She blinks as Alastor’s magic fades, looking around at the shocked faces of the crowd as they whisper oaths and murmur to their neighbors. Blood drains from her face as she begins to understand what just happened. Then her expression grows furious.
“How dare you use your fae tricks on me!” she spits, her eyes burning into mine. “You know, you’re just like your mother. She was also a conniving bitch who thought she was better than everyone.”
I slap Oclanna so hard she goes sprawling across the floor with a shriek. I don’t give her a chance to right herself, dragging her onto her back and kneeling down, pinning her in place by pressing one knee hard against her chest.
She scrabbles at the thick material of my pants with her fingers as she frantically tries to free herself by kicking out against the floor. But I’m stronger and angrier, and my hold doesn’t waver.
This woman grew up having everything handed to her. She was so convinced that she was entitled to anything she wanted that she decided she deserved the throne too. She didn’t even have the dedication to do the dirty work herself.
But my story is different. Every life I’ve taken, I’ve done it looking them squarely in the eyes.
“I suppose I have you to thank, Oclanna,” I say sincerely. “If you hadn’t tried to murder me, if you hadn’t driven me from this palace, I would never have learned to be strong enough to kill you today.”
Then I drive my sword into her chest. She convulses beneath me, and I watch the light slowly fade from her eyes. When her body goes limp, I rise, wincing as the fight leaves my body and I start to feel the full burn of the gash along my arm.
When I look up, the whole crowd is bowing to me. Even the fae. Leon lifts his chin, giving me a smile.
“Well done, my love,”he says.
“No collapsing buildings needed,”I reply with a quirk of my eyebrow, but I’m gritting my teeth through the pain radiating from my arm. At least I know the palace has a decent healer on staff.Mypalace.Myhealer.
I look out across the crowd of my subjects. I may have won this fight, but winning over my people could be a much more difficult task.
Leon
I flick the bars of the dungeon cell, making the clang of iron ring out through the stone chamber.
“Do you think they fortified it after I ripped the last one to pieces?” I ask Alastor.
“If they were smart,” Alastor replies, coming up behind me to nudge the door with his foot. “I suppose it depends how many more fae princes they’re planning to arrest.”
“Well, hopefully none now,” I say. “Unless I manage to monumentally piss off Ana.”
Alastor smirks at my joke, then nods at the bars. “Shall we get this over with?”
“Alright.”
We both turn to look at the cell occupant. Anointer Robik huddles in the corner, his sunken eyes staring out at us while he worries the cap in his hands to pieces.
It’s been a busy day since Ana won her challenge. Clearly, the first thing we needed to do was secure the palace to ensure none of Oclanna’s close allies tried to take revenge. Becane arrested Jocor Rosier after Oclanna’s confession. The man didn’t put up much of a fight. It’s clear to me Jocor genuinely loved his wife, and watching her death sucked all the strength out of him.
We sent the rest of the court home, aside from the royal council. Right now, Ana is holding her first meeting with them, in which she’ll explain the importance of publicly condemning Caledon and dismantling the Temple’s control. She’d wanted me there at first, but I’d pointed out that this washercouncil,herkingdom. All the decisions had to be hers.
“There’s nothing wrong with getting advice. Especially from people more experienced than you,” she pointed out. “I’m not so arrogant as to think I have all the answers.”
“You’re absolutely right, my love,” I replied. “And that will make you a brilliant queen. But right now, you want Trova to see you as a capable, independent leader, and having a foreign royal meddling in matters of state isn’t a good look.”
Of course, I’m always there, listening across the mooring in case she has an urgent question or worry. But I have confidence in her. She’s negotiated with kings and council members before,and in much more difficult circumstances. She’s good at this, much better than me. Thankfully, I have other skills.
That’s why she’s upstairs with the council, and I’m down here about to interrogate the other Oclanna collaborator.
“Robik, is it?” I ask the anointer through the bars.
“Y-yes,” the man stutters. I share a glance with Alastor.
“Why would the Temple send such a nervous wreck to be the palace anointer? Seems a pretty important job to give to this guy,” I say to my friend.
Alastor shrugs. “Maybe he wasn’t a nervous wreck before you turned up. You tend to have that effect on people.”
