“Yielding to me, Alabath?” Our chests rose and fell in unison, faces only an inch apart, his breath hot against my lips, my favorite smirk lifting his.
“Revered,” a hesitant voice interrupted from the side of the arena.
I waved the pink-cheeked staff member over and thanked her as she handed me a letter. She turned abruptly and left.
“What is it?” Tol asked, looking over my shoulder.
I stared at the envelope in my hand.
Aird had sent his answer.
“Threats will get you nowhere,Miss Alabath,” I read aloud to Danya, my core guard, and the delegates, having pulled them all from the arena into the council chamber.
“And he gave no reasoning for his rejection?” the Master of Weapons growled, sweat on her flushed face.
“He doesn’t approve of me.Thatis his reasoning.” It was an unsound, ungrounded, unfortunate reason, because now Aird had written himself into my personal list of enemies, and that was a very painful place to find yourself. I held out the parchment, though I could recite the words from memory by now. It was one sentence, but it had intentionally taken him weeks to write.
Danya fumed as she read, then thrust the letter back at me. “He’s making this personal.”
I crumpled the page in my hand and braced my fists on the table, head drooping. “I even offered to make a deal.”
Had it been layered with a threat? Yes, but I couldn’t roll over entirely. Aird needed to be given something with parameters. A steel spine to support my position against a man who saw me as dirt beneath his boots. Handing over power to him wasn’t the answer, and apparently neither was negotiating.
“What kind of deal?” Tol asked, stiff.
By the time I finished explaining the offer, my father and the rest of the council had arrived, each reading the note and stewing in their own anger.
“You had to try,” Jezebel said.
“Yes, but now that I proposed the option, he’ll want it. He’ll find a way to manipulate me into it.” Weakness twisted itself between my ribs, tightening my chest. “There’s no way around it—Aird is a problem.”
One I wanted to get rid of, though logically I couldn’t.
“The chancellors are driving knives into my skull.” Danya rubbed her temples, head snapping up a moment later, as if remembering the delegates were present. “Sorry,” she sighed. “I do enjoy the three of you.”
“No, no.” Erista waved off the apology. “I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but Aird is a bigot.”
“He may be, but his troops are useful.” Danya prowled around the room like a cat.
“Are they siding with the Engrossians, then?” Cyph asked.
“He didn’t say.” Anger curled hot within me, and I slammed my palms on the table. “He’s sentencing warriors to death and didn’t even provide an explanation. That son of a?—”
“It’s not over.” Malakai spoke for the first time since we’d arrived. Every head swiveled toward him. It was the first time I’d spoken to him in nearly two weeks. The first time I’d truly looked at him. He looked…better than I expected. Like the time he’d been spending in the shadows was soothing.
“This letter doesn’t say no. Aird has not rejected your request yet.” Malakai cleared his throat, attempted to channel the man raised to be Revered of the Mystique Warriors, schooled in diplomacy. “There’s an empty seat on this council for exactly this purpose. The Master of Communications was once responsible for learning the minds of every chancellor and balancing the relationships for these moments.” He paused, looking directly at me. I didn’t feel any pangs of desire when our eyes met, but a silent understanding between us.
“He didn’t say no. So you believe we should send someone to appeal. To find out what he wants.”
“Appoint someone to go to the Mindshapers, win over Aird.Persuade him.”
I reined in my anger. “I don’t know. He didn’t have a problem rejecting my claim at the Rapture, denying to send a delegate, or sneaking around Damenal.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Malakai shrugged one shoulder, voice falling flat again.
“Are you volunteering?” Hope seeped into my voice at the thought of him returning to his once-ambitious self.
But he shook his head. “I’m not fit for any such position.”
