Chapter 22
22
Felix lost all urge to smile as a smirking, sharp-eyed man in footman’s uniform, his knees and elbows covered in dirt, strolled into the room with perfect ease ahead of three uncharacteristically stone-faced goblins.
The poisoner’s silvering eyebrows rose appreciatively as he took in the sight of Queen Saskia, pale but glorious in crimson and black velvet, sitting upright with the help of the pillows on her bed. “Now, there’s a sight I never expected to see.”
Felix’s teeth set together. In the corner of his vision, he glimpsed Morlokk stiffening—but the queen herself responded with none of the icy disdain that he expected.
Instead, her dark eyes widened until she looked haunted. “I know you,” she breathed. “Was it… Kosar? Your face…”
“Oh, yes. We met a time or two in your youth, Your Majesty.” The man’s smirk deepened. “Your uncle often found me useful for one purpose or another.”
Felix could easily imagine what sort of purposes a ruffian such as this might have served for an amoral king… but from the look on Saskia’s face, they might have been even worse than he guessed.
His own back twinged with the memory of old wounds as he tightened every muscle, forcing himself to stand still and make his face expressionless. He’d given up, years ago, on defending himself, but it would be all too easy to fight for Saskia now…
And it would be the least helpful thing that he could do, if he truly wanted to support her.
Before his eyes, she regained her own self-control, nostrils flaring as her eyelids drooped and shock transformed into regal disdain. “What reward did my uncle promise you this time, for poisoning me?”
“Not enough, I can tell you that.” Shrugging, Kosar stuck his hands in his pockets as casually as if he were chatting with an old friend. “That’s Yaroslav—always stingy when it comes to everyone’s needs but his own. Now that he’s got less funds for his own luxuries, he’s turned even more miserly with his dirty work—but if he thinks that’s a way to buy true loyalty…” He let his words trail off, dangling an all too obvious lure.
Felix needn’t have worried. Saskia’s voice was as cold as ice. “And how much did the Countess Markovic know of your plans?”
“Ha!” Kosar snorted, rocking back on his heels. “You think either of us was fool enough to share any details with that gossip? She was more than happy to take the lure and sneak a spy into your castle, to stay in your uncle’s favor, feel important, and play both sides of the game—but she wouldn’t risk her own life for his any more than I would.”
The queen’s eyebrows arched, with chilling effect. “And yet, you already have.”
“But here’s the thing.” He leaned forward confidingly, hands still hidden in his pockets. “You were always a clever girl, even when you were a child. Too clever to stay under your uncle’s control for long—and now that you’ve got me, you can take control of the game for good.”
Saskia’s eyebrows rose even higher, but she didn’t say a word.
Kosar took her silence as an invitation, sauntering forward. Morlokk’s wordless snarl halted him a foot away from the bottom of the bed, but it didn’t halt his eager spill of words. “I know all of your uncle’s secrets. You, of all people, understand how many decades I’ve been working for him, taking on all the jobs he doesn’t want anyone to know about! I can walk back through his open door and slip the same poison into his drink without him thinking twice about it. Or I can arrange for you to do it yourself, if you’d prefer that satisfaction!”
“Intriguing.” Saskia’s head tilted. “And what would stop you from doing exactly the same to me, a decade later?”
“Easy.” He grinned. “Don’t make your uncle’s mistake. I’ll do everything you ask and never balk, no matter how dirty my hands may get—and in return, all I need is an employer who’s clever enough to value me properly. Based on what I saw in the walls of those tunnels, you’ve got access to more than enough gems to afford what I’m worth—and as long as you keep passing those payments on, I’ll be your man forever.”
“So simple?” Saskia murmured. “I’m afraid there’s one slight problem with your plans.”
“Oh?” His eyes narrowed, his hands digging deeper into his pockets. “If you want to haggle about my price…”
She spoke over him, her words precise. “Unlike my uncle, I will never— ever —hire a man so devoid of any conscience that he will happily take on the cruelest of tasks… and I’ll never allow you to hurt anyone else, either.”
To any observer who didn’t know her, the slow rise of her hands would have looked like pure theatre, intentionally drawing out the agony of anticipation for her helpless victim.
Felix, though, had spent every waking minute of his past two days at Saskia’s bedside, alert to every subtle sign of the pain and exhaustion she fought so valiantly to hide. He knew that those particular creases at the corners of her eyes signaled intense internal effort. How painful was it for her to summon up magic in her current state?
All of her attention had to be devoted to that challenge—so the moment that Kosar began to pull his hands from his pockets, Felix flung himself forward.
He would always defer to his queen’s authority, but he would not allow anyone to take advantage of her temporary vulnerability.
Sadly, he still had no martial training whatsoever, as his brother-in-law had always been ready to remind him. Still, Felix barreled into Kosar hard enough to knock the poisoner off-balance. Kosar stumbled, grunting with surprise, and Felix grappled with him, fighting to bind the other man’s arms to his sides.
Kosar was shorter but bulkier, stronger, and—undeniably—a far better fighter. Felix gritted his teeth through the impact of an elbow against his gut and the slam of Kosar’s hard head against his cheekbone. He knew how to withstand pain. He wouldn’t let go while the other man still held any possible weapons.
“Fabian!” Saskia’s voice was hoarse with something that sounded like panic. “What are you doing? Get away from him!”
“ Not, ” Felix gritted, “ until…”
“Allow me.” Morlokk’s giant fist closed around Kosar’s right hand with implacable force.
As Felix heard the gut-churning, crackling sound of small bones breaking, he released his own grip and stepped back, panting. Kosar crumpled to his knees, and sparkling silver powder showered out of his broken hand onto the floor. With a hiss of pained frustration, he let his head fall forward. “Shit. Should’ve known… pay wasn’t worth it… this time round.”
“Nothing you did for my uncle was ever acceptable.” Saskia’s face was chalk white, and her dark eyes burned with rage. “But you will regret this task most of all.”
“Fine. Go on and kill me, you and your monsters together!” He laughed weakly as the goblins clustered behind him, snarling, and Morlokk loomed over him with silent menace. “Just like your uncle always said you were after all, eh?”
Felix’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t move forward. This was Saskia’s battle; he wouldn’t speak for her.
She looked directly at him, though, ignoring the other man’s taunt. “There’s blood on your face. How badly are you hurt?”
Felix blinked, taken aback. His face was certainly hurting; his cheekbone and jaw both throbbed where the other man’s head had slammed into them, and there were various other aches and pains he hadn’t paid much attention to, but…
He lifted one hand to his cheek, feeling for any telltale dampness, and shrugged. “It’s nothing,” he said sincerely. The blood came from a minor nosebleed, along with a cut on the inside of his lip. They were laughably minor injuries compared to the danger she had risked from that silver powder, whatever nightmarish concoction had formed its base. If Kosar had managed to fling it at Saskia…
“It is not nothing,” the queen said with cold precision. “It is the last mistake my uncle will ever make.” Finally turning her attention back to her poisoner, she said, “As for you, I will not be killing you now. Unlike my uncle, I am willing to take good advice.” Her gaze slipped swiftly towards Felix and then back again. “This time, I’d rather choose a more… effective punishment.”
Her hands were already raised. She brought them down with as much force as if she were pressing a heavy weight into place…
And the kneeling poisoner became a venomous green viper, hissing and swirling frantically on the carpeted floor.
Morlokk stooped to grip the furious snake behind its head, holding it calmly in the air before him as its body wriggled uselessly and its tongue flicked out again and again. “Shall I dispose of this vermin for you, Your Majesty?”
“I’d prefer you to have it shipped.” Saskia was breathing hard, but her voice held firm. “I’d like it to be delivered to the Countess Markovic with the message that she should learn a valuable lesson by viewing her accomplice’s new state. From now on, she can spread as much gossip as she likes about exactly what will happen to anyone who ever dares to attack me or mine. She’ll have to spread it from abroad, though, because all of her properties and bank accounts are to be confiscated by the state, effective immediately. She will be escorted to the border to ensure she does not bring any valuables with her.”
Sagging back against her pillows, Saskia said, “She’ll have to hope my uncle is more loyal in his exile than she ever was herself.”
“A fitting punishment.” Felix shook his head with rueful appreciation as Morlokk carried out the viper, followed by the jeering goblins. “Your uncle will have to raise his rate of pay to attract any more willing villains from now on.”
“He won’t have the chance.” Saskia’s gaze returned to his blood-dampened face, and her expression hardened. “I didn’t kill my uncle when I last had the chance. In a moment of weakness, I let him go—but I won’t make that mistake again. It’s time to finally listen to Lorelei and Ailana and go on the attack—against him and the villain who’s given him all of his shelter and support for years, now.”
“Ah…” Felix braced himself. “You don’t mean…?”
“My neighbor, the Archduke Felix Augustus von Estarion,” said the Queen of Kitvaria with loathing. “I put this moment off as long as possible. I did my best to avoid any more open war! But when his protected, beloved pet sent an assassin into my home and hurt you, he broke the bonds of my patience.”
“But…” Words slipped from Felix’s grip as he shook his head, overwhelmed by the surreality of the moment. “Don’t, I beg you. Not for my sake—I would never !—believe me, if you only understood…”
“No more arguments.” Saskia’s eyes closed as her chest rose and fell. “Not anymore.” Her voice was thready with exhaustion, but Felix could hear the unbending resolution underneath. “I need to rest, and I need to recover. But then, it will finally be time for me to end the Archduke.”
By the time the Queens of Villainy held their own meeting at her bedside three days later, Saskia had reached the most maddening stage of her recovery. The burning tedium of staying still was so much harder to bear than any lingering physical malaise. If it weren’t for Fabian and Mrs. Haglitz’s joint insistence, she would have been up and out of bed at least half a dozen times by now.
For once, the sight of Lorelei’s over-the-top rainbow portal shimmering into place brought nothing but relief. At least these two could be counted on not to coddle her or worry overmuch about her safety. She’d had to ban Fabian from uttering a single word more about the Archduke or her plans for vengeance until she was entirely recovered. Still, she’d only half-solved the problem; he might no longer be voicing his concern, but she could see the tension pinching his bruised face more and more, and she knew he hadn’t forgotten the matter.
Whatever the Archduke had done to Fabian in the past, the bastard must have transformed himself into an unbeatable foe in Fabian’s usually orderly mind. It was unendurable to imagine that kind of trauma for her sweet librarian—so she simply wouldn’t endure it a moment longer than necessary.
Saskia might not be capable of writing poetry to express her most vulnerable and uncontrollable feelings, but she could absolutely act upon them with vengeful pleasure. So, the moment she regained full energy, she would take firm steps to remove Fabian’s nightmare from the world, whether or not that irritated any lurking goddesses. It was the least that she could do, after all the care he’d shown her… and she knew exactly who would help her.
“Saskia, darling!” Fresh flowers—lush, perfumed, and abundant—showered over her bed as Lorelei burst out of the shimmering portal. “How are you recovering? Was it utterly dreadful? The last time I was poisoned, I remember I had to sleep for days and days… well, once I’d dealt with the culprit, of course.”
“It was a pleasure to hear of how you dealt with your own pest, Saskia.” Ailana stepped out of the portal with calm composure, lifting her long, ice-blue skirts above the rainbow shimmer.
For once, neither of them had brought along their riding gryphons, for which Saskia was thankful. With the addition of a second wing chair for this meeting, her once-private bedroom had become far too cluttered to withstand any of the gryphons’ battles for dominance. Fortunately, Morlokk had thought ahead when it came to their regal owners’ more subtle rivalry and had arranged the wing chairs on either side of her bed, each of them equally close to her, each with a side table loaded with delicious food and drink, and each with an equally good line of sight towards the bedroom door. It only took a single exchange of raised eyebrows for her two visitors to silently agree upon their seats.
As Lorelei threw herself down onto her own wing chair, she scooped up a pastry covered in powdered sugar and bit into it with enthusiasm. “Oh, yes, Ailana told me what you’d done, but frankly, I could hardly believe it. That was so very cunning of you, darling! And so diplomatic. I thought for certain you’d choose the classic destroy-everything-in-a-red-rage option, for the most villainous effect.”
“I do keep telling you,” Ailana said mildly, “menace can work every bit as well when it’s understated.” Carefully arranging her skirts, she sank down onto the other wing chair, where Fabian usually sat. “Saskia’s choice sent a far more powerful message… and given that she’s finally invited us here of her own accord, I expect she isn’t done with her vengeance yet. Am I right?”
There was never any point in trying to surprise the calculating Queen of Nornne. “Of course you are,” Saskia said on a rueful sigh.
Really, it was a pity that Ailana hadn’t been born to rule Saskia’s kingdom. Ailana was exactly the sort of queen Mirjana would have preferred to serve and, no doubt, wed; between the two of them, they could have easily outwitted and outshone any rival contenders at diplomacy, fashion, and more.
Personally, Saskia’s own preferences ran irresistibly towards a perilously gentle heart, clever hands, a poet’s soul, and that secret smile that felt like a victory every time she caused it…
But now was not the time to be distracted by such frivolities. Instead, she would indulge her affections in a far more practical way. “We all know my uncle was behind my attack—and he won’t stop until he loses his most powerful supporter.”
“Oh, goodie!” Bouncing in her seat, Lorelei clapped hard enough to send powdered sugar flying through the air. “We’ve finally talked you into joining with us against the Empire.”
Ailana tapped one finger on the wooden side table, ignoring her own pastries and coffee. “None of us can afford to launch an outright attack without clear external provocation… but Saskia, if my spies are right, Emperor Otto is very close to breaking the leash of his cautious high priest and launching an attack upon your border. You will be entirely justified in launching a counterattack… and we can both be ready to join you. We simply need to work out the details.”
“You know…” Lorelei’s eyes slitted, like a playful cat contemplating new mischief. “We could ask for more help with our planning. Saskia, why don’t you call in that delicious librarian of yours? If he really is a dark wizard, it would be foolish not to take advantage of his power, wouldn’t it? And besides—”
“ No, ” Saskia said with all the menace she could summon as she met Lorelei’s sly gaze. “We are not involving Fabian in any of this.” Dark wizard or no, she knew his tender heart too well. The last thing she would ever do was draw him into any brutal battles—or worry him sick over her own welfare.
“But Saskia, darling…”
“Enough.” Saskia pushed herself up higher in her bed to remove any impression of softness. She might not yet be fully recovered, but she was still a queen in her own right. “I don’t care what scheme you’re planning, Lorelei. Whatever’s circling your mind, I don’t want to hear another word about my librarian, or this plan is off. Do you understand?”
For a moment, a spark that looked like frustration—or was that real anger?—flashed across Lorelei’s face. Then she lowered her long, glitter-dusted eyelashes and pouted dramatically, and the fleeting impression passed. “Oh, very well. Go ahead and spoil my fun! I’ll just take care of my own lovely schemes by myself, as usual.”
“In the meantime…” Ailana cleared her throat as she reached for her waiting pot of coffee. “Shall we get on with our rather more important plans to stop the Empire’s expansion across our continent?”
“Yes, please.” Saskia took a long sip of her own coffee—which she was finally allowed to drink as of that very morning, thank every god and goddess for the blessing—and squared her shoulders in her dressing gown. “It’s time to fight back.”