Chapter 4 #2
That distinction mattered far more to her than it did to Gavin.
She could feel the crown against her scalp, alive and warm, but she had no idea how to make it repeat what it had just done.
The poison had answered injury. Whether she could call it intentionally, control how far it traveled, or stop it once released remained entirely unknown.
Killing the rest of the camp would have been strategically foolish anyway.
Now that she saw the scope of Tanyl’s hunt for her, she wanted to reach Vathis.
She needed Ellisar, needed him to hear her claim, understand what was happening to Essenheim, and consider an alliance.
Arriving after slaughtering every man connected to the expedition hunting for her would be an unnecessarily poor introduction.
Fear would serve her better than bodies.
So, Imani gave Gavin the version of the truth that served her best.
He slowly turned his gaze back to her, who sat perfectly still, her eyes blazing with fury.
He had never touched the Crown of Life. He hadn’t been near Imani when they grasped the branches. Whatever had killed the five men had passed him by because he had been across the camp with Esa.
“If you come anywhere near me, I will kill you,” she whispered.
Her threat resonated, hanging in the air as everyone glanced and shifted on their feet. Some backed away.
She let them believe the crown was another weapon she could aim at will, although Imani knew nothing of the sort.
The poison had erupted when the mercenary cut into the living branches.
She had not selected its victims, summoned the blossoms, or decided when the attack ended.
She still did not understand the Crown well enough to reproduce the response on her own.
But these men did not need to know the truth.
Gavin shook his head, his face pale. “I knew it,” he breathed. His knees buckled, and he collapsed into the dirt. The surviving mercenaries quickly followed suit.
Imani let them kneel. She let them bask in the heavy, suffocating aura of her magic, letting the truth of her identity press into their bones until they could no longer deny it.
“You may rise,” she commanded softly. “Undo these ties, give us our wands, free my friend, and take us to Vathis without further incident. I came here to speak with Ellisar, not slaughter every fool he allowed into the Draswood. Do not make me reconsider.”
Palms raised in surrender, Gavin nodded fervently. “Of course, my queen.” He scrambled to his feet, using a small blade to carefully slice through her ropes.
Imani rubbed her bleeding wrists. “Bring my friend to me.”
Moments later, two trembling men escorted Esa over, along with their wands. The pixie looked battered; her iridescent wings were jagged and torn, and raw, bloodstained patches covered her arms. Yet the fury in her eyes burned brighter than ever.
“If anyone else tries to touch me, you’ll feel the full force of my Nightmare Dust,” Esa announced to the terrified camp, her voice ringing out as she climbed into the wagon beside Imani.
Imani caught Esa’s look and understood the lie immediately.
Esa would not release enough Nightmare Dust here to poison the camp.
Not with the Draswood already damaged and the Fabric reacting unpredictably to concentrated magic.
But the mercenaries had just watched their men die, so Imani figured they were in no mood to test whether either woman was bluffing.
Indeed, cowed by the display of lethal poison and the pixie’s unyielding threat, the mercenaries kept their distance.
Even Gavin moved with paranoid caution, ensuring the women were comfortable and fed.
Arrogance had been replaced by terror. Imani remained in the cart by choice now; Gavin was providing the transportation she had ordered, not carrying her onward as his prisoner.
The journey through the Draswood to Vathis was tedious and oppressive. Ancient trees pressed in tighter the deeper they traveled, thickening the air with unsettled magic.
With their wands finally returned, Imani and Esa huddled together at the back of the cart. Lacking the energy for a silencing shield, they kept their heads close and voices low.
“Do you have a plan for Vathis? For convincing Ellisar that you’re the queen?” Esa whispered.
Imani closed her eyes, thumping the back of her head against the wooden slats. “No. Every plan I think of ends in someone’s death.”
“If anyone can handle it, it’s Ellisar.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He’s even more powerful than the rumors claim. I met him once. His magical signature almost knocked me off my feet.”
Imani’s brows rose. “You’ve actually met him?”
Esa nodded. “My brother was powerful and well-liked among the higher-ups in the Order. He introduced us.”
“What is he like?” Imani asked, her curiosity outweighing her exhaustion.
“Reserved. Kind, in his own way. Sarcastic, though not the funny sort. Handsome as shit, honestly.” Esa smiled faintly.
“He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, it’s worth hearing.
He’s smart and cunning—a lot like Kiran.
But unlike Kiran, he doesn't want power. He just wants to protect the Draswood and his people. He might be the only person alive who could go head-to-head with Kiran and hold his own.”
“I can help him protect his people,” Imani said. “But short of having him touch the crown—which could kill him—how do I prove who I am?”
“That’s the problem with crown glamour. Looking won’t tell him anything. Either someone touches it and discovers the truth the fatal way, or you do something only the crown’s monarch could possibly do.”
“So, death or a miracle?”
“Essentially.”
“Gavin saw what happened when that man cut the crown. Isn’t that enough?”
Esa shrugged. “For Gavin? Apparently. For Ellisar? No.”
“Why?”