“One more thing,” Hanchell said. Her electric form seemed to giggle. She was awfully excitable for an all-powerful spirit.
Then Hanchell’s light fluctuated, and the space we were in changed. The clouds were gone, sealed off by a high ceiling. Four walls materialized, and within seconds, I found myself standing in NordHaven’s study, the one Papa had always used for work.
“It’s just a projection,” Hanchell said. “We hope it helps you as you go through the material. Take a seat on the sofa by the fire. Relax. You have time to review the evidence.”
“Thanks so much!” I said, but they had already evaporated.
I walked through the room in awe over how the Crown of Crowns could manifest NordHaven so accurately. It was my papa’s study down to the last carpet fiber: dark, musty, more comfortable than any royal chamber at VondRust. It even smelled like old books and smoldering wood, just like Papa always programmed it to smell like. I plunked myself down on the leather sofa, felt the warmth of the hearth on my feet, and turned on my visin. It was time to get to work. I needed to absorb all the information and still have time left over for Roki … and there were ten claims I had to go over!
At the top of the list was a request from Nurlie, asking for the Crown to stop a covert petition from Nurlie Island. The island was demanding independence from Nurlie. Over eighty thousand islanders had signed the petition, and the shadow government of the island wanted to push ahead with a referendum. The island represented forty percent of Nurlie’s exports, mainly due to rich mineral resources. It was one of the few places where the mines were still operated by human workers. The Nurlie clan leaders were fearful that the shadow government might try a hostile takeover of the continent, fueled by anti-mech and anti-authority sentiments.
I scrolled down to see the Crown of Crowns’ recommendation. It stated that I should side with Nurlie and put an end to the island’s shadow government before it could do any damage. Then I watched some video evidence that showed the island’s leaders plotting to transfer lucrative business contracts to some companies in Surrvul once they took over. This would infer a strong and dangerous relationship between Nurlie and Surrvul, not to mention total anarchy for the Nurlie continent.
I made a mental note to side with Nurlie and moved on.
Next was a breach of contract complaint from Gaard about the purchase and supply of antimicrobials. A large company based in Gaard had been providing antibiotics and antivirals to Surrvul, but Surrvul had canceled the contracts in favor of an innovative new company in Krug. Surrvul claimed their reasoning was a supply shortage. Gaard denied it. I was recommended to side with Gaard, forcing Surrvul to continue purchasing through the Gaard company.
When I read the third case, I began to see a pattern. Surrvul had lodged a complaint against Shondur. Surrvul needed phosphorus for fertilizer and the production of steel. The main source of phosphorus was in Shondur, and Surrvul claimed the Shondur government was being stingy. They wanted easier, ampler, and fairer access to the mineral. The recommendation was to rule in favor of Surrvul and force Shondur to give them what they wanted.
At this point, I made a mental note to speak with Lady Shiru and have a long discussion about what exactly the Ava-Surrvul and their rulers wanted. They seemed to be at the heart of every conflict.
I skimmed through and memorized the rest of the complaints and cases until I finally made it to the last one. I was wondering why Roki hadn’t shown up yet. I had hoped he would massage my feet while I did my deliberations. A foot massage wasn’t outside the realm of friendship, right?
The last case was a plea from Gaard, Lodden, Shondur, and Krug to commemorate Lordin formally. The idea irked me, and I skimmed through most of it. Basically, the Crown of Crowns recommended that I ask all clan leaders how they wanted to keep Lordin’s memory alive. It made me wonder, Why does everyone still care? She was just a woman!
I closed my visin and sat back, glad to be done with the day’s dealings. But where in the name of Geniverd was Roki?
“Roki?” I called out. I thought maybe he was waiting for me beyond the illusion of Papa’s study.
I was surprised when an unfamiliar girl walked through the illusion like a phantasm and stood a few feet from me.
“Hello, Kaelyn,” she said.
“Uh …” I didn’t recognize this girl at all. “Who are you?”
“It’s me, Lordin.”
It may have been the first time in my life that my tongue had literally slithered into the back of my mouth. I gaped at her in horror. I had no words. I wanted to scream at her, “Have you been seeing my husband?” But I also wanted to wrap my arms around her and thank Lordin for all the good she had done. It was a real quandary.
“I got a new body,” she said, showing no signs of reading my mind. “That’s probably why you don’t recognize me. I know, I’m not as cute. But hey, I’m younger. And I have all the perks of a Min. Everything I do feels a thousand times better than it used to. Life as a Min is great!”
She was bubbly, petite, still pretty even though it wasn’t Lordin’s original body. Maybe it was her personality that made her so attractive.
“That’s great. I’m glad you’re doing well.” It was all I could say. I didn’t have the strength to confront her. I also didn’t have the strength to apologize for stealing her fiancé. I’d never felt like more of a fraud! I thought I was the queen of Geniverd. Where had my confidence gone?
Lordin hung her head and took a step closer to me. “I actually came here because I have some sad news.”
Oh no, I thought. Is she going to confess?
“What sad news?” I asked.
“It’s about Roki.”
“Roki?” A thousand more questions bubbled in my head. How did she know about him? Had she been following us? Did she know about Roki’s secret visits? Was I the villain here?
Lordin said, “Yes, your friend Roki.” The word friend sounded sarcastic. Then Lordin came up beside me, held out her wrist, and activated her visin. The holographic screen bloomed in front of us. “You’d better see for yourself.”
Lordin brought up a carousel of photos on her visin. Every one of them was of Roki. But not just Roki—not even just Roki and another woman. The photos were of Roki and other women! Plural! She showed me ten photos of him kissing other girls, all the while my heart hammered madly in my chest. I was getting angrier by the second.
Lordin pointed to the last photo and said, “That was taken today. I’m sorry, Kaelyn, but Roki has been playing you. That’s why he’s late for your date.”
I was seething mad. Lordin turned off her visin and stepped back, leaning on Papa’s oak bookshelf. It was so weird to be talking to a Min in the illusion of my old house.
“I just had to tell you,” she said. “But I am sorry. Min are jerks. When you live for so long—”
“Exactly how long?” I asked. I needed to know how long Roki had been messing with girls’ emotions.
“Min live for a thousand years,” Lordin told me, “an extra three thousand if you get promoted to Crown of Crowns. We’re basically indestructible. Other Min can kill us if they try hard enough, but that’s rare. The only thing that can kill us instantly is the Seeing Water.”
“The what?”
“Never mind,” she said. “I have to go. Roki’s coming. Remember, Kaelyn, trust no one.”
Lordin vanished through the hologram of Papa’s study just as Roki materialized in front of me. “Who was here?” he asked, sniffing the air.
“Go die,” I told him. I had tears streaming down my face. I clenched and unclenched my fists, pacing the room and snarling like an angry bull. I didn’t know what to do. I had put so much faith in Roki. I had betrayed my husband’s trust to be with him. And now … now he was a no-good liar and a cheat!
“Why are you thinking these things?” Roki asked.
I hated that he could read my thoughts, that he answered questions before I could ask them, before I could assault him with accusa
tions. It was rude and annoying. He was annoying! What kind of pervert would continuously read my thoughts? It was another violation of my trust!
“Get out of my head!” I told him, screaming at the top of my lungs. My face must have been smeared with mascara, and I must have looked crazy. “You’re evil!” I said. “You’re an evil Min, and I hate you. I’ll never forgive you again. I should have trusted Mama. I should have listened to my gut. This is the last time I ever go against my family, against my morals. Yet …” I paused, Roki looking at me as if I were the heartbreaker and not him. “I deserve this, don’t I? I deserve it for my own treachery, for betraying Zawne. No honor among thieves, huh?”
“Kaelyn …” Roki reached for me.
I slapped his hand away. “You’re just a filthy spirit,” I said. “Geniverd is your playground, your sick human playground. Well, I won’t be your toy anymore. I’m done, Roki. Don’t ever watch me at night again, you creep. Don’t leave your scent like some pervert’s trail around me. Don’t read my mind. Don’t visit me in my dreams.” I closed my eyes and screamed, “Stay out of my life!”
Roki was weeping. “You have to trust me,” he insisted. “Kaelyn, I love you. I would never—”
But I was done. I let my body relax and dissolved into the blackness, away from Shiol and Roki’s lies.
Chapter 11
I was mad at myself mostly. I was mad at myself for getting tricked. I had let it happen. I had let Roki use me. I had deceived myself into thinking he was a good spirit, a good Min, a good man—whatever he was supposed to be. I had dug my own shameful hole, and there was nothing left to do but suffer in it, drag myself through day after day with the unbearable guilt of what I had done.
Zawne noticed the change. I was gloomy, paranoid, always sniffing the air and looking around as if Roki might appear and club me over the head. It was frustrating, because I knew he could mask his presence. It came to be that every scent generated by the atmospheric bubble around the palace made me think of Roki. The smell of jasmine at sunrise, the scent of toffee in the parlor by night. I knew he could be watching me at any time. What I didn’t know was what happened when you angered a Min. Could they strike back and hurt a human? Would Roki take out his anger on me?
I asked this one night during a meeting with the Crown of Crowns. “I know Min hurt people for fun, but can they hurt royals?”
Riedel answered, “As long as a Min fulfills their obligation to us and doesn’t reveal the Great Secret, they are free to do as they please. This is the covenant between Min and the Seeing Water.”
Again with the Seeing Water! Just what in the name of Geniverd was the Seeing Water? The Crown of Crowns refused to give me more information about it, and I left Shiol in a bad mood—again!
Later that day, Zawne called me out for my decline in attitude. “What’s gotten into you?” he asked when I woke up, staring straight into my face. “You’ve changed this last week. You’re grumpy and depressed. Have you forgotten that you’re the queen of the world?”
“I’m just tired,” I said, slipping out of bed. “I’m sorry that I don’t have your Aska training. I’m not as strong as you. Okay?”
Zawne said something, but I was already in the bathroom with the shower running. I stood under the hot water and cried silently. Why had I been so quick to let Roki consume me? I hated how much I missed him. I hated what I was doing to Zawne. I felt like garbage, like a piece of trash. I had betrayed my husband, my vows, and worst of all, myself.
I hardly touched my food at breakfast. Zawne wouldn’t talk to me. He got up as soon as I entered the dining room and left without looking in my eyes. What had I done? I had destroyed both my relationships in one fell swoop.
My visin was beeping in my ear as I poked cold eggs around with a knife. I saw it was Raad and hit ignore. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone.
I got dressed, moving sluggishly through my closet. I had an important council meeting in an hour, but who cared?
I got there late. Nnati was pacing by the doors of the council chamber, waiting for me.
“Are you crazy?” he said. “You can’t be late for these meetings, Kaelyn—you’re the queen.”
“Exactly,” I snapped. “I’m the queen, and I can be late if I want.”
I stopped, tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m sorry …” I collapsed into Nnati’s arms, hugged him fiercely. “I’m just so freaking tired. I … I’m exhausted, Nnati.”
He hugged me back and whispered in my ear, “I know, I know. But you’re stronger than you think, okay? You can get through this. We’re only at the beginning. Give yourself some time. You’ll bounce back.”
“Thanks, Nnati,” I said, pulling away from him and wiping my eyes. “I knew it was a good idea to have you by my side. I couldn’t ask for a better adviser.”
He looked awkward then, biting his lip as if he had something terrible to tell me. I couldn’t take any more bad news.
“Since I am your trusted adviser,” Nnati said carefully, “I want to talk to you about some recent rulings.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” He leaned in close to me so that the courtiers walking through the grand hallway couldn’t hear. “This deregulation case for Gaard’s main medicine manufacturer, I’m not sure we’re doing the right thing.”
“Why?”
“Well, we have already deregulated the sale of certain antigens twice, making it easier for the company to manipulate the market and potentially drive other manufacturers out of business.”
“Oh … yes, I remember.”
But I only half remembered. It was easy to forget things when the Crown of Crowns was making decisions for me, pulling the strings, sometimes without giving me good reasons. I felt like a tool. I was also starting to understand how the social system had managed to become so skewed over the past few hundred years. With the Crown of Crowns running the entire world from an alternate dimension while the kings and queens dwindled their time away in Shiol and spent their days exhausted and sucked of their energy, it was easy to see how our world had become so upended without the monarchy fully realizing it. It was as if all of Geniverd were on autopilot.
“And there’s another request for a different deregulation today,” Nnati continued. “This one will make it easier for the company to absorb and acquire other properties and manufacturers. Essentially, they will have a monopoly on the best antimicrobials.”
Now I remembered. The councillors had argued with me over the last two deregulations, but I had stuck to the Crown of Crowns’ recommendations and allowed them through.
“I think I will allow it,” I told Nnati. That was the recommendation, and I planned to abide by it. I was to let the Gaard company do whatever they wanted, even if it didn’t feel right in my gut.
“Seriously?” Nnati was floored. “But, Kaelyn, it’s going to have serious repercussions.”
“They have a delegation coming, do they not?”
Nnati nodded. “They do.”
“Then let’s listen to what they have to say,” I told him, trying to balance logic with the Crown of Crowns’ ruling. “So long as there are still manufacturers outside of Gaard, and so long as they don’t raise their prices, commit to not raising the prices, and ensure the medicine remains effective and safe, I see no reason to hold them back.”
Nnati shook his head. “Yes, my queen.” And he opened the door and gestured me into the council chamber.
My seat was at the head of the wide room, covered in red and gold upholstery. My councillors flanked me, Nnati to my left and Torio to my right. We were silent as the delegation from Gaard took the floor and bowed to me.
“Your Most Supreme Majesty,” they said in unison.
One of the delegation members stepped in front of her colleagues. She was tiny and young, shockingly beautiful, with radiant skin and golden hair. She had my attention immediately, and the attention of every man in the room.
“Your Most Supreme Majesty,” she said, curtsying, “we
thank you for seeing us. Shall we get straight to business?”
I nodded. “Present your case.”
“Yes, Your Most Supreme Majesty. My name is Hagan of the Ava-Gaard, and I represent VBione Corp. Our proposal is for an acquisition of a Krug-based company called Medseet. This will be the biggest absorption of another manufacturer in twenty years.”
Hagan took a deep breath. The councillors were hushed and attentive. She said, “The reason this case is being brought to you, Most Courageous, is because Krug is concerned that our acquisition of Medseet will mean all of Geniverd’s antimicrobials will be made by one manufacturer in Gaard. The Krug council is upset, but Medseet is eager to be bought out. The money we have offered them is substantial.”
Aska Nikhel raised his hand and looked at me. “May I speak?”
“Of course.”
Nikhel cleared his throat. “The problem I see with this acquisition, Your Most Supreme Majesty, is that VBione Corp would be in possession of all the highest-value medicines. They would have the largest portfolio of medicine in Geniverd. If they chose, they could limit the distribution of said medicines.”
“I see your point,” I said, but it was moot. I had already made my decision. I had to obey the Crown of Crowns. I wasn’t about to cause problems a month into my reign just because of some company acquisition. These things happened all the time. Companies in Geniverd were in a perpetual state of consuming one another, leaving workers scrambling to find new jobs and a handful of CEOs with their pockets bursting. I needed to fix the system but not today. Not with this ruling.
“Hagan,” I said, “present your rebuttal.”
“You are correct, Aska Nikhel,” she said. “We do have a large portfolio. However, there are other valuable medicines not owned by us. Our takeover of Medseet means we will be able to create synergies to benefit everyone. We are not restricting innovative companies in other clans, or even here in Gaard. In fact, you will see that over time these other companies will produce transformational medicines that will benefit the world. Once our acquisition of Medseet is complete, production costs will be lowered, while the extra money will go into research.”
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