused, then glanced up, his eyes bleak.
“I have to be. I will be both a representative of my father, and with Taldan’s ascension, his right hand. I have no choice but to be everything that would make Anrodnes proud.”
And with that, the gloomy atmosphere had returned. Isnay wondered what he could possibly say that was in the least comforting.
* * *
Raine
Raine heard the bolt draw back, and he rose to his feet, already smiling, anticipating Isnay’s arrival.
The door swung open, and his stomach clenched as a powerful surge of energy bombarded him. He immediately dropped down to his knee, heart pounding.
Prince Taldan stepped through the door.
“Rise. I have come to speak to you, and I advise you to answer my questions with complete honesty. At this point, you are on the edge of survival.” The cold tones flowed over him, and Raine swallowed with difficulty before nodding fervently.
He got to his feet, whereupon the imperial heir gestured for him to sit upon the bed.
One of the Shadows brought in a chair and set it down for the prince, who seated himself with that eerie grace he possessed that always caught Raine’s eye.
Raine returned his gaze to Taldan, fighting to meet that cold stare with even a sliver of equanimity. “Yes, I understand, Your Imperial Highness.” He could do this. Perhaps this was the chance to clear his name, make sure that his side of things had been told properly. He just had to make sure that he thought carefully, chose the words that would convey his reasoning.
More than anything, he wanted to set this right. He wanted to make that icy look in the prince’s eyes fade away into the almost heated look he had seen once before…
“When, exactly, did your brother create the idea of invasion?” Taldan’s gaze bored into him, no mercy in those cold eyes.
“Two years ago. After a friend of his had traveled to Bhantan to purchase a stallion.”
“There was no thought of this before that?”
“Not that I was aware of, but Your Highness, I was not exactly the person most likely to be told of such things.”
Taldan nodded curtly in acknowledgement. “How did this visit prompt thoughts of invasion?”
“His friend laughed about the security at the border, that there was none, just a couple of guards at the roadside, no military post, no attempt to question their presence other than wish them a good trip.” Raine gave a sad grimace. “Bhantan is a nation that prizes peace highly, and they do not have an army and are led by an elderly king. I find it sad that being peaceful, being pleasant, should immediately bring about thoughts of how to take advantage of their nature.”
Taldan watched him with a gimlet stare, but something seemed to relax ever so slightly at Raine’s comment. “Indeed. So that alone was the reasoning? The cause? Bhantan was weak and unprepared?”
Raine frowned. “A new coal mine opened in Bhantan’s north, close to the mountains, and they discovered a huge deposit of illenium. That metal is worth a fortune in the market. Apparently, Bhantan is already shipping it to the east, where it is prized highly, and people will pay almost any amount to possess it. My suspicion is that Parsul and my brothers saw an opportunity for wealth and power. Controlling the mines would give them leverage, even leverage with the empire.”
Taldan’s eyebrow rose steeply. “Did Lord Parsul think we would not find out? Even if we had been as foolish as he seemed to assume and approved the invasion or looked the other way, Persis would expect the lion’s share of the illenium.”
“Your Highness, I talked till I was blue in the face about the certain outcome of any invasion. Whatever the reasoning behind it, it was a fool’s game at best and a death sentence at worst. I’m well aware of the penalties for traitors. I may not be familiar with most of the laws of Anrodnes, a lack I feel keenly now that I understand the differences, but I know the basics, and I felt very, very sure that the emperor would not see my brother’s actions as anything but an act of rebellion. I argued with him…” He raised a hand to a show a pink scar just under his hair line. “I received this in return. It was then I gave up on trying to convince him of the sheer madness of what he was proposing.” He looked up, meeting the prince’s stare fully. “Parsul is not one to l
isten to prudent advice. He believes himself supreme ruler of Odenar and seems to think that Anrodnes is too far away to care.”
“Yet he sent you here to me,” Taldan said. “And because of that, he has jeopardized his plan.”
“He felt…he felt that I could seduce you with my looks…become the Chosen… Then you would look the other way when my brothers acted. If it upset you…then I would be here to soothe you…”
He could barely get the words out. The pain and shame inside him were burning through his heart. He had failed this man so badly. How had he ever even dreamed he might be worthy of him?
Taldan pinched the bridge of his nose in obvious disgust.
Raine could only agree. What a mess. All because of a foolish man seeking power. But then was that not the history of any country? Fools blinded by greed, losing sight of their own people. In the end, they always failed, usually because of an uprising from desperate citizens.
It was so tiresome, the idiocy and self centered blindness.
“When you came here, were you aware of his orders for the actual invasion? That he had set the invasion in motion before you arrived here?” Taldan’s blunt question rang in the room, the importance of it hanging in the air. Raine had the feeling that this above all would determine his fate.
Raine raised his chin, gathered his courage. “I was not aware. I was terrified of his plans for me regarding being the Chosen, and that occupied all my thoughts. I knew nothing beyond that he was considering the invasion should I be the Chosen. I knew I would not be the one, so I felt that the invasion would never happen without your support. I never would have dreamed that he would have actually ordered it whether I was chosen or not.”
“I apologize, Your Highness. I was afraid, and my brother did not help matters with his threats.”
The other eyebrow rose. “Threats? Clarify.”
Raine flushed with shame. It took all his strength to meet those cold blue eyes and keep his voice steady. “He said that if I did not achieve my goal, that he would see me spending time serving in a brothel.”
Taldan narrowed his eyes. “The goal of you being the Chosen. And how did he expect you to achieve this when the decision was completely mine?”
“He expected me to seduce you, Your Highness. Any way I needed to…”
Silence fell, neither man looking away.
Taldan blinked finally, breaking the moment. “Did he think me so foolish, so ruled by my body that I would make such a mistake? Choose a candidate based on sex alone?”
“He knows nothing of you, Your Highness. The truth is that my brother is blinded by his conviction of his own brilliance and his equal conviction that everyone else is a fool waiting to be fleeced.” Raine slumped forward, elbows on knees, feeling unutterably weary. “I realize that it sounds so improbable, foolish enough to be impossible, but I can only tell you what I have seen, heard and experienced. The lack of direct connection with Anrodnes has created a ruling class that believes it is inviolate, that they can make all choices for themselves and receive no repercussions from the empire that conquered them so long ago. Memories are short, and people soon forget the past and begin to want more autonomy for their own gain.”
Taldan sat back and regarded him in silence, his manner more thoughtful now than threatening. “Yet you defended him with your silence.”
Raine rubbed his forehead. “I cannot even explain my foolishness to myself, much less convince you that I had no part in this invasion. From my present viewpoint, I look upon what I did, and it is completely clear that I should have told Isnay, or you, of what could possibly occur. Whatever prompted my silence makes no sense, even to me. I think, in the end, I believed that what I knew was so improbable, so ridiculous, that my brother would see the light and it would never occur. When I failed to be chosen, I thought Parsul would abandon the plan as too risky. I’m ashamed to say I was wrong. If nothing else, I am certainly guilty of poor reasoning and misplaced loyalty.”
Taldan leaned forward in a mirror pose to Raine. “I tend to agree. Certainly Isnay and my younger brother are defending you.”
Raine made a small sound of shock. Isnay’s support warmed his heart, but in no way had he expected the younger imperial prince to be in the least interested in his fate. “I find myself surprised that your brother would care one way or the other. I am also deeply grateful for Isnay’s support. He is a good man with a kind heart. He has done far more for me than I ever could have expected. More than anyone ever has before.” He blinked back tears and turned away so that the prince wouldn’t see how much it affected him.
“Isnay is a good man, but he is also a very wise man. He has insights into the human character that I rely on. I know the logistics, I know the theory, have written books on the human mind and why people act as they do, but the true understanding, the comprehension that Isnay possesses is something one is born with, a gift of great value. It is nothing I will ever have.”
“Your highness, you are so accomplished in a wide array of disciplines that such a singular lack is surely permissible.” Raine would not allow this man to diminish himself in the slightest. Not his hero.
Taldan’s lips quirked into something perilously close to a smirk. “I thank you for the support.”
Raine flushed brightly, straightening up anxiously. “I apologize, Your Highness…”
Taldan raised a hand to halt the spate of words.
“Do you swear to me that all you have told me is true?” The icy stare was back, boring through Raine’s defenses until he cringed back.
“To my knowledge, everything that I have told you is the truth. I have held nothing back this time.” He wished to the hells that he hadn’t held anything back the first time, and perhaps, just perhaps, he would never have found himself in this mess. Although perhaps his family connections were always bound to bring him grief…
“My father will seek your death if it is proven that your brothers are proceeding with the invasion.” There was something in Taldan’s tone now, something gentler and less formal.
Raine blinked away tears that rose at even so small a degree of caring. For some reason, this man’s opinion meant so much.
“I know. I also understand there is nothing you or anyone else can do. An example needs to be made.” He wiped his eyes with the inside of his wrist. “I just happened to get into the worst position, something I am very, very good at.” He gave a watery chuckle. “Your Imperial Highness, may I ask a favor of you?”
Taldan narrowed his eyes but nodded.
“Make sure that Isnay will not be present at the execution.” Raine swallowed hard, then gathered his resolve. “Please don’t let him see.” He clenched his hands together, fingers whitening with the force. “If there is any mercy to be found, I ask that my death be swift.” He looked up, met those blue eyes with all the courage he could muster.
“That is what I ask of you,” he whispered.
Taldan stared at him, no change in his expression, but his body was abnormally stiff, frozen in place. Finally, he gave a single, brief nod, before rising and gazing intently down at Raine.
“I will do what I can, Raine Yoldis.” His voice was softer than Raine had ever heard before.
Without another word, the prince inclined his head, the movement strangely respectful and turned away, exiting the room. A Shadow stepped in, grasped the chair and left, and moments later the door slammed closed.
Raine sat in the sudden silence, head in hands, going over everything he had said. He had covered all that he wanted clarified, but was it enough? In the end, it would be the choice of the emperor, a man not known for mercy of any kind.
Hope held no part in his fate.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Zaran
Naral ignored protocol and reached out to tug Zaran into a tight hug.
The prince obviously hardly knew how to react, but slowly put his arms around the older man and hugged back, closing his eyes briefly, perhaps at the thought that they might not meet a
gain.
Taldan watched, tamping down his own doubts. He had complete faith in the power of the Anrodnes military.
The gravity of what Zaran was embarking on had haunted him since the discovery that his brother would be the one to lead the mission. It was almost a relief that the day had arrived, that he would have no more time for worry and stress.
Now he could act the part of heir to perfection under years of his father’s tutelage. No one would know his concerns for his brother, his doubts.
Zaran stepped back from Naral, forcing a smile that looked anything but natural, before he turned to Taldan and bowed his head, touching his fingertips to his chest in heartfelt reverence.
Taldan reached out to touch his shoulder, a gesture of great meaning from the imperial heir who showed so little humanity in public.
Their eyes met, and Taldan hoped that his brother saw the faith in his gaze, the confidence that Zaran could and would do justice to the role he had been given.
Zaran nodded once, indicating the message had been understood, then he turned and went to his knees, bowing before his father.
“You will see this matter swiftly concluded,” his father’s voice rang powerfully over the packed courtyard where people knelt fully before the emperor, awed at his rare appearance. “You are my voice and my sword arm in this, and my will shall be done.”
Zaran rose to his feet, hand now flat over his heart. “I am your weapon, my emperor. Your will be done.”
He bowed deeply, then turned to mount his horse. In the small crowd behind the royals, Taldan caught sight of Hredeen blowing a kiss, and Isnay raising a hand, expression tight with concern.
Zaran nodded in their direction, before turning his mount, the generals following behind him in perfect synchronicity. The crowd rose, cheers sounding, flowers flung that scattered over his armor, bright colors against the dark metal. Taldan saw his brother grasp a rose and tuck it into the edge of his chest plate, perhaps hoping it brought him luck.
He would need it.