Kalie gaped at him.
“Mother, tell him this is madness,” Selene huffed.
Mother’s icy eyes hovered on Kalie, then she breathed in and turned to Selene. “This is out of your hands. Your father is right. They attacked us the moment they attacked her, and I want to see the throne restored to our family.”
Family. A family that included her. Kalie could hardly believe what she was hearing, but Mother had said it, and she ducked her head to hide the smile that stretched across her lips.
Selene shoved her chair under the table. “I see my opinion isn’tvalued here. If anyone has the sense to back out of this ridiculous scheme, I’ll be in my study.”
The door slammed shut behind her.
“There is another way,” Mother mused, twirling her chalice between her fingers. “A way to settle the dispute for the throne with minimal bloodshed, without crippling Dali’s defense by sabotaging your warships.”
“A peace treaty?” Zane asked, sitting straighter.
Mother shook her head. “It’s an ancient tradition known as Fallé di Azura.”
“No!” Kalie lurched out of her seat. Baffled faces stared back at her. Her knees weakened, and she sagged into her chair. “Absolutely not.”
Mother raised her eyebrows. “Do you have a better idea?”
No, she didn’t, but anything was better than that.
Zane’s brow furrowed. “Fallé… what?”
Kalie breathed in deeply. “The Test of Faith is an ancient tradition. Each claimant puts forward a champion with noble blood, and if they have the Speaker’s blessing, they duel to the death. Whichever warrior wins earns Azura’s blessing, and the victor is awarded the crown.” She pursed her lips. “I won’t do it.”
He shrugged. “It’s a good idea.”
“I’m not risking everything in one duel!”
“Think about it.” Zane’s face was alive with wild energy. “At most, one person would die for you, not entire armies. We could settle this all with a duel, and I?—”
Father slammed his goblet down. “Whichever royal claimant loses is put to death. I won’t allow it.”
A dangerous gleam had appeared in Zane’s eyes.
“I agree with Father. The duel is too risky. If it fails…” Kalie shivered. “I’ll send messages to the nobles I trust, but I’ll need you to assemble our allies, Father. Arrosa, Nadar, Gar and Akron, all of them. We have a lot of planning to do. And Zane…” She took a deep breath. “I need you to teach me to fight.”
Etov, Sector 4
Decemmensis-31, 817 cycles A.F.C.
Zane slidthe barrel of his pulser back into place, setting it down on the table and tossing the cleaning rag on a stool. A gentle breeze brushed past as he scowled at his chrono. She was now four minutes late. Slouching against a wooden beam, he stared at the grassy field he’d staged as a shooting range. It was the perfect day for target practice. Bright skies, not a cloud to be seen. All fake, of course; the sunwas absent too, and occasionally, the distant patter of rain slipped through the sound modifiers.
Five minutes turned into six.
As rushed footsteps scuffled behind him, Zane scowled. “Can’t read a chrono?”
Kalie glared at him. Her cheeks were red, and she was out of breath, as if she’d been running. Her white tank top was transparent in the light, and her tight leggings—damn, she was hot.
“Sorry I’m late,” she panted, slumping against the wooden stand.
“It’s target practice. You don’t need to waste time on makeup.”Even if he was rather enjoying the sight of her makeup. Her curled hair, her form-fitting clothes… For someone who could be so annoying, she was unfairly attractive.
“It’s not for you,” she snapped, crossing her arms, but the flush coloring her cheeks deepened. “Sadini went into labor. I got sidetracked.”
Okay, so maybe she had a valid excuse. He tossed her a bottle of water, and she broke the seal. “If you’d rather be there?—”
