My soon-to-be sister-in-law has become a bit of an obsession.
A distraction, if you will. One I don’t have time for.
I’m convinced the only reason she plagues my thoughts is because she’s a puzzle I haven’t been able to solve, and since reading people is my specialty, the fact she’s a challenge makes her unbearably interesting.
The wood floors creak as I pace across the second-story room at The Elephant Bones Tavern, glancing out of the balcony door windows. There must be hundreds of people huddled on the empty land behind the building, waiting for me to address them.
Anticipation swirls through me like a gust of wind until every single nerve ending is lit up with excitement for the future. For my future.
The one that should have been mine from the beginning.
Violence has grown in the past two years, ever since my father’s death and my brother’s subsequent rise to the throne. Everyone assumes it’s random. No one knows it’s me pulling the strings, fanning the flames of their anger. It’s easy to exacerbate issues when people are starved and forgotten. And it’s even easier to gain people’s trust and place them strategically throughout the kingdom, waiting patiently for when I call.
I push through the rickety double doors to the patio and step onto the Juliette balcony. Cheers erupt and I stand straight, basking in their admiration. Blood heats in my veins, rushing to my groin until my cock hardens. It’s exciting to have them all stare at me. I enjoy being revered the way I should have always been.
“Hello, friends.” I project my voice. “You’ve heard the whispers, so let me be the first to confirm. King Michael will marry.”
“Who?” someone yells.
“Who is not important, I’m sure you’ll find out when they make the official announcement.” A flash of my little doe’s face tumbles through my mind, and my chest tightens. “What matters is that you know someone placed her very strategically for one reason, and that’s gaining your trust. To make you think sunny days are on the horizon. Comrades. I’m here to tell you, the only blaze on the horizon is the orange glow of fire when we burn their king at the stake.”
Yells erupt, boots stomping on the ground until it vibrates through the air, creating a low rumble.
“Burn the king’s whore!” someone else shouts.
My eyes fly to where the voice is coming from, my muscles growing taut. “She is not to be touched.”
The cheers grow quiet at my sharp words, confused faces staring up at me. My gaze lands on Edward, standing in the back corner with Belinda and her husband, Earl, waiting for my cue. When our eyes meet, I see the surprise flowing through them.
He hadn’t expected me to say that.
I hadn’t expected to say it.
But here we are.
“It’s important to not show our hands too early, friends,” I continue. “We must bide our time. Allow them to believe she is their beacon of hope.”
“And we’re just supposed to trust you?” a voice rings out. “You’re one of them!”
Silence descends over the crowd, and my jaw tics. I raise my hands out to the side. “If you have an issue with my leadership, you’re more than welcome to come up here and take it from me. I’m nothing if not fair.”
No one moves a muscle, and I let the quiet linger, my eyes scanning the crowd to see who dares to think they can question me. “Don’t be a coward now, when your voice was just so loud.”
I continue to gaze out, my stare locking on a young man with torn clothing and dusty-red hair, his jaw set as he looks up at the balcony.
“It’s an admirable trait and an honest question.” I wave my hand toward him, annoyance pricking against my skin. “Come forward. Stand here, at the front where everyone can see you.”
His body stiffens, but he ambles through the crowd until he’s in front of them all, forced to crane his neck in order to maintain our eye contact.
I smile. “Have I not given enough to earn your trust? How many times do I need to prove my worth?”
“It’s been two years,” he implores, shaking his head.
“It’s been far longer for me. And we’re speaking of treason. Enough to kill us all with one wrong move.” I raise my fingers in the air and snap. Edward moves through the throng of people, carrying the corpse of Antony Scarenbourg—commander of the king’s army.
Excited murmurs roll through the air like thunder.
“Do not make the mistake of believing that when I’m not with you, I’m not fighting for you.”
The redheaded man’s eyes widen as Antony’s body drops at his feet, his uniform burned and his skin blue from rigor mortis.
Edward moves again, and I stand still, waiting as he grabs a bucket of kerosene and walks back, preparing to dump it on the corpse.
“Let him do it,” I say, pointing at the fool who questioned my authority.
Edward glances up at me before nodding and passing the bucket off.
The young man stares down for long moments, taking in the singed and nearly unrecognizable insignia on Antony’s chest, his face growing angrier by the second. And then he tips the bucket, allowing the liquid to pour onto the body, splashing off the ground and puddling around his feet.
Hoots and hollers from the rebels accompany his actions.
My eyes meet Edward’s and unspoken words pass between us. This man will not live to see another sunset.
But for now, I’ll allow him this moment. It’s good for morale.
Pulling a matchbox from my cloak’s pocket, I strike a flame against the side.
“Brute force can win a war,” I start, heat dancing against my fingertips. “But our strength is in patience. In planning. That is what topples empires. Together we rule, divided we fall.”
Antony’s body explodes into flames when I drop the match, the smell of burning flesh potent as it curls in the air as smoke.
“Down with Michael Faasa!” someone yells.
“Death to the king!” others chime in.
“We move soon, friends.” I smile. “Stay prepared.”
