by Frost Kay
Rafe’s eyes trailed over her face as he unbuckled the belt that held them in place. “These blades are special. The only hands to touch them are myself and my family.” Rafe gathered the daggers and held them out to Sage.
Sam chuckled under his breath. “The smooth bastard. He is claiming her in front of all these men so they know she is close to him. Conniving, but effective.”
Only her back was visible, but she didn’t move to take them.
“Only you can keep them.” Rafe rumbled.
Irritation nipped at him for Sage. Of all the times to try something, the rebellion leader had to do it now. He must be desperate. The thought made his lips curl. She must have been avoiding Rafe. That put a full-blown smile on his face as the captain relieved him and his men of their weapons.
With reluctant fingers, Sage plucked the daggers from his grasp, avoiding touching him, Tehl noted, before she dumped them onto a chest behind the bar. His brother sniggered. Rafe may have been trying to make a point, but hers sounded loud and clear.
“Will the leaders please join me?” Sage asked.
Tehl strode to her side, Rafe on the other.
“Coral for rebellion, dragon for Crown.” She flipped the coin, the dragon landed face up. They both nodded to each other and moved to their seats.
“The Crown begins. Please take your seat. Remember not to shout, all your concerns will be heard. No one leaves until an agreement has been struck. This gets decided tonight.” She bowed. “For Aermia.”
A chorus of Aermias thundered through the room. Captain Femi placed two cushioned chairs at the head of the room. Both women sat and looked at Tehl. He placed his elbows on the table and eyed the men across from him. “We have read your demands, and this is what we can offer: payment and support to the families that have been affected by the Scythian attacks. You are not part of our army so you can choose to accept or decline any assignment. You will also receive wages for any assignment you carry out.” Murmurs of triumph reached his ears.
Don’t get too excited, he thought. “Punishment for unlawful actions will be removed with an exception.” He met Serge’s brown eyes. “You must work off your debts by accepting work with the Crown. If you don’t contribute to the peace and betterment of Aermia, you live your life in the dungeon. Last, we can offer four places on my council.” Tehl sat back and waited.
“What of the other demands?” Rafe asked.
“Not possible,” Sam replied. “Taxes are based on what each family makes, the food shortage was not caused by taxes, it was caused by Scythians.”
Roars of outrage erupted around the rebellion leader. He raised his hand, never taking his eyes off them. “And the others?”
“The Mort Wall,” Jeb supplied. “The wall is a symbol, not protection. It would be a costly, colossal waste of time and resources. Scythia has been raiding our borders for a year now, for no reason we have discovered. If we embarked on such a thing, it would put more people in danger.”
“War with Scythia is imminent, we need your weapons. That is one of our demands,” Zachael added, bluntly.
Sage stood. “The Crown has made their offer, what say you, rebels?”
“We will supply men for the war with Scythia. We will share our expertise on training. As for the weapons, we will part with some, but not all. Once we sign the agreement, there will be peace, anyone who acts is on their own and subject to your laws.”
Reasonably, they agreed to meet four out of six of the Crown’s demands.
“And the others?” William asked, echoing Rafe.
The rebellion leader zeroed in on William, dripping aggression. “We will not impart all the names of our members and put their families in danger.” His amber eyes pierced Sam next. “I will not contribute to your sneaks. I will not put them in your hands, just for you to send them into Scythia never to return.”
“What do you suggest? Let all the traitors go free?” Jaren cut in. “Can you assure us that your people are completely loyal to you?” Jaren waved his hand. “And this new venture?”
“We’re not thrilled to be getting into bed with the Crown,” the mouthy man from last time supplied. “But we are loyal to Rafe. He has never led us wrong.”
Sage stood again. “Are these terms agreeable to you, prince?”
“They are,” he supplied. “Jaren’s concerns are valid. To the Crown, you are traitors. If they are willing to betray their kingdom, what is stopping them from betraying you?” He stared evenly at Rafe. “If we don’t have their names we can’t keep an eye on them to make sure they are behaving as law abiding citizens.”
“I can see your point,” Rafe conceded. “I will check on them and will take along another person.”
Jaren opened his mouth to say something when Rafe cut him a look. His advisor snapped his mouth shut.
“This person will be someone whom we both trust.” Rafe’s gaze slid to Sage. “Our lady liaison.”
“I am sorry, but I will not be available. My place is with my family,” she replied, firmly locking gazes with the rebellion leader.
“This is important to both the Crown and the rebellion. Could you not care for this and your family for the sake of peace?” An older man with moss-colored eyes asked Sage.
Her eyes softened at the old man’s expression. She let loose a sigh, defeated. “I accept then. Are the terms laid out by the Crown acceptable to the rebellion?”
“All but the number of weapons. We will not part with all of them.”
“That is up to neither of you,” Sage interrupted. “I know I am the neutral party but this concerns me.”
“How does this concern you?” Garreth asked.
She smiled wickedly. “Because they are mine. I made them.”
Surprise flashed across several faces. Not everyone knew who she was.
“I will give three quarters of the weapons to the Crown, and the rest I will keep. Did you get all of that Captain Femi?”
The exotic woman lifted her white head from her record. “Indeed. Continue on.”
“So this leads us to the final agenda. Who will join the Crown’s council?”
“Hayjen, Madden, Sage, and myself,” Rafe supplied.
“I see an issue here.” Serge’s voice carried through the room. He stood up, a stupid smile on his face making Tehl want to punch him. “Having members on the council is fine and all, but we will still have less representatives than the Crown.”
Every word out of his mouth made Tehl’s hackles rise.
Serge moved to the bar and leaned against it. “What is the council? They are advisors. They may advise, but they have no real power.” Serge stabbed a finger at him. “He still makes the final decision. The council is a farce in its actual power of execution. The only way the people would have real say is if we had equal representation.”
Rafe glowered at Serge. “What is the meaning of this, Rhys?”
Rhys, so that was his name. Tehl filed that away. Rhys was going somewhere dark, deep, and miserable.
“The Crown is trying to trick us.”
What was that leach getting at?
“How dare you!” thundered Jaren as he stood up. “We are extending mercy to you traitorous lot.” Zachael grabbed Jaren by the shirt and yanked him back down into his chair, hissing something into his ear.
“You see?” Rhys said, smugness in his tone. “They feel like we are below them, untrustworthy. They will never respect us, despite having a place among them.”
Men nodded their heads in agreement.
Tehl saw what was happening. Rhys was trying to sabotage the peace treaty, but why? It didn’t make sense. Did he loathe the Crown so much? He had served in the Guard for over four years. Was it because they stripped him of his title? Revenge?
“We need someone to check his power,” Rhys continued. “Someone who will stand against him and hold their own. Someone who shares his power.”
More men were nodding and shouting encouragements while Rafe looked like he was read
y to blow.
“And how would you do that?” the rebellion leader questioned tightly.
Tehl wanted to know that too.
“By uniting the rebellion and Crown permanently.” Rhys gave Tehl an arrogant look. “We know of someone who isn’t afraid of you. Someone of strong moral character, who stands up for the weak and has a strong sense of duty. Someone who challenges you.”
Rhys breached the distance between Sage and himself. Rafe, Gavriel, Sam, and Tehl surged to their feet as she paled and leaned away from him. She stilled when he ran a finger down her white cheek. Captain Femi hissed and slapped his hand away. Rhys smiled down at Sage then rolled his shoulders and faced the room.
“The rebellion wants equal representation.”
“What exactly do you propose?” Gavriel asked, rage in his voice.
Rhys smiled directly at him. That monster should be locked up, not conducting a negotiation.
“I propose a union between the Crown and the rebellion: matrimony.”
Tehl’s breath stilled.
No.
“Between the crown prince and the rebellion’s blade, Sage.”
Chapter Nine
Tehl
Pandemonium broke out in the room. The rebels were cheering, and his advisors were cursing and shouting at each other. He blocked everyone else out and focused on Rafe, Rhys, and Sage. Rhys looked extremely pleased with himself. One glance at the rebellion leader, and Tehl knew he was one second away from murder. Last there was Sage. Her face was blank. Not one glimmer of emotion even in her eyes. Why wasn’t she reacting? Something wasn’t right.
“Are you okay?” he mouthed. Nothing. Captain Femi was stroking her brown hair and whispering to her. “Is she okay?” he asked louder, his voice carrying over the din. Captain Femi’s pursed lips thinned in answer. He didn’t care for Sage, she was a thorn in his side, but he didn’t want to see her hurt.
Gavriel pushed through the men and knelt in front of her knees. His cousin took her hand in his and spoke to her. Still nothing. Tehl couldn’t hear Gav’s words but he could see him pleading with her, trying to coax her out of her mind.
“This is how you lead your rebellion?” Zachael bellowed. “You wouldn’t know your head from your ass. Get your dogs in line, or I will do it for you.”
Rafe stilled. He swiveled his neck to stare at Zachael. “What did you say?” Rafe rumbled.
Zachael leaned over the thin table. “I said: get your dogs in line, or I will do it for you. Control them. That’s your responsibility.”
The room quieted at the challenge.
“I control nothing. I direct them, but they have a choice. That’s the difference between the Crown and the rebellion. The Crown forces and takes. We each choose and give. We work as a group, no one has the ultimate power. Which is why Sage will not marry the Crown, she will not be forced into anything.”
“Rafe is right,” an older man inserted. “We make the decision together.” The older man shot Rhys a thoughtful look. “But Rhys is right. We need someone to check the Crown’s power. I propose the rebellion vote. Those in favor of Rhys’s demand?”
A myriad of hands rose, except for the old man, Hayjen, and Rafe. Bloody hell. They would demand he marry the rebel woman.
“It’s settled,” the old man said reluctantly. “You marry her or there will be civil war.”
Tehl’s brain scrambled to catch up to what was going on. This couldn’t be happening.
Sam cursed. “Be reasonable. Surely, you wouldn’t subject Sage to a lifetime of misery?”
The old man stared at Sage with sad eyes. “She is a good girl. Sage does what is necessary and needed. She has a good heart. She will do this for Aermia, for the rebellion, and for her family.”
Tehl’s men looked at him, waiting for him to give the signal to leave, but he couldn’t move.
“This is extortion,” Jeb muttered.
And it was.
He had to choose between his happiness and the welfare of Aermia. Tehl had spoken about finding a wife weeks ago, but this wasn’t how he wanted to obtain one. He had planned on picking out a mousy woman to bless him with children then stay out of the way. Tehl never wanted what his parents had. Love was dangerous, but this was something else. He would be tied to a woman who hated him. His life would be hell. Tehl doubted she would let him touch her, but that was a necessity for heirs. Was he selfish enough to say no? He thought about all the men who would die in a civil war and the possibility of Scythia invading Aermia. Blood would run through the streets. Bitterness filled him. He didn’t have a choice. Duty above all.
“You’re not considering this, right?” Sam asked pulling him from his thoughts.
Tehl tipped his head back, a bitter laugh spilling out of him. “There’s nothing to consider, I am surprised you even asked.”
Sam regarded him for a moment. “I wasn’t asking you as your tactician, or as your duty as the crown’s shield, but as your brother.”
“There’s no choice, and you know it.”
His men circled around him wearing grim faces. “There hasn’t been an arranged marriage ever in our history, my lord,” Jeb remarked. “That’s what makes the monarchy so strong, a strong marriage based on love.”
“They would have to keep it a secret,” Garreth said. “If the people found out it was arranged, they would lose confidence in the Crown. We need their support now more than ever. If you decide on this, you both must act like you love each other anytime you aren’t alone. Can you live like that?”
“He will have to,” Jarren despaired. “That’s a hard life, sire.”
They all knew that if he refused, many lives would be lost. He couldn’t live with that on his conscience. His mother told him that with privilege and power also came responsibility, duty. He had a responsibility to his people. He rose from the chair on wooden legs, his men fanning around him. Tehl met Rafe’s angry eyes.
“Is this really what you want?” Tehl was sure that Rafe understood what he was asking. Would he let Sage go for the sake of his lofty principles? The rebellion leader’s hands clenched so tightly his fist turned a splotchy white.
“It has been decided.”
Tehl felt oddly detached when he spoke. “Very well, I will take her as my wife. But I have a few demands of my own.” He glared at all the men across from him. “Firstly, since you hold personal choice so dear to you, you will extend the same freedom to Sage.”
“Done,” piped up the old man.
No one disagreed.
“Secondly, none of you will ever have contact with her again except for the old man, Hayjen, and Rafe. You have used her over and over as a sacrificial lamb.” The hothead, next to the old man, sputtered. Tehl ignored him, letting menace seep into his voice. “You sanctioned the death of my father and sent her back to the place where she was tortured and almost died. Again, you offer her, damning her to a fate that will kill her every day.” Most of the men shied away from his piercing gaze like cowards. “She is to be nothing to you. She will not be your blade anymore, but my future queen, my consort. I will make this simple. If you even breathe in her direction, you will disappear.” And he meant it. “She has three days to come to me, willingly.” He peered at Captain Femi, hovering protectively by the girl’s side. “Will you ensure this will be done?”
Captain Femi scrutinized him for a moment before bowing her head. “It will be done.”
“Make sure she knows what she is getting herself into. Our people need harmony. She must play a role when we’re not alone. It won’t be an easy life.” He hesitated a moment before voicing what needed to be said. “I am the crown prince, so heirs are a necessity. I will have children, several of them. Make sure she knows this is a requirement.” Tehl spared one last glare for the group. “We’re done here.”
Captain Femi stood, leaving Sage with Gavriel. She flowed toward him, carrying the treaty she had been working on all evening. She smoothed it out on the table and held a quill out to him. Tehl looked o
ver it, making sure nothing they’d discussed was missing or additional points added, before stroking his name across the parchment. The woman relieved him of the quill and blew on the ink. With care, she picked it up and placed it before the rebellion leader. He carefully read over it, allowing a few of his men to do the same. Once he received their nods, he scratched his name down.
It was done. Peace was secure even as his own life and peace was signed away.
Gavriel stood from his crouch. “My lord, I request to stay as protection for your betrothed.”
Tehl hid his flinch.
His betrothed.
He would be married, but to someone who’d rather eat glass than share a room with him, much less a bed. Tehl nodded his permission and strode toward the door, ready to escape.
“Betrothed?” a feminine voice accused.
Tehl halted in his tracks and spun to meet horror-filled green eyes. She darted glances around the room, panic evident in her movements. Her eyes stopped on Rafe. “What have you done?” she whispered.
“Forgive me, little one.”
There was so much pain in those four little words.
Betrayal and rage filled her face, warring with one another. She jerked to her feet. “I will never be yours, I will die first!” she spat.
Taking everyone by surprise, she leapt over her chair and sprinted the opposite way down the hall she entered from. Gavriel scrambled after her, shooting him an upset look.
He now knew for sure what she thought of him. Tehl may have secured peace for Aermia, but make no mistake, he had just started a war all the same.
Chapter Ten
Sage
Escape.
Escape.
Escape.
The hallway seemed to stretch forever ahead of her; no matter how fast she ran, the walls still pressed inward. Sage couldn’t breathe. It was like a giant hand had reached inside her chest to squeeze her lungs until there was nothing but panic and pain. Her boot caught a rug, and she stumbled, slamming her hip into a table she hadn’t spotted. The pain was acute, but it actually helped her regain focus. Heavy footsteps pounded in her direction. Terror filled her. No doubt the monster was coming for her again.