Page 63 of Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades #2)

Aeri

The Palace of the Sky King, Khitan

The Palace of the Sky King towers over Trialga Square, perched at the top of wide marble stairs. Gambria pulls our sleigh right up to the base.

So, I guess we’re not going for stealth.

As soon as we stop, a dozen guards train their eyes on us. We’re foreigners, but at least we’re formally dressed, bathed, and perfumed. Fancy clothes always make you feel different. We carry ourselves better, and I, at least, feel more prepared to meet my aunt.

Although, if I’m honest, I don’t know what to expect. My father and uncle fear her; Mikail respects her, which means she’s a formidable opponent; and yet Gambria loved her and Sora insists there’s more to the story.

“She’s more than you think,” Gambria says to Mikail as we get out of the sled.

Sora walks next to me. Of course, she looks like she could be the Sky Queen in a fine dress and fur. Even the constant drizzle won’t dampen her beauty.

It’s not until we get under the portico that we reach our first roadblock. In this society, anyone is supposed to be allowed into the palace if they have business with the crown. But after the assassination attempt, everything changed. There are still official royal offices inside, but access is severely restricted.

The huge gilded doors sit open with people milling about inside, but most are mingling on the massive portico.

“Halt,” one guard says. Her red hair is pulled back in a bun under her guard’s hat. “State your business here.”

“I am the royal spymaster of Yusan,” Mikail announces in Khitanese, lifting his chin.

He really is fluent in all languages. He speaks without an accent or hesitation. I’ve picked up the language from listening to him, Gambria, and others. I miss a word every now and then, but I understand much of it.

The redheaded guard and a male guard exchange glances.

“I’m here to see Queen Quilimar,” Mikail adds.

“No one sees the queen now,” the female guard says.

Mikail waves his hand. “Tell her we brought an exception to the Rule of Distance. And also, her youngest brother would like a word. See if that changes her mind.”

Unsurprisingly, his words cause a commotion. The nobility and military wandering around the portico start whispering to each other. Everyone looks our way, subtly or otherwise. Mikail has created a stir—just as he planned.

It isn’t long before General Vikal comes out of the palace. This time, she wears a type of military dress. She has on beige crepe slacks that flatter her long frame and chest armor. Hers is obsidian black, compared to the silver of the other guards. It covers a long-sleeved white silk blouse. It’s the best outfit I’ve ever seen, both feminine and warlike. I want one. Her curly hair is pulled back in a dignified twist.

“What a surprise,” she says in Khitanese, eyeing Mikail.

“You meant to say, ‘What a pleasant surprise.’” He grins and intentionally looks down at her, because even though she is tall, he is taller.

Vikal stares. “No, I spoke correctly the first time.”

He smirks. She looks from him to Euyn. “And what a surprise to see you alive, Your Highness.” She inclines her head, but just.

Once again, she leaves out the word pleasant .

Euyn nods stiffly. “General.”

Then she looks at Gambria and draws an irritated breath. Her composure cracks slightly. “I see the surprises continue today.”

Gambria holds her head high. “I am simply their driver.”

They really don’t like each other. Gambria is probably a foot shorter than the general, but you’d never know it from the way she carries herself. Her posture is perfect, her face unaffected.

I stop slouching, and I’m just in time because the general looks at Royo and me. But she pauses on Sora. She must remember her from the banquet where Seok made the scene. Even if he hadn’t, it’s impossible to forget Sora.

She could never be a thief.

“I am told that you have an exception to the Rule of Distance,” General Vikal says in Yusanian. “Who brings it? The assassin, the dead prince, or the spy?”

She points at Sora, Euyn, and Mikail in turn.

“Actually, we were able to steal it as a team,” Mikail says. “A group project, if you will.”

The general shakes her head. “You can all live in the villa together, if that’s what suits you, but only one of you may pass.”

Mikail gestures to me—the signal, in case we were refused entry.

I take the egg out of the saddlebag, holding it up so everyone can see. “From an amarth nest,” I say loudly in Khitanese.

Even the general is taken aback, shifting on her heels with her eyes wide. It’s not every day people see an egg as big as an ostrich’s that’s a deep, black color. The crowd stops what they’re doing to remark on the egg, the legends of the amarth, and the Rule of Distance. Their whispers and gasps fill the space, echoing around us.

General Vikal blinks for a second too long, annoyed at being outplayed. We have public attention, and now, if she refuses us, it will make the queen look weak. They can’t afford that after a nearly successful assassination attempt. Not when she’s only a regent.

“We took this as a team, so we will see the queen as a team,” Mikail says, switching back to Yusanian.

“Absolutely not.”

“Then I suppose she doesn’t need this,” I say.

Royo opens the bag again, but I pause. I place my hands on the top and bottom of the egg and raise it, as if I’m considering smashing it on the white marble. We hadn’t discussed this, so Sora audibly gasps. Strangers around us do the same. I catch the glimmer in Mikail’s eye—he approves.

“Should we let people know she refused, and they can speculate as to why?” he asks.

Vikal raises her chin and stares coldly at Mikail, but there’s a hint of respect in her expression. She’s impressed that he knows Quilimar’s secret.

“A five-minute audience,” she says. “We will prepare a table, and there will be an abundant amount of guards present. If any of you bring in a weapon, all of you will die.”

“Sounds like a deal,” Mikail says.

She takes a step away and then pauses. “Your driver can wait here with your arms.”

With that, Vikal turns on her heels and leaves with her personal guards.

“You make friends everywhere,” Mikail says to Gambria. He takes his sword off his belt and hands it to her. Then he removes two blades from his boot, the knife tucked in his interior jacket pocket, and three throwing stars.

“You know this is a trap, right?” Gambria asks.

“I’d be disappointed by anything less,” he answers.

Gambria stares at him, unamused. “You need to be careful, Mikail.”

He smiles. “Always am.”

She lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Don’t…don’t hurt her. She is who she had to become.”

Mikail pauses, staring at his friend. “Aren’t we all?”

My chest tightens at his words—what have we all become? There’s no time to consider it, and maybe I don’t want to. I start pulling knives out of my cloak and handing them to Gambria. Everyone else does the same. Soon, she has a small arsenal at her feet. Bolts, knives, swords, an axe, and the list continues. Royo takes the longest, continually pulling knives and daggers out of nowhere like a magician.

I hesitate, but I part with my last throwing knife, hidden in the waist of my dress. I leave my hair dagger in, though. It’s small but deadly sharp. I doubt they’ll find it inside the decorative clip that holds my hair back.

“ Is this a trap?’ Euyn whispers to Mikail.

Mikail shrugs. “We’re about to find out.”

Royo and I look at each other. That’s not exactly comforting. But we don’t have long to think about it. A palace servant bows elaborately to us and asks us to follow him. I take Royo’s hand as we walk in under the watchful eye of twelve swords.

It’s time.