Chapter Seventeen
From the moment he arrived, Mereck had been searching for it. He knew it had to be there. The Blood Moon Crystal was in Sire. He would have bet a tremendous amount of coin on it. For a moment, he’d thought the blonde princess may have had it. That lead turned out to be a waste of time.
Even though he had already searched Larkins chambers, twice, he felt the urge to do it once more. The old wizard had fled the kingdom without his belongings, so the room was full of potential hiding places. Vallica said that the only thing Larkin did take with him was the body of the dead king.
Mereck rummaged through Larkin’s wardrobe again, then the two trunks at the foot of the bed. He even decided to empty the mattress, creating a huge mess of feathers strewn around the room. The crystal wasn’t in the mattress either.
He was becoming frustrated by his failure to find it. The trail he’d followed led him from Gallitry to Taberack then to Kilharie, where the trail went cold for several years. It was only recently that he’d found reason to believe the stone was in Sire.
How convenient was it that Vallica decided to stab her husband right at the moment Mereck was looking for a way back into the kingdom?
He considered it to be fate, but having to pander to the queen was a thorn in his side.
He couldn’t care less about attacking a puny tribe of women in the middle of the forest. Nor did he care to burn patches of an orchard or destroy flocks of sheep.
It was Mereck who’d suggested those schemes, though.
If the queen had her way, the entire kingdom of Junacave would already be in flames.
He’d been able to convince her to start smaller, with the tribe.
Then they would attack the neighboring kingdoms, spreading fear throughout the realm before Vallica would finally get what she truly wanted.
It had all been a way to placate her while stalling for enough time to find the crystal. Time that was now running out. Vallica wouldn’t be delayed any longer and he hadn’t been able to come up with another reason to put off the attack on Junacave.
He couldn’t understand her obsession with destroying the kingdom.
After all, the land that became Sire was once owned by Junacave.
If that king hadn’t gifted it to his son, the kingdom of Sire wouldn’t exist. Vallica never would have had a king to marry, and she certainly wouldn’t be queen now.
But that didn’t matter to the fixated woman who was determined to exact her meaningless revenge.
Mereck was distracted by the sound of a trumpet blaring. Something was happening in the courtyard. He left Larkin’s room in disarray and went downstairs to see what was happening.
~*~
Vallica covered her ears. The trumpet was so loud. The idiot could have at least moved away from her before blowing the damned thing. She would deal with him later. Nothing could ruin this moment for her. She was about to make her position in Sire a more permanent one.
She knew there were citizens who thought she was undeserving of being queen.
The whispers around the kingdom were that the daughter of Silas was the rightful heir.
She would silence them today. Vallica had been outraged when she’d learned that Dahlia had escaped the dungeon.
Simon couldn’t have helped her to break free that time since he’d been locked in a cell of his own.
Regardless, the princess was not present to challenge Vallica for the throne.
After today, it wouldn’t matter if Dahlia did return. Vallica was going to make her power so well-known that no one in the kingdom would ever think to support the princess’ claim. This day, she was going to execute a traitor. She was going to kill Silas’ most prized soldier.
The courtyard was full of people waiting to watch the execution.
Contrary to her late husband’s favored method, Vallica chose beheading.
Silas had preferred to administer hangings.
He would leave the bodies dangling for days after an execution.
He’d considered it a hefty warning to those who would dare to defy the king.
Some men tried to avoid paying their share of taxes on the goods they imported and sold.
Sometimes they lied about the number of shipments they received, and others would attempt to hide their money where the king’s soldiers couldn’t find it.
Their efforts were futile. Silas would always know.
Ironically, it was usually Simon who discovered those traitors and delivered them to the king to be punished. This time, however, the traitor was Simon. He had tried to aid the one person in the kingdom who had the ability to remove the queen from power. It was an unforgivable offense.
Vallica sat in the seat her late husband had sat in for over thirty years and watched as her soldiers brought Simon forward. She’d had many pleasurable nights with her lover, but now he was a means to an end. And his end would be her beginning.
The crowd was loud as Simon was placed on the stone.
His face was turned away from her so she couldn’t see his expression.
Nor did she care to. The executioner lifted his axe into the air.
Vallica watched as the blade came down swiftly and her breath caught as it hit the stone. Then it was over. Simon was gone.
Mereck stood behind the queen, watching the event unfold. He wished he were surprised to see Vallica kill her lover. But unfortunately, he had come to expect this from the queen. He shook his head and turned to leave.
“Oh, Mereck,” Vallica called out, seeing the wizard was about to walk away. “I’ve waited long enough. My cavalry is ready to ride. We will attack Junacave tomorrow, at dusk.”
“Dusk, Your Majesty?” he asked.
“Yes, dusk. In the darkness, the blue flames should really be a sight to behold. Don’t you think?”