Page 118 of Brimstone

A thick chain hung around his neck, a golden orb dangling from it. The male clutched it tightly, his bony fingers clamped around it as if worried someone would try to steal it from him.

“What the hell is a seneschal?” I asked.

The male, Orious, shuttled the orb along his chain thoughtfully. “I am an advisor. My remit is broad. I attend to matters on behalf of the king that are . . .beneathhim.”

The implication was clear: Whatever had brought this anemic-looking fucker through the quicksilver today wasn’t important enough to bring Belikon here himself.Iwasn’timportant enough. I nodded to myself. “Ahhh, right. Where I come from, we call thosebootlickers.”

“Watch your tongue, girl. You’ll wish you’d made a friend of me soon enough.”

“I prefer my friends a little less creepy. You’re not welcome here, Orious,” I said. “Go back the way you came.”

The male tittered softly, sweeping a greasy lock of hair behind one ear as he stepped out of the pool and onto the cracked marble floor. “I don’t think that’s on the agenda, I’m afraid. You see,myfriends and I have always wanted to travel.” His voice took on a tight, sinister edge. “And my master bid me cometreatwith you.”

He sprang from the edge of the pool, arms spread wide, like some kind of pouncing would-be predator. Behind him, rising from the quicksilver, came two more figures, then three more: Fae guards dressed in green velvet, with arrows nocked in their bows. Their eyes were sharp, pupils dilated wide, leaving no room for their irises.

“This is Blood Court land. Belikon has no sovereignty here. I reign over this—”

“Stop.” Orious gave a bored flick of his wrist. “Don’t bore me with such ridiculousness. You’re naught but an inexperienced little girl, trapped in a prison of her own making. You don’t want to be here. The high bloods don’t want you here. It would benefit you to listen and take heed when I speak. My liege has sent me here with an offer for you.”

He spoke with confidence but didn’t come any closer. The guards behind him stood in a line, their arrows pointed at my head.

“I’m not interested in offers from Belikon De Barra.”

KingBelikon,” Orious barked, “has graciously sent me here with terms. Personally, it makes no difference to me if you hearthem. It’s no skin offmynose. But you may regret not listening to the generous offer he bid me present to you very soon.”

“What could Ipossiblyneed from him?”

“Sanasroth is a barren wasteland. This court you have declared your own is comprised of genteel high bloods who like to throw parties and sip blood out of jeweled chalices. But watch how quickly their manners fail them when their food supply is cut off,Your Highness. See how fast they devolve into the monsters the second the blood runs out. Are you prepared to deal with the aftermath of that scenario? Hm?”

Had Belikon kept Malcolm’s court fed under his reign? Fisher hadn’t said anything about that before. Neither had Renfis. It didn’t seem likely, but the cruel light in this male’s eyes said otherwise. “I’m sure you’ve noticed by now,” he said, “but a strange canker spreads across the South Lands. Black rot swallows the vegetation. It affects the wildlife here in the most shocking way. Deer, wolves, bears. It infects them quickly. Death is unavoidable, it seems. It’s too late for these lands . . . but my master would provide shelter and protection from the spread of this vile disease. He offers safe harbor at the Winter Palace for you, in exchange for asmallnumber of concessions on your end.”

“Let me guess. He has a vacancy for an Alchemist and thinks I’d make a fine addition to his court?” The words, my tone: Everything about what I’d just said left a sour taste in my mouth.

Orious smirked, his lips thinning. “Fine. Yes, a fine addition indeed. Your services would be a small part of the payment required to ensure your safety. And youwouldbe the jewel in his crown, so to speak. You would be showered with fine clothes. Fine food. Fine wines—”

“What else?” I demanded, cutting him off. “What else does he seek in exchange for a safety hecannotprovide?”

Behind the intruder, a bowstring creaked, and one of the Winter Palace guards swallowed thickly. In his loose black robes, Orious smiled. “My king wishes his beloved daughter returned to him. He misses her dearly. It wounds his heart to know she is unwell and far from his loving care.”

“And?”

“Kingfisher. In shackles. A public execu—”

I drew Solace. The air hummed with crackling power as I unleashed her naked steel. The stranger stopped talking, tapping his index finger impatiently against his thumb pad.

“There are other things, of course. Smaller, inconsequential acts, each of them a show of good faith. In light of your recent transition, you are now half Fae, and would be required to swear an oath before the Firinn Stone—”

“I will not be a tool for that bastard to use whenever he sees fit,” I seethed. It was laughable—the fact that he had come here with such an outrageous list of demands. Had Belikon really thought I would agree toanyof this? “I will not be swearing any oaths. And no one will be harming a single fuckinghairon my mate’s head. My friends and I—”

“Your friends? Oh, yes, that’s right.” The bastard laughed, stepping closer. “Your friends. Let’s see, shall we? Renfis of the Orrithian? An oath-sworn general in King Belikon’s army. Lorreth of the Broken Spire? Also an oath-sworn soldier in my master’s army. Your darling mate . . .” The smirk twisted his features, turning him into something evil.“Oath sworn,”he whispered. “My master will have them all. They are his to do with as he wishes. But you . . .” He extended a long, crooked finger toward me. “Reject my master’s generous offer, andyouwill die here in this room.”

Oath sworn.

The fucking Firinn Stone. Lorreth had told me all about it once—how they knelt before it when they came of age andpledged to be bound by their word on pain of death for the rest of their lives. Forhonor’ssake. This bastard was right: Every single member of the Fae who fought and defended the banks of the Darn at Irrín had pledged to serve the Winter Palace—to serveBelikon—my friends and my mate included.

We were so fucked.

But an oath was like a bargain. There were loopholes. Language to be manipulated. Therehadto be a way out of the pledge of fealty they had made. For now, I raised Solace, feeling the air grow heavy around the blade as I held it aloft.