Page 75 of Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades #2)

Royo

City of Quu, Khitan

We march down the winding road to the harbor—the four of us and an army of five thousand. I’m wearing a dead guy’s armor, and it’s too tight. I roll my shoulders as I ride on a horse. It’s uncomfortable as shit but still better than nothing.

Khitan has gotta have more soldiers than this, but Mikail said most are at the border or assembling in Vashney and Loptra. Five thousand good soldiers protect Quu, and normally it’s enough.

It ain’t enough right now.

Each Weian warship has got a hundred men. Which means there are ten thousand Weians in Quu, and who knows how many Yusanians and Gayans at the border.

Mikail holds up his horse and falls back in line with the three of us. “Quilimar is going to send Aeri with General Vikal for the parley.”

“Like hells she is,” I say.

Mikail looks over at me, unsurprised. “You can go, too, as her guard. I already said she wouldn’t go without you.”

All right, that does make me feel a little better.

“What’s a parley?” I ask.

“It’s where the leadership of the realms meet to negotiate a truce. To avoid war.”

I don’t see how there could be a truce here aside from Khitan surrendering, and they won’t. Wei and Yusan didn’t come to Khitan for nothing. King Joon didn’t put all of this together for a treaty. And annihilation ain’t peace. But what the fuck do I know about the politics of the realms? Maybe enough gold will solve it. Seems to solve everything else.

I keep staring at Aeri’s eyes. I loved them when they were brown. I love them gold, too, but something about it feels off. Why would the ring turn them when it didn’t happen with Euyn? I mean, it’s god magic, so who knows, but it feels like it should work the same on all the Baejkins.

I grip the reins as a chill spreads over me. It feels like she’s hiding something again. But she swore no more lies, so maybe the cold spot is just this armor. We didn’t release the spirits of the guards, so maybe this off feeling is just the dead guy poking at me.

“What about you?” I ask Mikail. “Are you going to the parley?”

He shakes his head. “I was flatly refused.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Something-something, I’d be too antagonistic. Cowards.” He stares daggers at the queen and the general in front of us.

“Not Sora?” I ask.

She turns her head at her name.

“Interestingly, also refused,” he says. “I think that has more to do with keeping our little group separated than anything political. We did manage to kill a roomful of their palace guards when we were unarmed. They’d rather not have us all together.”

True enough, but we aren’t nearly as dangerous without Euyn. I breathe a heavy sigh for the fallen prince. Gods guide his soul.

We ride quietly to the sound of boots and hooves clomping along the wet cobblestone road.

“Where are they doing this parley thing?” I ask.

“It’s supposed to be on neutral soil,” Mikail says. “Obviously, there isn’t any of that in Quu, so I’m not sure. I’m certain we’ll find out, though.”

“Where is the priest king?” Aeri asks.

Mikail points to the largest, fanciest ship. “He is always on the same ship as the Water Scepter. He is seated on the throne under the awning. The relic is being wielded on the prow by the person in the blue robes.”

If I squint, I can see somebody on the front of the ship with a gold staff, wearing cobalt blue.

“Wait, the priest king doesn’t do it himself?” I ask.

“No,” Mikail says. “Wei uses the scepter to constantly magic the waters of the islands, and the scepter, like all the relics, has a cost. The bearers only live around two years in the Temple of Divine Waters.”

“Two?” Sora blinks.

He nods. “The longest known bearer survived for four years. No one lives longer than that, and as you can imagine, switching leadership every four years would be disastrous for any realm.”

I stare at him. “So random people sign up to take that job?”

“Royal Weians,” he says. “Anyone wielding a relic must be of royal blood, or it won’t work, as we saw with Quilimar. In Wei, the priest kings have multiple wives and dozens of concubines to produce heirs of royal blood. And those children, along with the whole nation, believe it is the greatest honor in the land, and the most exalted death, to wield the scepter. The bearers have every luxury and comfort for the years they bless the waters.”

“But if the king doesn’t have the power…” Aeri starts, eyeing the ship.

Mikail glances at her, a little respect shining in his eyes. “I know what you’re thinking—why not usurp the throne? It has happened a few times in the past, and believe me, we’ve tried to facilitate a change in leadership, but Uol, the current king, has the country in an iron grip. He is worshipped as a god on earth. It’s excessively clever to create a cult around yourself when you fear a coup.”

Weird to worship a regular guy. At least the Baejkin kings are immortal with the crown.

We’re almost at the base of the mountain by the time I absorb all that.

“Coming out!” General Vikal yells.

Everyone stops at once, weapons aimed.

A small, narrow boat is lowered from the Yusanian ship, and one also comes down from the Weian ship. They have oars, not sails, but they are fancier than any lifeboats I’ve ever seen. Probably escape skiffs, to save the kings if the battleships sink.

I still don’t know what the plan is, but the boats suddenly stop in the harbor. Meeting on the water is kind of neutral.

General Vikal approaches us. “Time to negotiate their surrender.”

I can’t tell if she’s serious or joking.

Mikail, Sora, Aeri, and I ride with the general and the queen to the shore. I guess we’re getting on a boat, but I don’t know which one.

We’re almost to the docks when all of a sudden, the water in the harbor splits. I don’t know how else to say it. There’s a collective gasp that ripples through the entire army as a walkway appears on the sea floor. I blink. What the fuck? There had just been dozens of feet of water, and now there’s not. The muddy, debris-filled harbor is exposed because the sea water now flows into the air, like invisible hands are holding it back. At the end of the path is a rock outcropping right by the escape boats.

I look at the main Weian ship. The person with the scepter created this.

Ten fucking Hells.

“What is all that?” I ask.

Mikail smirks as he points to the little island of black rocks. “That is neutral land. Controlled entirely by Wei, of course.”

“That’s where the parley will be?” Aeri stares at the walls of water with her golden eyes.

The general nods.

Of course it is. But hells or high waters, I’ll protect her until my last breath. My heart drums steadily—not nerves but the beat of war.

“Don’t kill anyone, Royo,” Mikail says.

I snap my head in his direction. “Why not?”

“Because it would start a war,” General Vikal answers. “The parley must be done in peace.”

“Do we have to leave our weapons, then?” Aeri asks.

“Gods no,” Vikal says.

“But if—” Aeri begins.

The general cuts her off. “Just because we’re not going there to kill anyone doesn’t mean they’re not going to try to kill us.”

Great. Let’s fucking go.