40. FORTY
FORTY
Mina
My little speech yesterday is the talk of the town. I merely wanted to put the drunkard in his place, but the positive outpouring from those who witnessed it is an added bonus. Criticisms about my clothes and training women are slowly being replaced by assessments of my ruling.
I went from a prized bride to a wise queen in the span of a few hours, though there will always be harsh words about my choices. I am not foolish enough to think so many hearts will sway permanently.
The true victory of the day, however, comes from the eighteen women who enlist. I can hardly contain my excitement that one city nearly doubled our numbers overnight. I’m hopeful more will join us before we depart.
After dinner with Hartfield’s leadership, Darius carved out some time for me to sneak away and meet the new recruits.
We spent the past two hours going over expectations and the fitness and combat schedule. I ran our newest members through a series of moves to test their proficiency.
To my utter delight, several already know how to hold their own in a fight.
Each one is a member of a small women’s-only dance club.
While their families thought they were learning ballroom etiquette, they were studying fighting methods from books they smuggled out of Hartfield’s massive library.
Books they promised to let me borrow on my journey.
I wonder how they will differ from the fighting styles Darius has shown me so far.
Self-taught fighters will make excellent soldiers. Surely women in other cities have similar clubs. I’ll have to send out scouts at each of our stops to seek them out.
I also congratulated the four soldiers who passed our undercover test and made plans for the one-on-one training of their choice. The women are bone-tired and sweaty, but all smiles as we walk back.
Moonlight flickers on the roof ahead of us, a subtle gleam that goes unnoticed by everyone else. I manage to keep my smile relaxed, but my muscles coil like a snake.
“Enjoy the rest of your night, ladies. I have a few more tasks to finish up for the day.”
“Would you like me to escort you, Queen Mina?” Hamlin and Urselya offer at the same time, then smile at each other. They’ve grown quite close during their training together, and I wonder if there might be something more going on.
“No, thank you. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
They exchange worried looks before saluting a fist to their chest. They probably feel uncomfortable leaving their queen unguarded, but I can handle myself.
Once the group is out of sight, I disappear into the nearest alley. Shadows cling to every surface and the stench of the garbage is so thick my eyes burn. I’m halfway down the stone path before Alexi drops down from the sky.
He lands soundlessly and tucks us into an alcove, brows pinched together as he studies the alley. There’s no jest or playful twirl of a knife, and tension lines his shoulders in obvious discomfort.
“The longer we stand here, the more we risk being seen,” I point out.
A sigh sets his resolve. “I thought you might want to know Darius is about to interrogate one of Zala’s shadows.”
Out of all the news Alexi could have brought me, I never expected this. “You caught one?”
The storm in his eyes turns my excitement to wariness. He shuffles from one foot to the other. “He turned himself in. Said he had a message for you.”
“When? Why has no one come to get me?”
“Darius wanted to make sure this wasn’t some sort of trap first. He’s been with him the past hour.”
Darius should have informed me immediately. A cold fury washes over me, sowing doubt into the blissful night we shared. I may hold his affections, but that doesn’t translate to trust in the field. If Alexi hadn’t spoken up, would Darius have even told me?
“Where?” I ask.
“A cave system to the west. There’s an abandoned mining entrance where the forest meets the mountainside. Locals started avoiding it after a series of cave-ins.”
A perfect temporary prison.
Slipping out of the city unnoticed takes more time than I’d like, but being caught outside without an escort would be very bad. Like undo-the-progress-I-made-with-yesterday’s-speech bad.
As soon as we pass the final row of houses and blend into the shadows of the forest, I work my way toward the mountainside at a hurried pace. After nearly an hour of weaving through dense branches, we reach the hideaway. Alexi stays tucked into the trees, a seamless shadow among the thick pines.
The guards watching the mouth of the cave draw their swords at my footsteps. Darius towers between them, wiping blood from his hands on a white cloth. His eyebrows shoot up when I step into the torchlight.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
I glare at the guards until their swords are sheathed, then march up to Darius. “The same as you. I have questions that need answers.”
“I’ve barely vetted the man. I’ll call for you when it’s safe to do so.”
With the grace of two wild cats fighting for territory, we glare at one another. “It would appear my timing is perfect then. I can verify his identity and hear the message all at once.”
The summer air chills as Darius flicks his chin at the guards. They maneuver deeper into the tunnels and out of earshot.
“Mina.”
“Darius,” I interrupt whatever cursed logic he is about to try. “Take me to him now. Or I will fight my way inside.”
I square my shoulders, ready to push forward with or without Darius’s help. He claims he would’ve sent for me eventually, but I’ve tasted betrayal before.
Darius wipes the last bit of blood from his knuckles and sighs. “Fine, but keep your distance.”
The air grows chilly as we navigate the carved tunnels. Most of the branches have caved in, leaving only the main path to a small cavern. Cages of fire hang on the walls at even intervals, casting an eerie glow on the man in chains.
To the untrained eye, he looks relatively unharmed. A broken nose that has covered his tunic in blood is the only visible punishment on his body, but each sharp breath hints at broken bones.
“You have a message for me.”
The shadow peels open one eye and smiles warmly. The joyful expression is so out of place against his blood that fear worms its way past my anger.
“Queen Mina. Zala was worried you did not get his wedding gift, so he sent me.”
Bile claws up my throat at the memory of Brijita’s lifeless eyes, but I swallow it down.
“The message.” My voice cuts through the cavern like a pickax. I breathe through my nose, trying to calm my heart, but the damp stench of copper only makes it worse.
Blood gurgles from his laugh, running down his chin. My stomach twists, but it does not lessen my desire to draw more blood from his traitorous lips should he refuse to speak.
“King Zala requests that you abandon your farce of a marriage and return home to become his bride. He is the only one who can guarantee your safety, and together you will rule Kalisham to usher in a bright future.”
Darius’s knuckles turn white as the grip on his sword intensifies. I am lucky the man is still alive to speak at all.
“The only way I intend to join with Zala is in death. If it comes to that.”
“Oh, I would not be so quick to write him off. After all, he is the brave king holding together a country in mourning.”
I barely make it two steps before Darius’s arm clamps around my waist, holding me back.
“He is the cause of such mourning!” I shout, the last word echoing back to me in a haunted song.
“As far as the country witnessed that night, you killed your sister and the others before fleeing. Jealous of the crown, Princess Mina murders her family in an ill-planned grab at the throne. It is quite a tragic tale.”
“Liar.”
It has to be. Surely no one believes that I could do such a thing to my precious family. I caught Fareena as she fell. Struck down her assassin. Guards cut down the others, and Zala himself killed Mother.
The ceremony was held a distance away, sure, but not so far away that witnesses wouldn’t be able to refute Zala’s fantasies.
The shadow spits a mouthful of blood toward Darius. His arms remain locked around my waist, but he tucks me behind him.
“You should not touch so casually what does not belong to you,” the shadow hisses.
I don’t hear Darius’s response. My mind is too busy replaying that horrible night.
My back was to the crowd, as was Zala’s. He can paint whatever picture he wants in that respect. The remaining guards were traitors, and Zala probably killed any witnesses brave enough to oppose him.
How many people suffered the same fate as Brijita?
If anyone could twist such a gruesome lie, it’s Zala. I thought I would return home next summer a vengeful hero and rally my people, but now I don’t know if I even have a home to welcome me back.
Will my people believe my words, or kill me before I get the chance to speak?
The weight of this new loss lands like a gut punch. Darius’s hold is the only thing keeping me from sinking to my knees.
“I speak only the truth. King Zala has agreed to vouch for you with his subjects…if you return as his bride. He knows the sins of your family weren’t yours. He is willing to offer you a second chance.”
Give me a second chance? I trace the dagger strapped to my side. Darius laces his hand over mine and pulls me from the room, his voice low enough that the echoes will not carry our words.
“You can’t kill him yet.”
Angry tears roll down my cheeks, burning a path to my throat. Threads weave around my chest and squeeze until I am afraid I won’t be able to breathe again.
“He delivered his message. His death will be my reply,” I manage between short breaths.
“Mina.” Darius tips my chin up, forcing our eyes to meet. His voice is cold as steel when he says, “You did not marry me because I’m a white knight offering a new life. You married a god of death to gain his army.”
He wipes away my tears as I fight to control my rage.
“You will kill Zala and set the record straight. This man is mine though. He came into my home and threatened my wife. I’ll wring every secret from his bones before disposing of him personally. You have my word.”
I’ve seen Darius in battle, but this is the first time I’m meeting the ruthless warrior who united a continent in blood. His eyes are cold and lethal, a promise of suffering to come.
A wiser person would be terrified, but I find his ferocity oddly comforting. As much as my very blood wills me to skin the messenger alive, Darius has more experience. He’s always preaching patience, and there’s no way I would be able to hold back right now.
I suck in a deep breath, wrapping my rage in chains.
Darius is better suited for this job. I may be irritated with his secrecy, but I do trust him.
Despite my knowledge of his abilities, I still find it hard to leave. I can’t just return to a room of cheerful ladies or my mandatory embroidery lessons with Lady Elena, who insists my lack of skill is an affront to the throne.
“I’ll wait for you at the mouth of the cave.”
Darius nods, lips tipping up in a cruel smile. “I’ll make sure you can hear him.”
I doubt he can make the man scream. Zala’s shadows are trained to withstand the worst of interrogations. But he will suffer, of that I am confident.
I join the guards at the entrance to the caves. They watch the perimeter as I head toward the nearby trees, trembling despite the humidity.
I wish the messenger were lying. We have no way to confirm such a tale, yet I know with absolute certainty it is the truth.
Zala stole everything—my family, home, vengeance, reputation. I have no way to get to him without fighting through innocent people caught in his schemes.
Can I sacrifice them to avenge my family? Would that not make me the same selfish monster as Zala?
If I don’t get revenge, my family will never find peace among the stars. I won’t find peace. I can’t imagine Zala letting them be burned, their ashes carried on the wind to the night sky. Even if it’s just their bones, I want to lay them to rest properly.
My rage distills into hopelessness. The clarity of purpose that’s fueled my every decision since crossing the Draconos Pass sputters out like a torch in a storm. I lean against the nearest tree and press my forehead to the rough bark, breathing in the bitter earthiness.
Would my family want me to save Kalisham no matter the cost to our people? Or accept Zala’s proposal and wait for an opening to kill him? That would spare innocent lives, but cost the rest of my sanity—and my heart.
Mother raised me to be a warrior, but she also wanted me to be happy. As unexpected as it is, I am happy here. I love training soldiers and challenging people to open their minds toward equality. I love working with my friends and exploring new cities.
I love Darius.
The idea of Zala as my husband makes my skin crawl. There’s not a performer in the world who could pretend to love him.
A low scream cuts through the twilight, pulling me back to the present. I turn to the mouth of the cave convinced it was just a figment of my imagination. The scream calls out again before abruptly stopping. My lips part in awe.
Darius made the unbreakable break.
Disbelief pulls me toward the guttural screams. I stay hidden behind a bend in the tunnel but peek out enough to witness the final strike. Blood spatters across Darius’s face as he rakes a blade over the shadow’s throat.
Ribbons of flesh are scattered on the floor from techniques that never should have broken him but did.
The bloody scene transports me to the steps of my home. Fareena lying on the ground with a crimson rose blooming from her back. Garsif’s arm twisted at an odd angle from under Father’s crumpled form.
My precious family lost forever.
Not lost. Taken.
Pure, unfiltered hatred steals my breath. There is no path that leaves them unavenged. I will not return as Zala’s bride, but as his judge and executioner. I will return as the Queen of Veloria and convince my people of Zala’s lies.
Anyone who chooses to believe him earns their fate by his side.
“I thought you were waiting outside,” Darius says.
He never turns from the mangled body, but somehow senses me. As if we are dual blades honed from the same ore. We may take different shapes, have different strengths, but are mirrors at the core—tempered in rage and loss.
“I needed to see.”
I cross the cavern as Darius wipes the blood from his dagger and sheathes it. The shadow is dead, face frozen in unfathomable pain. In my anger, I would’ve given him a quick death. One he did not deserve.
“Thank you.”
I wipe the blood from Darius’s cheeks, letting it stain my palms. This kill is as much mine as it is his.
Darius takes my hand and gently brings it to his lips. He kisses my palm without breaking eye contact, his quiet confidence a promise.
We are in this together.