Chapter 81 James
James
When James came to, it was to find himself gagged and bound in a horse’s stall.
He fought and struggled, trying to free himself, but to no avail.
His head throbbed and blood dripped down his cheek, but the question of why Georgie hadn’t just killed him was answered as two sets of footsteps approached.
Georgie pulled open the stall door and checked James’s bindings, then stepped out of the way to reveal a shadowed figure. Alexandra removed her hood, looking James up and down like a rat who’d crawled over her shoe.
“You’ve proven to be a tough man to kill.”
He couldn’t speak around the gag, so James sufficed with giving her a murderous glare.
Alexandra gave a world-weary sigh. “This would all be going so much smoother if Katarina had put you down as she was supposed to, but fear caused her to make mistakes. She should have trusted me to do right by her, because then our plans would still be going smoothly. Instead, you are alive, Ronan knows too much, William has involved himself, and I have been forced to pivot to a new strategy. Katarina’s lack of nerve is going to cost her her life, because if the winds were good, Archie will already have slit her throat. ”
Through the throbbing pain in his skull, James understood that the silence of the Sky Palace after Lestara’s return had been to keep Katarina’s spies in the dark as Alexandra moved against the queen of Amarid.
“Just because Katarina is dead doesn’t mean we are clear of this, Alex. We don’t have long until Ronan comes demanding vengeance.” Georgie shifted restlessly, looking over his shoulder to ensure the stable remained empty. “Ronan knows too much.”
Alexandra didn’t respond, only gave James a knowing smile. “It was a good attempt with Lestara, Jamie. She had every reason to ally with you, but she is fortunately not stupid enough to bite the hand that feeds.”
Georgie’s hand rested on his sword, and he twitched at every noise in the stable. “We need to get rid of him, Alex. I’ll slit his throat and dump him in the river.”
“Tempting, but James’s death won’t solve the problem of Ronan.
Nothing will fully solve the problem of Ronan, because thanks to Katarina, he knows all our crimes.
It isn’t knowledge that can be erased, and if we start with assassinations, it will only serve as proof of our guilt.
” Alexandra pursed her lips, and her scar pulled up one side of her mouth into a sneer.
“If you’d played your cards right, you might have come out on top, Jamie.
Dubious heritage aside, the people have always liked you.
So honorable and stalwart. The perfect handsome prince.
But you rushed into things, putting your faith in risky sources and not thinking things through.
It’s not like you to be impatient and impulsive, so that means something made you desperate. Desperate enough to risk everything.”
Alexandra saw everything. Always had. But James suspected that her genius and calculating logic came at the cost of what made a person human. It was a monster that stood before him.
“Ahnna Kertell is no more dead than you are, is she? Love has flourished in the garden of shared trauma and adversity, and you act on her behalf, despite it meaning betraying your family.” Her focus shifted to George. “We’ll need to be on the lookout for Ahnna. She’s dangerous.”
“No one is getting into the Sky Palace.”
Alexandra was quiet for a long moment, head tilted as the wheels in her eyes turned.
“The plot thickens, Georgie. If Ahnna is alive and safe, there is no reason for James to have taken such risks.” Her chuckle was cold and cruel.
“I think there are survivors of Katarina’s schemes in Ithicana, and enough of them that it’s worthwhile to attempt wild measures in the hope of regaining sovereignty.
Bodies were found, so some of the poison found root, but I think the Crimson Widow was tricked. Ithicana yet lives.”
She gave a soft laugh, swaying from side to side in dance, her pleasure palpable. “You aimed to get me to turn on Katarina. Aimed to push her into revealing all my truths. Such a shame the dead cannot speak.”
God help him, but James hated her. Yet his anger was drowned by fear for Ahnna, because now the monster knew that she was alive. Knew that Ithicana was alive.
“What are we going to do, Alex?” Georgie did not share Alexandra’s pleasure over the scheme, and beads of sweat ran down his face. “Ronan is going to reveal everything. We have to do something.”
“Of course. We’ll use Ronan’s own schemes against him.
We have that forgery Cormac gave Keris, which we can use as proof the lot of them were attempting to incite a coup to take the throne for James.
No one will believe any of their accusations after that is revealed, least of all William.
Everything else we can pin on Katarina, given Archie should be in the process of executing her in William’s name.
We will be applauded for bringing a mass murderer to justice, and once the dust settles, no one will argue when we formally annex Ithicana. ”
James closed his eyes, his head throbbing as he pleaded to the stars to keep Ahnna safe.
Wasted pleas, because if it had all gone to shit, Ahnna would be in the thick of it. Fighting for her people right up until her last breath, knowing he’d failed her on every level.
“We can do all that with James dead.” George gave a sharp shake of his head. “He’s a threat to Virginia, and I can’t tolerate that.”
“We are united in our desire to protect my daughter.” Alexandra’s tone was soothing, but her eyes were cold.
“Yet I must remind you that William wept when he believed James dead, and grief might incline him to believe Ronan’s accusations.
Whereas faced with the bastard who made his life miserable, the bastard who is trying to ruin Virginia’s reputation, the bastard who is actively scheming to steal his throne, William is unlikely to believe a damned thing Ronan says.
Emotion is a formidable weapon, Georgie. You need to learn that.”
There wasn’t an ounce of decency in her chest, and James’s skin crawled as he stared into the monster’s eyes.
“We’ll keep him alive, then.” George picked up the shovel. “But do you also require him to be well?”
“Not at all,” Alexandra said with a smile. “Just ensure that he still appears a worthy threat. William has such a soft heart for those weaker than him.”
Georgie swung.
And darkness fell once more.