“It can be a short discussion, per your request, Queen Naelin,” Merecot said.Here we go. Say it with confidence.“The solution to Semo’s problem is a simple one. You and Queen Daleina must abdicate and allow me to rule both Aratay and Semo.” She sat back and waited for them to react.
They gaped at her for a moment, then exploded:
“Absolutely not!”
That was Ambassador Hanna.
“That’s insane!”
That was Ven.
He continued. “Abdicate to the woman who tried to kill Daleina and invade Aratay? Are you out of your mind?” Merecot wondered if he’d failed his diplomacy class too. “How aboutyouabdicate?”
“Yes,” Hanna said. “Give Daleina and Naelin control of both Aratay and Semo.”
Ven nodded. “Allow them to redistribute your spirits. Your people would be safe then too.”
Merecot dismissed this immediately. “Daleina lacks the power and Naelin lacks the experience to control this many across such distances.”
“Naelin could be taught.”
“There’s not enough time. You felt how close the excess spirits are to ripping this land apart and making it as uninhabitable as the untamed lands.”
Naelin finally spoke up. “There would have been time if you had come to us, instead of wasting precious days with your plot to kidnap my children.”
“But I didn’t... and I did,” Merecot said, wondering if she should sound a bit more sorry.I’m not, though. I did what I had to do.She was certain Queen Naelin wouldn’t even be here if her children weren’t here. “And those are facts now, not hypotheticals. Think about it and you’ll realize I am the only logical choice to rule both lands.”
“There must be another solution,” Ven said.
“None that I can see,” Merecot said. And none that Queen Jastra could see either. The former queen had been studying the problem of spirits for years, and she’d come to the conclusion that this was the start of the solution: one queen for both Semo and Aratay. “Your barren lands provide land for my excess spirits. But only I can send them there and tie them to the land, and I can only accomplish that if I am queen of both.”
“And I supposethisis why you kidnapped the children,” Ven said, arms folded across his chest, eyebrows lowered. He looked formidable.
Good thing I’m not easily intimidated,Merecot thought. “Obviously. If I wanted you to visit, I would have sent an invitation. But I want you toabdicate. It seemed to me that required more incentive.”
Hanna and Ven both began to shout again, but Merecot ignored them. She fixed her eyes on Queen Naelin. Naelin was the one she had to convince. And Naelin was quite clearly considering it.
“You don’t want to be queen anyway,” Merecot said directly to her. “Do this, and I can guarantee you the life you wanted, safe with your family in whatever home you want. I will keep you safe for the rest of my days. Daleina as well. And I will sign whatever treaty you want to bind my successors to keep you all safe as well.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Ven said to Naelin. “If you abdicate, you give up all the power the spirits gave you when you were crowned. You’ll have no more power than you had before—and that may have seemed like a lot then, but now the spirits know who you are. They’ll all hunt you. Queen Merecot can’t keep you safe from all the spirits of Aratay. No queen is powerful enough to keep a former queen alive for long.”
“Except me,” Merecot said. This she could say with easy confidence. “Would you like proof? I can introduce you to the former queen of Semo, who is alive and well and here in the castle.” She signaled to one of her guards.
Rising, she signaled to her guards, who escorted Jastra inside. The old queen had been waiting in the next room.Most likely with her ear pressed against the wall, eavesdropping.But Merecot was grateful for her nosiness now, because it allowed her to prove her point.
Bent over her cane, Queen Jastra hobbled into the room. She clasped Ambassador Hanna’s hand. “I’ve long wished to meet you. The reputation of your academy has spread far and wide. You’re an inspiration to all.”
“An honor to meet you as well,” Hanna said, and bowed.
Jastra greeted Ven and then Naelin. “Please believe Queen Merecot. She has the power to protect me, as you can see. These days, I can scarcely summon a fire spirit to warm my cold toes. Yet Merecot is able to defend me from their wrath.”
Merecot knew that wasn’t precisely true—Jastra had just as much power as she did prior to claiming the crown—but a little exaggeration wouldn’t hurt here. And itwastrue that only Merecot’s protection kept her alive. A queen gained many spirit enemies during her lifetime, and Jastra had lived a long lifetime.
“You could have a life of peace and quiet,” Jastra told Naelin, “if that’s what you wish.”
“That’s all I ever wished,” Naelin said. “And if it were only me, I would abdicate in a heartbeat. You’re right—I never wanted this. All I want is my family, together and safe.”
Merecot could hear the unspoken “but.” She waited.
