‘King Cai.’ He turned towards Trespia’s monarch. ‘This past summer, you suffered terrible forest fires, did you not?’
Cai raised one of his dark brows; a flash of confusion crossed his teak face. ‘Aye, and we dealt with them.’
Romero nodded. I leaned forward. He was too calm, too collected. My skin prickled as he brushed down the dark sleeve of his jacket.
‘You did, Cai. You sacrificed acres of woodland in order to halt the threat. Cut off the blaze. Kill it. As the rulers of these nations, with so many lives depending on our decisions, we face the same choice. We fight fire with fire, so how are we expected to fight an empire with a few fractured kingdoms?’
‘This again?’ Matthias thundered. ‘You can’t actually expect us to?—’
‘I have the floor, Asmar. Don’t forget to uphold the correct protocol and rules. Your father tried to work against The Alliance. It didn’t end too well for him, did it? You’re still paying the reparations to this day.’
A bead of sweat dripped down Matthias’s flushed face. My heart twinged. He pasted a tight smile on his face and raised his hand, an indication for Romero to continue.
‘We cannot defeat her with our forever dwindling Vyrium stores. That is why I suggest we become truly allied and join our kingdoms to become a single, powerful empire. All our resourceswill fall under a single ruler. A force even the empress will fear to face. Quite simply, it’s our only solution.’
The chamber fell silent. Every gaze fell on a sombre Romero. Matthias’s white knuckles trembled on the desk; I placed my hand across his. He looked at me, raw fear lurking within his eyes at the realisation he was on the brink of losing his kingdom.
‘And,’ Sarus broke the suffocating silence, ‘I supposeyouwould make the ultimatesacrificeand offer yourself as our emperor. Isn’t that what you’re getting at here, Romero?’
My stomach churned as the smile spread across his face. I could barely comprehend what he was saying. I’d grown up with this man. I knew him to be a ruler not content with his own crown, but to usurp the other monarchs? Declare himself Emperor? I swallowed down my rising rage. Surely the other monarchs would never allow it?
‘It wouldn’t be an easy task and, of course, you would all retain a certain degree of control and influence in your former kingdoms. Yes, it’s a sacrifice, but like Trespia’s woodlands, by removing the dead wood, we become stronger. Stand a true chance against her twisted army of Anomalies. Who knows, as a truly united front, we may even be able to invade Carush.’
I wished I could see the expressions of the others, get a feel of what they thought of Romero’s plans to forge an empire. I started as Matthias clapped slowly.
‘As a child you’d forever beat me at chivash. You were always several steps ahead of me. You knew exactly where to place your pieces, and every time you bested me, even when I thought I’d had you. One by one you took my pieces till you owned the board.’
‘Your point, Asmar?’
‘My point is you are using this situation for your own benefit, as you always have. When Sorrow’s father died you swooped in and forced her mother to marry you. I wouldn’t be surprised if?—’
‘Where the bloody hell did my chicken go?’ Seth bellowed, scattering papers around.
The wolf appeared at my side, licking his chops.
‘I don’t know about this, Romero,’ Cai said.
‘You can’t possibly be considering this?’ Matthias cried, throwing his arms in the air.
‘We’re running out of options,’ Cai replied, his voice eerily calm as his dark brown eyes took in Romero. ‘Perhaps if there was another way? You’re not the only one running low on Vyrium. We all are. If we could locate more mines, strengthen our armouries, we could stand a chance.’
With my heart hammering, I stood. The room silenced. Heat flared across my cheeks as all eyes rested on me. I briefly turned my better eye towards Matthias, at his slumped shoulders, the shadows blooming beneath his young eyes, and spoke.
‘But weareclose to discovering the lost mines.’
‘Rubbish,’ Romero spat.
‘It’s true.’ My pulse thundered, but I held my head high. ‘I’ve been working on this for the last few years. Read the theories from the greatest academics all over Eusis, and IknowI’m close.’
‘Are you all going to listen to her?’ Romero’s cold stare held me in place. ‘She couldn’t even find an elephant if it were placed under her nose, let alone discover the lost mines.’
Papers flew like a snowstorm as Matthias dived across the desk towards Romero, and Pablo joined him in the next heartbeat. A guard blocked the king’s path, another drew his sword and aimed it straight at the snarling wolf.
‘Matthias!’ Sarus called, a warning tone to her voice.
‘If he?—’
‘I know, but this is not the time. Take your seat and allow your queen to have the floor. I’m sure she appreciates yourchivalrous loyalty, but I imagine she’d appreciate her husband whole and without a sword embedded in his heart more.’
