“If you hadn’t imprisoned her, she might’ve rebelled.”
Mother nodded.
They’d never seen eye to eye, even over trivial matters, but this… this, she understood. It was strange, this sense that she’d managed to peel back one of Mother’s defenses and see a glimmer of truth underneath. Itwastruth. That, she had no doubt about.
Iliana was lying about all of it. Her story was horrific, and her imprisonment had surely been terrible, but if Uncle Jerran hadn’t betrayed her, her accusation of murder was another lie, designed to discredit him so she could take the crown.
If Iliana and Carik thought they were dealing with a clueless princess, someone who’d roll over without a fight, they were in for a rude awakening. Maybe she wasn’t as strong as Mira, or as brave as Ariah, or as charming as Aunt Calida; maybe she didn’t have Uncle Jerran’s connections, maybe she wasn’t ready to be the Duchissa, but she was done being helpless.
Kalie drew in a deep breath. Released it.
“I won’t let her steal my throne. I’m not going down without a fight.”
“And how do you propose to fight?” Selene sneered. “You got everything handed to you, and you screwed it all up. How exactly do you think you’ll get it back?”
Kalie risked a glance at Zane. He was leaning back in his chairwith his arms crossed over his chest. “Only with the support of my people.”
A frown tugged at Zane’s lips.
“I need a holoprojector, Father. A holocomm would do as well.”
With a snap of his fingers, Father sent a servant running. The man returned with a miniature projector, which he placed on the table between two phoenix statuettes. Kalie made a few gestures. The motion-activated commands pulled up a three-dimensional map of the Federation. A holographic keypad appeared in a shimmering projection above the candles, and she typed inDali.
“Aside from each county’s private militia, the crown’s military support comes from four major Skyforce bases.” Kalie spread her palms to flatten the Dalian map. “Oakwood, Stafford, Shofield, and Alexandria. They all have ties to the Silver faction.”
“I’d hardly classify Hewlett as Silver.” Mother took a sip of wine. “The man has been Jerran’s loyal pawn since the war.”
“I think he’s behind the coup. When Iliana appeared, everyone else was shocked, but he smiled. If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have suspected him, but sometimes pawns rebel against their leaders.” Kalie shivered at the memory of Mylis’s trembling pulser. “Especially when they have good reasons to bear grudges.”
Mother’s eyes flitted to Father. His jaw tightened, and Theron shot her a warning look, so Kalie rushed on.
“Stafford will align with Oakwood, and Shofield isn’t a likely ally either, since their count hates Uncle Jerran. I think Alexandria is our best shot at peaceful cooperation.”
Theron’s lips flattened. “So all you have are vague possibilities.”
Praying to Azura for patience, Kalie breathed in deeply. “No. If it comes to more aggressive action, we can disable the warships in Alexandria and Stafford.” Kalie motioned to the two expansive counties on Alexandria’s southern border. “We could use Westvale and Rivershire as a staging ground for an assault on the Alexandrian base. The heir to both counties is an officer in the Alexandrian fleet and my… old friend.”
Selene smirked. “Would this be the friend you left on one knee?”
Kalie swallowed hard. Zane’s stare bore into her.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Poor Julian,” Selene simpered, twirling her hair. “I was consoling him at the ball. It’s so awful, that such a handsome, loving man was humiliated by the woman he?—”
“Enough.” Kalie thumped her fist against the table, and the silverware rattled. “I’ve made mistakes, yes. We both did. But we want the best for Dali. If I ask him to stand with me, he might agree to disable the fleet stationed there. We could do the same for Stafford, if we use Arcdon as a staging ground and move south. The people there have always been loyal to you, Mother.”
“And the other two?” Theron gestured to the map. “You don’t have a staging ground anywhere near Shofield. Aerial assaults out of Avington would work temporarily, but these bases are equipped with state-of-the-art missiles. Your ships would be blasted out of the sky. And Oakwood—correct me if I’m wrong, Father, but that was the only county you couldn’t breach during the war, right?”
Father’s lips pressed together. “We did take it. Briefly. But your brother is right. Attacking the Skyforce base in Oakwood presents a challenge.”
“Which is why I need the support of the people. The nobles wear the titles, but if the people rise up against them, they can inflict heavy damage. Shofield’s count drove his people into starvation in the last war. They hate him. The citizens in Oakwood love Hewlett, but his nepotism infuriates the Skyforce officers in charge of those fleets. They might turn on him.”
Aside from Selene, who glared at her with open contempt, the faces of the others were blank. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking.
“I’m not saying it’s the best plan, but I won’t rain war down on Dali unless the people desire it. Otherwise, my rule is doomed from the start.”
“That’s your idea?” Selene picked at her cuticles. “Wait and see? Stake everything on the decisions of your people?”
