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Maylar and his pet heir had quietly packed the throne room with their supporters. They outnumbered my guards two to one, at least. If they were here in the throne room, I had little doubt they had also infiltrated the rest of the castle and were tracking down as many of the Gauges as they could to bring down the nulling field suppressing everyone’s gifts.
My mind raced, flipping through all the options. I could run, but then Maylar and the usurper’s clearly formidable manpower would be focused on a manhunt. They would likely track me down and capture me. They would capture Liam as well.
I could surrender. I could let them imprison me. I could give up, comforted by the hope that Fin had escorted Liam out of the city. That he would take Liam far away from here, where he could live a full,freelife. I might never get to see him grow up, but at least hewouldgrow up.
Or, I could agree—for now—to be this man’s queen. My chest clenched at the idea of willingly stepping back into the cage from which I had only just escaped because there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Nolan was the same kind of man as Alastor. Intolerant. Tyrannical. Cruel.
Between the wasting sickness and the increasing threat from the Sierra Kingdom, the Corvo people had already suffered so much. I wasn’t fool enough to believe I would have any sway over the new Corvo king as his queen. I would be a prisoner as surely as if I had been thrown in the Tower of Solitude, but the possibility that I could potentially influence policy, no matter how minutely, left me with no choice.
I balled my hands into fists and held my head high. “I will be your wife.”
Nolan’s cheeks tensed with a smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “Command your people to stand down. I would hate to spoil this joyous occasion with bloodshed.”
I swallowed roughly and caught Garath’s eye. “Take the guards and leave,” I commanded.
Garath set his jaw, standing a little straighter. “I will not—”
“Take the guards and leavenow,” I repeated, my voice harder and razor edged.
His throat bobbed, his eyes filling with a plea to not make him do this. To not make him leave me.
Finally, he turned and barked a command to the guards lining the aisle and posted around the edges of the throne room. They hesitated—only for a moment, but long enough to prove to all here that I truly held their loyalty. I hoped Garath could get them across the moat and beyond the outer walls before Maylar realized his mistake in letting them live.
I waited until Garath and Hills followed the last guards out of the throne room. Garath paused in the doorway, turning partway and holding my stare for a long moment before continuing on his way.
I returned my attention to Nolan. “There,” I said coolly. “It is done.”
Maylar weaseled closer to Nolan, hands wringing, and cleared his throat. “I would not trust her, my king. Her last husband suffered an unfortunate accident within these very castle walls, and sheisresponsible for your mother’s death. I fear your fate will be similar should she be allowed to walk free.”
Nolan’s eyes narrowed on me. “Are you the black widow Maylar believes you to be?” he murmured. “Is your value worth the risk?” He stared at me for a long time, but finally, he glanced at one of the gray-armored soldiers who had made his way into the aisle. “Lock her up in the tower.”
I stared in shock but refused to react as the soldier approached. He quickly secured handcuffs around my wrists and, grip firm on my arm, tugged me down the dais stairs.
“You’re a snake, Maylar,” I hissed, digging in my heels as I passed him. “Soon enough, everyone will see you for what you really are—poison to this kingdom—and they willfinallyend you.”
A muscle under Maylar’s eye twitched, and he inhaled to respond.
Before he could get a word out, I spat on his pinched face.
“Get her out of here,” Nolan barked.
“He’s been working with the Sierra Kingdom!” I shouted to Nolan as I was yanked away. “He’s been feeding Eduart state secrets. He wants this kingdom to fall. Youcan’ttrust him!”
My only consolation was that I could see the fear in Maylar’s eyes as Nolan turned to face him a moment before I was dragged through the doorway and away from the throne room. Away from the crown.
As it turned out, I wouldn’t have to be queen after all.
23
Fin
The sky was a darkening blue as Callon, Lyra, Liam, and I followed Ada through the garden, getting as far away from the throne room as we could to regroup without leaving the castle walls and Del behind. Though it went unsaid, none of us were willing to leave the compound until we understood what was going to happen to Del.
Unsure which Ability-amped minds might have zeroed-in on us, Ada and I continued to null outsiders who would be looking for us, or more specifically, looking for the prince.
As fast as we needed to move to get Liam to safety, I had to stop frequently so I could use Sid and Nyx to see what was happening in the throne room after we fled.
“They’re taking Del to the tower,” I rasped so only Lyra could hear. She looked at me, as concerned as I was at the sound of that. “She sent Garath away, and now she is their prisoner.”
