“Uther,” she said, purposefully dropping his title, “I wish I could say the same.” She flashed him a saccharine smile.
“And my son,” he said, turning his attention to Zane. “Has Otho rained his favor upon you yet again, bringing the Aztia to me?”
The crown prince straightened his spine, hands clasped loosely behind his back. He was the picture of unaffected grace, but Iyana knew he had to be panicking inside. However, offering any sort of reassurance would show Uther a weakness.
“Father,” he said, “I challenge you for the empire.” Iyana had to tamp down her shock before Uther noticed. That was not part of the plan. She heard Talon whispering under his breath,what the fuck are you doing?
Uther laughed, the sound deep, loud, and forced. Iyana thought the man had probably never laughed a day in his life. “You want to challenge me? Well, I don’t think I’ll be accepting your challenge.”
“Are you a craven?”
Uther’s icy blue eyes glinted with anger. “I don’t need to prove myself to you, boy, nor anyone else. I hold this empire within my iron fist, and it does not require a reminder of my strength.” He cocked his head to the side. “In fact,notkilling my traitorous son seems to be the stronger move here.”
“Then release this man, and I’ll willingly go back with you to Athusia, where you can tell the empire whatever you’d like about your ‘traitorous son.’”
Talon’s eyes went wide.
Uther’s grin widened. “Thisman? You mean this criminal? Like the two we found at the inn in the village?”
All of them stiffened, Emmeric included. Iyana, in all her petulance at the time, had forgotten they’d left Geoff and Gordon behind. They were supposed to be the early warning system, and she hadn’t even given a thought to their absence.
“What did you do?” Zane asked, voice low and dangerous. His hands behind his back had curled into fists. Talon was struggling to keep his composure. This poor man was not meant to endure hardship and loss.
“They were tried as traitors against the crown, found guilty, and subsequently executed for their crimes.”
“You’re lying.”
Uther snapped his fingers, and a man strolled forward, tossing a sack towards them. Two identical severed heads rolled out of the bag onto the snow.
Oh, gods.Iyana’s stomach began to revolt. She was going to be sick. While she hadn’t known the twins well, they had always been kind to her, and she did genuinely like them. Their loss…it would sit heavily upon her soul, especially with how rude she’d been to them before they parted. But she was still standing in front of a psychopathic murderer, so she shut down her roiling stomach and stood as she imagined a queen would. Zane was seconds away from exploding and doing something idiotic, and she needed to take control.
“What do you want?” she asked Uther.
A corner of his lip twitched up. “I think you know what I want, dear. Hand me the star and you can take your lover boy here back.”
“Don’t patronize me—it’s unbecoming.” Turning to her left, she raised an eyebrow at Altair. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. “Also, no deal.” Before Uther could respond, she raised her hand to stop him from speaking. Shockingly, he closed his mouth, which brought her not an inconsiderable amount of joy and a sensation of power. “I’d like to propose a counteroffer.”
“I’m listening…”
“You hand us him,” she said, gesturing to Emmeric, “and we walk away without killing you and all your men.”
“Let me get this straight…you really think the five of you—only two who are armed, by the way—can take on twenty of my best trained soldiers and myself?Me?I earned my reputation by bathing in the blood of my enemies on the battlefield.”
“You earned your reputation by murdering anyone who spoke against you,” Zane said. “Like my mother and your own father.” Iyana’s eyes widened; she hadn’t realized Uther had killed his own father for the throne.
“Figured that out, have you, boy? Well, let me tell you—”
“You two can finish your family squabble at a different time,” Iyana interrupted. “My offer remains unchanged.”
“Then I’m afraid I’ll need to decline.”
Iyana motioned Altair forward, and he dropped the glamours he was wearing. Uther’s mouth dropped at the sight of the tall, muscular, and glowing man. He truly was a sight to behold.
“You may want to reconsider the lady’s proposal,” Altair said, his deep voice reverberating through Iyana. “As you can see, our small group can be quite formidable.”
The Emperor of Athusa stared at Altair for far longer than Iyana was comfortable with. Calculations were happening behind that gaze, and she hated it. Unfortunately, she was at a disadvantage with no military training and no direct knowledge of the evil man in front of her. No experience playing the game of royal courts. Zane should be in charge here, but he was still seething at the loss of the twins. Altair was a natural-born leader, and she was happy he was at her side, but it wasn’t like they could have a quick strategy discussion.Oh, excuse me, Mr. Emperor, do you mind if we take a moment and we can reconvene when we’re more prepared?Something clicked behind those cold eyes.
“I would still have to decline.”
