“You make it sound like you came for tea,” Cora said, “but what you really did was invade my castle under a false pretense and a false name and lie to us. If you wanted peaceful relations, you should have tried something else. Pretending to be a prisoner, feeding us false information, and faking your death was a sure way to turn us against you.”
“No, you were already turned against me.” His voice took on a cold edge. “Thanks to my idiot son. Foolish Desmond, parading around as Duke Morkai. What a ridiculous moniker. As if calling himselfKing of Magicin the fae language would help him become Morkaius.”
Cora stiffened at the mention of Morkai. Or Desmond, as was his birth name. Did Darius know his son was dead? Did he blame Cora for his death? Was he here for revenge? Questions burned Cora’s mind, but she didn’t want to give anything away by asking the wrong one. She couldn’t be sure what Darius did or didn’t know already, or what Morkai may have told him.
She shifted her feet, rooting herself to the stone floor, and sought logic over fear. His presence was terrifying and didn’t bode well for the safety of her castle. Yet she could learn what she could, starting with the facts they’d already exchanged. “When you pretended to be a Norunian spy, you claimed Norun was targeting us over the death of Prince Helios. Was any of that true?”
“Oh, it was true. Before Desmond met his end at Centerpointe Rock, he detailed the prince’s death to King Isvius, attempting to paint Selay as the enemy and potentially gain an ally. But when Desmond couldn’t follow up to fan the flames of hatred and control their direction, the King of Norun turned his ire upon Khero instead. Norun made for an easy ally when I began correspondence with Isvius and mentioned my plans to invade Khero.”
So Darius did know about Morkai’s death. And his alliance with Norun was real.
“Why are you targeting Khero?”
He gave her a pointed look. “You know why. I know all about the Veil and Lela and the prophecy. Even before I got my memories back, I knew. Desmond was useful in one thing at least, and that was dying. His death triggered an enchantment he’d forged as a safeguard, ensuring his hard work wouldn’t be lost if he failed. The enchantment materialized in a veritable tome of information that landed on my study desk in Syrus. Despite our many decades of estrangement, he’d continued to detail his discoveries and actions. The report told me everything he’d hidden from me after our falling out. It was quite illuminating.”
Mother Goddess, was there anything he didn’t know?
“I hope you see what’s at stake now,” he said. “The missive you received from me this morning spoke only truth. In three weeks, we will meet at the Khero-Vinias border, and I will demand Khero’s surrender. If you refuse, my Norunian reinforcements will follow and lay waste to your kingdom. Moreover, if I wanted to act sooner, I could. Ever since I left your dungeon, I’ve spent time orienting myself with certain locations in the castle. It would be easy to claim Ridine. I could have control of it by morning.”
Tremors racked Cora’s body at his words. At the very real picture they painted. She couldn’t keep the quaver from her voice, but at least she had enough rage to hide her fear. “Then why are you here chatting with us?”
“Unlike my son, who used war negotiations as bait for battle, I truly want to avoid war. I’ll resort to it if I must, plan for it, but I don’t want you to be my enemy.” He stepped away from the wall, hands clasped behind his back. “Besides, there is an alternative to surrender.”
Cora remembered what he’d said when he’d first arrived.
“You want us to ally with you,” Teryn said.
“Yes, but instead of talking in circles about it, I want to extend a personal invitation for Queen Aveline to speak with me in private. And no, the invitation is for one, not two. Aveline will come with me alone.”
“Come with you…to where?” Cora asked.
“To Syrus.”
She barked a disbelieving laugh. “You want me to go to Syrus with you.”
“I can walk us there and back in no more than an hour.”
He used the termwalk, but he didn’t mean by foot. “Why do you want to meet with me in Syrus?”
“To show you what the kingdom of anevil immortal tyrantlooks like.” He said it with such jest, but there was nothing funny about this situation.
Cora and Teryn said nothing, which made Darius’ expression darken.
“I’ve called it an invitation, but—” He stepped forward again and disappeared at once.
“—it’s not—” he said, appearing on the opposite side of the bed.
“—really—” Now by the wardrobe.
“—a request.” He reappeared where he’d first stood. He’d moved so fast, they’d hardly had time to react beyond a flinch. He’d worldwalked with ease, as if he’d been taking a leisurely stroll, hopping from one location to the next with each step he’d taken.
Cora wasn’t that powerful. She couldn’t activate her abilities that fast.
“I don’t want to take you by force,” Darius said, “but I can. I can cross this space and take your hand before either of you can react.”
“Is that how you intend to get us to trust you?” Teryn said, edging closer to Cora, his poker raised once more. “With threats?”
“What else do you want from me?” Darius said with a sneer. “We’re enemies until we agree otherwise. I can’t make unbreakable vows like pureblood Elvyn can, but I will still state it out loud. I swear not to harm Queen Aveline Caelan at any time while she is in Syrus.”
