Chapter Fifty-Four – Scarlett
Chapter Fifty-Four
Scarlett
‘You made the right choice,’ Zandri said as we swept into the austere courtyard, in perfect tandem with the first rays of dawn.
I wondered if she had chosen dawn for the symbolism. It seemed like the sort of thing she would do – an auspicious way of heralding in a new reign. Though this particular reign would begin on the heels of an execution.
‘I know I did,’ I replied, and it was true. I felt at peace with myself and my decisions in a way I hadn’t for years. Perhaps ever.
I twirled a strand of hair curiously around my finger. It was a darker red than it had been a day ago; a subtle difference to anyone else but a significant one to me. Whenever I passed mirrored surfaces, I was surprised that I didn’t look more different.
But some differences weren’t meant to be seen. Only felt.
‘I’m proud of you, Scarlett.’ Zandri touched my armoured shoulder, and I reluctantly turned to look at her. ‘I know this won’t be easy. But it must be done. And once it is, you will finally be free.’
The certainty in her voice was convincing – but then, it always was. How many times had she said something similar to me? Strengthened my flagging conviction with her own?
I stared into my mother’s black eyes, searching for some warmth in them. Some undertones of dark brown, or a hint of colour that could only be seen in the natural light. There was none.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ A flicker of suspicion crossed Zandri’s sharp face.
My fingers traced the scars marring my arms. Fading, thanks to Selussa’s influence – but still there. And I knew a part of me would always feel them, even if they disappeared entirely. ‘Did you agree to hand me over to Velanthe for magical tutelage?’
Zandri seemed as surprised by my question as I was. I hadn’t intended to ask – had believed I’d made my peace with my mother’s propensity for deception.
‘I did,’ Zandri said cautiously, ‘but it was a promise I never intended to keep. I always intended for Velanthe to die.’
I considered that in silence for a moment. ‘I suppose Odessa told you what Velanthe tried to do.’
‘Yes.’
‘So you know that she attempted to kill me? To resurrect me and bind me to her?’
A nod. ‘I’m relieved it didn’t come to that.’
But what if it had? I wanted to ask her. What if Velanthe had succeeded – what would you have done then?
‘All the secrets I’ve kept . . .’ Zandri hesitated, and despite everything, that hesitation – that hint of vulnerability – drew me back in. ‘They’ve come at a cost. I see that now. I’ll do better, Scarlett. I promise.’
‘I want you to treat me like your daughter,’ I muttered. ‘Not a weapon.’
‘How about a queen?’ Her hand rose to adjust the crown on my head – the very one she had instructed her attendants to provide, when they had dressed me this morning.
A smaller, daintier version of the crown she wore.
‘You were always meant for great things, Scarlett. It pleases me to finally be able to give them to you. To see you elevated to the station you deserve.’
My heart ached. It was easier to think of Zandri as cold and unfeeling – but with me, she was more than that. And I didn’t want to hurt her. I couldn’t begin to put into words how much I didn’t want to hurt her.
‘The coronation will happen immediately after the executions,’ Zandri continued, her hand falling away, and her softness with it.
‘Once I’m crowned, I will announce your new position as heir to the Ravalian Empire, and queen of Kalure.
I doubt anyone will protest – not with Kasmira dead.
But if they do, they can be dealt with easily enough. ’
She took her position of honour on the dais above the sandstone steps. A throne had been brought in – a heavy stone throne that reminded me of the one in the Ravalian throne room. Sitting on it, Zandri looked regal and untouchable. Invincible .
I stood at her side as the courtyard slowly filled.
The Kalurian people didn’t seem any more eager to attend today’s gathering than they had under Roran’s rule, when they had lined the path from the docks to the palace.
Even those of noble blood and wealthy means, resplendent in their fine gowns and tunics, were stiff with resentment as they bowed before the dais.
And yet Zandri smiled contentedly next to me, a self-satisfied expression that said she couldn’t care less.
That she believed she’d won.
When the priestesses were assembled – save Odessa, who was bringing Mira from the dungeons – Zandri stood. Everyone went still.
My mother was a skilled orator, even if most of her speech was made up of lies – or what she would deem twists of the truth. No matter their feelings, the Kalurians listened in rapt silence, as if they were only now remembering that she was King Arioch’s sister, born and raised amongst them.
Zandri spoke of the perils of blood magic and the importance of peace between Kalure and the Ravalian Empire.
She turned her banishment into a grievous injustice, and made Mira seem like an extension of a conniving and power-hungry father – an unstable young woman who had been twisted by tainted magic.
Dozens of priestesses looked on serenely from the audience, their occasional nods lending credibility to her words.
And then Cassius was brought out. His guards hadn’t bothered with chains, allowing him to walk freely between them. Zandri’s attendants had dressed him in courtly Ravalian clothes, and Cassius’s determination to face his death with poise lent him an aura of arrogance.
The crowd hissed as he passed, shouting for his head. There was enough vitriol that I wondered if some of them had mistaken Cassius for Roran.
His gaze met mine as he was forced to his knees in front of the dais. I didn’t look away – but I didn’t soften my stare. The time for reassurances and niceties had passed.
But I tensed when Odessa pushed Mira into view. She was chained – on Zandri’s orders, most likely to make this even more of a spectacle.
I descended the steps, a gloating smile on my lips. Playing the role my mother expected.
Mira glared up at me from her position next to Cassius. Behind her, Odessa tore open the back of Mira’s tunic and unsheathed her dagger.
‘For my parents,’ Odessa declared, and sliced the blade down Mira’s back in a bloody, jagged trail.
Mira didn’t so much as flinch. Not even when Odessa circled in front of her and slid her sword free.
I moved to intervene. Despite my conversation with Odessa this morning, part of me was afraid that she was about to kill Mira.
Instead, she sliced through Mira’s chains.
An act of mercy. From one warrior to another.
Odessa glanced across the courtyard at Jadis, who was being restrained by two armed warriors. Then she met my eyes briefly, her expression conflicted. She hadn’t done this for me – she had done it for Jadis and the Sorceress. But she had made her choice, which was all that mattered.
Mira stood, and suddenly we were both facing each other. There was resolve in her gaze – a resolve that told me she intended to fight for her life.
This time, my smile was genuine. I had been worried that Aric’s death might have broken her.
‘Are you going to run?’ I taunted for the benefit of our audience. ‘Are you that afraid of me?’
Mira squared her shoulders and stood tall. ‘I’m not afraid of you.’
I waited for something to happen – for her to summon her natural magic and split the stones beneath my feet, or use blood magic to slow my heart. Then I remembered that Zandri still had her blood ruby.
I forced a laugh, and walked past Mira – to my brother. ‘I wonder if you’ll be so brave when I kill him in front of you.’
Cassius didn’t react to my words, or to my presence.
He kept his gaze straight ahead, and I wondered if it was because part of him doubted me, even now.
The thought frustrated me, even though I knew he was probably trying to sell the ruse.
Whatever the reason, it was difficult to keep my sword steady as I placed it against the back of his neck.
He shuddered as the metal touched his skin. Mira hurled a slew of curses at me, but I could hear the fear in her voice. And I knew that if I did this, she really would break.
I wondered if Cassius knew that too. His gaze shifted – to Mira’s. And the softness in his eyes was all for her.
I raised my sword–
And twisted to cut down the nearest Warrior in a spray of blood. The second drew his sword, but Cassius was already there, taking hold of the weapon and running the other man through.
The gathering erupted into chaos. Warriors converged on us, but before I could even think about dealing with them, Mira was moving in front of me. Blocking my route to the dais.
To my mother.
Zandri surveyed me from her throne, her expression remote. She rolled Mira’s blood ruby between her fingers as she said, ‘You betrayed me.’
‘You made it an easy choice.’
The moment Zandri stood, the crowd and the Warriors went still. I thought they were reacting out of fear, until I realised their bodies were frozen in place.
But their eyes–
‘They can see and hear what is happening,’ Zandri remarked as she descended the dais steps, ignoring the hundreds of eyes that followed her.
‘They just can’t intervene – at least until I will them to.
’ She paused beside Cassius’s frozen figure, wrenching the blood-stained sword from him.
‘Let’s try this again, shall we?’ she asked, handing the sword to me.
My fingers curved instinctively around the hilt, but I wasn’t looking at the sword or my brother. I was looking at the ruby in my mother’s hand.
There was something compelling about it. Something . . . familiar.
I realised then.
I understood .
‘You never trusted me at all, did you?’
Zandri smiled thinly. ‘Trust is overrated. I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but . . .’ She shrugged. ‘Perhaps this is for the best. Now you don’t have to feel guilty about killing them. You can simply blame me.’
‘If you do this,’ I said, fighting back rising panic, ‘I will never forgive you. You’ll have to kill me.’
Zandri watched me for a moment – and then she laughed. ‘I can make you forgive me. In fact, I can make you forget that this ever happened. I’ve done it once before.’
I went very still, understanding what she meant even before she continued, her voice lethally soft.
‘I told you that I had a plan to use Mira against your father, didn’t I? I even told you it had something to do with your power of illusion.’ Zandri’s amusement cut into me like a blade. ‘Didn’t you ever wonder what that plan was? Didn’t you ever think to ask me?’
‘No,’ I said in a choked voice. ‘It was my idea to frame Mira–’
‘It was mine .’ Zandri’s smile was twisted. ‘I always knew you would be too weak to do it yourself. How any daughter of mine could be so soft-hearted, I will never understand. Fortunately, you have me to help you make the tough decisions.’
Her grip tightened on the blood ruby, and as it pulsed with light, my reality shifted–
My conviction along with it.