“It is so nice to welcome the Aztia to Athusia,” Uther said, smug satisfaction dripping from every word. “Tell me who your Kanaliza is.” What in the nine hells was he talking about? Zane looked to Iyana for her reaction, but her face remained impassive. He had never heard of an Aztia or Kanaliza, even in all his years of studying. Could she be the one performing magic? Or was that rumor created to throw him off the trail? Because there was obviously no magic happening in Athusia, if she was the one to wield it. Emmeric. It had to have been him.
“No idea what you’re talking about,” Iyana said, casually inspecting the throne room. She was lying, Zane was sure of it.
Uther leaned forward, steepling his fingers. His icy blue eyes bore into Iyana. “A star fell here in Arinem,” he said. “You will tell me where they are.”They?
Iyana shrugged casually, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Probably out in the Istorian desert. You can go find it for all I care. Unlike some—” she glanced pointedly at the golden monstrosity Uther was sitting on “—I don’t need a shiny rock to tellme how great I am.”
Emperor Uther chuckled, leaning back in his throne. Tossing a foot onto his opposite knee, he appeared the picture of relaxed, at ease. But, from experience, Zane knew this was when shit happened. Things were about to get messy. His father would no longer tolerate Iyana’s antics and disrespect.
“Imothia,” Uther pondered, tapping his chin. “The tiny Istorian village where everybody’s name begins with an ‘I.’” Iyana stiffened the slightest amount, her hands curling into fists. Uther noticed the movement, his eyes sharpening. He had his prey cornered, and he knew it. “I believe it was around, oh, twenty-five years ago, there was this couple from Imothia—beautiful woman. They requested my aid while I was holding court.” Zane wasn’t sure if Iyana was breathing. “Their daughter had been cursed with magic, and they were hopeful I may possess a way to break the curse.
“They had already been to Istora’s queen, you see,” he continued, Zane now thoroughly confused. “And she had refused them aid. I, however, was much more generous.” Uther grinned as a wolf would—all teeth. “OfcourseI would help. All that was required of them was to bring their daughter here, to Athusia, where she would be raised among the University of Healers, and instead of seeing her magic as a curse, we would view it as a blessing. They refused.” Zane did not doubt his father had offered to take in the child in a disguise of generosity. There would have been some underlying motive, and it seemed the couple saw right through it.
“And where are they now?” Iyana asked coolly, but her clenched fists, fingertips turning white, gave away her true emotions.
“I’m sure I don’t remember,” Uther said, waving a hand. “Probably licked their wounds all the way back to Imothia.” Zane did not believe his father’s lie for one second. “But you, my dear, must be the daughter they spoke of. The Aztia. I’ve been looking for you for a long time now.”
“Well, here I am,” Iyana said glibly, spreading her arms wide. “Completely magicless, other than the speck all healers possess.”
“You and I both know that to be false,” Uther said, snapping his fingers at the guards behind the throne. “Take her.”
To Iyana’s credit and Uther’s great disappointment, she allowed the guards to bind her in irons, walking her out of the throne room. The emperor preferred it when his victims screamed and begged. She only glared at him until he was out ofher sightline, and right before they dragged her through the door, she turned her ire to Zane. He deserved it, rooted to the spot as he was. He was just as much a prisoner—only his chains were invisible.
“Was she with anyone when you found her?” Uther asked him once Iyana had left the room.
“No, sire,” Zane lied, something in his gut telling him the emperor would wreak havoc if he knew there was a man with her.
“Shame,” Uther said. “Well done, prince. Otho has indeed favored you.” The words meant nothing, only spoken to appease the others in attendance. Because although Uther ruled with an iron fist, should the nobles discover how he treated his own son, it could create a difficult situation.
Zane bowed low again without responding, turned on his heel, and sauntered out of the hall. Even though he felt like the filthiest piece of shit smeared across the road, he kept his unaffected court mask firmly affixed. Walking right past Emmeric, Talon, and the twins, he ignored their questioning gazes. No explanations were owed for his actions or those of his father. They fell into line behind him, as they should, and dutifully followed Zane back to his quarters.
He slammed his doors shut behind him without a word. Uther had made a mistake today, something that didn’t happen often. He’d made it known, to Zane at least, that this ‘Aztia and Kanaliza’ were extremely important to him. There was studying to be done.
Chapter 20
Iyana
Her parents had been here.
Iyana was absolutely certain they were the couple Uther had been taunting her with. They had left Imothia when she was one year old, which would have been twenty-five years ago. Iyana struggled to believe, however, that Uther had simply let them go after they had refused him. No, he would have done something about it. He was not a man accustomed to being denied. Was that why they’d never come home? Iyana hadn’t realized it until that moment in the throne room, but she had still held hope that her parents were alive somewhere. Never mind that meant they had abandoned her, at least they’d be living. Imo had provided her with a great childhood, but the empty space in her heart, which should have been occupied by her parents, would now never be filled.
Also, shit, Uther knew she was the Aztia. Iyana wasn’t naïve enough to think he had fallen for her lies. On the way to the capital, Zane had mentioned the star being an ‘it,’ and it was wishful thinking on her part that Uther would be under the same impression. She tried to steer him in that direction once she heard him ask where ‘they’ were, but she doubted it threw him off the trail at all. Luckily he had dropped the Kanaliza questioning. Probably because a man of Uther’s mien would have no use for a human whose only magical ability was to boost the magic of another. And although she didn’t even like Emmeric, she would hate for someone to die because of her actions or words.
But what of her? Iyana’s own magical abilities were nowhere near mastered or unlocked to their full potential. What were Uther’s plans for her? She dreadedlearning the answer, chiding herself for thinking this would end any other way. The dungeon was always destined to be her housing arrangement. Did she really think Uther would put her up in a guest suite?
The cell she had been thrown into (quite literally thrown) was small. She could pace from side to side in four steps and front to back in five. There was hay in one corner—she assumed it would be her bed—and a bucket in the other. Rusty holes dotted the bottom of the metal bucket, so it was practically useless. Iyana scrunched her nose at the thought of using that to relieve herself. Everything was damp—a deep chill pebbled Iyana’s skin. She regretted not wearing her cloak as she was marched before the emperor. Green algae filled the cracks and holes found across the dark gray walls, which comprised three quarters of her cell. Thick iron bars finished the enclosure. Her only view was of a blank wall. There was no window, nothing to tell her what time of day it was. Iyana could handle not knowing what time it was, but the moaning and pleading from other cells would surely drive her to the brink of insanity.
And the incessantdrip…drip…drip…somewhere in the hallway would push her over the edge.
Iyana sat, crossing her legs and laying her hands upon her knees, palms facing upwards. Mediation had helped her in the desert, and if it took her away from her situation, even for a moment, it was worth a try. Closing her eyes, she controlled her breathing.Breathe in…breathe out. Repeat.She called on her magic, only a small amount, to help keep her warm against the cold floor. Soon Iyana was lost in a trance, any panic-inducing thoughts that crossed her mind were immediately banished to be dealt with later. The sounds of the dungeon faded into the background. It was a peaceful, albeit temporary, state of mind.
Minutes, or hours, later, the loud clang of the main dungeon door shutting snapped her sense of peace. Other prisoners cried louder and harder, protesting their innocence, asking for mercy. The clamor of sound swelled closer to Iyana’s cell, and she knew someone was there to pay her a visit. While she didn’t exactly know who she had the pleasure of expecting, her first guess definitely wouldn’t have been Emperor Uther.
He stopped in front of her cell, dressed in the dark forest-green of House Holygazer, a black cape fluttering to a stop behind him. She stayed in her seatedposition. Even with little interaction, Iyana could tell the man was a sadist, getting off on others’ pain. The pleading and prostrating happening within the dungeon was akin to a drug for him. She saw it in the set of his shoulders, the gleam in his eyes. Uther was an addict—power, fear, adoration…he would never get enough.
“Iyana,” he said, his tone sickly sweet. A smile spread across his face, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Your beauty should not be locked away where none can gaze upon you. I would love to change this arrangement if you’re willing to compromise.”
Iyana picked at the dirt underneath her nails, refusing to look the emperor in the eye. “I actually like it fine here, thank you. Other than the rather large pest that has made its way into my doorway, blocking the lovely view of the hall.”
