“You’re willing to risk a duel to the death for her.”
“For my barony.”
“That barony won’t do you any good if you get your head chopped off first.”
Zane smirked. “I don’t plan on losing.”
The Prince brushed past him. “I’m the Crown Prince of Etov, not a tutor for reckless commoners. Now, if you’ll excuse me?—”
“Wait.” Zane marched after him. “If Iliana corners us, what are we going to do? Think about it. An army of legionnaires finds us, we’re trapped?—”
“It won’t happen.”
“You can’t guarantee that. If we’re trapped, it may be the only way out. If I pledge to do it, it gives Kalie time to run. Dammit, would you please listen?”
The Prince stopped, and Zane sighed. “I’m not going to waltz into the capital and challenge Iliana. I don’t think anyone in their right mind would wantto do that. It would only be a last resort.”
The Prince didn’t move. Zane wiped his clammy palms on his pants and dared to take a step closer. Damp grass squelched under his boots.
“It’s my job to keep Kalie alive. I won loads of fencing tournamentson Oppalli, but I’m rusty. I can find someone else to train with, but she says you’re the best. If practicing with me saves her, isn’t it worth it?”
He held the Prince’s cold stare as waves thundered against the shore below. The musty scent of incoming rain clung to the moist air. The Prince pressed his lips into a flat line, but Zane stood his ground, even as mud dribbled through the toe of his boot. He could train Kalie for months, and it wouldn’t do any good. This was the only way to truly protect her.
“Five A.M. tomorrow. Meet me on the coast. If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you.”
“You summonedus here for the liberation of Dali?” Minister Gar’s astonished voice crackled through the speakers, high but hoarse, and his holoprojection dissolved into a coughing fit.
Kalie flinched as Carik’s former rival raised a handkerchief to his mouth.
“We’re not here to discuss Dali.” Gar folded his blood-spotted cloth. The holos of their allies, who floated around a holoprojection of a conference table, nodded in assent. “We’re here to discuss military action against our shared enemy: Zed Carik.”
Kalie slammed her fist down on her armrest. “You can’t ignore what’s happening to my people! Look at those pictures! Look!”
A grisly collage of images hovered over the holoprojector, along with snippets of headlines:Duchissa Iliana Welcomes Feds to Dali,Legionnaires Slaughter Thirty,Dalian Civilians Killed in Crossfire,Bodies Found on Sacred Grounds. The auburn-haired child who looked so much like Lexie stared at her from one horrifying image. Her stomach turned.
A bold headline floated at the bottom:Dalian Death Toll Reaches 10,000.
“You think this is only happening to Dali?” Gar snapped. “Look at the rest of the Federation! What about my people, stolen for slavery?Or Vataskor IX, plundered of its resources, or Britiria’s officials, executed for dissent? What about them, Princessa?”
Kalie forced her voice past the knot in her throat. “When we free Dali, we can commit our resources to?—”
“We can turn our sights on Dali afterwe overthrow Carik.”
“You misunderstand the purpose of this meeting, Minister,” Father’s holo said coolly. He’d joined the meeting from his conference chamber, but he’d stashed her in this empty room like a fugitive. It was safer if they didn’t know where she was,he’d reasoned. “My fleets will not be advancing on Oeksa until Dali has been liberated.”
A Dalian noble scoffed. “We don’t want Etovian fleets anywhere near Dali. We remember what happened last time your armies advanced on our home, Emperor.”
“What’s our alternative?” demanded Haeden’s mother. “The usurper unleashed Titan on us?—”
“It hasn’t been confirmed that Duchissa Iliana was behind the jailbreak,” said the Count of Alexandria.
Kalie’s eyes narrowed. Mira had vetted all the nobles. The only ones in attendance were those she’d vouched for, but calling a usurperDuchissawas a sign of respect and loyalty. She had to hope that Mira’s instincts were right.
“Who else would’ve done it?” Julian’s mother snapped. “Do none of you see where this is headed? She’s let loose the bombers, the serial killers, the rapists and traitors. Deaths are piling up, fear is spreading, officials are calling for aid, and who better to sweep in and save the day than a Federation fleet?”
“Let’s not succumb to paranoia, Contessa.”
Kalie’s temples pounded, and she pressed her cold fingertips to her forehead. It was the scene from her Advisorium chambers all over again, and that chaos had led to her downfall. Shouting and slamming her gavel would do nothing for her here. Here, she was a fugitive, not a monarch. No one owed her respect or deference.
