“Isaiah also believes that bringing Dianna with me was a mistake.”
Reggie nodded. “It is an uncomfortable truth but one she knows as well.”
“You think Dianna being there shaped their minds against me?” My jaw set. “She is my wife and queen. She is more than that, even. Dianna is my mate, and I am not complete without her. The thought of not including her is a ridiculous notion.”
“I understand, but they do not.”
Anger swelled and churned in my gut. “Yet Nismera’s legion has members of the Otherworld scattered about? That is okay?”
“They see it as unification,” Reggie said, waving a hand at me. “Even if it is not truly.”
I scoffed and shook my head. “They will treat Dianna with as much respect as they give to any born or crowned ruler. If they do not, I will no longer seek allies or peace.”
Reggie nodded. “That, I am very much aware of as well, my liege. All I am saying is while they may have deemed you the World Ender, you have never used your powers with evil intent. Nismera has no care if she causes harm. She collected hard, cruel generals and commanders who only feared her. The people of the realms have learned that to rise against her is to face annihilation.”
I rubbed at my face. “They rationalize it all. They don’t even seem to see what is happening. She forced them to her will with fear, then used their basic needs to keep them loyal. They are like starved hounds, blindly loyal for mere scraps. I saw Ivers’s estate. He has accumulated wealth beyond reason. When Lord Orble ruled, he barely accepted a few silver pieces from my father. He loved the sea and helping others, while his son has grown rude, crass, and spoiled.”
“With all due respect, my liege, it is more than that,” Reggie started, the look in his eyes warm even if the words that followed were not. “In the eyes of the realms and beyond, you have failed. You have lost The Hand, some think permanently. Your crown sits atop Nismera’s head. And worst of all, you’ve aligned yourself through blood and marriage to one of the realms’ greatest enemies.”
The air in the room stilled and became charged. The violence I felt was not directed at Reggie but at the truth of his words. “Dianna is not these realms’ enemy, but if their mistreatment of her continues, I shall be.”
“You asked for my counsel, and I shall give it. She is but one reason,” Reggie said. “If any of them were to oppose Nismera, it would mean certain death, and not just for them, but their entire lineage. Nismera is cruel and foul. She’d hang women, men, and children if it meant keeping her subjects in line, and then she’d sleep as though it never happened. Nismera is formidable, with vast armies that cover land and air. She intends to rule it all, and she has no intention of allowing anything to stop her.”
“You’re not helping,” I grumbled, rubbing at my tired eyes.
“I am telling you all this so you understand that you are going to have to show them they have a chance against her. You are going to have to best her or, at the very least, land a strike against her. None have ever done so, and they have witnessed the rise and fall of rebels before. Their hope is as void as the rock-strewn space of the Eastern realms.”
He didn’t say the words exactly, but I understood his meaning. They didn’t think I had a chance against her. The last time she and I fought, not only had she nearly taken my head, but Rashearim died with it, my father died with it.
“I need allies. Powerful ones.”
Reggie nodded, his hands clasped on his lap. “Yes.”
“If the houses won’t bend, that sets us back tenfold.”
Reggie nodded solemnly. “Perhaps you should look to the ones you have helped so far?”
My brow rose. “You mean the prisoners I released? They are now spread far and wide, probably hiding as they should.”
Reggie smiled. “My point exactly. Even the desperate speak of saviors. That may garner you more favor than showing up and demanding it. Start with the ones forgotten, just as you were. Help those she abandoned. Show them that the rightful, honorable king has returned and work from there.”
I released a shuddering breath. “I’ll try.”
Reggie clicked his tongue. “And try to curb the arrogance as well.”
A short laugh burst from me. “You’re not allowed to hang out with Dianna any longer. You’re picking up on her attitude.” Reggie smiled as I stood up and stretched. “Speaking of which, her birthday is coming up, and I need to finish a few things. If she wakes before I return, tell her I am in the city.”
Reggie nodded as I headed to the door. “I do believe you’ll win this war. I only fear it may take what’s left of your good heart.”
I stopped in the doorway and turned back. Fate stared at me, his expression not one of earnest pride as I had come to expect but with something that resembled sadness. “Is that a premonition?”
“Merely an observation.”
9
DIANNA
Isighed and blew out a breath, glancing up at the stalactites threatening me from above. My eyes adjusted as I looked around an unfamiliar dark cavern. “Great. New creepy prophecy dreams. Just what I wanted after being fu—”
