Will draped an arm across the back of his chair. ‘With all due respect, Your Majesty, war is coming toyouwhether you want to be involved or not.’
Dominic chuckled darkly. ‘I’ve always admired your brazenness but let me be clear: I will not tolerate threats to my kingdom.’
‘It’s not a threat, Majesty,’ Aya cut in, her voice soft yet firm. ‘If Kakos is able to fully revive the Decachiré again, war will reach every part of this realm. Do you think they’ll spare you in their vengeance? Trahir was equally involved in the embargo that destroyed their kingdom.’
‘An act that seems to have not been effective,’ Dominic muttered, ‘if this threat is to be believed. And yet you still offer no proof.’
‘The illegal trades byyourtradesmen and the Diaforaté in our kingdom is all the proof you should need,’ Will retorted. ‘And the Bellare certainly seem riled about something.’
Dominic didn’t rise to his bait. ‘Ah, yet the Diaforaté didn’t perfect their raw power, did they? You both survived that attack.’ From the corner of his eye, Will saw Aya’s hand stiffen on the arm of her chair. Dominic grinned. ‘Come now, surely you know how rumors spread. You two are becoming quite notorious. First you survive the wolves, then capture your general.’ The king leaned back in his chair. ‘And yet there’s still much we don’t know about Kakos’ experiments. It’s a shame that the Diaforaté died in his questioning.’
Will blinked – the only sign of his surprise.
Dominic pounced. ‘You were unaware? Gianna mentioned it in her letter regarding your arrival,’ he said with a nod to Aya. The king pulled a piece of parchment markedwith the Tala royal seal from his desk drawer and cleared his throat. ‘“We learned that the Diaforaté are attempting to achieve raw power by siphoning power from other Visya.”’
From the corner of his eye, Will saw Aya stiffen. ‘How?’ she demanded.
Dominic held up a finger before continuing. ‘“It was his final confession before he succumbed to his sensations during his questioning,”’ he read. ‘“I implore you, Dominic, to consider what is at stake should he not be the only one. Your forces will be crucial in aiding our cause …”’
Will fought the urge to grind his teeth as his irritation rose.
Zuri was watching him carefully, her brow furrowed. ‘You seem surprised, Enforcer, about this letter,’ she remarked. ‘Did you not know of his death?’
Will held her stare as he sank further back in his chair, forcing his muscles to ease. ‘It is not my queen’s duty to play messenger to me, Lady Zuri.’
He was, of course, furious.
The priestess had said the man was weak due to his dark-affinity work. And sources had succumbed to their sensations during questioning before. But to have such a massive misstep …
And Gianna had told him to take his time, to introduce their concerns slowly … yet she had already pushed for Dominic’s support. She was undermining his ability to build trust with this Court; was creating more obstacles he’d have to overcome. And by the smug smile on the king’s face, Dominic knew it. He was relishing sharing this news – in reminding Will that though the title of Prince followed him from kingdom to kingdom, he was no more than a servant bending to the wills of his queen.
‘I find it strange, Majesty, that you so frequently question the word of your ally,’ Aya observed, her head tilted as sheconsidered Dominic. ‘We’ve brought you assurance that Kakos is building their forces. We have seen proof of dark-affinity work in our kingdom. Their heresy is growing, and yet you ask if a threat is legitimate.’
‘I ask,’ the king growled, ‘because you askmy armiesto get involved. Allies we may be, but that does not entitle you to call on our aid for every issue that impacts your kingdom. Was it notyourgeneral working with the heretics to begin with? Who’s to sayyoudidn’t frame our tradesmen to push us into supporting your war?’
Will’s jaw twitched as he fought to keep his frustration in check. ‘Given the problems it’s created for us with your Council, Majesty, that would be a foolish plan indeed.’
Dominic didn’t waver. ‘Even still, it sounds as though this is no more than a continental skirmish, with Tala at the center and insubordination in your ranks. It’s not as though we askyouto intervene with the Bellare.’
‘Let’s not speak in hypotheticals, then,’ Will urged as he leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees. ‘What does the situation need to look like for your armies to be involved?’
‘Until I know for sure that this is a true threat to my people, and not a one-off incident, I will not guarantee you anything, Prince,’ Dominic replied.
Well. Will supposed it was only a matter of time until Dominic got exactly what he asked for.
36
Aya nearly had to jog to keep up with Will’s brisk stride as they left the king’s study. Will was pissed – that much was clear. He hadn’t done a good job of hiding his surprise at hearing Gianna’s missive, just as he wasn’t doing a good job of hiding how furious it made him now.
He hit the courtyard with impressive pace, his eyes fixed on the palace gates.
‘Where are you going?’ she inquired.
‘Out.’ He didn’t bother to spare her a glance. Perhaps he hoped his taciturn mood would scare her off. Aya wasn’t moved. She simply followed him, nodding to the guards as they started down the path that would lead them into town.
‘You anticipated this,’ Aya reminded him. ‘You knew Dominic wouldn’t jump to a formal agreement.’
Will cut her a look, a muscle in his jaw working. ‘It doesn’t make it any less frustrating.’ He tugged a hand through his hair, letting out a long breath through his nose. ‘Contrary to what you accused me of, I don’t relish the idea of thousands dying for this war.’
