A Queen This Fierce and Deadly (Kingdom of Lies)

19 MADINIA

While Conreth was undisputedly the king of the fae lands, his kingdom was divided into territories. And the island of Quorith was ruled by Verdion. I’d learned all I’d needed to know of Rythos’s father at the fae summit. He was a ruthless, bitter man who refused to cooperate, comply, or concede power—all because his family hadn’t been chosen to guard one of the three fae amulets gifted to them by the god Tronin so long ago.

According to the little Rythos had told me while we traveled to the island, while Verdion was the ultimate authority of Quorith, he still answered to a council. If every member of that council unanimously agreed, their votes could override him.

Unfortunately, Verdion was so determined to stay out of this war that he had refused to even take the evidence to his council. And I was betting he hadn’t told them about his little deal with Regner. He’d been willing to break Quorith’s own laws in order to disregard Conreth’s wishes.

Spare me from these powerful men and their ancient grudges.

Prisca had once told me that Rythos and Verdion did not speak. All she had said was that Verdion was threatened by his son, even though Rythos had no intention of fighting him for power.

Sounded similar to a certain fae king we all knew.

I glanced at Rythos. While Cavis had been the kindest to me, Rythos had been a close second. Right now, however, he was lost in grim silence, his gaze on the blurry, warded island in front of us as our small boat was rocked by the waves.

Perhaps a distraction that could also help with my own curiosities was warranted. “Do you know anyone pure of heart?” I asked him.

Surprise flashed across his face.

“What exactly does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Probably someone who doesn’t enjoy killing bad people.”

“You know,” he said, running his hand over his face, “I don’t think I do. That probably says a lot about the people I surround myself with.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. Rythos raised his eyebrows, and I turned it into a scowl.

“Why do you need someone pure of heart?”

“Daharak’s weapon.” I explained the orb to him, even taking it out of my pocket. “You seem…nice. Occasionally.”

He just shook his head at me. “Not nice enough for that.”

I sighed, tucking it back into my cloak pocket and returning my attention to the island. “Verdion has been alive for a long time, I’m assuming.”

“Yes.”

“So why would he believe Regner when he said he wouldn’t strike at Quorith if he remained neutral?”

Rythos snorted. “The same reason Eryndan believed him when Regner said the human kings would rule together. They trust him because they love power, and they can’t imagine losing it. And…they want to keep their people safe.”

I shivered as we approached the island. Quorith’s wards were stronger than any other, built with a kind of magic that made the skin on my arms prickle. Rythos stood, murmured a single word in a language I’d never heard, and the ward disappeared as if it had never been there at all, shimmering back into place once we had passed.

I hadn’t visited when the others had stolen a ship to take Prisca to the hybrid kingdom, and I swept my gaze greedily over everything I could see as Rythos docked our boat. The island unfolded before me like a promise of untold stories and uncharted paths. The lush greenery and vibrant flowers dotting the landscape weren’t just splashes of color but markers of a culture steeped in beauty and a love for the wild. Laughter spilled out of the taverns across from the dock, people speaking in languages I didn’t understand but longed to learn. And the air…the air was rich with the scents of freedom—wild flowers, exotic spices, the sea…the very essence of a life where I could slip into place without anyone knowing who I was.

Rythos held out his hand, and I realized he’d already stepped onto the dock. I allowed him to help me out of the boat, studying the grandeur of a distant building as he stepped away to talk to someone. It was undoubtedly an architectural marvel, with its towers and bridges, the marble and stone weaving together to create something strange and unique.

“I’ve never seen that expression on your face before,” Rythos said.

I instantly controlled my features. “What expression?”

He flashed his teeth in a brief smile. “Something like awe. Or wonder.”

I cleared my throat, forcing myself to tear my gaze away from a group of women dancing in the street. “When all this is over, I’m leaving this continent. I want the life that was denied to me for so long. This island…it soothes some part of me. It reminds me that there’s more out there for me. And that one day, I’ll find it.”

The corner of Rythos’s mouth tipped up. “I didn’t want to return here,” he said. “It holds mostly bad memories for me. So thank you for allowing me to see it through your eyes.”

I nodded, and he took a deep breath, his gaze lingering on the white building in the distance.

“Let’s get this done.”

No one attempted to stop us as we made our way along the bustling streets. Perhaps because everyone seemed to know who Rythos was—people either waved and called out to him or gave him narrow-eyed stares, whispering to those next to him.

By the time we approached the white building I’d admired from the dock, I was tired of the eyes on us. Rythos appeared completely at ease, although in his fae form with his expression blank, it was almost like looking at a different man entirely.

I, too, had slipped on my court mask, and we strolled through the courtyard as if this were just another day.

No one greeted us at the door, although the guards bowed low at his appearance. Rythos wandered, ignoring the fact that the main hall was almost deserted. Like everything else I’d seen here so far, it had been designed with care—wide windows allowing sunlight to pool on the marble floors, recessed nooks with benches for seating, finely crafted rugs that were likely much, much older than I was. Gesturing for me to follow him, Rythos climbed the long staircase to our left.

I recognized Verdion’s voice the moment I heard it. His low baritone set my teeth on edge. Rythos didn’t hesitate at the closed door, simply pushed it open and stepped inside. Lifting my head, I pasted a cool smile on my face and followed him in.

Verdion glanced up from where he was seated at the head of a long, oval table. He didn’t look at all surprised to see his son, but his eyes fired with wrath at the interruption.

“How dare you?”

Rythos ignored him, scanning the room. I counted twelve other Arslan men and women, all of them staring at Rythos. Clearly, we were interrupting a council meeting. How convenient for us.

“Out,” Verdion snarled.

“I don’t think so.” Rythos crossed his arms. “Where is Brevan?”

“Your brother is away. He will return later today.”

“And was he away for the summit as well?” Rythos lifted one eyebrow and turned to the council. “Has my father told you all about the deal he made with the human king before this war even began? That Regner would choose not to attack this island as long as we cooperated?”

A woman with long, dark braids murmured something to the man at her side, her eyes wide. Meanwhile, Verdion’s lips pulled back from his teeth. “The council knows everything there is to know.”

“And did they know that Regner has never kept his word to his allies—not once—and thanks to our wards, he believes we attacked him during the battle for the barrier?”

“I heard what happened with those wards,” Verdion said quietly. “I know that hybrid bitch interfered.”

“That hybrid bitch is already twice the ruler you’ll ever be,” I snapped.

Rythos nodded his agreement. “Not to mention, the ward you think you can hide behind? Regner knows how to shift it. At least long enough to attack all of us.”

“Nonsense. Our ward can’t be shifted anywhere.”

“It can be if one of Regner’s pet Patriarchs developed a weapon that can temporarily remove wards from this world,” I said.

His expression stayed entirely neutral, but I glanced at the council. Several men were frowning, while an older woman with deep laugh lines had shakily gotten to her feet. Perhaps this wouldn’t be the battle we’d prepared for. Perhaps they would actually listen.

“We can no longer afford to be neutral,” she said. “It is now a matter of honor. If we’re attacked, no one will come to our aid.”

“We won’t be attacked,” Verdion ground out.

I angled my head. “Oh yes, you believe you can go crawling back to Regner and bargain with him. Tell me, will you fall to your knees for the human king?”

Verdion’s mouth dropped open, but he quickly recovered. “How dare you come here. You shouldn’t even have stepped foot on this island, and yet you believe you can barge into this meeting and attempt to convince our people to go to war for you?”

“The Arslan were a great people once,” Rythos said quietly, turning to face the council. “We weren’t just known for our expertise when it came to inventions like our ships. We were known for our compassion. For our willingness to welcome people who were searching for a new life.”

“You know nothing.”

Rythos continued as if his father hadn’t spoken, his gaze sweeping each council member. “What will you tell your children if Regner wins this war? How will you explain to your children’s children that you had a chance to fight on the right side of history, and you chose not to get involved? Will you look them in the eye and tell them you allowed innocents to be slaughtered because it was politically convenient? War will come to this island. Already, Regner has invaded Gromalia. Yes, his creatures—creatures he took from the fae and twisted— have slaughtered almost an entire city of men, women, and children. And still, you would do nothing?” He let out a bitter laugh. “Do you know what happens to those who allow innocents to die for their own convenience? They soon find that convenience is replaced by the cold fingers of guilt tightening around their throats each time they attempt to sleep.”

“Humans,” Verdion snapped. “There are too many of them already. Perhaps this is nothing more than population correction.”

Rythos bristled. “That population correction will come here. It is a fact.”

“Allow us to think on this and vote,” the woman with the laugh lines said. She had enough courage to carefully ignore the furious look Verdion shot her. “We must deliberate.”

With a last look at the council, Rythos nodded. I followed him out. I didn’t like leaving them where they could listen to Verdion’s poisonous words, but we had no choice.

“What do you think they will do?”

Rythos shook his head, his face tight. “I don’t know. Likely, they will deliberate for hours. Their decision won’t come down to what is right, or good versus evil. They will spend their time poking at one another, using their political power to irritate those they despise, and questioning if we speak the truth.”

Frustration clawed at me. Rythos nodded at whatever he saw on my face. “Pray to any gods you believe in that they choose to ally with us. Because if they don’t, this island will become nothing but rubble, and the ships that could give us a fighting chance in this war will be little more than debris at the bottom of the sea.”

For a few moments, it seemed as if perhaps we were wrong. As if perhaps the monsters lurking beneath the surface were merely created from our overactive imaginations.

A dark, scaled creature leaped across the surface of the water—shockingly fast—and aimed for Demos.

My bolt arrowed through its open mouth, and it silently dropped back into the water with a splash—just footspans from Demos’s head. Cool waves of terror swept through my body, my muscles turning liquid.

He sliced a single glance at me, and then he was turning, paddling toward the area we’d first seen rippling. I nocked another arrow and waited.

Next to me, Amalra and Elysanth had done the same. All three of us were utterly silent.

Demos, Horrison, Gwynara, Firion, and Nyrik all circled around Brinlor, guarding him from every side as they swam toward the ward.

My lungs were burning, and I slowly let out the breath I was holding, rolling my neck. If I was too tense, I was more likely to shoot early. Which meant I was more likely to miss.

I had to—

There!

Another flash of something long, dark, and scaly, only this time, the creature didn’t leap from the water. It swam up next to Firion, who responded by slashing out with his dagger.

Fighting in the water couldn’t have been easy. Especially knowing lethal creatures were watching their every move. A flash of teeth, and Gwynara used her power, slamming her fire into the side of the creature.

Even though Gwynara was fae, I was relatively certain that Madinia’s fire was much, much stronger. If she were here, she could have turned most of these monsters to ash.

The lake creature made a sound that caused goose bumps to break out on my skin. But it lunged again. This time, it was Demos who slashed out, catching it across one of its red eyes.

Brinlor had reached the ward. It must have taken an incredible amount of courage for him to close his eyes the way he did, trusting that the others would keep him alive. He was murmuring something under his breath, and a white glow began to spread beneath the water.

The lake suddenly teemed with life.

It was as if Brinlor’s efforts to break the ward had woken every creature in the vicinity. I had to ruthlessly keep myself in check, suppressing the instinct to throw my crossbow aside and jump into the water in an attempt to save Demos from the creature that was now almost on top of him.

There was no intelligence in these creatures’ eyes. Regner had somehow tied them to his ward, and there was nothing left of them except pure rage and the desire to kill.

I fired again and again and again, the others doing the same. But eventually, we had to stop. The chances of hitting one of our own were too high. All we could do was watch, guts twisting, hearts pounding triple time.

It was time for me to get into the water. I pulled my dagger from its sheath.

“Don’t even think about it!” Demos roared.

To everyone else, it likely seemed as if he was screaming at the scaled monster attempting to get past him to Brinlor. But I’d caught the furious glare he’d aimed my way.

Even while fighting for his life, he was attempting to prevent me from risking mine. I ground my teeth but focused, waiting for the moment I could do something— anything—except stand here watching.

Firion and Nyrik were fighting the same creature, attempting to lure it away from Brinlor. The ward glowed brighter, which sent every living thing in that water into a frenzy. Gwynara was aiming her power at them, while next to me, Amalra sliced her hand through the air, stunning the closest creature. It slid down into the water.

One of the other fae aimed a dark ball of something that terrified me. It hit the creature, which instantly froze, splashing down into the lake.

The ward was glowing brighter and brighter, and the others were managing to prevent Brinlor from being jostled too badly. I caught sight of Horrison continually diving beneath Brinlor, likely guarding him from anything that was considering grabbing him from below.

Perhaps we really could do this.

Someone screamed. I scanned the water. I’d been watching the others, and I’d lost track of Demos.

I’d lost track of him.

Dread threatened to drop me to my knees.

Please don’t let it be Demos. Please.

Nyrik’s arm was missing.

It was the first thing I saw as my gaze caught on the other man. He screamed again, the water darkening around him. And the creature was coming back.

My skin turned clammy, and I sighted my next arrow.

But it wasn’t interested in Nyrik anymore. His flailing had left a gap in the shield around Brinlor. And the creature dove into the gap.

I shot at it, missed, and almost hit Nyrik. Frustration burned through me. The others were using their power, but the creature was both larger and faster than those in the water. The attack on Nyrik seemed to have emboldened its little friends, and they attacked at once, the water churning.

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stand here uselessly and watch them lose their lives one by one.

“We need to go in!” I yelled.

“We die, and there will be no one left to get that amulet back to the others,” Amalra ground out.

Demos was already barreling toward Brinlor, his muscular arms slicing through the water. My breath caught in my throat as the largest creature aimed at him.

The ward lit up the entire cave.

And then it darkened once more.

“Got it,” Brinlor yelled, his voice hoarse.

“Go!” Demos hollered.

I lost sight of him in the sudden chaos. The water became a seething cauldron, turbulent waves crisscrossing over the surface of the lake as everyone hurtled toward us.

The creatures were gaining on them, and my heart beat in my throat, my entire body shuddering. Brinlor threw the amulet to Demos, who ducked beneath a long, serpentine body as it leaped through the air. The moment it was free, he hauled back his arm, and the amulet shot toward us.

Elysanth snatched it out of the air beside me, but I couldn’t celebrate. I was too busy watching as Horrison dragged Nyrik through the water, the other man’s struggles slowing them both down. Demos saw it too. He turned, going back for them.

My boots were off, my bow dropped next to them within a moment.

Swiping an arrow from my quiver, I leaped into the lake.