Her scowl deepened. “Too late for that. Any goodwill I felt toward you vanished the moment your sword pierced our father’s heart.”
Taken aback by the venom in her voice, he asked, “Is that why you killed Mateo? Because you were upset with me?”
“You were the one who sent him to spy on me.”
“Only because I couldn’t find you. Why didn’t you come to me before?”
“Why? So you could eliminate your competition the same way your eliminated our father? I never took you for the ambitious type.”
Irritation burned in his gut. “It wasn’t like that. Please, come inside so we can talk about this. We could go down to the kitchens for some refreshments, just like we did as children. There might be some leftover fish pie—your favorite.”
“How gullible do you think I am? The second I come inside, you’ll call for your guards and throw me in chains. No, there’s much to discuss with you, brother, and I’m quite comfortable here.” She swung her legs inside and leaned against the stone. Keeping her eyes on him, she drew her dagger and laid it across her thighs.
“Suit yourself,” he said, keeping his voice even while he angled his body toward the door. If she attacked, he would run for the guards. Nothing could cause him to raise a blade against his sister. “What did you wish to discuss?”
Her eyes narrowed like she expected a trap. When he stayed silent and unmoving, she demanded, “Step down and renounce your claim immediately.”
His eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Why would I do that? I am the rightful heir!”
“Are you? It seems you haven’t been into father’s study since you came home.”
“What do you mean?”
Arianna shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anyway. The people clearly don’t want you. They showed you as much this morning.”
“You were there? I didn’t see—”
“You have betrayed them to their core by murdering their leader. You’re nothing more than a power-hungry usurper to them now.” She spat on the ground and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.
Silvano brushed off the insult, desperate for her to understand. “I’m not about to give up everything I’ve worked toward.” He took a step toward her with his hands held up to show that he wasn’t a threat. “I need your support. We’re on the cusp of greatness, Arianna. With you behind me, I could take Crystalmoor into the future. We could expand our trade with Aravell. Imagine having their technology here. We could improve the lives of our people exponentially. Why don’t you come to the small council meeting tomorrow? When you hear the changes I’m proposing, you’ll understand that all I want is to do the right thing by our people. And if we work together, we’d become the greatest country on the continent!”
“I will not work with the man who killed my father.”
Silvano’s patience was a brittle strand, seconds from breaking. “He attacked me! What was I supposed to do? Let him take off my head? All I wanted was for him to welcome me home.”
She snorted and crossed her arms. “Likely story.”
“It’s true! There are so many things you don’t know.”
“Like what?” She quirked a brow like she was humoring him but didn’t believe a word he would say.
His stomach plummeted. Even though he knew she would argue with anything he said, he had to try. “When I was exiled, Father hired Mikkal to assassinate me.”
“Then why are you still alive?”
“Mikkal had a change of heart.”
“That’s a convenient story.”
“Talk to Lucan if you don’t believe me. He confessed to everything.”
“I would love to speak with Lucan, but you have him locked in the dungeons.”
“It’s the truth!”
“Truth is as fluid as the sea, and just as salty.” She shook her head slowly. “I can’t believe a word you say. I can only see the pile of evidence laid before me. Everything you’ve done has been for yourself. You mentioned wanting to improve the conditions for everyone, but why? Is it because you truly want what’s best for the people, or is it nothing more than a political move to benefit yourself?”
Silvano wanted to rip his hair out. He threw his arms to the side in exasperation. “What do you want from me, Arianna? How can I prove myself to you?”
“Abdicate. Leave the palace immediately with nothing but the clothes on your back. Prove to me that you are innocent by giving up the one thing you’ve ever wanted. This is your final warning.” And with that, she slipped out the window and into the night, letting the darkness swallow her whole. “If you think things are bad now, just wait and see what happens if you don’t comply.”
Silvano raced over to the window, his knuckles turning white where they clutched the stone, and leaned out over the edge. Where had she gone? Was she still in the castle somewhere? Even if she had truly left, she couldn’t have gone far. He opened his mouth to call for his guards, then closed it slowly. Sending armed guards to hunt her down and drag her back in chains would only confirm her beliefs about him. No, he would let her go. But he would also fortify the castle to prevent any more late-night visitors. If Arianna wished to see him, she could come through the front gate and request an audience like anyone else.
10
There was one room in the castle that Silvano hadn’t dared enter since his homecoming—his father’s office.
Arianna’s visit had left him feeling more than a little unsettled. He’d tried going to bed, but he’d done nothing but toss and turn as her words tormented him.
You haven’t been into father’s study since you came home.
What did she mean by that? Was there something inside he needed to see? A secret message? Or was she simply throwing their childhood in his face?
As children, they were forbidden from going inside. Only once had he broken the rule, and he hadn’t been able to sit down for a week. Even now, it felt as though there were an invisible fence blocking the door. Positively ridiculous, considering the Miestryri was dead. It didn’t stop him from feeling like he was about to be punished as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
He lifted his lantern to illuminate the room.
Sconces holding candles melted into stubs lined the stone walls. Portraits of Miestryris hung at regular intervals, their sharp features staring down at him in judgment. A small wooden desk was pushed up against the wall between two arched windows that overlooked the sea. Plans for building new ships for the navy lay scattered across the surface of the desk. Silvano picked one up and set it back down after a moment. Other than basic terminology, he knew next to nothing about ships.
Silvano frowned. What was he even looking for?
He crouched by the desk and pried open the drawers. A telescope. A roll of parchment. Maps. He was about to slam the last drawer shut when a scroll caught his eye, fastened with the Miestryri’s seal. He gently lifted it, broke the seal, and unrolled it. He read it. Then read it again.
His world tilted.
“Shh… father will hear you,” I hissed at Arianna.
She clutched my hand tightly. “We shouldn’t be here. Papa will catch us.”
I grumbled and pulled away, wiping my hand on my trousers. The feel of my now-empty pocket stopped my heart. I clearly remembered shoving a frog inside just ten minutes ago, intent on slipping it inside the cook’s bread bowl before dinner. She was terrified of frogs, and imagining what her face would look like when she saw it nearly sent me into a fit of giggles. I pressed a palm to my mouth.
But if the frog was missing…
They peered through the crack in the door of their father’s office as the shouting started again.
“I’ll not have it!” Father’s voice rang out followed by a loud crash as something shattered against the far wall.
I craned my neck to peek around the corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of green. If the frog had gone inside, I would be blamed. And punished. It hardly seemed fair. The fact that I had smuggled it into the cast
le in the first place escaped my logic.
Someone whimpered. “Miestryri, please listen to reason. The people will turn against you if you follow through with this.”
“Accidents happen all the time, Lucan. I shouldn’t think you’d be squeamish.”
“It just seems unnecessary, that’s all.”
“Are you turning traitor?” his father growled. My ears perked up. I’d hoped for some juicy gossip when I’d convinced Arianna to eavesdrop with me and hearing Father call his adviser a traitor was as juicy as I could imagine. I held my breath and waited to hear something else break, but the room was deathly quiet. I pouted. It would have been exciting to watch the guards drag Lucan away. The man always gave me the shivers.
“Look, a letter arrived from the Rei this afternoon.”
I heard a rustle of paper, followed by creaking as his father sat in his chair. A minute of pure boredom passed, and I scanned the hallway, quickly losing interest in eavesdropping. Where had that frog gone? It was nearly suppertime, and we would need to get down to the kitchens to pull off the greatest prank ever.
“Do you think this will work?”
“Yes, and if not, there are other… alternatives we can discuss. Let’s not jump to the worst-case scenario immediately.”
“Very well. I’ll write to the Rei. Please assemble the necessary supplies for the journey.”
“Sire…”
“What now?”
I flinched. I hated that tone. When Father spoke in that voice, it usually meant that pain would follow. I wanted to warn Lucan that he was in danger, but self-preservation kept me quiet.
“He’ll need a Shield.”
“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”
“He’s noble-born. It will look odd if he’s sent away with no protection.”
“Fine. Fine! Just do it and may the sea god take you. But mark my words, Lucan. He will never be Miestryri.”
Arianna looked sharply up at me, but I had stopped paying attention to whatever Father was saying. Just there, a foot away from the desk, was that pesky frog. I sucked in a breath, hoping that Father wouldn’t notice, or worse, step on it.
The chair creaked. Heavy bootsteps heading toward the door sent us racing around the corner. We waited until the footsteps retreated, then I grabbed Arianna’s hand and pulled her toward the office.
She froze in the doorway. “We can’t go in there!”
“We have to! My frog is in here, and father will skin me alive if I don’t fetch it.” When she didn’t budge, I rolled my eyes and said, “Fine, go hurry back to your nanny. I should never have asked you to come with me.”
She began to cry, and I almost felt bad. Not enough to apologize, of course. Now, to find that frog…
I hurried over to the desk, crawling on my hands and knees. Where did it go? I knew I saw it here a minute ago. I stood and searched the top of the desk, growing panicked. In my desperation, I knocked a thick, black book to the floor. If the loud thwack as it landed on the stone floor hadn’t made me wet my pants, the arrival of my father surely would.
“Looking for this?”
I turned around slowly. Father stood in the doorway, holding the frog by the foot, pinched between his fingers.
“Miestryri? Sil?”
Jax’s voice made him jump, and the scroll crumpled in his hand. Silvano blinked up at the doorway, half expecting to see his father glaring down at him. He shook off the memory. “Jax? What are you doing here?”
“I saw the light. No one is supposed to come in here other than you, and I thought it might be thieves.” He stepped closer. Whatever showed on Silvano’s face must have alarmed him. “Are you all right? Should I fetch a Healer?”
Silvano shook his head. “I’m not sick. I… well… read it for yourself.” He held out the scroll.
Jax frowned at him, but he took it and read, his face growing paler by the word. “Is this…?”
“Yes. The same day I was exiled, my father took it upon himself to renounce my claim to the throne and named Arianna as the heir apparent, pending the priests’ blessing at the ceremony,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Does anyone else know about this?”
“Other than Lucan and Arianna, I don’t believe so.”
“Good.” Jax lifted the glass from the lantern and lowered the scroll into the flame. The edges curled and blackened as the fire consumed it, leaving nothing behind but a tiny pile of ash. “Now, she has no proof. Her entire claim to the throne is over, and if she were intelligent, she’d flee the country. Come, you look dead on your feet, and you’ll need some rest before the council meeting.”
Silvano nodded. As he turned to follow Jax out of the room, something on the desk caught his eye—a thick black book. On a whim, he took it with him. He doubted he would get any sleep, but hopefully this would prove to be interesting reading material at least.
He had no idea how true that would be.
11
By an unfortunate turn of events, Silvano found himself trapped in the small council room on the same day that Lady Liola came to air her seemingly unending list of grievances. The only thing keeping him in his seat was the fact that he had very real problems to discuss with the council—specifically, with the minister of sanitation. He hadn’t forgotten what he’d seen in the slums, and he resolved to make things better for the sake of the people, and not for his own gain, regardless of what Arianna believed.
His newfound altruism, however, was at odds with his overwhelming desire to strangle Lady Liola.
A feeling made worse by the roaring fire behind him. Sweat trickled down his back, staining his finest white doublet. He had serious doubts that it would wash properly. Which servant had decided that roasting the small council was an appropriate course of action? He had half a mind to send him or her into permanent exile in the frozen wasteland of Tregydar.
His fingers tapped on the cover of the book he’d taken from his father’s office. The naval officer shot him a curious glance, and Silvano smiled. They had no idea that he was about to unleash a swarm of jellyfish on this meeting.
An hour passed before Lady Liola was satisfied that the council was taking her seriously, then another before she finally left with an extra bounce in her step and the assurance that her neighbor would receive a citation for his numerous misdeeds.
He sighed in relief, dismissing her with all the appropriate remarks. He opened his mouth to address the council, but before Silvano could take control of the meeting, a messenger burst into the room, clutching a missive like it was a bag of gold. He bowed low. “Miestryri, a message for you from Order Headquarters. Head Magi Cadmus sends his regards.”
“Thank you.” Silvano took the scroll from the messenger. He smiled and brushed his thumb against the wax seal—an eight-pointed star. Then he turned and threw it in the fireplace.
Gasps rang out around the table. The messenger spluttered, “Sire! That was from the—”
“The Head Magi, I’m aware. Thanks to my possession of two fully-functional ears, I was able to understand you the first time you spoke.” He tried to hide his irritation. The messenger had likely been raised to believe that the Order was beyond reproach, an organization without fault, designed to benefit the greater good. But Silvano knew better.
“But—”
“Allow me to make myself clear,” Silvano said, pausing to make eye contact with everyone in the room. The minister of the people wouldn’t meet his gaze. “It would be my greatest pleasure to drive the Order and all its disciples from Crystalmoor.”
With a wave of the hand, he dismissed the messenger, who stared at Silvano as if he’d just admitted he skinned puppies for fun. It took all his self-control to not launch into a tirade over the corruption within the Order. But that was an argument for another day. He was about to launch an assault against their deep-rooted beliefs and traditions as it was.
“I believe we’ve wasted enough time this morning on frivolous nonsense, so let’s get down t
o business.” Silvano stood and addressed the council. “First, I would like to give my full support for the sewer project. This is something that has long been needed, and I believe that it will improve the quality of life for all of our citizens.”
The council exchanged loaded looks. The minister of sanitation looked particularly uncomfortable as he squirmed in his chair. “By all our citizens, what do you mean exactly?”
“Exactly what I said. Everyone deserves clean water and streets. I would like to expedite construction as soon as possible, starting in the slums. In addition, I would like to put a team together to clean the streets and hand out food to those most in need.”
A small tittering of laughter broke out. The minister of sanitation leaned forward and patted the drawings. “Forgive me, Miestryri, but there seems to have been a misunderstanding. The sewer plans were for the nobility and those who can afford to install it in their own homes. This is still relatively new technology in Aravell, mind you. I apologize if I made it seem as though everyone were going to benefit.”
He pretended to be shocked by the statement, but it was no more than he expected from the council. It was easy to overlook the suffering of others when you didn’t experience it yourself. “You were planning on furthering the disparity between classes by withholding this from the general public?” he asked, hoping to shame them into cooperation.
“Yes, well, when you phrase it that way, it does sound bad, doesn’t it?” The minister of sanitation pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the sweat beading on his forehead. “That doesn’t change the fact that it’s quite expensive. The people can hardly afford to eat, let alone pay five hundred gold pieces to connect their homes up to the new sewer system.”
“My father has been beggaring the people through taxes for years, and as a result, our coffers are filled to bursting. Wouldn’t you agree, madam treasurer?”
The treasurer looked taken aback to have been addressed, then she scrambled for her ledger and flipped through the pages.
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