Chapter 58 #2
“Despite what you may believe, I am not the warmonger of our realm,” he said, glancing down at my hand, still pressing the dagger to his throat. “Remove it and I will explain further.”
Maelsar stepped to my side. A silent conversation passed between us, and I removed my weapon, tucking it back into the sheath at my thigh. Incandescence swirled around my second-in-command’s arms, his power within reach should the Kral try something.
“After your army ambushed him, he stormed into my chambers and demanded I declare war,” Xannirin explained, his focus flitting between the Maelsar and me.
I sensed Sylaira at my back, drifting closer. His gaze landed on her, and I hummed a warning.
“I didn’t want to, because I knew there was no way we could win, not without massive losses. And we’d just started to rebuild our realm,” he continued. “But I am terrified of him, naturally. He slaughtered the last Kral without hesitation. I didn’t want to be next. So I obeyed.”
Suspicion curled in my gut. The timelines didn’t quite match up with the knowledge Stadiel and Iaoth had gained over their centuries in power.
“I’m not certain I believe him,” Sylaira whispered into my mind.
“What else does your intuition tell you?”
“Keep him talking and I’ll let you know.”
“So why hasn’t he taken the throne from you in all this time?” I prompted.
Xannirin lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “He likes killing. He’s a monster, bred for battle.”
The words were too smooth, too convincing. They sounded far too much like how the Koron spoke.
And if there was anything I knew about my sister’s husband, it was that he would do anything to survive. Which meant the Kral could be exploited for our gain.
“So you think capturing Kiira or the Halálhívó’s mate will force him to bargain for the end of the war?” I clarified.
“I do,” he affirmed. “But I am not offering the service for free. Naturally, I want something in return.”
“And what might that be?” Maelsar’s question was laced with violent promise.
Xannirin studied him, regard sweeping from boots to aquamarine. “Kiira is mine. The Fates want it to be so. When I sign that peace treaty, I want our marriage to be part of it. With her under my thumb, I can contain my cousin.”
Sylaira’s disgust drifted down our connection. “He reeks of desperation, like a male who knows he only has the thinnest grip remaining over control. I doubt he knows what we witnessed earlier or what the Goddess revealed about their interaction.”
“Then she is leverage over more than one of the most powerful Demons.”
I reached down and shoved the gag back into his mouth. “Stay here. We will discuss your offer.”
He cursed me again as we walked away, out of earshot, but still close enough that he couldn’t lurch to his feet and race away.
“We can’t possibly be considering bargaining with him,” Lyriasthe hissed, even as she tugged her cloak tighter around her.
“I don’t trust him for a second. But if there’s even a possibility that he speaks true…” Sylaira trailed off, eyes going glassy.
I shot down our bond, thinking she was having a vision. Instead, she was sorting through every one she’d had up until this moment. The briefest flashes. The entirety of the prophecy. The High Priestess. The mate. Over and over and over again they appeared. And the Kral was only in a single one.
“Goddess only knows what he will do if we release him back to the wall. He could send the entire battalion after us,” Maelsar argued. “We should have let him go, Vaeron. It was foolish of us to capture him if we aren’t going to kill him.”
“There’s risk in every decision here,” I grumbled. Absently, I rubbed my chest, where my father had scarred his mantra into me.
My duty now was to protect my mate. I would do whatever it took, and if there was even the slightest chance we could leverage the Kral to aid us in that, I would snatch it.
“I can Command him like I did the nobles for Iaoth,” I said, mind working over a plan. “He’ll remember that I did it, and I cannot compel him to not mention it either, as we know that is a limit of my power. But it might be enough security to ensure our safety.”
“It needs to be very direct,” Maelsar warned.
“I’ve done this countless times before, and I can do it again.” Confidence imbued my bones. This was the path we had to walk.
Sylaira looked up at me, defiance shining in her eyes.
“We’ll work with him. But I am not okay with giving the High Priestess to him as his wife if she does not want that.
And it was clear from my vision that she loves another.
So make no binding promises to him because we certainly won’t be keeping them. ”
Pride bloomed behind my ribs. “There’s my tempest,” I crooned, bringing her body flush with mine. That rage I loved with aching abandon stormed in her expression. “Little fugitive, we will not force her into anything. You have my word.”
“Good,” she said, palms flattening against my chest and pressing. “I’ve Seen the females of the Demon Realm among the army. We will not let males rule over them again either.”
“Whatever you want, I will ensure it happens,” I swore, a grin tugging at the corner of my lips.
“I want peace.” Her declaration was strong—like a Korona.
I released her, savoring the sight of the maelstrom brewing inside her. Even as darkness crept over the mountains, she was ethereal, draped in hues of silver and white.
“One last thing,” I said, holding the gaze of my three co-conspirators.
“The High Priestess has to think her life is in danger, even though we will not harm her. For when we return with her to Sivy, Iaoth will want to see her immediately. She’ll use her magic to break into Kiira’s mind and erase memories, but she’ll learn what she wants as she does it.
We cannot risk my sister discovering our treason until the penultimate moment.
We have to manipulate her as much as we have manipulated everyone else so far. ”
“If the Kral understands Angelic, she likely does too,” Maelsar added.
“Exactly. So we speak of nothing in front of her. And we do not show her empathy or kindness.” I looked pointedly at the two former Elessarum. “Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Sylaira and Lyriasthe said, though the strain in their voices was evident. Neither possessed the propensity for cruelty and violence like Maelsar and I did. It was why they were our perfect matches.
I blew out a long breath and returned to Xannirin. Once again, I tugged the gag free of his mouth.
“We’re in. Now tell us how you’re going to deliver the High Priestess.”