36. Chapter 36
Aliya
Back in her suite, Aliya grabbed her chair as her knees threatened to give way beneath her.
The door slammed closed behind Zadé, giving them the most privacy she could likely ever expect, what with the guards always stationed outside her room where they could hear every muttered word.
Sorisana and Elessan’s footsteps echoed off the stone floor as they followed her.
Elessan hadn’t left his mother’s side since their rescue.
It must be nice to have a loving family.
“What happened?” Aliya whirled around, her gaze passing over Sorisana to catch on Elessan before she mustered the self-control to force her attention to Zadé.
She wasn’t sure she could handle anything out of Elessan’s mouth right now—her emotions were far too tangled for her to maintain her stoic noble mask.
“Why were you guys so late breaking into the library?”
She held back a shudder. A few more minutes, and Brooks would have killed her.
The back of her eyes burned—Shadow was dead, because the sun elves were too delayed in enacting their part of the rescue.
“And what in the mages were you thinking, tossing an activated Whisperer in with us when you had no way to verify I’d been able to get the ear plugs to the hostages?
” She flopped into the chair with enough drama to convey her frustration.
“I wasn’t even wearing them! You guys are lucky the thing was a dud, or I would’ve died, too. ”
“Roland ordered us ta pull back,” Zadé said, brushing an unruly curl out of her face. “It took Elsan ‘n me awhile ta ‘xplain the situation ta some o’ Tsara’s more faithful guards, n’ convince them ta ignore their king’s orders ‘cuz it’s what their princess would’a wanted.”
Aliya’s gut clenched at the mention of Tsara. The woman may be a man-stealing homewrecker, but at least she had the army’s loyalty. Otherwise, Aliya and the rest of the hostages would likely be dead…acceptable losses in Roland’s eyes.
Speaking of Tsara… “Where is she?” Aliya pinned her focus on Zadé, making it clear she hoped the general would answer rather than Elessan.
Zadé cleared her throat. “Another shapeshifter came in with th’ King’s forces.
They murdered Tsara and took her place.” Zadé’s eyes danced between Aliya and Elessan.
“I’m not quite sure if’n they sought ta break yeh two up fer funsies, or if’n she actually wanted ta marry Elsan, but it was th’ shifter hittin’ on yer man, Princess, not the real Tsara. ”
Aliya blinked her eyes as she chewed over the information. “No, that can’t be. Tsara didn’t have eyes like mine.”
Zadé shrugged. “She was wearin’ a necklace. We think it was charmed ta hide her eye color, but maybe that gnome… Jealous, or whatever his name is, can tell us fer certain?”
Jalius. “Perhaps.” Aliya bit the inside of her cheek. “Where’s this being now?”
Zadé pushed her lips into a thin line as she stared at the ceiling.
“She’s dead,” Elessan said, the rasp in his voice causing something in Aliya’s heart to twist.
Clenching her jaw, Aliya shoved any empathy or pity for him to the back of her mind. Her emotions were already roiling—the last thing she needed was to add more sludge into that proverbial stew.
Elessan cleared his throat before continuing, “She dissolved much like your aunt did.”
“When we were busy rescuin’ Elsan,” Zadé piped in, her mouth turned downward. “Things sure are real messy right now.”
Aliya held back a snort. Wasn’t that the master understatement of the century?
But there was one fact Aliya knew for certain.
“I want Roland and his forces out of here, need him gone. He’s already betrayed me once, and if he sticks around and continues to manipulate me, I’ll be stuck trying to outmaneuver him when I should be focusing on shoring up my support and the wellbeing of my people.
” She pulled a stray hair and tugged it behind her ear, ignoring the way Elessan’s hand twitched as though he longed to do it for her.
Zadé’s brow furrowed. “But what about th’ trade agreement?”
Aliya growled in the back of her throat. “Last I checked, he tore it up publicly and tossed it in the bonfire he’d made from the food he brought as a so-called goodwill gesture.”
Zadé shrugged, unable to argue the point.
“Besides,” Aliya continued, “the entire time he’s been here, he’s only indicated a willingness to honor the treaty if I agreed to marry him.
Which I will not be doing since he promised to help me rescue the hostages and then didn’t.
” One fact this whole kerfluffle had shown her was no one else in this castle had the welfare of the realm as their priority.
The last thing the people needed was some foreigner ruling through her.
She glanced at the scar across her left palm—the reminder of her blood vow with Roland.
Frowning, she held her hand out for the others to see.
“As part of my agreement to marry him, Roland agreed to help rescue the hostages, reinstate our trade pact, and replace the food he destroyed. He failed the first task, so shouldn’t the bargain be broken? ” Her gaze landed on Zadé.
If that was the case, the monarch was no doubt suffering a painful death at this very moment. Aliya couldn’t say she was disappointed at the prospect, though she’d probably feel guilty about that reaction later.
The general raised and lowered one shoulder. “Would depend on th’ exact wording of the contract, I suppose. Didja specify a timeframe? Or that he had to do it personally?”
Aliya furrowed her brow. “No, but…”
“Seems the magic considers the vow fulfilled as long as sun elf soldiers helped you save the prisoners.” Elessan flashed her a sympathetic smile.
“Sorry, Princess.” Zadé did the same. “Looks like yeh have a few things ta learn about striking bargains with elves.”
Curse the mages. Aliya fought the urge to curl her hands into fists and scream.
Sorisana raised her hand and cleared her throat. “Forgive me, Your Majesty.” She paused, waiting for Aliya’s nod before continuing. “You’re planning to expel the one ally from your land who may best guarantee your subjects survive the coming winter?”
Calling the sun elf king an ally was a stretch. Aliya studied Sorisana’s face. The similarities between it and Elessan’s tugged at her heart. “Roland isn’t going to help unless we give him more than the realm can afford.”
Zadé nodded, her face contorted into a grimace.
“I’ll just have to figure something else out.” Which she would, because there was no other option. “And if I don’t, then we’re all screwed and you elves won’t have to worry about the humans come spring.”
Three pairs of eyes stared back at her, round with disbelief.
Elessan opened his mouth. “Aliya, I—”
She held up a hand, interrupting him. “No, El. I can’t do this with you right now.
” Her chest burned in impotent fury at the way her voice wobbled.
Swallowing, she took a deep breath and waited for her heartbeat to settle.
“I want Roland gone. Someone, anyone, please go escort him from the palace. That’ll be one less person I’ll need to worry about stabbing me in the back. ”
Elessan froze as if she’d slapped him. “Can we have the room?” Elessan asked a moment later, glancing at his mother and Zadé.
Wait, what? “No,” Aliya said as the other two women backed away and slipped out the door, pulling it closed behind them.
The air hung heavy as Aliya buried her fists in her skirts to hide how tightly she was clenching them. “Whatever you have to say, El, I don’t want to hear it. Not right now.” She wasn’t ready, and truth be told, she might crumble to powder if she got one more thing piled on top of her.
He took a step closer. “Well, that’s too bad, because you need to.”
“I don’t have to do anything!” She had to fight to keep from screaming. “I am the queen, and you are in my realm.”
His face crumpled as he reached for her.
Jerking out of his reach, she stepped around the chair, placing it between them.
“Aliya.” He licked his lips and swallowed, taking another stride forward. “I know a lot has happened in the last few days.”
She held back a snort. “That’s putting it mildly.”
He nodded. “But this isn’t you. You’re pushing everyone away, and pretending you don’t need anyone because I hurt you, and I’m so sorry for that. But there are…” he paused, “extenuating circumstances you have to know before you do something you can’t undo.”
She frowned, clenching her jaw. “You mean like dissolve the human-elf alliance?” Shaking her head, she scowled. “Newsflash, El. That crumbled the instant your father-in-law tore the contract in half.”
Lunging, he grabbed her upper arm. “But that’s the thing about diplomacy. There’s always a way forward if both parties want there to be.”
She jerked out of his hold. “Bold of you to assume I even want a partnership with the elves when everyone except Zadé has betrayed me.”
“I know it seems that way, but let me explain—”
“No!” She backed away, pointing a finger at him. “I already told you I didn’t want to hear it. Don’t make me call the guards.”
Glancing at the door, she frowned. Elessan had managed to position her against the wall, putting himself between her and the exit. Valek.
He stalked toward her, and she stepped back until the hard stone pressed into her.
Bracing a hand on either side of her head, caging her in, he leaned forward so their noses were almost touching.
“The shapeshifter was blackmailing me. She threatened to banish my mother. Sorisana would’ve had nowhere to go. ”
“She could’ve stayed here!” Aliya’s voice was getting louder, but she didn’t care.
“That’s no excuse. You should’ve trusted me to take in your mother, because I love—” Her words caught in her throat.
“Because I loved you, and I would have done anything for you.” Putting both hands against his chest, she pushed him away.
“By the mages, El. Do you have so little faith in me?”