“We were supposed to attend this meeting in Vakar, at the palace, with Tilda and her council,” he told her. “The Ander’s interference made that impossible, so now it’s going to be in our conference room. A few Kint high council members will also be joining, so it’s imperative that you don’t do anything to give us away.”
“Don’t act disdainful.” She saluted him, needing to cut through the tension. “Check.”
CHAPTER 12
“They’re going to be projected into the room,” Trystan’s voice filtered through Delaney’s head, causing her to stop abruptly in the middle of the hallway. When he frowned down at her, she was still grinding her teeth.
“Please don’t do that.”
“Now that you’re aware of the connection, it makes sense strategically to use it,” he said. “Trust me, you’re going to be grateful for it once we’re in there and cannot communicate aloud.”
“See, that’s the thing,” she said, lowering her voice as they began moving again, passing by a group of Tellers. “I don’t trust you. At all. Especially not enough to willingly let you into my mind.”
Though she had just trusted him ten minutes ago, hadn’t she? When she’d taken him at his word that he’d eventually let them go. Smartly, neither of them brought that up.
Right now mentally preparing for this meeting was more important than fighting an impossible battle with him. She’d only ever met one member of the Kints’ high council, and they hadn’t directly spoken with each other. As for the Vakar, she’d dealt solely with the Basileus and Basilissa.
She was utterly unequipped for this.
“You’ll do fine,” Trystan told her, resting a hand over hers where she had it on his arm. “This is more about seeing you than anything. Taking you from Vakar this soon wasn’t the best course of action.”
“Why did you?” She’d been trying to figure that out since yesterday. “You have Ruckus in custody. What would it matter if we’d stayed at the palace?”
“He has too many friends there,” he said, and he didn’t sound happy about it. “Say what you will about the man, but no one can claim he wasn’t good at his job. He has the respect of the Vakar forces at the palace. It wasn’t worth the risk to stay and hope no one decided to try to help him.”
Delaney felt a rush of pride. Ruckus was honorable, and generally cared about others.
“Don’t smile,” Trystan said, interrupting her thoughts. “Attempts to help him mean more Tellers I have to brand as traitors to the crown. That’s why we left.”
She frowned, but to him the conversation was over and he was already distracted by the double doors before them.
He opened the one closest and moved forward, slipping his arm from her grasp so that he could grab on to her hand. The room they entered was large, with a table shaped like a stretched-out octagon. Both ends had three sides, with two long ones forming the length. There was a total of twelve white leather chairs, all pulled half a foot out from the table.
Trystan went toward one end, moving the chair to his left out for her. He waited for her to seat herself, and then took the spot in the very center. There was a thin electronic screen hovering over the dark surface of the table, and he began pushing buttons on it.
The entire wall to the right was made of windows and overlooked an expanse of vibrant white. The landscape had many dips and arches, leading to a cluster of mountains in the far-off distance. They were snowcapped gray stone giants reaching up toward a sky tinted pale blue.
Even though it was toasty in the room, Delaney shivered, imagining how cold it would be out there. Trystan’s warning about freezing replayed in her mind, sounding even less appealing now that she was getting a visual of the grounds.
“They’re about to come online,” Trystan said then, pulling her attention back to the empty room. “Try not to stare.”
There was a slight buzzing in the air, followed by a flicker of neon blue and green in the chairs. Images of people formed next, some leaning forward onto the table, others already settled back in their seats. All of them had their attention turned toward Trystan and her, their eyes unblinking and intense.
Delaney didn’t recognize any of them at first, too taken aback by their sudden appearance. The glow was gone, so that anyone who glanced into the room would think the occupants were actually there. The only thing that gave them away was the way their images would blur every so often, seemingly at random.
Tilda was seated directly across from them at the head of the other end of the table. Two bulky men, both old enough that their hair was graying, sat on either side of her.
Everyone to the left of Delaney wore uniforms of green and gold, while everyone on the right of the table was dressed in blue and silver. Out of them only three were women, and there was a single seat on the Vakar side that was vacant. Probably Fendus’s chair.
Aside from the Basilissa, the only other person there who Delaney knew was the man now on Trystan’s other side. It was the general she’d met the one time in the Basileus’s office: Jackan.
Tilda was the first to speak, her voice ringing through the large space with a thick air of authority. “Zane Trystan. Lissa Delaney. I’m glad to see you arrived at your destination safely.”
“There were no troubles at all,” Trystan stated, his own tone formal.
“With all due respect, Zane,” one of the female Vakar said, angling in her seat to better face him, “removing our Lissa from her home was very unwise.”
“Zane Jager Trystan does not need approval from the likes of you,” a Kint growled in response before anyone else could.
“He does when our future Basilissa is involved,” argued another Vakar, this one male with slicked-back sandy-colored hair.
“You mean our future Regina,” came the Kint counter-reply.
Delaney glanced at Tilda, wondering if she was going to jump in, but the Basilissa was still staring at her.
“Enough.” Trystan barely lifted his palm from the tabletop, but everyone was immediately silenced. “She will be both Basilissa and Regina, let’s not forget. Arguing over the matter is a waste of time.”
Delaney lifted a brow and looked at him. It must be nice to put an end to a conversation merely by saying it was done. That kind of power could go to a person’s head; no wonder he had ego problems.
“We’re here so the royal council can clarify for themselves that the Lissa is well.” He motioned to her. “As you can see, she is.”
“That is debatable,” Tilda said, and when all heads snapped in her direction, she forced a half smile to her red lips. “She must tell us that, is all I mean. Delaney, are you being treated fairly?”
Delaney briefly wondered what would happen if she told them the truth. There were a lot of important people here; surely, they would come get her if she said she was in trouble. Of course, by then Trystan would have killed Ruckus and the others.
Easing the tension from her shoulders, she mirrored the Basilissa’s smile. “I’m very well, actually. It’s beautiful here. I’ve never seen mountains like these before.”
“We have mountains,” one of the generals at Tilda’s left said. “Wouldn’t you prefer to be here, surrounded by your people—”
“We aren’t her people,” the female from earlier interrupted. “She’s an Earthling, remember. We’re all strangers to her.”
The man sitting next to her mouthed something that looked similar to the word careful, but she didn’t listen, rushing on without so much as an apologetic glance in the Basilissa’s direction.
“I’m only voicing aloud what we’re all thinking.” She eyed Delaney pointedly. “She is not one of us. We’ll allow her to take the throne as tradition decrees, but that doesn’t mean we have to sit here and pretend she’s truly Vakar.”
It didn’t take a psychic to see where this was going.
“This is what your father feared.” Jackan had directed his comments to Trystan, but he’d spoken loud enough for the entire room to hear. “How
can they be trusted to honor their word when they clearly don’t stand with the Lissa?”
“A Vakar cannot be trusted,” agreed one of the Kint, going so far as to slam his fist down on the table. Nothing happened—the table didn’t so much as rattle, a big reminder that even though it looked like it, they weren’t really there.
“We can’t?” said the female Vakar. “You’re the ones who invaded our cities!”
“Calm down, Ria,” whispered the man who’d tried to get her to ease up before.
If Delaney hadn’t been watching, she might not have caught it.
“I will not,” Ria snapped, loudly enough for everyone. “This is why we’re here, isn’t it? To discuss this matter out in the open, with the girl in attendance.”
“Delaney.” She said her name before anyone could add anything else, waiting for everyone to stare at her once again. She kept her own gaze locked on Ria, ignoring the rest. “I have a name, and it isn’t ‘girl.’ Actually, to you it isn’t just Delaney. It’s Lissa Delaney. If you’re going to talk about me like I’m not here, you might as well be as respectful about it as possible.”
Ria blinked and leaned forward as if she was about to retort, but Delaney moved on before she could so much as open her mouth.
“You,” she addressed the guy sitting next to Ria, the one who’d tried to warn her. Also, the only one in this entire room who seemed to recall what had happened to the last person who’d spoken out against the Basilissa’s decision. “What’s your name?”
“Rue Corodonus, Lissa.” He cleared his throat and clasped his hands on the top of the table.
Delaney had never heard the title Rue before, and was about to file it away for later when Trystan accessed her fitting and answered without her having to ask.
“Rue is a high-level soldier. Corodonus has been in the Basilissa’s service for more than ten years. He’s highly trusted but knows his boundaries. Unlike the young Teller Ria.”
“I’d like to hear your take on this,” Delaney said, pretending the Zane hadn’t just been in her head.
“Lissa?” He glanced at the Basilissa before returning his questioning gaze on her.
“I am human,” she elaborated, “and you have to have concerns about that, like the rest of them. I’d be surprised if you didn’t, and possibly even a bit suspicious, if I’m being honest. It’s okay,” she urged him. “The Zane won’t hurt you for being truthful right now.”
She rested a hand on Trystan’s shoulder, flashing the cockiest smile she had in her arsenal at the Rue. When the Zane shifted closer to her touch, she saw the entire room frown in unison.
“If the Lissa wants to hear your opinion, you’re safe from both the Basilissa and me,” Trystan agreed, motioning toward Tilda, who nodded.
Corodonus cleared his throat a second time and, in a blink, became a different person. He stood tall in his seat and held his chin high, speaking in a deep, unwavering tone.
“My concerns are more fact than anything. For one, our leaders are trained for the job starting at a young age, both mentally and physically. You, having grown up on Earth, lack the knowledge and skill sets we’re used to finding in our Basilissas. For two, it’s hard not to question where your loyalties actually lie, especially when you’re so clearly tied to the Kint, who up until recently were our enemies.”
Delaney inhaled slowly, pretending to think, when in reality she was gearing up for all the ways this could bite her in the ass. She probably should have remained silent and let Trystan and Tilda duke it out themselves. Too late now.
“Valid points,” she said, and felt Trystan tense at her side. “I have a few of my own, however, if you don’t mind?”
Corodonus was surprised she was asking, and it took him a moment to indicate with a wave of his hand for her to go ahead.
“Good. In regard to my being different from all your past Basilissas, that’s true. I might not have had the same training that, say, Olena had, but then, I also didn’t run away and abandon my people like she did.”
Delaney felt a little bad about rubbing this in Tilda’s face, but she couldn’t risk not using everything in her arsenal.
“In fact, I went out of my way to protect both the Vakar and my own people”—she looked at Ria—“the humans, from war with Kint. A result of this was my being Uprisen instead of Olena, which, correct me if I’m wrong, Corodonus, also happens to be a standing tradition. Every Basilissa you’ve ever had was Uprisen first.”
Corodonus nodded.
Delaney rested her arm across the table and turned it so that they could all see the sparkly V and the dermal-type gem there. “I was Uprisen, as per tradition. And I’m not completely untrained. I’ve been doing physical training with a high-standing Ander since before I returned to Earth.”
“You continued training with him?” Trystan asked, clearly impressed.
“Of course,” she told him. “Anyway, I’m obviously not as good as Olena probably is at hand-to-hand—”
“Olena was never very good,” Tilda interrupted.
“Well.” Delaney licked her lips to give herself a moment to get back on track. “My point is, I’m willing to learn what I don’t know, and I’ve already proven that I’ll do anything to keep my people safe. Which, thanks to this”—she flashed the marks on her arm again—“now includes all of you and the rest of Vakar.”
There was silence for a long while, where everyone switched from looking at her to sharing glances with one another. After a few minutes had passed, Ria angled her body toward Delaney’s end of the table.
“What about him?” She lifted her chin at Trystan. “You haven’t said anything to quell our fears that he’s orchestrated all of this against both your, and our Basilissa’s, will.”
Right. That.
“I’ll admit it took some convincing…,” she began, hoping that sticking as close to the truth as possible would make it come off more believable when she deviated. “I mean, I was back home in Maine, and I had a life. But then Trystan showed up and explained things to me. I’d already seen the unrest between Vakar and Kint during my initial stay, so he knew I’d listen and believe him.
“Look.” She rested her elbows on the edge of the table. “I’m not going to sit here and claim that I’m in love with him; none of you are stupid, and I won’t insult you by insinuating otherwise. But”—she took a deep breath—“I care about him. Enough that when he posed the solution both he and the Basilissa had come up with—together—I took the time to consider it. And I realized he was right.”
“Right about?” spoke up the Kint who’d originally argued with Ria. His eyes were narrowed and he was watching Delaney closely.
“My taking the throne,” she said. “I’m sure we’ve all met Olena, or have at least heard the stories. Is it really such a surprise that the Basilissa, a woman who truly loves and wants the best for her people, would choose someone else as an heir? Is it unconventional? Absolutely. But if my taking Olena’s place and binding to the Zane means peace between Kint, Vakar, and even Earth, isn’t that worth deviating from the norm?” At their confused looks she reiterated, “Normal.”
“If you’re going to rule Vakar, you need to be here, on Xenith. You’ve come to terms with that?” Corodonus asked. “Of never going home again?”
“Who says I won’t be going back to Earth?” Delaney stated. “I can still visit. It’s not like Trystan would ever keep me here on this planet against my will.” She linked her arm through his and grinned up at him. “Right?”
Because she was so close, she saw his jaw clench before he was able to get ahold of himself. In a heartbeat he was smiling at her, and leaned down to press a soft kiss to the center of her forehead.
“We agreed to holiday,” he told the room. “It’s not my ideal vacation spot, but personally checking in on Lissa Delaney’s people makes the most logical sense. I will be duty bound to ensure their safety, after all.”
That seemed like excellent reasoning, and she was glad that the
two of them sounded like they’d actually discussed this before. If she’d heard a couple talking about vacationing, she’d certainly buy in to their relationship.
“Very true,” Tilda agreed.
“The people have been restless ever since this announcement was made,” Ria tried again, this time directing her comments to the Basilissa specifically. “They need to see that she’s truly on their side. She can’t do that from Kint territory.”
“Technically,” Trystan corrected her, “we’re still in Vakar. Inkwell was returned at the end of the war. Basileus Magnus simply chose not to evict the Kints who currently reside here.”
Delaney almost frowned, catching herself at the last second. She’d been under the impression they were in Kint, and she supposed in a roundabout way they sort of were, but it would have been nice to know the whole story.
“That should be acceptable,” Tilda said, glaring at Ria, who finally seemed to take the hint. “The true purpose of this meeting was to hear from Lissa Delaney, and I believe I speak for us all when I say she has made her intentions clear. She wants to avert another war; surely, every single person at this table shares the same desire?”
Tilda set a stern, challenging look on all of them. When no one spoke against her, she returned her gaze to Trystan and Delaney.
“I recall your mentioning a meeting with your coordinator, Zane?” Tilda asked sweetly.
“That is correct, Basilissa.” He nodded and tapped on the electronic screen in front of him, checking the time. “It’s soon, in fact.”
“We’ll let the two of you go then.” She waved at the rest of the room. “We should all be satisfied.”
“For now,” Corodonus said evenly, and the Kint sitting across from him silently agreed by bobbing his head.
“Very good. Delaney”—Tilda held her gaze—“I’ll speak with you soon. Stay safe.”
“You too,” she said, then watched as one by one the projections winked out, leaving her alone with the Zane in a matter of seconds.
Exhaling, she slumped in her chair and rested her head back, closing her eyes against the blaring overhead lights. Pretending was exhausting. There’d been a few times she was sure they were all going to see through her bullshit, even when half of it—like the part about wanting to protect Earth—was true. Had she actually thought playing Olena had been difficult? This was way more grueling. And worse. A million times worse.
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