“Again?” I shouted.
He moved to kick the wound, but before he did, I stepped back and dropped my sword, then raised my hands.
“Do you surrender?” Roden asked, keeping his sword raised.
I sharpened my glare at him, forcing words from my mouth that went against every instinct within me. “I suppose I have … lost.”
“Will you go to your knees?”
“No.”
“Fair enough.” Roden turned to the pirates. “I am your king now, and we will honor our oaths to the Monarch. If you cannot do that, then until I am able to deal with you, you are banished to the north side of Belland.”
Someone from the back called out, “The uninhabited region? Nothing is there but rocks and water.”
Teagut stepped directly in front of Roden. “I’d rather be there for a lifetime than serve a Prozarian for an hour. Or you.” Teagut frowned at me next, clearly disappointed that I had lost the duel. He retrieved his sword and followed the rest of the pirates down the beach, the lot of them grumbling and cursing the entire way.
When the last of them had gone, Wilta smiled admiringly at Roden. “That was impressive.”
I rolled my eyes. That had not been at all impressive.
“I know that —” Roden stopped midsentence. I turned to see him standing taller, his eyes widened. “Darius, don’t do this.”
“Step away from my brother.” Darius entered the beach from behind a clump of trees where he must have been hidden. His sword was against Roden’s back and his tone was as commanding as I’d ever heard it. In a louder voice, he said to Wilta, “I have a proposal for you.”
My shoulders slumped. Darius meant well, but whatever Roden’s plan had been, Darius had just ruined it. And now he was ruining this as well. I gritted my teeth at him. “We are not bargaining with them.”
“Yes, we are.” Darius turned his attention to Wilta. “Jaron made you an offer earlier, and I suggest you accept it. Surrender now and you may leave in peace. Any delay will cost you dearly.”
Wilta didn’t even blink. “Have you considered what you could lose right now?”
I followed her gaze toward the harbor, where Captain Strick was standing beside Amarinda on the beach. Amarinda’s hands were bound and her hair hung loose around her shoulders, and even from here I could see that she was shaking with fear.
The time had come for them to use their strongest weapon against Darius, and it was clearly working. He immediately lowered his sword. Without his notice, Roden took it from his hands, pausing in front of me long enough to whisper, “My idea would have worked.”
“I know that,” I replied.
“Give me a reason to save her life,” Wilta said. “And it had better be good.”
Darius eyed me. “Sorry, Jaron, but I can’t put her at risk.”
I knew that too. Still, a knot formed in my gut as he reached into a pocket of his long coat and withdrew the satin bag containing the Devil’s Scope. With his gaze still locked on Amarinda, he said, “Let me speak to her.”
Wilta took the scope and pressed it against her chest. “We hoped you would say that.”
The distance between where we had fought and where Amarinda stood on the beach wasn’t far, but the walk there seemed to take hours, the gap between us remaining as wide apart as ever until suddenly it wasn’t and we stood facing one another. Captain Strick and Amarinda were on one side. I was on the other side with Darius, Roden, and Wilta.
Amarinda looked tired and worn, but she didn’t appear to be injured, and in fact, her eyes brightened considerably once she saw Darius. I couldn’t read her expression as she stared at him, though I was sure I recognized disbelief, shyness, and maybe some sadness too. I wondered if love was there as well. That was all I saw in Darius.
They stopped short of being able to touch each other, but continued to stare until Amarinda said, “I thought you were —”
“I’m not.” Darius licked his lips, clearly nervous. “I’ve thought about you every day since I left.”
She lowered her eyes. “This isn’t the time for that, Darius.”
“Perhaps not, but I wanted you to know.”
He stepped forward, but Wilta extended her sword between them, forcing Darius back. She said, “Now that we’re all together, I see that there’s a problem. Or rather, three problems. You three represent the royalty of Carthya. If the Prozarians are going to destroy Carthya — and we will destroy it now — then all of you must die.”
Darius crossed to the point of her sword. “None of that is necessary. We made agreements before —”
“And we will never do so again.” I refused to look at Darius as I spoke. “Your time is running out, Wilta. Surrender now, while you can.”
Under his breath, I heard Darius mutter my name, followed by his whispered, “Stop.”
Wilta turned her sword to me. “You will be the last to die, after watching every person you love go to their deaths, after watching your country fall in flames.”
“Ignore my brother.” Darius put himself between me and the sword. “Mine is the only death that will matter. If there must be a punishment, take me. I am Carthya’s king.”
Strick laughed, a cruel, biting laugh. She locked eyes with Darius to be sure he heard every word.
“You still think you are the king?” she sneered. “My sweet boy, you are not even a prince. You are the child of a nursemaid, son of a traitor. There is not a drop of royal blood in your veins.”
“That’s not true.” He shook his head, but tension filled his voice. “You’re only saying that because you don’t want me on the throne.”
Her smile grew cold. “On the contrary, until you chose sides with Jaron, we wanted you on the throne very much. Not because you were easy to bend, but because when the time came, we knew how we’d break you.”
Darius looked over at me, a thousand questions in his eyes. He wanted to deny everything Strick had said, but it seemed that something deep inside wouldn’t allow it. As the reality of her words set in, I could almost see his heart shredding. I could only stare back at him with a slight nod to confirm what he could not ask.
Wilta said to Roden, “Take the princess to the prison. I have further business with these two … brothers.”
“Let me stay.” Amarinda turned to Wilta. “If I must die with them, I should remain here with them.”
Though he wouldn’t look at her, Darius said, “You’ll be safer in the prison. Please go with Roden.”
Unable to meet Darius’s eyes, Amarinda looked at me, and I gestured with my head that she should leave. She nodded sadly and left, with Roden at her side.
When they had gone, Wilta’s attention shifted to Darius. “Now that we have the scope, let’s discuss the second lens.”
“I gave it to you, as we agreed,” Darius protested.
“Did you?” At a signal from Captain Strick, both Lump and Mercy came forward, with Mercy holding the second lens that Darius had given them last night. He held it up to the light. “I admit, this is a good forgery.” He snapped the lens in half, then hurled it into the sea. “So good that when we find the Bellander who made it, we’ll see that they never make glass again.”
Wilta turned to Darius. “Give me the real lens.”
“I don’t have it.” He spoke convincingly, but I knew him well enough to know when he was lying. Darius had brought the scope with him, so I knew he had the lens here with him too.
Wilta absolutely could not get the second lens. No matter the cost to … My gut twisted as I made my decision. No matter the cost to me, I knew what I had to do.
With my heart pounding, I said, “I have the lens. But it’s hidden.”
“Where?” Mercy asked.
I rolled my eyes. “If I told you that, what would have been the purpose in hiding it? Honestly, you’re supposed to be smart and that’s your question?”
He and Lump advanced on me and I turned to run, hoping to draw them away from Darius and give him time t
o escape. But after my fight with Roden, I was slower than usual, and Lump easily reached me, kicking me from behind and forcing me to my knees.
The captain caught up to us and loomed over me. “You’ve wondered what I want from you, Jaron? Well, this is it. You on your knees before me.”
My hands balled into fists, which I pressed into the sand to force myself back to my feet. “That is not what you ever wanted from me, nor is this about the lens, or the trial. I am here for one reason only: revenge for what happened to Edgar.”
Strick drew in a sharp breath. “How do you know that name?”
“Edgar was in the orphanage with me, the only Prozarian boy I ever knew. Was he your son?”
“Do not say his name! You know nothing about him!”
“I was drawn to him because he looked so much like Darius. There were differences, of course, but nothing that Conner couldn’t remedy with some hair dyes, the right clothing. The effects of death would take care of any other details. He disappeared from the orphanage a couple of weeks before Conner came to take me as well.” I drew in a deep breath, aware of how devastating my words might be. “I think he must have been the boy who was chosen to take Darius’s place in death, so that Darius could be sent here.”
Strick’s eyes moistened. “We followed Edgar’s trail as far as the orphanage. The keeper there, Mrs. Turbeldy, told me that Conner took him.”
“Why was Edgar so far from home?”
In contrast to her mother’s obvious sadness, Wilta’s voice lacked any hint of emotion. “Once we had the first lens, my father and Edgar immediately began a search for the second lens. Father found it in Avenia, but he had become corrupted by greed and envy. One night he told Edgar that they only had to wait until the plague took Mother and me, and then they could return and claim the scope and first lens for themselves, along with all of my power. Edgar immediately sent me a letter, detailing the betrayal. He hoped I’d offer forgiveness, but he’d given me no choice. I ended my traitorous father’s life.”
Strick picked up the story. “Edgar still had the second lens and was afraid Wilta would do the same to him, so he entered the orphanage to hide.” She sniffed and looked away briefly. For the first time since we’d met, I didn’t see a ship’s captain, or a warrior. I simply saw a mother mourning her child.
Gently, I said, “When Conner took Edgar, he probably never expected to find that lens. Edgar must have told him about the first lens too, and about Belland, which is why Conner sent Darius here.” I let that sink in, then added, “He never deserved such a fate.”
Strick straightened her spine. “No, he did not. But someone must pay the price. After some effort, we were able to trace the second lens here. Darius was our first target, but as we talked, we realized you must have worked with Conner to obtain the throne, so you also became the focus of my revenge.”
“Edgar was my friend, Captain.”
“And he was my son! Who unwillingly gave his life for Carthya; therefore, Carthya must sacrifice itself for him.”
Wilta stepped forward. “Once we have all three lenses, the scope will lead us to the greatest of all treasures, and once again, the Prozarians will become a nation of unlimited power. We will crush Carthya beneath our boots.”
“Those boots?” I angled my head. “Your boots do not worry us.”
“They should.” And by the tone of her voice, I knew her threat was real. The corner of her lip twitched before she added, “Where is that second lens?”
Darius had been standing nearby, watching us. He said, “Let’s give it to them, Jaron. They’ll get it anyway.”
My eyes misted as my pulse began to race. I wasn’t hiding my fears nearly as well as I wanted. But I managed to whisper, “Never.”
At a glance from Wilta, Mercy picked up the same branch I had used earlier to fight Roden. He made a slow circle around me, stopping behind me to swat the branch against my legs. I gasped with the sudden sting and fell to all fours.
Strick leaned over me. “Where is the second lens? Maybe your brother will tell us.”
I gritted my teeth and stood. “Ask me instead.”
“All right. Will you give us the second lens?”
“Never.”
Immediately, I was hit again and fell back to the ground.
“I will tell you!” Darius shouted.
But I shook my head. “He doesn’t know where I hid it. Ask me again.”
“Will you give us —”
“Never.”
I had no sooner returned to my feet before I was hit again from behind. I withstood that blow, but it only meant Mercy’s next hit came at me harder, sending me to my knees.
“He does not have the lens!” Darius said.
“But he knows where it is.” Wilta crossed in front of me as I stood. “Tell us, Jaron.”
I braced myself, though it wasn’t enough to remain on my feet when the next hit came.
“Ask me again.”
This time, my legs shook when I tried to stand. I’d just lifted one knee before the next hit came, hard enough that I fell completely flat on the ground.
“Where is the lens?” she yelled.
I rolled to my side, pushing myself into a sitting position. “I will never tell you.”
“Enough of this.” Darius met my eyes. Hoping to stop him, I mouthed his name, but he frowned back at me and reached into his coat pocket. “The lens is here.”
My heart sank. Darius could not have known how high the price would be for saving me now.
“How easily you crumble,” Wilta said with a cold smile. She snatched the lens from him, then slid it into the second position on the scope.
“Take them to the prison cell,” Strick ordered Lump. “Let the people know there will be a triple execution at midnight. We want everyone there to see this.”
Darius helped me stand and braced my weight as Roden led us back toward the prison cell. I knew they were both trying to speak to me, but I barely heard any of it. The only thought passing through my mind was that Wilta was one step closer to her quest.
And we were only one step away from execution.
Back in the prison cell, Amarinda tended to my injuries as best she could, but Darius sat slumped in one corner. She had been steadily watching him all afternoon, but he hadn’t seemed to notice.
“He’s not all right,” she whispered to me.
“I know.” But I had no idea what to do about it.
Even with Amarinda here, the life seemed to have gone out of Darius. As we had raced toward the beach before, a fire had lit in his eyes. It was the fire of purpose, of freedom, the fire of a king in defense of his people. That spark was diminished now. No, it was worse. That fire was gone.
I bore some of the blame for that. Although I’d sworn to keep Trea’s secret, this was not the way he ever should have found out.
Part of me wanted to ask what he was thinking. Was he angry with Conner for sending him here? Or with my parents for lying to him all his life? Or angry with me? He had every right to be. Did he still consider us brothers?
That question was the reason I didn’t ask, because the other part of me didn’t know if I could bear to hear the answer.
“Is it true that they’ve captured everyone else?” Amarinda asked.
Though it deepened the ache in my heart, I nodded. I understood Imogen’s reasons for leaving Trea’s hut the way she had. I knew she had her own plans, and maybe a few secrets of her own. But I was terrified that everything might fall apart before tonight. Time was passing far too quickly in this cell.
It was evening before Wilta and Lump entered the prison. Both Darius and Amarinda stood to greet them, and by the time they were at the bottom of the stairs, I had managed to stand, though I was leaning on the bars of our cell for support.
Wilta looked over the three of us, but her eyes rested on me as she said, “With the correct lenses, we now know the time to enter the cave. You’ve already climbed it, Jaron, so you know those walls, and you
will climb them again tonight. If you bring me back that third lens, I will release your friends.”
I stared back at her. “Soon after we met, I promised that I would set the people of Belland free. I still have to fulfill that promise. Your offer to save my friends is pointless, because not one of them will face the executioner. Before this night is over, any Prozarians who are still alive will be racing away from this place.”
Her expression hardened. “Let’s try this negotiation differently. What if I bring your friends to the executioner right now … unless you come with me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Can’t you negotiate with anything but lives saved or lost? Honestly, where’s your imagination? If you want my help, I want one thing only.” My gaze shifted to Lump. “Tell me his name.”
Wilta’s nose wrinkled. “Him? His name is Rosewater.”
“Rosewater?” My grin widened as Lump’s face turned to shades of purple. He held up a pair of chains, obviously for me. “Let’s go to that cave.”
Lump grabbed me from the cell, chained my wrists, then roughly pushed me ahead of him up the stairs, though I stopped plenty of times to make him run into me. I never tired of this game.
“I’m wagering every coin I have that you will die inside that cave tonight,” he said.
“I’ll take that wager … Rosewater. Prepare yourself to lose every coin you have.”
Unlike yesterday, there were no great crowds gathered here tonight, only Mercy and Captain Strick and a few other Prozarians. From this height, I could not see the village below, nor see the smoke rising from any homes still on fire, but I smelled the ash in the air.
Mercy drew in a breath of it too and smiled. I loathed him.
Surrounded by Lump and two other vigils, I was led to the cave opening, close enough to the river’s edge that if I tripped, I would instantly be carried into the seawater below. With a bright moon already beginning to rise, it was easy to see inside the cave. The tide was lower than before, but still too high to walk in through the beach, and the riverfall only increased the turbulence of the water below.
The Captive Kingdom Page 24