“Was Joth in the room with you as well?”
Darrow nodded. “He entered as I left, though he greeted Kestra as a queen and seemed warm enough to her. But he has me worried. When I was … like his people, and banished to All Spirits Forest, Joth was the person everyone looked to. They consider him their ruler and respect him because for all these years, he was the only one they could communicate with. They served him, and for it, he promised to find a way to free them one day.”
“Or to find someone who could,” I breathed.
“Loelle is Joth’s mother. They used Kestra to fulfill the promise, but their plans made sense. There was no other hope for us, and Loelle’s motives seemed good. In exchange for Kestra’s work, we would help her fight Endrick, in a way that no fully human army could. I need you to understand this, Simon. Joth is a good person, or he was. But he has become—”
“Like Kestra,” I finished.
“Yes, but worse, because I don’t think he has fought it the way she did. I’ve stayed close enough to the throne room to know that she is finishing what she started with his people, restoring them to full life. But I think this time he is forcing her to do it.”
A pit formed in my stomach. “Do any half-lives remain?”
Darrow shrugged. “There were a great many of them, but most of them were originally Halderians … your people, not Joth’s. Is there any chance of you bringing them to your side?”
“Maybe I could. But Harlyn would do better,” I said. “We’ve got to find her.”
“If it’s the only way of persuading the Halderian half-lives to join you, then I will help you find Harlyn. But in exchange, you must help me find Kestra. There’s got to be a way to reach her, to help her.”
I drew in a deep breath. “What if there isn’t? Loelle told me she’s searched for weeks for a way to heal her, and has not found any way to do it. What if it cannot be done?”
“I will never stop hoping for a solution,” Darrow said. “I’m her father!”
“And I’m in l—!” I paused, to better select my words. In a quieter voice, I added, “I’m her friend, Darrow. Tell me what to do, because I genuinely don’t know.”
Darrow stared at me before softly nodding, then said, “Kestra must be in the throne room still. As she was, I cannot imagine that she will abandon the throne as long as a breath of life remains in her.”
“There might not be anything more than that,” I said, feeling the weight inside me grow heavier. “If Joth intends to replace her on that throne, there is only one way to do it.”
Darrow nodded again. “And what about you, King of the Halderians? Do you intend to replace them both on that throne?”
“I intend to remove anyone from the throne who is ruled by corruption,” I said. “But what I told you before is true: The last of my intentions is to harm Kestra.”
Darrow grunted. “I really do hate you Coracks, and perhaps you most of all. But I’ll choose to believe you because I have no other choice. Let’s go in and try to talk our way toward that throne, or fight our way there if we must.”
I shook his hand and together we emerged from the alcove, rounding toward the grand staircase, only to find ourselves surrounded by a dozen people who I assumed had been half-lives an hour ago. They were dressed in clothing that might have been in fashion a generation ago, and looked uncomfortable in their surroundings. Most were lightly armed, if at all, but I had no doubt that if they were here, so were several half-lives who would assure we followed whatever orders we were about to receive.
“The king of Antora, and prince of the Navanese people, requests an audience with you in his throne room,” a woman near us said.
Darrow squinted at her. “Do you mean Joth?”
“Where is Kestra?” I asked. “The queen?”
The woman shrugged. “She betrayed the king. Upon his orders she restored us, then harmed us in the same moment.”
Darrow’s eyes narrowed. “How?”
The woman held out her hands, palms up. “Before Endrick cursed us, I had the power to produce heat from my hands. Kestra Dallisor has that power now, my power! She stole from me, stole from every one of us. When we find Kestra, she will have to answer for her crimes.”
“When you find her?” I repeated. “She’s no longer in the throne room?”
“No, as you will see for yourself.” A white-haired man stepped forward from the group, widening his arm to show us the way. “If you will, please.”
Darrow and I nodded, and the group closed in around us. However, just before we entered the throne room, the man leaned in a little closer to me and whispered, “I know who you are, Simon Hatch, and no matter what happens in there, I consider you my king.”
I gave him a brief nod, then the doors opened and we were led inside. Joth sat on the Scarlet Throne now, casually leaning against one arm of the throne as if to give the impression of being unruffled and confident, but it wasn’t working. Something had clearly rattled him since the last time we had met.
Scattered about the room were more of the people Kestra had restored, but it wasn’t even forty or fifty. Certainly it was not the army that I had expected to see, based on the force of their initial attack. When Joth leaned into the light, I noticed he had a long scratch down his face. I hoped Kestra had done that.
He let out a heavy sigh. “I warned you to leave, I warned you to stay away, and yet here you are again. My hope is that you have reentered my palace with the intention of bowing to me now, saving yourself the humiliation of doing so tomorrow at noon, in front of all the armies you have brought into the courtyard.”
“That is half-correct,” I said. “As you suggest, I do not want to be humiliated tomorrow at noon. But I have come here to discuss the details of your surrender. Because I will not bow to you now, or ever.”
Joth’s face reddened, but he asked, “What details are those?”
“Obviously, I cannot allow you to take the throne without a challenge.”
He frowned. “Obviously.”
“So my first option is to bring the full power of the Alliance against you and your army of fifty civilians, stripped of their magic. I know you still have some half-lives to help you in the fight, but there are more of us than them. Based solely on the numbers, I will prevail.”
Joth didn’t flinch. “And your second option?”
“Tomorrow at noon, I challenge you to a duel, though you must agree to fight without the use of magic—nothing else is fair. The winner cedes his throne to the other.”
Joth smiled. “Ah, so if you defeat me, you expect that I will surrender the Scarlet Throne?”
“If the battle is only between you and me, we each preserve the lives of our people.”
“And when I defeat you,” Joth continued, “what is my reward?”
“The Halderian throne, with all our lands and our people.” I let the offer dangle in front of him for a moment, tempting him.
“I could kill you here,” Joth said.
“Which would mean I am no longer a problem for you, but that will not give you the loyalty and service of my people.”
Darrow turned and began addressing the others in the room. “I know that many of you here feel a loyalty to Joth because of all he has done for us. I also know that many of you are Halderian. Your king, Simon Hatch, is before you now. You may be grateful to Joth for making your lives possible. But it is time to bring your loyalties back home. You will serve your Halderian king.”
Silence fell in the room for a moment, until I saw the same white-haired man who had escorted us here go to his knees. Another woman at his side did the same, then three or four more people, then another ten. Another fifteen or twenty crossed one arm over their hearts and stared at Joth, their king. Just like that, I had taken almost half of Joth’s followers.
“Meet me in the courtyard at noon tomorrow,” I said to Joth. “Or you’ll never have the respect of those you claim to lead.”
“Sooner or later, they’ll all come
crawling to me,” he said. “Noon tomorrow.”
“Until then, where is my daughter?” Darrow asked. “I insist on taking her away with me.”
“Who was the other girl you brought here before … Harlyn? I am told that she was last seen in pursuit of your daughter with a disk bow ready to fire. I expect that by now, one or the other is still alive. Not both.”
“Where did they go?” Anxious as I had been to confront Joth, that was nothing compared to thinking about any confrontation between Harlyn and Kestra. I added, “We want to find them.”
“Her father can search for her,” Joth said. “You will remain with us. If I am not allowed to use magic in the duel, you must not be given the opportunity to make any tricks against me.”
There was no point in objecting. I desperately wanted to go after Harlyn and Kestra, but he had just given me a perfect opportunity to observe him and better understand his vulnerabilities. If he was allowing it, then I needed to stay.
Darrow leaned in and whispered, “He will not keep his word, you know. He will cheat.”
“I’m counting on it,” I replied.
Darrow looked up, but I could not offer him an explanation here. So he merely touched my arm, then ran from the throne room in search of Kestra.
Or in search of Harlyn.
I wanted to believe there was a chance that both of them were still alive. But I knew them both too well to have much hope.
The difference between a disk in the pocket of the bow and a disk lodged in my chest was a slight nudge of Harlyn’s finger on the string. It would take so little for her to kill me right now.
I searched within myself for any magic that could make Harlyn regret her words. I found the powers but knew I lacked the strength. As it was, I had no choice but to obey Harlyn for now and, at my earliest opportunity, take a fierce revenge. I was already counting the minutes.
“Lift your hands where I can see them,” Harlyn instructed as I began to move. “I don’t trust you.”
“That’s wise.” I began to stand, then lost my footing and slipped again. Harlyn raised her bow. Alarmed, I said sharply, “Don’t you dare shoot me over a little slip! If you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly at my best right now.”
“Maybe that’s a trick too,” she said.
“Maybe it is,” I replied. Once I was standing, I asked, “What now?”
Harlyn clearly hadn’t expected to still be on her feet. Her eyes darted leftward while she considered an answer, which was, “We will walk out of this palace together. There you will surrender to Simon Hatch, king of the—”
“King of the Halderians, yes, I know who he is.” I sighed. “But Simon is not available for surrender at the moment. He’s somewhere inside this palace, probably under attack by Joth’s half-lives.”
Harlyn’s eyes widened. “Do you know where he is?”
“Of course I know,” I lied. “Follow me.”
“If you’re leading me into a trap, you’ll pay for it,” she said as I began to limp forward.
I looked over my shoulder. “If this is a trap, I won’t give you that chance.”
I didn’t know Endrick’s palace well, but I suspected Simon was headed toward the throne room, for that was the direction where Joth had sent his half-lives. And the last person I wanted to see now was Simon, so I led Harlyn in the opposite direction, to the rear of the palace. This was where Endrick’s servants would have once worked, where the commanders of his armies would have quartered at night.
I paused there, mumbling under my breath about what I intended to do with this wing of the castle once my rule was secured.
“Who cares about any of that right now?” Harlyn asked.
I didn’t care. It was only a ruse to give me a moment to catch my breath as I began to feel whispers of strength returning again.
“Keep walking,” Harlyn said, nudging me in the back with her disk bow. “We have to find Simon.”
If she truly wanted to find him, then she was in the wrong place. He’d have no reason to be here, so far from the throne room.
One of the rooms nearby was larger than the others had been, with row after row of beds, and at the far end was a ladder headed belowground. That might be my only chance.
I peered into the room as a shout came from somewhere behind us. Harlyn pushed me forward, then peered out into the corridor. “Joth’s got his people on patrol. Kestra, we have to—”
By the time she looked my way again, I was halfway to the ladder. I had enough strength by then to upturn one of the beds between us. In nearly the same second, Harlyn shot at me. Her disk lodged into the mattress, releasing a tuft of feathers.
I grabbed the ladder but loosened my grip enough to slide straight down; then I yanked the ladder free and set it on the ground. The door that had been propped open by the ladder slammed shut, which I had not expected, but I used a little magic to keep it sealed. Suddenly, I was standing in near total darkness, save only for a few small clearstones along the walls of this tunnel.
I warmed one, which barely gave enough light to reach the next clearstone, but that one was burned out from overuse. The clearstone after that seemed so far away.
Panic rose in my chest, enough that I could do nothing more than crouch to the ground and try to find air to breathe. Above me, Harlyn pounded on the door, but that did her no good.
“Kestra, let me in!” she cried. “People are searching for us.”
Then let them find her. I’d shown her mercy. In return, she’d shot at me, and now I was stuck down here.
Down here. I wrapped my arms around myself and shuddered. I couldn’t stay in this dark place. Because of Harlyn, I couldn’t go out the way I’d come in, and nothing in me had the ability to walk on.
As the panic began to overtake me, the strength of my magic failed, including my ability to keep the door overhead closed.
Harlyn pulled it open and tossed a rope into the tunnel. Then she slung the disk bow over one shoulder and lowered herself until she could drop to the floor.
I heard her land, and her breathless “thank you” and then a “Kestra, where are you?”
If she said anything else, I wasn’t around to hear it. I was already working my way through the darkness. It terrified me to run, but that was better than remaining anywhere near Harlyn. If I did, it was a guarantee of either my death or hers. It would have to be hers.
After Darrow left the room, the full weight of Joth’s attention fell on me.
“I am curious,” he said. “What makes you think you have any chance in the duel tomorrow?”
“Other than being the superior swordsman?” I spoke with confidence, even arrogance, but inside, my stomach was knotted.
He smiled. “I suspect that you are. I didn’t get much practice in the forest, not with half-lives for company. And my people have never cared for swords anyway. They’re inefficient compared to magic.”
“Then why did you accept my challenge?” I asked. “You can’t possibly expect to win … unless you cheat.”
Joth’s casual smile soured. “On the contrary, I have no intention of cheating tomorrow. My subjects will be there to watch. They must see me strike you down, sword against sword, without magic.”
My eyes narrowed. “Or I will strike you down.”
Joth’s laughter darkened. “That will never happen. You and I will face each other with swords. I will raise mine. You will try to do the same, but I fear you may not have the strength for it.”
His eyes darted meaningfully around the room, and I knew he must have silently issued some sort of command to the half-lives who were here.
“If you are Halderian, then I am your king!” I had no idea which way to turn as I spoke, or whether they could even hear me, but this was my chance. Lifting my sword, I added, “I am King Gareth’s heir, and with your help, this throne will belong to the Halderians again. Whatever you were ordered, I ask you to stand at my side, defend me now.”
Joth grimaced and made a gesture with h
is hand. I felt a slight wind move toward me from all directions, then it simply stopped as if a wall had gone up in front of me. Why had it stopped?
After a brief, tense pause, Joth stood and shouted, “I am your king! For a generation, I have protected you, watched over you. It is through me that you have been given the chance to live again.”
“And through me, you will live in freedom,” I said. “I will extend the offer to those of you who are among Joth’s people. He will reign over you, and upon your backs he will rule from this time forward. But it need not be. You see that I am protected by my people. Join them and be free.”
For the first time, Joth stormed down the steps from his throne. I held my ground, confident in the protection of those around me.
“This will not be tolerated, not in this room!” He thrust out one hand, pointing to those of his people whom Kestra had already restored. “Take the King of the Banished and make him suffer for his words! If you refuse, I will use what magic I have obtained to return you to your half-life state!”
At first, nothing happened, and I believed Joth had finally gone too far. Then someone in the corner shouted, “Your king has spoken! What are you waiting for?”
All eyes fell upon me, most of them unfriendly, but when the restored Navan took their first steps toward me, others got in their way, saying, “Our king has also spoken. They have agreed to settle their differences tomorrow!”
I wasn’t sure who threw the first punch, only that when the fight began, it quickly engulfed the entire throne room. I genuinely didn’t know who was fighting for Joth and who was fighting for me, which made it impossible to use my sword to enter the fray. All I could do was trust that the half-lives who had surrounded me before would continue to protect me.
But that was a mistake. Joth must have been silently giving directions to the half-lives, because somehow my protection was gone. A few of his restored people rushed at me from behind, pushing me down to the floor. I struggled against them, but someone clubbed me in the back.
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