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“I might.” Quye tilted her head, a considering look in her eyes. “What do you plan to do with this information, now that you know the dragons are imposters and that Inatol has disgraced his station by lying to the public?”
“I’ll call a council meeting with the other priests, and we will discuss it,” the high priestess said. “But if this goes the way I intend, this will end with Inatol losing his position as high priest, and the dragons losing their venerated positions as children of Sobek-Ra. As for the imposter himself… there are very severe penalties for impersonating a deity. And he is about to find out what they are.”
14
General Slaugh
“Well? Have you located Adara yet?”
General Slaugh shut the door to the war room, then turned to face Lady Mossi and Mistress Nox. The two sat on the far side of the round table, a large map of Ediria spread out before them. Flags representing the three Houses were scattered across the map’s surface, indicating the locations of the various troops.
“No.” Frowning, Slaugh leaned over the map, then plucked one of the blue water fae flags and moved it closer to Domhain’s border. He also adjusted a few of the air fae flags—the Gaoth Aire had made no move to attack, but had sealed off their borders, making the mountain passes nearly impassable with ferocious blizzards. “I sent a few more shadow soldiers to Bala Oighr in disguise and had them search, but Adara and her friends are no longer there. Dune did kill their priestess as well as Lady Tamil before he met his own end, so at least we know Adara didn't complete the ritual.”
“Good, then Dune has served his purpose.” Mistress Nox waved a hand, dismissing him from the discussion as though he were of no more consequence than a fly. Slaugh felt a brief twinge of anger at that, but the emotion was quickly eclipsed by the darkness inside him. It was impossible for him to hold any ill will against his mistress. Not when she had given him so much, and was working so hard to give him even more.
“Well, if Adara can’t complete the ritual, then she is of little danger to us,” Lady Mossi remarked. She toyed with the water fae flag Slaugh had moved toward her border, her lips pinching in annoyance. “We should continue searching for her and her little band, just in case, but in the meantime, perhaps we should resume negotiations.”
“Negotiations?” Slaugh scowled at his aunt. “I thought we already agreed that it was time for House Ithir to take the throne. The other Houses have rejected my claim already. House Usciete has put Lord Prentis forward as a contender for the throne, and House Reatha has refused to back either of us. How are we to win if we don’t corral them into submission with a proper show of force?”
“There is more than one way to prune a shrub,” Lady Mossi said, her voice sharp with rebuke. “Lord Prentis is not as stubborn as King Aolis—he would be far easier to treat with if he were on the throne, and I could marry Avani to him, or even Gelsyne.” She patted Mistress Nox fondly on the shoulder. “As much as I loathe Lady Axlya, I would rather see our Houses united than torn apart.”
A wave of fury rose inside General Slaugh, and this time, the darkness eagerly fed it, allowing him to work himself into a towering rage. “How dare you?” he snarled, slamming his fist on the table. The flags toppled over, scattering themselves all over the map, but he hardly noticed. “I have sacrificed too much for you to betray me by giving the throne to that spoiled dandy. Do not cross me, Lady Aunt, or there will be consequences.”
Lady Mossi’s eyes flashed, and she rose from her chair. “Are you threatening me, nephew?” she asked, the air around her crackling with power. “Perhaps the power I’ve allowed you to keep has gone through your head, and you’ve forgotten who you’re dealing with?”
“Grandmother,” Mistress Nox said, laying a hand on top of Lady Mossi’s before Slaugh could respond. The fight went out of Mossi in an instant, her eyes going blank. “I understand your desire to protect your people and minimize the loss of life, but General Slaugh is an experienced soldier. He will end this war as quickly and efficiently as possible to prevent needless death.”
“Of course,” Lady Mossi said, her voice sounding very far away. Nox withdrew her hand from Mossi’s, and the older fae blinked, her eyes returning to their normal color. “My time would be better spent at the family seat, ensuring Domhain remains protected while you conduct your campaign.”
“Precisely,” Mistress Nox said, beaming. “I will accompany you and make sure all is well.”
General Slaugh’s eyebrows rose. “You wish to return to Talamh? Don’t you think you should remain here at Kaipei to hold down the fort?”
“I don’t believe that’s necessary,” Nox said. She placed a hand on Lady Mossi’s shoulders, whose eyes turned blank again. “Grandmother, might I speak to my fiancé alone for a moment?”
“Of course.” Lady Mossi rose from her chair and drifted out of the room. Slaugh noticed the slight imperfection in her shadow as she walked past him—a tiny piece of Nox’s power she’d planted in Lady Mossi in order to control her, just as she’d done with the hostages before they’d sent them back to their own homes.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Mistress Nox rose from her chair. She sauntered around the table, her shadows snaking behind her, and pressed her willowy form against General Slaugh’s. Her scent—an intoxicating mix of florals and midnight stars—enveloped Slaugh, and his ire evaporated, replaced with servile adoration.
He’d never felt this way about anyone he’d served. Not even King Aolis when he’d been at the height of his power.
“My fierce, handsome general,” Nox purred, tracing the ruined flesh on the left half of his face. He tried not to flinch away from her touch—he’d always hated it when anyone touched his burns, even her. “I hope you’re not losing sight of our mission. We need Lady Mossi to cooperate with us if we want her to continue to give us access to her soldiers and resources.”
“I know.” General Slaugh swallowed as her hand moved lower, past his jawline and down to his throat. “I haven’t forgotten. But I’m two hundred years old, Mistress, and it chafes at me that Lady Mossi still treats me like a child.”
“Then let her,” Nox said, hooking her forefinger into the collar of his shirt and yanking. The top button popped off, and hunger surged like a living beast within him. “Let her continue to underestimate us until we’ve brought this world to its knees, and she sees you for who you truly are.”
She kissed him then, driving all thoughts of Lady Mossi from his mind. A part of him knew that the sweet, decadent darkness that made up who she was would kill him, would kill all of them.
But like any addict, he was too far gone to care.
15
Mavlyn
“Istill can’t believe I let you dye my hair green,” Leap grumbled as they walked through the bustling streets of Talamh. Cirra followed them from a discreet distance, high enough above in the clouds that her distinctive golden coloring wouldn’t be spotted, but close enough to swoop in and rescue them should they find themselves in real danger. “How long does it take for this dye to wash out?”
Mavlyn laughed as Leap raked a hand through his spiky hair. She’d mixed up plant dye—an old trick she and Adara used to do during their childhood dress up days—and used it to turn Leap’s white hair a moss green color, and darken his pale skin to a clay red color. Unfortunately, she didn’t have Adara’s potion making skills, so there wasn’t much she could do about his silver-colored eyes. She’d instructed him to tell everyone he’d changed the color on purpose if they asked.
