35. THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-FIVE
Mina
The box drops to the ground as my hands shoot out to muffle Jaime’s scream.
I pull her closer, forcing her to look at me instead of the horror at our feet.
“Please don’t scream. No one can know about this.”
“What? We have to call the guards!”
“No.” I grip her shoulders tight enough to hold her attention. “I need you to leave this room as composed as you were when you came in. Find Staefan. He and Darius will handle this.”
She glances at the floor again and dry heaves, her whole body convulsing.
“Jaime, please. I need you.”
She wipes at her tears with shaking hands and sucks in a deep breath. “Find Staefan,” she repeats.
I nod and send her toward the door.
After another deep breath, she plasters on a smile and disappears into the hallway.
I fall to my knees and stare into the once-warm jade eyes that guided me out of Kalisham. I know it was foolish to hope for her safety, but if anyone could have escaped, it was Brijita.
I should have forced her to come with me that night instead of hiding like a coward.
Brijita’s dark hair is dull against the shimmering emeralds set into a golden hairpiece. The very crown jewels Astrella was wearing that night.
Rage burns through me until I can barely breathe. The scent of rotting flesh causes bile to claw up my throat, but I force it down.
A yellowed paper is stuck behind her ear. I carefully pull it free, but part of her scalp and hair comes with it. I shake it off, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming. Copper coats my tongue as I silently sob.
A shadow falls over Brijita’s face. I crush the note in my hand and swing on the threat. They easily dodge and grab my arms. I try to pull free, but their nails dig into my skin. The sharp pain cuts through my rage until I recognize his violet eyes.
Alexi glances from me to the box, the severed head having no effect on him.
“You knew her.” It isn’t a question. He knows me well enough by now to see my pain.
“Alexi.” My voice breaks on a sob. “Please. If the person who delivered this is still here, find them.”
“I won’t leave you. This could be a distraction for an attack.”
Wind slams against the windows, called by my rage. “I will handle any threats myself. I need you to do what I cannot.”
“My job is to keep you safe.” His uncertainty wanes as he studies me. My grip on his arm grows desperate. “Dammit all.”
Alexi’s usual jest is gone, replaced by the same reptilian coldness Darius possesses. “I’ll see what I can find. If they’re still here, they’re yours.”
He taps his forehead to mine before disappearing through the window at the back of the room.
I sink back down to my knees, the paper crinkling against my thigh as I smooth it out.
Dearest Mina,
It would seem congratulations are in order. Marriage and an impressive new title. What is a queen without a fitting crown though? I know you can make this piece shine in a way your sisters never could.
Kalisham and I patiently await your return. We have much to discuss, and time is of the essence.
I will call on you again. Until then, watch out for the snakes in your bed.
With love,
~King Zala
The letters blur through my tears. I did not think it possible for my hatred to grow, yet it melds with my very bones, constricting my chest.
A gale rips into the room, feeding the fire in my soul. “I will return soon. And when I do, I will kill you.” The wind carries my whisper south, though it will not reach him.
I reread the note over and over, committing each word to memory as tears soak my dress. I’m still on the floor when Darius and Staefan enter the room. I wordlessly hold up the note until one of them takes it. If Zala didn’t want them to see it, he wouldn’t have written it in common Velorian.
I add Brijita’s name to a list that’s too long already.
Estere, Ramin, Fareena, Astrella, Garsif. Every citizen and soldier massacred that night.
I will avenge you all.
Staefan closes the lid and removes Brijita from my sight. He whispers something, and I hear the door close. Darius kneels in front of me, but I don’t have the energy to meet his gaze. My eyes are frozen to the floor where her head sat.
“Mina.”
I will avenge you all.
“Mina. Forgive me for breaking my vow just this once.” Darius wraps a blanket around my shoulders and pulls me into his arms. He smells like cherries and smoke, the scent burning my nose.
I have no energy to push him away or lie to myself enough to fight his touch. I wrap my arms around his warm chest and exhale a sob. His hands gently roam my body, checking for wounds the way he did in the carriage. Finding none, he wraps me in a tight hug.
“I’m so sorry, Mina. This never should’ve happened.” I can tell he is trying to be comforting, but frustration bleeds into his tone. His soldier mindset is one of the things I admire about him, though. I need that strength right now.
“We knew he’d make a move eventually.” My voice cracks as the image of Brijita’s face haunts me, burned into my mind. Zala’s gift could have easily been an assassin, but he knew this would harm me far more than any blade.
“Who was she?” Darius asks with a gentle fierceness, as if he could turn back time and stop me from ever opening that damned box.
“A friend. Brijita.”
“The guard who got you out of Kalisham?”
I mentioned her name only briefly during the story of how I escaped, but he remembered. Of course he did. I pull back enough to see the storm raging in his eyes.
“I’ll find whoever delivered her,” he promises.
I want to be strong and brave, but an ocean of emotions betrays me. Darius is the only place I feel safe right now. “Don’t leave yet. Please.”
I can feel the conflict in his tense muscles. Someone got past his guards, and it needs to be dealt with swiftly.
“Okay.” He wipes away the tears on my chin and pulls me back to his chest. I sink into his warmth and listen to the steady thrum of his heartbeat. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
“I won’t be safe until I kill Zala.”
Darius presses his lips to my temple, his voice a deadly rumble. “Then I’ll make sure that happens.”
I wake to Alexi perched on a chair next to my bed, twirling a blade in his hand. “Morning.”
“I don’t know if I find this scenario unsettling or comforting.” I clear my throat, voice raw from crying all night. Alexi passes me a glass of water, nodding for me to drink.
“Comforting,” he states with confidence.
I want to smile. To laugh. But I can’t bring myself to do either. The events of last night weigh heavily on my every nerve.
“Did you find anything?”
His gaze drops to the floor, taking my hope down with it. “I’m sorry. I checked the nearby homes and town, but too much time had passed to pick up a trail. I returned to the room to tell you, but you were passed out. I gave the information to Darius.”
I expected as much. Zala’s not the type to leave behind breadcrumbs so easily.
Alexi continues, “He’ll expand the search. If there’s someone to find, he’ll make them talk.”
“I’ve never been a fan of waiting.”
Alexi leans his forearms on the edge of my bed and smiles. “It’s a good thing he left you a distraction then.”
I’d rather have my husband.
A knock stops me from asking Alexi to clarify. He disappears into the shadows as Kailani carries in my clothes for the day—a midnight black tunic and pants. A discreet mourning outfit.
“The emperor picked this out for you. He said you’ll need mobility for today’s schedule.”
“Which is?”
“A surprise.” She smiles before going to draw the bathwater.
All the vague answers are starting to irritate me. She and Alexi have them down to an art today. I have half a mind to find where Darius is and join the investigation, but we both can’t disappear. The sooner we complete the tour, the sooner we move on with our plan.
Kailani leads me to an open field farther out on the property. Tents sit in neat rows, housing the majority of our soldiers. A large group is practicing sword techniques at the timed commands of Commander Illid.
Perhaps Darius wants me to teach them how to use a sword better. I approach the group, but Kailani grabs my hand. “This way.”
We round the tents to the other side of camp where Hamlin is talking to a small group of nearly ten. They stand in a row with their backs to me, but I can tell from their presence that each soldier is female.
“What’s all this then?” I shout to Hamlin.
He salutes me with a fist to his chest. “New recruits, my queen.”
“Word of your heroics in Brastrova spread like wildfire. It inspired quite a few to join,” Kailani whispers.
Last night left me feeling helpless and wounded. At the mercy of time, I waste days away with wine and small talk, when I should be avenging my family. Last night’s gift only confirmed what I fear most—my people are not safe under Zala’s cruel reign.
The army before me is laughably small, but it will grow. I smile at one recruit, the maid who spoke up at last night’s salon. Pride rushes through me. Each new town will bring new faces.
Zala will die by my hand, but not today.
Today, we train. The greatest journeys are marked by small steps, so I take one toward the group. I channel all my sorrow and rage and distill it into determination.
“I’m proud to make your acquaintance. Training won’t be easy. In fact, many people will look down on what you do here today. But I won’t. I know just how powerful we can be, especially together.”
Kailani and I join Hamlin at the front of the group. “You have the choice to leave without consequence whenever you like. This lifestyle is not for everyone,” I add.
Urselya stands at the center, calmer than the rest. Excitement, nerves, and pride filter through the group, and I commit each new face to memory.
“But if you stick with the training, I promise you will usher in a new world. One where you are equal to the other soldiers just past these tents. If you’ll allow me, I will show you the power you already possess.”