Oath of Destruction

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  “I guess that answers all my questions.”

  As much as she tried not to, she blushed.

  “Kerdan? Seriously?” He wrinkled his nose as if he’d tasted something sour.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” If one of her dearest friends didn’t take well to her marrying Kerdan, no one else would.

  “He’s from Russek,” Marek said, like that was supposed to explain everything. He stopped in front of her. “Russek kidnapped you.” His eyes flashed with something she couldn’t quite discern. Fury?

  Allyssa reached out to touch Marek’s shoulder. She owed him an explanation, especially since she intended to keep him on as the head of her personal guard after she married. “Jana arranged my kidnapping. Not Kerdan. He’s the one who saved me.” She explained how she was tortured on Jana’s orders, how Drenton had ordered her execution, and how Kerdan had stepped in and saved her. She explained how Kerdan and her became unlikely allies and then friends.

  “You really care for the guy?” Marek asked.

  “I do.” She let her arm fall to her side. He was going to attack her at any second.

  “I had assumed this was a political match.” He started circling her again.

  “I can assure you I love him.” She twisted the ring Kerdan had given her, realizing she probably shouldn’t wear it when she sparred since it would leave a nasty mark.

  “Even though he’s a Russek?”

  Now he was simply goading her. “He can appear a little rough,” she admitted. And unrefined, but she kept that to herself. “But once you get to know him, you’ll see he’s dedicated to his kingdom, he cares about the well-being of his people, and he is a good person.” She withheld the fact he was an excellent fighter and could best Marek.

  “Will you please stop smiling?” Marek shook his head in disbelief. “I can tell you’re thinking about him just by the expression on your face.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Does your father approve of the match?”

  “He does.” The hiccup lay with the provision Darmik put on the engagement. “However, he insists that Mother and Savenek approve of the marriage before we sign the contract.”

  Marek started laughing. “Good luck with that.”

  “Are we going to spar? I didn’t come here to gab about my love life.”

  “Maybe not. But I did come here to gab about yours,” he teased.

  She swung, and he ducked. It was time to put some of the Russek fighting moves Kerdan had shown her into action.

  Allyssa entered the private dining room in the Royal Chambers. Rema had insisted they eat as a family tonight without the distraction of members from court. Which was just fine with her. Allyssa had been avoiding as many people as possible since she’d been back. She didn’t want to have to answer questions about where she’d been and what had happened to her. Or listen to people say how grateful they were she’d returned. The fact of the matter was that everyone—everyone—knew she’d been kidnapped. It was logical to assume she’d been tortured. The pity in people’s eyes was too much to handle. And if anyone discovered she’d been holed up in Kerdan’s private bedchamber, her virtue would be ruined.

  The dark wood walls and lack of windows gave the room a cozy feel. A fire roared in the hearth, warming the space. Rema, Darmik, and Savenek were already seated at the small square table. Her brother raised a single eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. She wasn’t late, but she wasn’t early either. When she took her seat, a servant set several platters of food on the table and then left.

  “We’re alone?” Allyssa asked, glancing at the closed doors. The guards had been posted on the other side.

  “We need to talk,” Darmik said. “And I don’t want anyone overhearing our conversation.”

  Savenek reached forward, taking a scoop of potatoes and plopping them on his plate. “Don’t you normally eat as a family?” He grabbed a hunk of the duck, but bypassed the carrots altogether.

  “Yes,” Allyssa said. “But we usually eat in the Dining Hall with about fifty members of our court.” She watched her brother shove a piece of duck in his mouth. “It’s great fun. We’re always on display.” She leaned forward, helping herself to the food. “What do you want to discuss?” She waited for Darmik to lead the conversation.

  Rema kept glancing at Savenek. It was more than a mother watching over a son. It was almost…concern. Why would her mother be worried about Savenek? He seemed perfectly fine to Allyssa.

  “We need to talk about Telmena,” Darmik said. “They sent me a strongly worded letter objecting to any sort of a union between Emperion and Russek.”

  “Do they know Kerdan proposed to Allyssa?” Savenek asked.

  “Yes.” Darmik took a drink from his goblet. “Does anyone have any thoughts on the matter?”

  “I can see why aligning Russek and Emperion makes sense,” Savenek said. “But I don’t like the idea of my sister marrying the enemy.”

  Allyssa blinked. What? Savenek hadn’t been prince that long. Why did he think he had any authority on the matter?

  “I understand why you say that,” Darmik said.

  “He killed his father,” Savenek added.

  “No, he didn’t,” Allyssa interjected. “Jana killed Drenton.” Although Kerdan had intended to kill his father. But she didn’t feel like getting into that right now. “Kerdan is a good man.”

  “He kidnapped you,” Savenek said.

  “No. Soma kidnapped me on Jana’s orders. Kerdan saved me.”

  “Then you must be blinded by some misguided notion that you owe him.”

  Darmik cleared his throat, garnering everyone’s attention. “I had the same concerns and beliefs as you,” he said to Savenek. “However, after spending time with Kerdan, I found him to be a good man.”

  “You also thought Prince Odar would make an excellent match for our daughter,” Rema said. “And look how that turned out.”

  “Why can’t either of you believe what I say?” Allyssa asked. “I want to marry Kerdan.”

  Rema reached out, taking Allyssa’s hand. “I love you dearly, but you have been through a trying ordeal. I think you need some time and space to make sure this is what you really want.”

  Oh, hell. Did everyone think she was some injured creature that needed to be coddled? “Why don’t we ask what Neco and Nathenek think about Kerdan?”

  “I’ve already spoken to them both, and they have some reservations,” Rema said.

  Allyssa squeezed her hand out from under her mother’s.

  “I have agreed to the union on one condition,” Darmik said. “I told Kerdan that once he is crowned king and establishes control in Russek, he needs to come here for the formal negotiations. After he receives both Rema and Savenek’s approval, the marriage can take place.”

  “Excellent,” Savenek said. He shoved another spoonful of potatoes in his mouth.

  Did he think that settled it? When Allyssa agreed to this, she hadn’t known her brother would be so pigheaded about the situation. And to think she’d tried helping him with Mayra. Well then. If he was going to be difficult, she would be difficult, too.

  “Allyssa,” Darmik said, a warning in his voice.

  “What?” she asked innocently.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Stop plotting. It isn’t very becoming.”

  She huffed but didn’t argue.

  “It will take Kerdan some time before he gets everything under control and makes his way here,” Rema said. “Until he arrives, I want you to make sure this is what you desire. Distance might make you see things differently. Please keep an open mind.”

  Allyssa rolled her eyes.

  Savenek chuckled. “You must have driven Nathenek mad,” he said around a mouthful of food.

  Where was a dinner roll when she needed one? Not seeing a piece of food suitable for chucking at her brother, she cocked her head to the side and said, “Actually, we got along quite well.”

  His smile widened. “Sure you did.”

  She flung her leg o
ut, trying to kick him under the table, but missed.

  “You have quite the temper,” he commented.

  “Stop irritating your sister,” Darmik said.

  “He’s doing it on purpose?” Allyssa asked. Why would he do that?

  “I can tell you were raised as a princess,” Savenek said, sitting back in his chair and watching her. “You’re very prim and proper, you expect everyone to do what you want, and you’re…what’s the right word…prissy.” His eyes gleamed with mischief.

  She jumped up from her chair and reached across the table, intending to strangle him.

  “I told you not to provoke her,” Darmik said, shaking his head.

  “I thought we’d have a nice family dinner,” Rema added.

  Unable to reach him across the table, and not wanting to climb on said table, Allyssa was about to run around the side of it.

  Savenek started laughing. “Trying to prove me wrong by acting like a Russek?”

  She froze. What was she doing? Besides trying to murder her brother—though she really only intended to cause him moderate harm—she wanted to prove she had the upper hand. However, her brother had been trained by the Brotherhood. By Nathenek. She probably couldn’t best him physically. Another approach was needed then.

  Holding her head high, she straightened her dress and took a seat. “I apologize for my outburst.” She gracefully picked up her fork and resumed eating her meal. If he thought she was prissy, she’d give him prissy.

  “Are the two of you done?” Darmik asked.

  Savenek lifted the corner of his mouth in a half smile. “For now.”

  “Back to Kerdan. If we move forward with the marriage, Telmena will oppose it.”

  “I think they’ll find something to oppose, regardless of what Allyssa does or does not do,” Savenek said. “They’re determined to invade Emperion and have been involved in this from the get-go.”

  “Why?” Allyssa asked. “We’ve never bothered them.”

  “I sent Nathenek to Telmena to verify a few things for me,” Rema said. “I knew Hamen, the previous emperor, had married into the royal family here in Emperion. When he discovered Empress Eliza was not the true heir, that the line had shifted because of Nero all those years ago, he was furious. It is why he sought me out and tried to have me killed.”

  “Where was Hamen from?” Allyssa asked.

  “I’m assuming it’s Telmena,” Savenek said.

  “Correct,” Rema replied. “And that is why Telmena has been aiding Jana in any way they can. However, now that she’s dead—now that we have killed her entire family—I expect some sort of retribution from Telmena.”

  “Instead of sitting here waiting for them to make the next move, I suggest we attack,” Savenek said. “We do what they least expect.”

  “Until they physically make a move against us, I can’t sanction our army marching into Telmena,” Rema said.

  Allyssa agreed with her mother. “What would you hope to accomplish by attacking them?” she asked Savenek.

  “I’d remove the entire royal family.”

  “And then what? Take over the kingdom? Expand Emperion yet again?”

  “Or put someone we want in power there. Someone who won’t threaten us.”

  “We can’t just go around murdering people because we don’t agree with them.”

  “Each of you have valid points,” Rema said. “And everything will be taken into consideration. I want both of you to think on the matter some more. We will discuss it in greater detail tomorrow with the Legion members and the dukes.”

  “Aligning ourselves with Russek will only strengthen us,” Allyssa added.

  “Or be seen as an act of war,” Savenek mumbled.

  “Correct,” Darmik said, leaning forward on his elbows. “And know this, no matter what we do, which path we choose, we are going to war.”

  Allyssa strolled next to Mayra, their arms linked as they made their way to the archery range.

  “I know you fancy my brother,” Allyssa said.

  Mayra tried pulling free, but Allyssa held onto her friend.

  “I just want to know if it’s a fling or something more?”

  The archery range came into view. Allyssa’s arms tingled with anticipation. It had been far too long since she’d shot a bow.

  Instead of answering, Mayra nodded up ahead to where Madelin stood waiting for them. “Did you hear Marek and Madelin are no longer courting?”

  The news shocked Allyssa. “What happened?” She glanced over her shoulder at Marek, who trailed about ten feet behind her with the rest of her guard.

  “I don’t know all the details,” Mayra said, lowering her voice. “But I think Madelin ended their relationship when she realized Marek would always put you first.”

  “What are you talking about?” Marek didn’t have feelings for Allyssa.

  “When my brother returned after you’d been kidnapped, he was frantic to rescue you. He thought of nothing else. You must realize that Marek’s first love always has been and always will be Emperion.”

  For some reason, this saddened Allyssa. “I want him to be happy.” Not shackled to his job.

  “He is. Especially now that you’re back.”

  Allyssa had thought the royal family was the only one making extreme sacrifices for Emperion. She didn’t realize—hadn’t known—others were doing the same thing.

  They stopped before Madelin, who was impatiently tapping her right foot on the ground. “What took you so long to get here?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “I don’t know why you’re so eager to be at the archery range. You know how I feel about this sort of thing.”

  Allyssa knew Madelin didn’t have the patience or the skill to shoot. Her lady-in-waiting would much rather be dancing at a ball than standing about an archery range. Especially knowing Marek was here. “You don’t have to stay.”

  “There is something I need to discuss with you,” Madelin said.

  Allyssa went over to the table where several different-sized bows and a handful of arrows had been placed. She found her favorite bow and picked it up, feeling the weight in her hands. “What is it?”

  “I received a letter from my parents requesting that I visit. The empress has given me permission to go. However, I want to make sure you don’t need me here before I leave.”

  Allyssa knew that Madelin’s parents, Audek and Vesha, lived in a cottage a couple of days’ journey from here. They preferred the quiet countryside to life in town. “I will miss you terribly, but you may go. Enjoy the time with your family.”

  “Thank you.” Madelin hugged Allyssa and left, practically skipping back toward the castle.

  Grabbing an arrow, Allyssa moved over to the shooting line. She nocked her arrow and raised the bow. Five targets stood at various distances. Closing her eyes, she reveled in the feel of the bow and the soft wind against her face. It was good to be home. Aiming at the closest target, she released the drawstring. The arrow sailed through the air, landing on the target but missing the center by an inch. A bloody inch!

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you miss,” Mayra said.

  Allyssa didn’t miss. Ever. Nocking another arrow, she aimed. This time, she narrowed her focus to the center of the target, ignoring everything else going on around her. Slowly breathing out, she released the bowstring. The arrow flew faster this time, hitting the inner target. Not dead center, but at least she’d struck it.

  Nocking her third arrow, Allyssa aimed at the next target. She was just about to release the bowstring when another arrow went whizzing by her, striking the second target dead center.

  “Now that’s how it’s done,” Savenek said from behind her.

  Lowering her bow, Allyssa turned to glare at her brother.

  “The princess hasn’t shot in weeks,” Mayra reminded him. “As I’ve said before, your sister is better than you.” She folded her arms over her chest, daring Savenek to argue.

  “Not possible.”

&nbs
p; He was far too cocky and arrogant for Allyssa’s liking. “Instead of standing back there,” she drawled, “come up here so we can have a proper contest.”

  “If you insist.” He strode up next to her. “You want to just stand here and hit a stationary target? That doesn’t sound very difficult. I think I could hit that when I was five.” He smirked.

  How in the world had Savenek caught Mayra’s attention? She glared at her friend, as if it was Mayra’s fault Savenek was here making Allyssa’s life difficult. She could have sworn she heard Marek chuckle from behind her. The traitor.

  Rolling her shoulders back, she tried to maintain some sense of dignity. “To make the contest more challenging, I’ll meet you at the stables in thirty minutes.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and glided away.

  “Bold move,” Mayra said, trying to keep up with her quick pace.

  “Are you certain I’m a better shot?” She didn’t want to be embarrassed today.

  “Savenek is good, especially from a long distance. He’s been trained to make those intricate, detailed shots. However, you’re precise, quick, and you never miss. Other than that one time today, I mean.”

  “Have two horses saddled and ready to go. Make sure each has one bow and a quiver with a dozen arrows.” She would put her brother in his place. Wipe that smug expression off his face.

  “Will do. Do you need help changing out of that dress?”

  “No. I can take care of myself.” She’d been forced to figure out how to lace up her own dresses over the course of the past few weeks since she didn’t have anyone helping her at Nathenek’s or on the road.

  Mayra nodded and left.

  Marek came alongside Allyssa. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  “Don’t I always?” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure her brother wasn’t following her. “What’s your impression of Savenek?”

  “From what I’ve seen, there are two sides to your brother. Before the members of court, he is cocky, arrogant, conceited, and he flirts with everyone. In private, he’s intelligent, quiet, and levelheaded.”

  “Why do you think that is?”