17. Chapter 17
Chapter 17
I mani paced alone in Tanyl’s rooms, peering at the clock every few minutes. It was unusual for him to keep her waiting this long.
Feeding from the heir these past few weeks had made her normal again, despite the grueling training they put the apprentices through. It had put her in an amiable mood to confide in him, which she did on many subjects about magic. Unlike her sister, Tanyl could talk about magic for hours, and while he was more educated than Imani, she could keep up. They might have even been friends in a way, especially when they teamed up to research the Drasil, though they were no closer to finding it. Imani’s best lead was still to travel to Niflheim.
Being true friends out in the open was impossible since Tanyl hid her from everyone, keeping their dalliance a secret from the court and her to himself. Being a secret and a dalliance were both fine—she didn’t need any more attention on her.
His apartment exuded relaxation and quiet, but something in the air increased her unease. Usually, she’d take this opportunity to snoop, but servants bustled around in the other rooms.
Voices murmuring in the hallway caught her attention.
She crept closer. Easier for an elf, Imani much preferred eavesdropping over snooping regarding secrets, especially since she was already likely in the silencing charm Tanyl had placed on his rooms, which meant she could listen without detection.
“An argument with my mother about a precarious situation with our navy kept me,” Tanyl said, sounding bitter.
Confused, Imani bit her lip. She hadn’t known Essenheim had a navy.
“The enemy gutted our reinforcements. Less than half returned. Fighting the Lochheim breeds decimated us, even with the extra leonines we sent.”
Lochheim? Imani only knew of the Essenheim and Niflheim breeds. Were they from another realm? She made a note to research these new breeds in the library.
With a silent gasp, an unbidden image of Meira running from something came into view. Imani grabbed the wall for support. Someone yelled, but Imani didn’t understand, and her sister tripped and cried out. Imani placed a hand on her temple, gritting her teeth and willing the vision to stop.
The divination brand was a menace. Lately, they had come on more frequently when she was awake. Flashes of strange places with Meira and Dak, or only Meira—places she never recalled ever being. It was never clear enough to understand full conversations—only snippets—yet she felt the heat of the fire and smelled the laundry, which convinced her something about the visions was real.
A heaviness had settled on Imani’s shoulders recently, as though someone always pushed her down. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible might happen.
Eventually, the vision dulled, and Tanyl’s voice grew louder as her head cleared.
“We have double the number of high sentinels they do, and we’re more powerful with a monarch on our side. But we can’t take any more breaches. The border skirmish out on the Neshuin Sea was the worst yet. My mother sealed the slip, but it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a rift.”
Slips usually happened during Fabric events and led to uncontrolled breaches in the Fabric that split open the world, making it possible to enter either the Upper or the Under realms. Slips were dangerous and volatile, unlike doorways, which were stable, safe portals into the other realms. After witnessing one herself, Imani’d had no idea they could be sealed, but she supposed it made sense; otherwise, creatures from the other realms would be entering theirs.
“We’re getting concerning news from the outer territories, too. Unfortunately, more seals are weakened, and we discovered a handful of new slips across the kingdom. Whatever is happening in these other realms means these other creatures desperately want to make this their new home,” Sid said.
Her heart beat faster. So, other realms were trying to enter theirs? With the doorways closed for ten thousand years, these slips would be the only way.
Ara had been right about the creatures slinking around the openings.
“We need more armed forces.”
“From where? The number of branded declines every year. You know this, Sid.”
“Then tell your mother?—”
“You think she listens to me? Essenheim has always depended more on witches to defend us over brute strength, but now, she’d prefer to exterminate the wielders in favor of selling us out for alliances elsewhere. Anything to protect her power.”
Alliances elsewhere? Where?
They fell silent. Imani waited.
“Our position grows more precarious by the day. The Illithianas’ activity around our southern borders also concerns me,” Sid muttered. “Our days of peace between them are numbered.”
“Tell it to my mother. She and I only recently agreed on a plan to buy us time. Although it’s certainly not why she acquiesced to a deal regarding the treaty.”
The captain sighed. “You know it will weaken our position against them in the short term. So, how did you get her to agree?”
“My relationship with my mother is complicated. But the Niflheim Kingdom’s breeds are far more aggressive, far more lethal than ours, and they have a standing army that would bring us to our knees right now with our forces split at sea. I need more time.”
“Who are they sending? Will the king come?”
Tanyl let out a low laugh. “You remember the last time Dialora and Magnus breathed the same air?”
“I remember them fucking for a day straight,” Sid replied.
“Well, that … and they nearly killed each other.”
“Right. A bloody mess.” Sid paused. “If the heartmate theory is true, we need to focus on finding yours. Dialora has been deteriorating for a year now.”
“Nonsense. An unproven theory at best. When I become king, I won’t go mad without my heartmate. Dialora could rule for the rest of her life, another hundred years. Magnus would live even longer as a shifter.”
Something tugged at her chest, hearing about Tanyl finding his heartmate. Imani would be out of the picture if that happened.
Her hand curled into a fist as the image of her strangling a faceless woman surfaced in her mind. Taken aback by her own violent imagination, Imani pushed the image away, shaking her head. Yet, the feeling lingered.
How far would she go to become queen consort? She wasn’t sure, especially since she’d killed her own heartmate without remorse.
Imani couldn’t wrap her mind around the king and queen in the same room, either. No monarch of Essenheim or Niflheim had spoken in a thousand years, not since the treaty had been signed. Imani surmised the Crown likely had backchannel contact with the Throne, but the citizens had no such knowledge.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
A long, painful pause stretched between everyone.
“I do,” Tanyl eventually said.
“Good. Because if we’re fighting at both borders, Essenheim will fall,” Sid said.
A shiver ran down her spine.
“I would never let such a thing happen,” Tanyl returned, incensed.
After a long pause, the main door to the hallway opened then closed. She moved to the chair, knowing Tanyl might enter at any moment.
The door opened, but the prince barely acknowledged her. He undressed and tugged his jacket off with a loud sigh. A tense silence cut through the air.
With a slow approach, Imani stood in front of him. “What kept you?” she asked casually.
In an instant, his expression softened. He brushed the hair off her face. “Court business. Difficulties with my mother.”
Even at his most irate, Tanyl couldn’t hold onto his anger. He was far too idealistic and kind. In some ways, she understood why the queen thought him too weak to be king. That, and he was far too handsome.
She ran her hands through his hair then down his broad chest. “I can help you forget for a bit,” she murmured, undoing his pants and kneeling.
His gaze flashed to her with heat. “You’re a goddess,” he moaned, lowering his head as a boyish grin played on his mouth.
As she took him in her mouth, she wondered if he realized how much of his soul she was devouring simultaneously.
Chanting and shouting from the streets traveled up to the east wing, loud enough to wake Imani at dawn. Dim sunlight streamed into the room when she flung open the curtains. Her apartment had no view, but a disturbance was near the palace.
A firm rap on her door startled her.
“It’s Esa. Open the door now.”
It was far too early for them to practice magic together.
Imani waved at the door with her wand, and it unlocked.
Esa barged in and promptly stood beside her by the window, glancing outside, antsy. “What did the prince say about the announcement? You share his bed these days. I knew he couldn’t resist you if you showed up at the Neshuin New Year’s party.”
It was a good guess by Esa, but Imani wouldn’t deny it. Tanyl probably wouldn’t have liked it, but she enjoyed being able to confide in someone about her relationship with the prince.
“He never mentioned an announcement.”
“We’re resuming diplomatic relations with our southern neighbor after a thousand years.” She put her hands on her hips. “You’re telling me he said nothing about the Niflheim Kingdom? Not even a whisper or a hint? The queen announced it this morning.”
Imani’s mouth fell open. Tanyl had mentioned Niflheim.
Imani recovered quickly and schooled her face into an impatient scowl. “We’re having sex, not confiding in each other about matters of state and security.” She pressed her fingers to her nose. “But he was in a horrendous mood last night,” she muttered.
“I’m sure.” Esa snapped her eyes to Imani then back to the window. “I would have killed the queen if I were him.”
“People must be terrified and enraged at opening the borders, even to select dark breeds and their magic.”
“There’s protesting in the streets as we speak.” Esa motioned to the window.
“Did the queen give a reason?”
“The public explanation is we’re opening the borders again in a limited capacity for the growth and prosperity of the economy.”
A wrongness twisted in Imani’s chest. “Unbelievable. What other explanations have you heard?”
Esa regarded her for a moment. “I heard the Niflheim Throne and the Essenheim Crown have been in talks for some time. It’s all whispers and secretive, but they say the king reached out first, accusing us of abusing the Fabric and breaking the treaty. He threatened to invade the Riverlands.”
Imani’s mouth went dry. “But it would be an act of war.”
“Indeed. However, it’s where the Fabric event originated. Niflheim has us by the balls under the guise of preventing further damage.”
“I’m from the Riverlands. It’s fine. It was nothing.”
“Night lasting for days in Essenheim is not nothing . And unlike the past events we hid from the king, this was massive and beside their border. Queen Dialora and the First Witch blame a Niflheim refugee, a merchant. He’s disappeared, and they think he murdered someone, as well—bones were found at the scene.”
“But an invasion? Surely, the queen wouldn’t risk it,” Imani choked out, forcing her body through sheer grit to get a hold of itself, thinking about that night.
“No, but I guarantee she saw this as an opportunity to further her agenda, even at the expense of what’s best for Essenheim. But, of course, the public must be told one thing, so you won’t hear any mention of any escalating conflict.”
Imani swore under her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, remembering what she had overheard about Essenheim’s lack of armed forces. “Tanyl never mentioned any of this directly to me.”
Esa crossed her arms, the accusation blatant on her face. “So, he indirectly mentioned it? You’re not merely fucking him then. He may not confide in you, but you hear things.”
Was Esa jealous of her and Tanyl?
No. The sprite was no such thing. She proved it by plowing on without sparing it one more thought.
“As part of the ‘diplomatic strengthening,’ they’ve negotiated a deal,” Esa continued. “In exchange for the king not attacking us for breaking the treaty, they’re demanding their pick of our witches, including high sentinels. By further distributing magic wielders across the Fabric, they’re spreading the magic evenly, so we aren’t pulling too much from one area, like the Riverlands incident.”
“In other words, controlling us.”
“Exactly.” Esa’s face was an emotionless stone.
“How will they pick?” Imani could barely breathe.
“They’ll put any witch they choose through their own assessments.”
“And kill hundreds of our most powerful witches?” Imani’s voice sounded shrill.
Esa nodded. “At the end, they will take at least fifty who survive back to Niflheim to work for them indefinitely to prevent future events.”
“It’s sanctioned murder.”
“It is, and in preparation for the arrival of the princes, the Order called all master witches back from their postings around the kingdom, including our high sentinels.”
“They can’t take the high sentinels away along with so many of our other branded,” Imani said, panic rising at the thought of her siblings. “It would leave everyone in those territories incredibly exposed.”
“They can do whatever they want because it’s either this or war,” Esa stated.
Border territories, like the Riverlands, would be especially vulnerable to attack without magical protection from their high sentinel and master witches.
“Niflheim has had this plan ready for years, I’m sure,” Esa muttered. “It’s ingenious. Wait for a large enough Fabric event, which was inevitable, and use the breach of the treaty to gain access to our kingdom. Kill our most powerful weapons with their ascension assessments before imprisoning the others under their control.”
Mind racing, Imani was already thinking past the assessments to what came after for the survivors—they would be granted passage to Niflheim.
This was her opportunity. She could still return money to Dak and Meira while searching for the Drasil.
“When is this happening?”
“The heir apparent and his brother, the youngest prince, will arrive in two days.”
“Two days ? If all our master witches are here by then, they must have known about this weeks ago.”
A smile spread across Esa’s face. “Now you’re starting to get it. Dialora and the Niflheim king have been working on this bargain the second they learned about the Riverlands event.”
It was crazy enough to be accurate, and Imani believed her.
“How do you know all this?”
“You’re not the only one warming the bed of someone important.” Esa shot her a sidelong glance. “You might be useful to our cause if you’d like to be on the right side of this looming war. Unless you don’t want to be allies anymore.”
Imani did want to be allies—she’d already considered Esa more than an ally at this point.
“Me? Why?”
“Let’s say they are extremely interested in who you have between your legs. So, keep Tanyl happy.”
“And they want to meet with me about Tanyl? Why?”
Imani had to admit she was interested in making the acquaintance of the influential person Esa was sleeping with, especially if they had intimate knowledge of Niflheim and these assessments. If Esa trusted them, having more allies at court, especially powerful ones, might be helpful.
“Ah, something for us to discuss at another time. If you’re interested?”
“I am. But this is the heir apparent we’re discussing—it better be worth my time.”
Esa nodded, as if expecting no less. “I’ll be in touch.” She strolled to the door and let it slam loudly behind her.