Chapter Fifty-Eight Kai #2
Turning to walk backwards so she can face me, she holds her hands out in front of her. “I may have possibly—definitely—sent a letter to the Mage Kingdom.”
A growl rumbles from me as Jahlee quickens her pace. “Why would you do that?”
“I wanted her to know that we care about her. That if she’s worried about reaching out through the Mirror, she shouldn’t be.” She swallows, her expression cautious as she finally stops walking. “And I asked her mundane questions.” She shrugs.
“Did you write about the blight? About the rebels or how I’m working to properly claim my throne?”
“I honestly can’t remember.”
“Jahlee,” I snap, my jaw flexing. My sister always means well, so even if her methods suggest otherwise, I know that she leads with her heart.
But politics is not her forte, and without knowing what the fuck is going on with the mages and mortals, what she wrote could be an issue of security for the island.
“Hey, she wasn’t just the love of your life! She was my friend too. The only other person in this godsforsaken world that understands what it is to be different.”
I knew Jahlee and Bahira had found a sort of camaraderie in being magicless. The first of their kind in their respective kingdoms. But it doesn’t excuse going behind my back. My mind then catches up with the rest of what she said. “She isn’t the love—”
“Spare. Me. The. Fucking. Bullshit, Kai Vaea,” she seethes, taking a step towards me and jabbing her finger into my chest. “I sent her a letter because I had things I wanted to say and things I knew you couldn’t say.
” At the fury in my eyes, she lowers her hand and releases a breath.
“Though, I admit, I did not think about how it would look if someone other than Bahira read the letter.”
The look I fire at her is nothing short of incredulous.
Bahira seemed to trust her family, but she had spoken often of those who viewed her as less than.
I hadn’t fully grasped the scope of it all until days after she left, when it became clear to me that she deserved so much better than her kingdom had offered her. Then even I could offer her.
“With the mages not answering my call through the Mirror, and our next exchange of supplies not for another few weeks, I am blind to what is happening beyond our kingdom, Jahlee.” Drawing a hand down my face, I cross my arms over my chest. “I know you meant well, but going behind my back is the sort of thing that breaks trust. I’m not just your brother.
I am your king.” Though she keeps her defiant stance, I bear witness to the way my words dim the light in her eyes.
Tension pulls my shoulders back. “Meet me here in thirty minutes.”
Forty minutes later, I sit at the head of the table in our newly renovated council chambers, my officially sworn in advisors split almost equally on both sides.
Inessa sits in a chair behind me, ready to take notes for the meeting, while an empty chair at the very end reveals Kane’s absence.
Jahlee is at my left, eyeing Kane’s spot angrily.
He hadn’t bothered to show for the autumnal celebration either, and I know if it weren’t for the fact that I asked her to stay and act as a buffer, she would already be out looking for him.
Eager to give him more than a piece of her mind.
“Welcome to the first official meeting under my rule,” I start, clasping my hands together as I rest my elbows on the table. “I understand you all have reports for me, so let’s not waste any more time.”
Noe edges forward in her seat, her mouth drawn tight as she glares at me. “The budget cut to our forces needs to be reversed.”
“Everyone is going to have to make sacrifices until we have voted the tax through,” I answer.
“Our ships are the lifeline of the island, King, and hiring shifters to operate them is what keeps most of the working class afloat. To cut that budget is to punish them,” she says, shaking her head.
“I would advise you to think long and hard over whether that is the type of precedent you want to set.”
Fuck.
“Dramatics are unwelcome here,” Lady Miranda replies smoothly. “As His Majesty said, there will be no part of our kingdom that will be unaffected until we can right the ship, so to speak.”
“Don’t try to win me over with nautical puns, Miranda. What changes will be happening to your precious laws that could affect the livelihoods of the most vulnerable?”
Jahlee snorts, earning the entire table’s attention. “I like when you all bicker. Much more fun than the last group.”
I send her a warning look and earn a roll of her eyes in response. So much for being my fucking buffer.
“As a matter of fact, the tweaking of the laws I have presented to King Kai is meant to enhance those most affected by the late Tua and his rebel forces.” She lifts the paper she brought up in front of her and begins to read off of it, the changes to the laws ones that Inessa had gone over with me earlier in the week.
“Anyone whose business has been tampered with by the rebels will receive aid from the Crown to rebuild, including a monthly stipend to hold them afloat until they can become profitable again. Those who have had the working family member affected by the blight will also receive aid so that no shifter will have to choose between earning money for their family and raising their young. In addition, we’ve drafted harsher consequences for those found to be in collaboration with rebel activity.
” She lays the paper down and clasps her hands above it.
“While I don’t think anyone in this room would argue that these changes are unnecessary, there is a cost to doing so.
And until Kane can work whatever influence he has with the nobles to quell any sort of upheaval at the new tax, then as mentioned, sacrifices must be made. ”
I scan the faces of my advisors, noting that while none of them look particularly thrilled, neither do they protest what Lady Miranda has stated.
“Change is going to be difficult on us all,” I tell them, leaning back as I fold my arms over my chest. “But our goal is to work towards unification. Your input and your value to this council cannot be understated.” I swallow, pushing past the uncomfortable knot in my throat.
“It is crucial to my rule. None of this is possible without you all.”
Jahlee thrusts a thumbs-up in my direction, a wide smile brightening her face. It eases a bit of the weight from our earlier conversation off of my chest.
The meeting continues with each shifter laying out their agendas to cut their budgets while doing the least amount of harm to the people we are trying to help.
At the end, everyone is excused with plans to meet in a few weeks and officially vote on the tax bill.
I make my way to my new office, the space a familiar one that still contains Bahira’s scent.
Jahlee follows, her hands clasped behind her back.
“That went quite well,” she says as I unlock the door and we enter Bahira’s experiment room. “It seems everyone understands their role.”
“Indeed.” Walking over to the desk, I open the top drawer and reach for the large dagger I have hidden there, affixing it to my belt. “All except for one.”
Jahlee gasps, clapping her hands together in front of her. “Do we finally get to kill Kane?”
“I’m not going to kill him.” Yet goes unsaid. It all depends on where the fuck he is. “And there is no we. You and Haloa need to return to Molsi and scout more of the rebel spots Sir Duarte told us about.”
“You never let me have any fun.” She pouts but spins on her heel and dances towards the hall. “But if killing Kane does become an option, you better not do it without me.”
I watch her leave before taking a deep breath and exiting the room behind her. I’d prefer not to kill my cousin, but trust is in short supply, and I’d be foolish to let mine be stolen so easily.