Page 70

AERI

ROSE PALACE, GAYA

I t’s over a day since Sora was kidnapped, and while we have sent messages to Qali demanding her release, there has been no reply.

Mikail is losing his mind, but none of us are okay.

I want to ask him if he’s hearing voices, too, or seeing an ash road now that he has two relics, but… he has enough to deal with.

We’re gathered in the throne room. It’s early in the morning and we haven’t had breakfast yet, but Rune arrived on Gaya and immediately “requested” an audience.

I, for one, am very surprised he’s still alive.

I thought Sun-ye would’ve poisoned him days ago.

But the doors open, and a long-winded soldier announces the western count with his eight noble titles.

After a dramatic pause, Rune walks into the throne room, striding down the stone aisle with a smile.

“Your Majesty,” he says with a deep bow.

He smiles and greets Mikail like they are the best of friends. As if he didn’t try to trap us in Rahway, but whatever. We have bigger problems.

Rune’s snake eyes focus on me, and he issues another formal bow. “Princess Naerium, you are looking exceptionally well. I remain your most humble servant.”

He places his hand over his heart.

I purse my lips into some semblance of a smile, but he’s not looking at my mouth. He can’t keep his eyes off the ruby on my forehead. I have to admit, I rather like the look with the gold of my eyes. But it’s the power of the relic that he’s hungry for, not the jewelry.

Ugh, I can feel another marriage proposal coming.

“Your Grace,” Mikail says, acknowledging him.

Rune is in his finest cream-colored suit with his noble collar on display.

I can only respect his tailoring. Fallador stands to his side, pleasant as ever.

Royo is on Mikail’s left. He’s grinding his teeth so hard he might lose a molar.

I’d laugh, but I’m still bitter about what happened on the warship.

Royo holding me back cost lives. Good people died while I stood idle.

“Thank you for the warm welcome,” Rune says. “I’m pleased that you accepted my offer, and I look forward to our long, prosperous friendship.”

He means prosperous for himself, of course.

“Are your men having any difficulty navigating the Strait of Teeth?” Mikail asks.

I’m certain he already knows the answer. He instructed Rune to have his army cross at Cetil because the Weian warships still occupy Tamneki Harbor. They have neither attacked Yusan nor turned for home, which is unsettling at best.

“No issues at all, Your Majesty,” Rune says. “I conscripted ten ships to ferry men across. My full army will be encamped on Charm Beach by sunset.”

Mikail nods—they’re on schedule. Charm Beach is the area by the former Port of Charm, directly across from Tamneki.

“What news of Qali or Seok?” Mikail asks casually. He won’t mention Sora to avoid tipping our hand to the western count.

One corner of Rune’s lips rises. “Here I was thinking you had your own sources in Qali.”

Mikail shrugs as his reply, but Hana deserves more than a shrug.

“Hana is dead,” I say.

And that remains your fault.

So…that’s the other thing that has happened since I was crowned. The voice is with me a lot . It can’t be a good thing, but I haven’t mentioned it to anyone else—not even Royo. It would just worry him, and it’s not like he can do anything about it.

Rune raises his eyebrows. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

I’m not sure he has that emotion, but he’s pantomiming it well enough.

“My sources tell me Prince Uolson of Wei met with Seok yesterday and forged an alliance,” Rune continues. “All of the king’s guard has been called to Tamneki.”

“All of it?” I grip the armrests of my throne. That’s a hundred thousand men. It will take weeks, maybe over a month, to move those soldiers to the capital, but eventually, the full might of Yusan will descend on us.

My empty stomach tightens.

Rune nods. “I highly doubt they will wait for the soldiers, though, if I know Seok.”

Mikail doesn’t blink. “Then we will fortify the beach today, in the event they attack before dawn.”

“And if the fortifications aren’t enough?” Rune asks. “What is your plan for the Weian guard?”

I raise an eyebrow. I thought the point of aligning with Rune was to get an army at our disposal.

But Royo told me about how Mikail battled with the Weians in Quu Harbor and struck death blows on their steel without them falling.

If hundreds of them are armored that way, Yusanian soldiers don’t stand a chance.

Wei’s ten thousand would fight like one hundred thousand.

“If the Weians attack, I will sink their ships,” Mikail says.

Rune smiles that snakish grin.

I look over at Royo as Fallador pales. From just that one sentence, I know: Mikail is planning to die to kill them all.