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“What are you talking about?”
“He was looking for a cure; but not all elites want to be cured. Most of them would have supported me for that reason alone. But his vision was limited. He didn’t see the true potential. The renitents can consume more elixir, without being overwhelmed by madness, which makes them powerful. A threat, or a weapon. But I won’t kill them like my predecessor did. I’ll breed them myself.”
“You’re insane.”
“The only problem is, the king killed them all. Until you, but you were unfortunately unavailable. When he realized what you were, the thing he’d been searching for, the thing he had all but destroyed, he risked too much. Congrats on that, by the way. Still no easy feat. But with you gone, it was harder to recreate the antidote you’d made. It stood to reason that it was genetic, so I started with your family. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the king had already caught them for me, after your incident at the Trials. Together with the king’s research, I was sure I’d find what I was looking for. But the scientists said it was missing a catalyst, one that your siblings don’t have. That means, Emily Sharrow, that you aren’t who you say you are. You were never just a simple girl from Algrave, and that woman I killed wasn’t even your real mother.”
The woman I killed.His confession hung in the air, vibrating like the toll of a bell, and curdled in my stomach. I hadn’t even known for sure that Nigel was in Algrave, just before my arrest, though I wasn’t surprised to hear it. My hate spread like a living thing, igniting the last of the elixir in my system, until my skin felt like it was on fire.
“What did you do to them?” I asked, trembling. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t let myself lose control. I had a feeling he was toying with me.
“I took her eyes, like you took mine. Not out of spite or revenge, however. It was an experiment. Research. I thought she was like you, but she isn’t. And that’s your fault, for lying to me.”
I curled my hands into fists, so tight the wood bent and cracked beneath my fingers. We were separated by a simmering pool of death, but I felt like he was stalling for time. Waiting out the clock, until I was swallowed by darkness and vulnerable to attack. I had to keep him talking, enough to goad him into making a mistake.
“Can we skip the gloating speech?” I asked. “What do you want?”
“I want what the king wanted.Everything.He was powerful, because he wasn’t alone. With Tobias, and Damien, he was too unpredictable. I couldn’t afford any direct maneuvers. But now… I’ll create my own dynasty. Next year I’ll choose a girl from every compound. You know why I’ve never married? I couldn’t imagine being tied down; responsible for hungry mouths. But now, I don’t have to choose just one. With my new escorts, I’ll raise sons and daughters, a ruler for each compound.”
“You’re a monster,” I spat.
“They’re almost ready,” he said, ignoring me. “Ripe, firm young girls. Renitent like you. They’ll make fertile wombs for my immortal seed. In twenty years… imagine it. An unstoppable, private army.”
A chill ran down my spine. If this was Nigel’s dystopian future, somehow it was even worse than I’d imagined.
“In a few years, maybe I’ll even allow your sister the honor, if she’s still around. I probably didn’t get the dosage right, after I took her eyes. I wanted her to heal, after all. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s consumed by thirst until she gets into trouble. Remember, the punishment for attacking an elite is death.”
“She’s just a child,” I said.
“I can wait,” he said, adopting a casual pose. I wanted to hurl insults at him, but bit my tongue. He was expecting caustic remarks. Hungry for them. And I was running out of steam, worn down by his vague threats. I had to draw him close. Close enough to hurt.
“How about a trade?” I asked, reaching into my bag for the golden crown I’d brought for Damien. “Let them all go, and I’ll give you this.”
“A crown doesn’t make you king,” he said, crossing his arms.
“It kind of does, actually.”
“Blood is thicker than gold,” he replied. “This kingdom is already mine. Look at all these bodies beneath us. Nearly as many souls as in all the compounds combined. How many do you think Damien put here? No, these dead are mine. They are my receipt of purchase, for a kingdom bought with blood.”
I raised the tip of the spear into the rays of sunlight, casting them in his direction. He hissed and drew back into the shadows, as specks of refracted light sizzled against his face.
He bared his fangs and charged at me. I was ready for him. I swung the spear in his direction, but he jumped over the slashing blade, dodging to the side. His dark cape flapped like a flock of birds as he tore through the air; a blur of black silk, pale skin and sharp fangs. His fingers teased my hair, and his nails carved a biting trail across my back, shredding through my sweater and exposing my shoulder.
I flinched against the pain, then turned around to face him, trying to dodge his blows. He danced in and out of light, never more than a second, before fleeing back into the shadows. He landed a kick that made me stumble, and then slapped me so hard I tasted blood. I wiped my lip with the back of my hand, leaving a red stain. My heart pulsed in my throat, and I sensed Nigel stiffen. Was he thirsty, even now? Could I use that to my advantage?
I waited for him to attack again, but he didn’t. Instead, he glanced up at the roof thoughtfully, before crossing his hands behind his back.
“I was the one who stole the research, you know. Not your grandfather. Or at least, I whispered the idea and pointed him in the right direction. I just wanted to take something away from the king, and Damien. He was clever, like you. He probably wouldn’t have gotten caught… if I hadn’t told on him.”
“The king destroyed Quandom for that,” I gasped.
“The last revolution was short, and brutal,” Nigel said. “Nobody was really paying attention to some skirmish in the compounds. The other elite and chosen stayed out of it, though it was hard to look away. A power conflict between Damien and his father, that ended with the total devastation of one of the colonies. Over a thousand people killed. It was a reminder, but not to the humans. They weren’t allowed to know what had been lost. It was a reminder for the elite, that nobody was above the king’s law. I told him he needed to make an example of his son, or lose trust among the elite. I’ll admit, it went a little too far, though I don’t regret it. It was meant to hurt them both, and it did. I damaged them so much, their relationship never recovered. You could say it finally paid out, with the king’s death. You were a nice surprise, but I am nothing if not patient.”
“And now, thanks to you, I have everything I need to start over. You took one eye, and I’ve taken two from your sister. It will always be this way. No matter what you take from me, I’ll repay it with interest. Sure, you may kill dozens of elite tonight, hundreds of guards. But we will win in the end. You know what every good founding-myth needs? A villain. An enemy. It’s a good story: the chosen who seduced the king and his son, then killed them both, to destroy the kingdom. And she almost succeeded, if it wasn’t for me.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“That’s what people will remember. During your little uprising tonight, we’ll kill everyone who doesn’t support us, and then blame it all on you. The purge will be justified, especially after the spectacle your friends are about to provide; tangible proof of the rebel threat. A reason for the kingdom to come together. I needed you here, and you came. Don’t you see, you’re already mine.”
