by Jeff Wheeler
Sinia twisted a ring from her finger and handed it to Cettie. “My mother’s father made this ring long ago. In another world. It will summon the Tay al-Ard into your hand when you are near him. Invoke it with a thought. You may use that magic to fulfill your role as an Oath Maiden. To do your queen’s bidding. And to protect her.”
Cettie accepted the ring, staring at the ancient metal and the delicate runes carved into its tarnished band. Then she put it on.
Sera’s heart was aching at the decisions she was being asked to make. Releasing Ereshkigal from her prison. Sending Trevon back to his realm to rule in his father’s place. Both decisions would cause her unspeakable anguish and despair. Yet strangely, that knowledge didn’t sway her will. She was still too full of the Medium, still too certain that what she was doing was right. Clenching her hands into fists, she stared at the Leering and walked toward it. Shimmers of heat radiated from it. Ereshkigal was straining to burst out.
“Stand near me,” she heard Owen say to Cettie.
Sera approached the Leering, feeling the furnace blazing inside it. The Leering’s eyes were white hot and smoking. Fissures appeared on the stone, but it still held together. Would her hand burn if she touched the rock?
Glancing back, she saw Maderos, Sinia, and Owen standing together, their faces grim but determined. Cettie stood beside Owen, shuddering, though her expression was as undaunted as Sera’s heart.
Maderos nodded to her. The time had come.
Sera faced the Leering with defiance in her heart. She put her hand on the stone, and surprisingly, it did not burn. The stone felt strangely cool, the surface rough against her palm. Sera bowed her head.
You will suffer, daughter of filth. Scion of vengeance!
The voice was so much like Jevin’s, cruel and full of rage and threats. The promise of destruction and pain. Yet . . . yet . . . it was bluster. That was all.
I invoke this Leering, Sera thought. Release who you’ve bound.
There was a sharp cracking noise, the splintering of rock. The face of the Leering split into a thousand tiny shards, then the cracks deepened, stone began to slough off, and the boulder collapsed at her touch. An acrid smell stung her nose, reminding her of smelling salts.
Sera felt energy prickle against her skin, a tingling sensation that made her think of lightning about to strike. Wind whipped around her as she backed away from the rubble. It moaned through the rocks and crags of the mountain. A wicked cry of glee trembled in Sera’s mind. It grew louder and louder and more painful each moment. Sera was forced to her knees, covering her ears, trying to blot it out. The wind ripped at her dress, made her hair flap in her face. This felt nothing like the windstorm from earlier. It felt diseased.
It felt as if it would destroy the very ground they stood on.
Banirexpiare.
Sera didn’t know who had thought the word, but it hadn’t come from her. The wind was tamed, and Sera looked up. The three Unwearying Ones stood firm. Maderos lowered his crooked staff and made a pouting smile.
“The pethet is gone,” he said. “She will wander the world, looking for someone to claim. A willing vessel to inhabit.”
“Sera, you must return to Lockhaven,” Sinia said. “Montpensier’s fleet has arrived to destroy it. Many of the sky ships in the admiralty have defected to serve your enemy. But the city will obey you, the true empress. I will take you there.”
“I will take Cettie to the imposter,” Maderos said. “I know where he is skulking.”
The other eyes turned to Owen, who loosened his sword from its scabbard. “I will go to the Fells to stop the monster.”
Maderos turned to Sera, his eyes earnest. “Seven days.”
His words struck again in the pit of her stomach.
Seven days left to find Trevon. Before she would lose him forever.
CHAPTER THIRTY−ONE
THE EMPRESS REIGNS
Lady Sinia brought Sera to Lockhaven through a power she did not understand. She did not have a Tay al-Ard. She merely took Sera’s hand, led her to a small rivulet of water running down the wall of the cave, and as they stepped through it, a yanking feeling similar to ones she’d felt made her lurch and nearly fall into the shallow pool of water in the control room of Lockhaven. Sera looked down, expecting to see the water soaking her skirts, but instead, she saw that the water was pushed away, repelled somehow by their presence.
Durrant was there, pacing with a look of panic, sleeplessness, and despair. His hair was a wild mess. The man looked as if he’d literally not slept in days. When he turned and saw her standing in the pool, he stopped short, his jaw hanging open.
“Sera,” he breathed out in wonderment. “Do my eyes deceive me? Or are you a shade?”
Lady Sinia gestured for Sera to step out of the water. She did so and turned to thank the woman for her help, only to see her vanishing in a sheen of mist. Sera wished she could have forestalled her departure. Trevon had always wondered what had happened to Sinia. How he would have loved to meet her. The empress’s heart ached, but there was no time to wallow in sadness. Her empire was slipping through her fingers.
“I’m real, Durrant,” Sera said. The prime minister was still gazing in shock at her disheveled and injured state.
“My lady, you are . . . an answer to prayer,” he said. He gesticulated and turned almost in a full circle. “There is literally not a moment to waste in niceties. Montpensier’s fleet will arrive within the quarter hour. We’re stranded, helpless, and unable to move or flee. Lord Welles, to make matters worse, has commandeered our hurricanes and taken them to the City. Admiral Grant is coming, but it will be impossible for him to arrive in time. My lady, moments ago, I was certain all was lost. And now”—he wagged his head in disbelief—“you are here. Save us, Sera. Lockhaven will not obey anyone else.”
“There’s much to tell you and little time, Durrant,” Sera said, touched by the look of need on his face. “But do not lose hope. Warn the privy council that I’ve returned.”
“How exactly did you return?” he said.
Sera looked at him curiously. “Did you not see her? The woman who brought me here?”
“You are the only one I saw standing in the waters,” he said, shaking his head.
His words bewildered her. There was magic at work that was incomprehensible, but there was no time to wonder at it. She needed to focus her attention on saving her people. “Go, Mr. Durrant. I will deal with our enemies.”
He nodded vigorously, smiling for what was probably the first time since her abduction. “You are here. I’m still in a state of shock. It is so truly good to see you again. We will speak of what happened to you . . . later.”
“Go,” she said, nodding, and he hurried out of the room to go to the privy council.
Sera, exhausted as she was, felt a surge of vigor and reached out and touched the Command Leering that bore the face of Empress Maia. The affinity she felt for her ancestor had grown immeasurably. Part of her felt as if she herself were Maia. Memories that weren’t her own seemed to flicker to life in her mind. How many times had Maia sat in this very room during her war against the kishion of her days? The empress had lost her husband during that war. It pained Sera’s heart to think the same would happen to her.
Are you with me, Empress Maia? Sera thought as she closed her eyes, caressing the Leering’s smooth stone.
She felt a flush of warmth rise in her chest. The Leering activated, and she called forth the view from the eyes of the Leering embedded in the rocks at the bottom of the floating city. Waves undulated beneath them, interrupted by seagulls winging their way beneath Lockhaven’s shadow. She could sense, through the Command Leering, the fear and panic of Lockhaven’s citizens. Those who could escape by their own personal zephyrs already had. But the floating city was also home to many refugees from the war. She felt their bewilderment, the dread of the news they’d heard. They were preparing for death, trapped in the sky.
She turned her attention to the wate
r, and she saw the hulking form of General Montpensier’s ship, gliding beneath the surface like a massive whale. There were dozens of support ships with it, forming an underwater armada against her people. She imagined General Montpensier in that lead ship.
She remembered the uncomfortable dinner parties she’d attended in Kingfountain. How the general would always goad and try to upset her. All the while, he’d been plotting to betray his king and seize the throne for himself. His ambition and dissatisfaction were unlimited. He thought to rule both worlds. Now he would pay the price for his lack of loyalty.
Part of her cringed at the thought of destroying so many lives. But it was her duty as empress to protect her people. She hadn’t started this war.
But she would end it.
“Come, General,” she whispered. “I’m waiting for you.” She would wait until they breached the water before she attacked.
Several minutes later, the massive sea ship finally burst above the waves. White foam crashed against its hull as it reached the surface. Sera narrowed her eyes, watching to see what they would do. The other ships surfaced as well, forming a ring around the main one. Then she saw ant-like men scrabbling on the deck of the huge ship. Partitions were opened, revealing immense cannons that had been hidden in holds belowdecks. Sera squinted, using the magic of the Command Leering to amplify her vision. She saw the cannons being loaded with huge bags of what seemed like powder. Soldiers carried heavy iron balls. These were cannons built to destroy Lockhaven, to break apart the rocks supporting it. The ships had been positioned to fire at the floating city. Even the smaller ships had cannons attached to them. It would be a relentless barrage.
How much of their flaming powder had they brought on the ships to feed the greedy cannons? She imagined the ships were full of the stuff.
“Well, General,” Sera said dispassionately. “It’s unfortunate that your powder is so vulnerable to flame.”
She invoked the Command Leering again and compelled the city of Lockhaven to start gliding toward the fleet, closing the distance between them. Then she invoked the defensive Leerings beneath the city to rain lightning down from the underside. She heard shrieks of fear as fire arced down toward the ships and the sea. The ships could not submerge with the panels open, lest they be flooded.
They’d doomed themselves.
The arcs of fire came closer to the command ship. One of the smaller ships launched a huge cannonball at Lockhaven with a deafening boom. The cannonball smashed into the underside, causing a slight tremor. Sera retaliated with a blast of lightning, one that exploded the small ship with a flash of bright light.
Sera kept her attention fixed on the main ship, though, bringing Lockhaven directly above it. Hail and lightning smashed into the deck. Soldiers scrambled, some diving into the waters to avoid being struck. But there was no escaping. The ship turned into a tower of flame, so bright and hot its jet reached the underside of Lockhaven. Had she been watching firsthand without the Leering, it would have blinded her. Huge black clouds of smoke billowed from the burning husk of the ship lolling on the waves, obscuring what she’d seen. Another ship exploded, hit by bits of burning wreckage. But the mammoth enemy ship had been completely destroyed. Chunks of blazing wood floated amidst the other detritus. Sera could smell the acrid stench through the Leering.
Montpensier’s schemes were finally at an end. More explosions came from below as other ships caught flame. Some were trying to flee, but the ocean had become a burning cauldron. Gray and black clouds billowed on its surface and the choppy waves spread the devastation.
A few more ships managed to send cannonballs up, and while most missed, a few did not. Sera sent arcs of lightning toward the surviving ships, but the smoke obscured her view, and she knew she might not catch them all. They would flee for the mirror gates or try to remain hidden beneath the waves. They didn’t know the gates would soon be closing.
Within half an hour, all evidence of Montpensier’s fleet had been destroyed. She stopped raining lightning down on the ruins of the fleet and ordered Lockhaven to return to its original location over the City.
A message came through the Leering, and she recognized Admiral Grant’s voice.
“This is Admiral Grant of the high fleet. We have ships drawing nigh to your position. They should arrive within six hours. Please respond, Lockhaven. Please respond.”
His tone was urgent, as if he knew all too well that his ships would arrive too late.
Sera felt a smile quirk on her mouth. She invoked the Leering again. “We are well, Admiral Grant. All is well.”
“Your Majesty!” he said in surprise.
“Order those who are loyal to the empire to join your ranks. You will meet us at the City, where we will bring some traitors to heel. We may have to fight our own countrymen, but I hope to persuade Lord Welles to surrender. You are still loyal to me?”
“I am, Your Majesty,” he said. “Lord Welles should be punished for this.”
“And he will be,” Sera promised. “Join us as soon as you can. I’d like the fleet to surround us. And Admiral—order a full retreat from Kingfountain. We must abandon that world immediately.”
“Your Majesty, I don’t understand,” he said, his tone baffled. “We’ve made great gains. If we press the fight, I’m confident we can conquer them. They’ve never been this vulnerable before.”
He was right, of course. But then, he didn’t know what she did.
“Follow my orders, Admiral. Evacuate that world immediately. The remaining mirror gates will all come crashing down. I cannot stop it. It’s a punishment . . . from the Medium. Whoever is left on that side when the gates are destroyed will be trapped there permanently.”
Silence hung between them for a moment, and she could tell he was wondering how it was possible for her to know such a thing, then he said, “Yes, Empress. I will issue the orders at once.”
Sera let go of the Leering and slumped down on the padded bench beside it. She felt the gentle sway of motion. Lockhaven was heeding her, as before. It was moving. As tired as she was, she knew her work was not over. After rubbing her aching wrists, she rose from the bench and left to meet with the privy council to decide what was to be done about those who had committed treason.
Sera listened with patience and interest to the council members who were left. The room was only half-full because many had fled for their lives. Some had been ordered to go, by Mr. Durrant, but others had fled surreptitiously. Those who had stayed were the most courageous, the most loyal to her.
Arguments had been made for both clemency and strict justice. Sera gave no indication of her own thoughts on the matter. She wished to hear the arguments of her advisors before deciding. Many on the council were angry. All were grateful that Montpensier’s force had been destroyed.
“You cannot pardon Lord Welles,” Lady Sanchia snapped after someone suggested that retaliating harshly against Welles was inadvisable since he clearly had a strong bedrock of support within the empire. “The crime he’s committed is unpardonable! He broke our trust by siding with the enemy. Treason is a capital offense.”
“But if Her Majesty hadn’t humbled him, he may not have turned on us,” said another lord. “I’m only speaking my mind. He was drunk on power. And we ripped away the bottle.”
“You blame Her Majesty?” Lady Sanchia said, aghast. “His downfall was his own doing. He was foolish enough to have an affair with a hetaera mistress.”
“Her Majesty deserves no blame,” Mr. Durrant cut in. “Do I need to remind you who it was who just saved us from certain destruction?” He sighed, shaking his head. “Your Highness, I think we’ve heard plenty of options. There are merits to each, to be sure. The question is how do you wish to be remembered? You’ve been uncommonly quiet. I’m afraid not even I have any notion of what you will do. Your expression is enigmatic.”
Sera stroked the soft padded arm of the fine chair upon which she sat. Her wounds still festered. She smelled of the filth of the cesspit.
She was in desperate need of rest. But this was more important. Her leadership had been forged for this purpose.
“After I was abducted, I was hidden in a cesspit in the Fells,” Sera said. Eyes widened with surprise. Some of the ladies covered their mouths involuntarily with their handkerchiefs. “I witnessed firsthand the cruelty that we do to each other, especially to those less powerful than us. I intend to make some radical changes in our society. To pass laws that will condemn the slavery of children. No more will deeds be bought and sold. No more will people be treated like chattel.” She sighed. “Some of my ideas will not be popular. They will stoke animosity and anger. But I intend to take care of our people. Instead of using all of our wealth to build sky ships, I intend to use it to build bridges. I’m not saying we will disband the Ministry of War. But I see now that we erected it to pursue our interests in other worlds instead of improving the lives of our people.”
She paused, choosing her words deliberately. She didn’t know how the council would react. “Some of you may not feel comfortable in the world I intend to rebuild. Lord Fitzroy had some excellent ideas, and we had only just begun to implement the simplest of them before he was killed. I will continue to pursue his plans with a vengeance and look for more ideas to further improve the condition of our people. We must do this, my friends. And I tell you why. Our enemy is no longer the rulers of Kingfountain. It is the Queen of the Unborn. She is freed from her prison at Cruix Abbey.
“For too long we have guarded the secrets of the mastons, veiling them behind the Mysteries. Keeping the poorest among us in ignorance. These secrets must be shared with everyone, lest Ereshkigal destroy us from within. She will use our own thoughts against us.” Sera shook her head. “The war we face now is a battle for our minds. If we do things as we’ve done them for the last few centuries, then we will fail as a people. From this day forward, the Mysteries will once more be known by their proper name: the Medium. And all children in want of an education shall be given one. We will open new abbeys and new schools throughout the empire.”