Raea threw her blanket off of her body, the extra weight only adding to her frustration as she laid awake, her mind fixated on the events of the previous few hours. Julia de Vigneron’s less than precise advice, the stolen message from the Court Chaplain that Raea had intercepted and then handed off to Briana were all rolling around in her head, refusing to let her doze off.

  Standing up, the girl walked over the nearest window in her chambers, where she had been living for the past two weeks. She took a deep breath and sneered out the window, expressing her growing dissatisfaction with palace life to the courtyard below. In the act of doing that, however, she noticed a group of armored soldiers moving in the area.

  Her sneer turned into a confused stare as she watched the men below, checking their arms and conversing quietly amongst themselves before leaving the courtyard, heading towards the main entrance of the palace. Curiosity gripped Raea in that moment, and she resolved to follow them.

  For lack of anywhere else to turn for quick access to clothing, she pulled open the top drawer of the dresser that sat in the corner of the room, but frowned once she remembered that there were only a few sets of those damnable dresses in there. She looked down at her sleepwear, that is to say the complete lack of it given the habits she’d acquired in her time at the Bastion.

  She opened another drawer that she had ignored in her preference for evening time stewing in her own frustration. Inside were multiple sets of silken nightgowns. Still not the pants she’d preferred, but at least they weren’t as complex as the dresses she’d been wearing. She donned one of the gowns but, not wanting to admit defeat, she tore it above the knees to give herself more freedom of movement.

  Raea left her chambers once she had made the adjustments to her attire, not bothering to close the door behind her. Her bare feet padding silently along the tile floor, she made her way through the halls and down the stairs. At the bottom of the steps she came to the door leading to the throne room and, with slow, careful movements, opened it and peered into the hallowed chamber.

  Raea had only ever been in that room during a ball or when the court was in session, when the space was filled with the noise of dozens of nobles and servants. She stepped out into the room, taking in the stark emptiness as she scanned the space, until her eyes fell upon the imperial throne. Somehow, without the inane chatter of partying nobles to distract her, Raea could feel the power and the presence of that seat in a way that she never could before.

  For a short moment she stood and felt that force before turning her back to it and continuing out to the garden through which she had first entered the Bastion. She exited out onto the staircase leading out of the throne room, greeted by the sight of dozens soldier gathering up near the outer gate. At the center of the formation was a covered carriage, Empress Marie climbing into the vehicle. She was speaking to Basil, though Raea was too far away to eavesdrop.

  She watched from her place at the top of the stairs, wondering what was going on. Then she saw Cian walking out of the gatehouse with his full array of arms and armor. He spoke briefly to an officer before climbing into the carriage, using the door opposite the one the Empress had gone through.

  At the sight of this Raea decided that she needed to figure out what was going on. She made her way down the stairs, kneeling as she went to stay hidden behind the banisters. Keeping one eye on the carriage, she dove from the bottom of the staircase to the nearest fountain.

  Peering from around one of the decorative lions, Raea spied the Empress and Basil finishing their conversation before closing the carriage. The Castellan began walking back to the inner keep of the palace as an officer began a final check of the rank and file before they marched out.

  Acting quickly, Raea moved through the hedge mazes, remaining hidden among the carefully arranged bushes. She made her way to the outer walls of the Bastion, keeping to the shadows, knowing from her thieving experience that in the darkness of the night its shadow would serve to keep her from sight. She got as close as she could to the carriage and dove underneath the horse-drawn vehicle. Managing to hit the space between the wheels, she latched onto an iron bar that ran along the length of the carriage from axle to axle.

  “Omph!” Raea grunted as the carriage rocked, the vehicle pushing forward into the night of the city of Trone. She tried to look around and get her bearings, but the carriage was low enough that she couldn’t see anything but the stone pavement below and the hooves of the horses pulling them forward.

  Having no choice but to hang on to the underside of the carriage until it came to a stop, Raea adjusted her grip and braced herself for a trial of endurance as they moved through the city.

  ***

  With a sense of relief Raea let go of the iron bar and let herself fall onto the pavement as the carriage came to a stop. As the girl tried to massage some life into her exhausted hands and shoulders she could hear armored feet marching in unison around her. She was startled almost to the point of yelping when the door of the carriage was opened with such force that it rocked side to side above her.

  “Please, after you,” Cian’s gruff voice called out in a sarcastic tone. The carriage shook once again as a figure fell out the door, landing on their knees. Raea couldn’t tell who they were from her angle, but they appeared to be wearing a priest’s robe.

  Cian stepped down from the carriage and picked the robed figure from the ground with one hand as the Empress descended.

  “Begin your search,” Marie said to someone just out of Raea’s line of sight. “Try to take the conspirators alive if at all possible.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” a male voice replied, followed shortly by a cacophony of armored feet moving away from the carriage.

  A pair of skirts came into view, climbing down from the carriage. “Are you ready, Sir Cian?” Raea heard one of them ask. Briana, she guessed from the sound of the voice.

  “Almost,” the Varathian replied. In the silent moment that followed Raea could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Then a gloved hand reached under the carriage, grabbing Raea by the wrist and pulling her out. Before she knew what was happening, Cian was holding her up like a caught fish for the Empress and Briana to see.

  “Wha-what are you doing here?!” the elf exclaimed.

  “Um…hi,” Raea replied, uncertain as to what else to say.

  “Young lady, you’ve got some explaining to do,” Briana admonished her, pinching Raea’s ear even as Cian was still holding the girl up by the wrist.

  The Varathian let Raea down, causing the elf to release the girl as well. “Lay off her. She was curious and wanted to see for herself, like she has in every other place we’ve gone. It would have been strange if she didn’t follow us. Frankly, I’m impressed with how she did it.”

  “How did you know?” Raea asked.

  “I could smell you,” Cian answered. “I’m sure hanging onto the bottom of the carriage was exhausting, you’re sweating like you’ve been working the fields in the summer sun all day.”

  Raea lifted an arm and took an exploratory sniff at her armpit. She recoiled from the pungent scent.

  “Still-“ Briana began before she was cut off by Marie’s raised hand.

  “Sir Cian, she is your protege,” the Empress addressed the Varathian. “Do you believe that it is proper for her to be here?”

  “I see no harm in it,” Cian replied.

  Marie nodded before turning back and walking after her soldiers, who were breaking into a large mansion, Raea was noticing for the first time. Briana and Cian moved to follow her, Raea taking a split second to do the same. The girl watched the Empress as they went, noticing a seriousness and severity to her that she had not seen prior.

  “Where are we?” Raea asked, looking up at the grandiose building as they approached its front entrance.

  “Hush, child,” Briana snapped.

  “That’s enough,” Cian cautioned the elf. “We’re only here because of her, she has a right to know.”

  “What do you mean?” Raea questioned.

  “That message you…acquired,” Briana answered. She gestured behind the group, to where a bound Father Clement was being pulled to his feet by a pair of soldiers. “We were not aware that the Court Chaplain was having a correspondence with Duke Julien, and when we questioned him about it it blew open a conspiracy we’ve been trying to unravel for months.”

  “I did that?” Raea asked in disbelief.

  “Not that you could have known about it,” Cian commented.

  “We knew that Grand Duke Zacharie and Duke Julien were moving large sums of money and hiring mercenaries for unknown reasons,” Briana explained. “We were concerned that they might take action against the crown, but had no proof. Your message led us to Father Clement, who was acting as liaison between the two. When we…questioned him, he revealed that the dukes are indeed plotting against the Empress together.”

  “So is this the Grand Duke’s estate?” Raea asked. “Duke Julien is staying with him, right?”

  “That’s right,” Cian confirmed. “We’re here to arrest both of them.”

  “What about Duke Julien’s daughter?” Raea pressed.

  Stopping and looking over her shoulder, the Empress addressed the girl. “What about her?”

  “Well, um…” Raea began, suddenly nervous to have the Empress’ attention and intense stare. “I guess you could say that she gave me a tip on the message.”

  “Hm, I will have to remember that,” Marie said before she continued on her path.

  Cian, Briana, and Raea followed after the Empress, a pair of soldiers opening the grand doors to the mansion. Inside the entrance hall there were a number of people kneeling on the floor, hands behind their heads as soldiers aimed crossbows at them. At the front of the group were Grand Duke Zacharie and Duke Julien.

  “Hello, dear cousin,” the former said as the Empress came into his view. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

  “Treason, sedition, and crimes against the crown. The usual when it comes to your family,” Marie replied, coming to a stop a few steps past the entrance. “Now, is Julia de Vigneron present?”

  One of the soldiers stepped past the two noblemen in the front to lift the young woman to her feet.

  “I am here, Your Imperial Majesty,” Julia said.

  The Empress held her hand out to the younger noblewoman. “Come closer.”

  Duke Julien looked up at his daughter as she walked past him. “What are you doing, sweetheart?”

  Julia paused for just a second as she turned to her father. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” She then continued her path to the Empress’ side.

  “I understand that you had a role in the events of this night,” Marie said. “Is that true?”

  “You make it sound more grand than it is, Your Imperial Majesty,” Julia replied. “I said a few carefully chosen words to someone who I hoped would be the right person, then let things progress from there.” The young noblewoman leaned to the side, making eye contact with Raea before winking at her. Raea rolled her eyes in return. “In all honesty, it has turned out better than I had hoped,” the noblewoman continued.

  “Julia?” Duke Julien asked, staring at his daughter with a dumbfound expression on his face.

  “Hush, Father,” the young woman said without turning to look at the Duke. “Keep to your place and I will take care of you.”

  “Is that the reason for your actions? So that your father might be granted mercy?” Marie asked.

  “Yes, I wished to save him from his own foolishness,” Julia responded.

  Marie nodded before turning to one of the officers. “Take Duke Julien into custody, his life will be spared.”

  The officer gestured at a pair of soldiers, who took the Duke by the arms and walked him past the Empress and her party as they took him outside.

  “You may go with him,” Marie said to Julia.

  “Before I do, your Majesty, I have one more request that I would like to make of you,” the younger woman said. “In private.”

  “I’ll allow it,” Marie replied. Julia bowed before going to join her father.

  Grand Duke Zacharie glared at the Empress as his coconspirator was being led away. “I assume that I will be receiving no such kindness, dear cousin.”

  “You know me, Zachie-boy,” Marie replied. “I try to lead the way with love, but there are just certain people who only respond to fear.”

  “Don’t call me by that old nickname,” the Grand Duke said. “You lost that right when you killed my brother. He should have taken the throne, not you. He was born for it.”

  The Empress frowned at her cousin before looking past him at the other people who had been brought out by the soldiers, most of whom appeared to be servants. “Any of you who love my cousin so much that you would die for him, you may stay and do so. However, if you fear me, fear God, and fear the Prophet Carag, then you shall be able to leave. No harm will come to you and you will not be held complicit for his crimes. All you have to do is stand up and walk out of this mansion.”

  One by one each of them took the Empress up on their offer, getting up on their feet and walking out of the mansion, leaving the Grand Duke behind. He could do nothing but grit his teeth and glare at Marie as he remained kneeling on the floor.

  Before events could progress any further, however, the doors leading further into the estate burst open, a soldier walking backwards out of it. He was hunched over, his body tense as he aimed a crossbow at something.

  “Your Majesty, you need to see this!” he called out without taking his eyes from whatever it was that he was aiming at. He took several backwards steps, followed by a group of elves. They were armed with swords and wearing clocks made with a patchwork of grey, green, and red cloth. Their arms were up and hands above their heads, a show of non-aggression as they made their way to the center of the entrance hall, the crossbow of all the Empress’ soldiers aimed at them.

  Raea gasped when the last of the group entered into view. “Melos,” she said, catching sight of that scar on his face. Cian glanced down at the girl for a split second before turning his attention to the elf.

  “Are you two acquainted with that elf?” the Empress asked.

  “In a fashion,” Cian replied. “Raea’s the only one who met him in person, but we had some near misses in the Holy Peninsula. He’s a dangerous outlaw who was responsible for the death of Lord Aegis of the Shields some weeks ago.”

  Melos stepped past the other elves and walked over to Grand Duke Zacharie, pulling him up to his feet.

  “Halt!” one of the officers yelled, throwing a hand up in the air. The other soldiers took this as a signal to aim their crossbows at the human and the elf.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Melos’ eyes scanned back and forth across the room, showing no overt reaction to the threat that the bolts aimed at him posed. “Let’s not be hasty. There is one more guest that has yet to join us.”

  Everyone else in the entrance stared at the elf, confused as to his meaning. Suddenly the soldiers furthest from the main entrance dropped their crossbows, grasping at their necks as they visibly struggled for breath. The doors opened, revealing Louch the court fool, right hand raised over his head, palm flat and fingers curled. He walked forward and as he came closer more and more of the soldiers began suffering much like the first ones.

  “When did he become so powerful?” Briana asked aloud as Cian drew his sword and stepped in front of the Empress, Briana, and Raea, putting himself between them and the mage.

  Louch came to a stop next to the Grand Duke and Melos, his hand gradually rising higher into the air. The sounds of the soldiers choking grew louder and more desperate as he did. Then the mage closed his fist, just as his arm reached the point of full extension. All at once the choking sounds stopped. Louch opened his hand and lowered his arm, causing all of the soldiers to fall to the ground, unmoving and dead.

  As the surviving members of the Empress’ party stared in shock at the display of magic power, Grand Duke Zacharie turned to Louch, fury on his face.

  “What the hell was that?!” he screamed at the mage. “Why didn’t you just kill Marie?!”

  Glancing at the nobleman with a stoney expression, Louch retorted, “It’s the Varathian, his very existence serves to nullify my magic.” His voice carried more gravitas and depth than Raea had heard the fool speak with at court. “I can affect nothing beyond his person.”

  Turning to Melos, Zacharie yelled, “Then it’s your turn! Weren’t you boasting that you could defeat anyone in single combat, even a Varathian?”

  Melos stepped out in front of the mage and nobleman, but made no move for the sword that hung at his hip. “It was no boast, human,” the elf said. “But I have a greater concern at the moment. You, sister, why do you serve this tyrant?” He pointed at Briana.

  “Tyrant?” Briana echoed. “The Empress is not a tyrant, and I am no mere servant. I am one of Her Imperial Majesty’s most trusted advisors.”

  Melos gestured behind him to the Grand Duke. “This human sold me on a plan to assassinate the Empress. He told me that she had allowed a serial killer to wander the streets of one of Olica’s largest cities, murdering as many elves as he wished. Is there any truth to this?”

  “It is true that there was a case involving a serial killer who targeted elf women in the city of Sinclair,” Briana confirmed. “However, the Empress had no involvement in that event, and knowledge of it was being kept from her by a member of the court who will soon be reprimanded for it. Furthermore, I reject the notion that Her Imperial Majesty is a tyrant. She has been a fair ruler since she took the throne, and a friend to elven-kind. She ended the Sequester Laws and gave our people a voice in her court.”

  Melos glanced back and forth between the Empress and Briana, a cold flame of fury growing behind his eyes. His attention snapped to Grand Duke Zacharie, turning on his heels and drawing his sword in one smooth motion. “You lied to me, human,” he growled.

  All at once the other elves followed their leader’s example, drawing their own weapons and pointing them at the Duke.

  Zacherie looked all around him, taking in how his circumstances had changed so drastically. “You really believe this drivel?” the Grand Duke asked with a chuckle that sounded a mite too forced. “Go on, kill the Empress. Once I have taken the throne I shall be a greater friend to the elves than any Emperor before me!”

  “You really think that I will believe you, human? Over one of my own?” Melos asked. “You truly are a pathetic creature.” The elf paused, holding the tip of his blade under Zacherie’s chin. “Empress,” he called out, still keeping his eyes on the Grand Duke. “I don’t know if there is such a thing as a good human, but I believe that you are not the worst. I have a proposal for you.”

  “I will hear it,” Marie responded.

  “You want this traitor dead. However, if I am not mistaken, in your human faith it is a crime of the highest order to slay one’s own blood,” Melos said. “Is that correct?”

  “That it is,” Marie answered. “As Empress, I am obligated to execute my cousin for treason, but many of my subjects will see it as an unforgivable sin.”

  “Then I shall kill him for you,” Melos offered. “In return for his attempts to use me, and to keep his blood off of your hands. Then you allow me and mine to leave this place unharmed.”

  For a full minute everyone in the room was silent, unmoving. Then the Empress spoke.

  “Sir Cian, I hired you as my military advisor and bodyguard while we uncovered this plot,” she said. “What is your tactical assessment?”

  “The mage has already demonstrated the threat he poses, your Majesty,” the Varathian answered. “And while I have never seen Melos and his group fight in person, I have heard accounts that lead me to believe that they are dangerous themselves. Considering the losses we have already taken, I cannot guarantee an outcome to a battle, only that there will be significant bloodshed.”

  Marie took a deep breath before speaking again. “Very well then. Melos, I accept your offer.”

  “What?!” Raea screamed. “Ye can’t do that! He’s killed so many people! He needs to die!”

  The Empress looked over her shoulder at the girl. “Your poor education is showing, child. Silence yourself.”

  Before Raea could reply, Briana grabbed her by the shoulder and covered her mouth. The girl tried to scream and yell, but only muffled noises made it through the she-elf’s hand.

  “The girl from the prison, I see she continues to be an odd little thing,” Melos commented. “Quite a coincidence, though one that is unimportant. Back to the matter at hand.” With that he sliced open the Grand Duke’s throat.

  Zacharie fell to his knees, grasping at his wound in a futile bid to stop the flow of blood. He looked up at the elf, eyes saying that he wanted to speak, to beg, to do something with his voice. But it was trapped, unable to escape.

  The Grand Duke fell to the floor, trembling as his life came to end. It was only after his body grew still that Melos turned away and sheathed his sword.

  “The mage comes with me,” the elf stated as he started to walk forward, grabbing Louch by the arm and pulling him along. They and the rest of Melos’ elves moved directly towards the Empress.

  “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?” Melos asked, coming to a stop in front of the sovereign ruler and the Varathian.

  Marie stepped aside, the others taking that as a signal to form a path for the elves and the mage. Raea’s muffled yelling was barely audible through Briana’s hand. Then they were gone, disappearing into the night as Louch the mage held his hand up in the air and enveloped the group in shadows.

  “What the hell was that, old man?!” Raea yelled, finally managing to wrench Briana’s hand from her mouth. “Ye know how many people he’s killed! He needs to die!” She pointed an accusatory finger at the Varathian.

  “This was not the time or the place for that,” Cian countered. “Besides, it’s not my vendetta, it’s yours. If you want him dead, do it yourself.”

  Raea kept pointing that finger right at the Varathian, breathing deeply as she calmed herself. “Then you better train me until I’m strong enough.”

  “That can be arranged,” Cian said with a smile.

  “This is not the time for banter,” the Empress stated, passing between the pair. “Come, let us be done with this sordid affair,” she commanded.

  ***

  Raea paced back and forth in her room, wearing a new set of nightwear after Briana had forced her to change out of her sweat soaked one. She still could not sleep, not after everything she had witnessed that night. She had to know more.

  Stalking out of her chambers, she began a new journey through the dark halls of the palace to discover the mysteries this night held. This time she was going to find the answers someplace much closer. She headed to a wing of the palace that she had never been to before, though she knew what was there. It was the largest area of the palace, the one most centrally located within the Bastion’s grounds. The Empress’ personal chambers.

  Raea made it most of the way there without incident, unbothered by the scant handful of servants doing whatever it was that servants do in the middle of night. It wasn’t until she came to the outer chambers of the Empress’s suite that she met upon any resistance.

  “Halt,” one of the two guards standing outside the entrance said when he saw Raea approaching.

  “I need to see the Empress,” Raea replied, coming to a stop before the pair of armored men.

  The two guards glanced at each other before returning their attention to Raea. “Um, no one gets to see the Empress,” one of them said.

  “Now, you listen here-,” Raea began before she stopped herself.

  “Yes?” the guard prompted her to continue.

  The young girl held her silence as she played out a scenario in her head. She was going to yell at the guard, who would yell back at her. She’d demand that they let her through, which they would then refuse. In the end she would do something reckless and poorly thought out, getting herself and possibly Cian in trouble. It was a pattern that had played itself out in Carsani and in everyplace she had been since leaving the island.

  She took a deep breath, calming herself. This situation wasn’t going to turn out like that, she decided. These people didn’t think of her as a monster, they wouldn’t treat her as anything other than human.

  “Sir Cian has a message for Her Imperial Majesty,” Raea lied. “He sent me to deliver it to her.”

  One of the guards held his hand out. “You may give it to us. We’ll pass it along.”

  “I’m afraid that won’t work,” Raea responded, shaking her head. “The message is not written, and Sir Cian told me to give it to nobody other than the Empress herself.”

  The two men exchanged uncertain glances with each other. Raea studied them for a moment before continuing with her argument.

  “I’m sure you know that Her Imperial Majesty hired Sir Cian for a very important task,” she pointed out. “But if you think that your guard work is more important, I’ll go ahead and turn around.”

  “No, no,” one of the guards replied. “Go ahead, miss.” Reaching behind him, he opened the double doors leading into the Empress’ suite and gestured for Raea to proceed.

  “Thank you,” Raea said with a nod as she walked past the pair. She thought about smiling at them, but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to take the act that far.

  She took in the unexplored space before her as the doors behind were closed. It was a large chamber, with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, though none of the lamps were lit. The only light in the room came from the moonlight filtering through the tall windows that looked over one of the Bastions internal courtyards. Multiple sets of chairs, couches, and other assorted furniture were scattered about in different areas, with a dining area underneath the windows. She noted that only two of the chairs were actually at the long table, situated next to each other at the head while the others were pushed up against the wall. On the opposite side of the room there was another table, this one with a map of the Empire of Olica on its surface.

  Directly across from Raea was another set of double doors, mirroring the one behind her that she had just passed through. She walked across the floor, taking note of the candlelight that leaked out from under the door. Her pace slowed as she spotted shadows dancing in the light and heard a voice from beyond the threshold.

  “My love, I only need you, no one else,” she heard the voice say. Was that Marie? It sounded like her. Raea inched closer to press her ear to the doors. Did the Empress have a lover? Was that why she stayed unmarried?

  “I can’t give you what you need, Marie,” another voice replied. Raea strained to hear clearer, inching closer to the door. It sounded like a woman.

  “With Zacharie dead you need an heir, otherwise the Empire will collapse into chaos after your death,” the voice continued. “I love you, but if being with you means that future comes to pass, I can’t remain by your side.”

  Raea recoiled in surprise, nearly falling backwards on her rear end. There was no way, was there? But she knew that second voice, she had heard enough of it lecturing her. There was no question in Raea’s mind that the second person, Marie’s lover, was Briana.

  “No, please,” Marie pleaded, a desperation in her voice that Raea had not even realized The Empress was capable of. “I love you, I need you with me. What if I adopted a son, like the Emperors of Vera used to do? Some bright young boy you could raise up to be your perfect Emperor.”

  “You know full well that neither the nobility nor the clergy will accept that,” Briana responded. “They fought tooth and nail to keep a woman off the throne, they’ll fight even harder against someone who isn’t even a blood relation.”

  A heavy silence followed, within which even Raea’s own breathing seemed oppressively loud.

  “I can’t do it,” Marie finally said. “I can’t. I don’t want a husband, I don’t want children. I wasn’t born for those things. I was born to rule.”

  “Why do you think that you can’t both rule and produce an heir?!” Briana exclaimed, exasperated. “Please, for the sake of the Empire, get married and have a kid. You’re nearly 30 now.”

  “I can’t talk to you about this,” Marie said.

  “You can’t talk to me?” Briana asked. “That’s rich.”

  A surprising conversation for Raea to overhear, and not of little interest to her. But she hadn’t come for that, and it seemed as though the two lovers were reaching an impasse anyway. So she ventured a chance to knock on the door.

  The moment she did she could feel the energy in the room change, even from her position beyond the door. The air became sharper, the atmosphere more tense. An extended silence preceded the response from within.

  “What is it?” Marie called out. “I thought I gave explicit orders not to be bothered.”

  “I don’t care about that,” Raea replied. “I need to talk with you.”

  A response came not in the form of words but footsteps. Raea could hear their approach before the door opened, revealing the Empress, who was looking exceptionally human. She cut a different figure than she did in court, with her hair down, no make up, and a plain looking nightdress in place of the finery Raea had always seen her in before. She was still attractive, beautiful even, but this version seemed more real than the unattainable ideal she presented herself as at court.

  “Astraea?” Marie asked, clearly confused. “What are you doing here?”

  “I have some things I need to talk to you about,” Raea answered.

  “Um, sure,” Marie replied, looking over her shoulder in a way that to the casual observer might have seemed nonchalant, but Raea was sure that she was checking on Briana.

  “Come in, sit, girl” Marie finally said, stepping aside to allow Raea through. She saw no visible trace of Briana as she entered. It was a big bedchamber, though, with plenty of curtains and pieces of furniture for the elf to hide behind. Perhaps even a secret passage or a side room for her to go into.

  “Sit, child, sit,” Marie urged, putting herself at the foot of her large bed.

  “Right,” Raea replied, pulling a chair out from under a nearby desk and sitting in it.

  “What is this about, child?” Marie asked. “Did Cian want something?”

  Shaking her head in response, Raea said, “nah, this is just about me.”

  “Oh, alright then,” Marie replied. “Then what are we discussing?”

  “It’s about everything that happened tonight,” Raea began. “It’s just…argh, there are just so many things running through my head.”

  “I know from the way you reacted that you did not agree with my decision to let that Melos fellow go,” Marie offered. “I gather that you’ve had previous run-ins with him that left you with a sour taste in your mouth, but that is no concern of mine.”

  “What do you mean?” Raea asked. “He’s killed so many people.”

  “Many people have killed others, I can’t concern myself with all of them,” Marie retorted. “As long as Melos was not going to bring harm to myself or my subjects, it was in my best interest to resolve the situation with as little bloodshed as possible. If you have a vendetta with him, it is yours to deal with.”

  “What about Louch?” Raea asked. “You let him go too, even though he betrayed you like the dukes did.”

  “That…was a shock,” Marie admitted. “I never would have guessed that my court fool was in league with traitors, or that he possessed such powers. If I had my way, he’d be as dead as Zacharie, but I decided that avoiding bloodshed was the smarter path.”

  “So even an Empress’ power is limited,” Raea commented. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “Heh, only fools look at a throne and see power,” Marie said with a chuckle. “The wisest among us see a burden. For those of us born to rule, it is a call to action and a demand that we be our best.”

  Raea remained quiet for a period, mulling over what the Empress had said. “Then do you think that you were born to rule?”

  “Yes, I’ve felt that way ever since I was a girl,” Marie answered. “My father was never able to have another child, despite years of trying with my stepmother. After a while it felt as though I was destined for great things, to do something no one had ever done before and wear the Olican crown on my womanly head by my own right.”

  “Do you…” Raea started before the words got caught in her throat. “…see something like that in me?”

  Marie paused for a moment, bringing her hand to her chin as she thought out a response. “In all honesty, I don’t know. When you first arrived at court I feigned interest in you, a way to make Cian’s presence here seem more benign than it was.”

  “So the old man was the one you wanted all along,” Raea surmised.

  “I’d been keeping tabs on Zacharie and Julien’s activities for some time, and suspected that they were planning something,” Marie explained. “When I heard from my spies that Sir Cian, the Hero of the Whisperwater, had arrived in the city, I decided that having him by my side would be a boon for my cause.”

  “But, the catalyst for tonight’s events was you,” Marie continued, her tone turning brighter and more chipper. “I wouldn’t have expected it from some girl from the edge of the world, but it was your actions that determined the course of events. So maybe you do have a great destiny before you. Perhaps that is what piqued Cian’s interest in you.”

  Raea snorted as she privately dismissed the notion of having a destiny, though she decided not to bring it up to the Empress.

  “Did you kill your cousins because they got in the way of your destiny?” she asked.

  “I didn’t kill them. Officially, anyway,” Marie replied before a glimmer of sadness came up in her eye. “Growing up, Aldric and Zacharie were more like brothers than cousins to me. My father thought that I was lonely without siblings, so he would often have them stay at the palace with us. If I had my way, I would have ruled as I was destined to, then passed the crown on to them and their heirs. Shame they couldn’t see that.”

  “I thought you were born to rule,” Raea commented. “Why let your cousins get the crown in the end?”

  “Because Aldric was born to rule too,” Marie answered. “He was kind, bright, charming, a great swordsman and general — everything an Emperor is supposed to be. Everyone loved him, most of all me.” She laughed and smiled as her eyes stopped looking at the present to go back into her memories. “I once told my father that I wanted to marry Aldric, at an age when children don’t quite understand the full implications of such a statement.” Her smile remained, but it shifted just enough to make it melancholic. “Even when I realized that marriage was never meant to be for us, I thought that we’d bring the Empire to new heights together. Instead, he taught me a valuable lesson.”

  “What was that?” Raea asked.

  “That destiny is not something that is handed out to each person in perfect proportions,” Marie explained. “It is an uneven thing that people often have to share, and there isn’t always room for everyone. Aldric and I were both born to rule, but there was only one throne to rule from.”

  “I see,” Raea said, leaning back in her seat. She sat there for a moment, trying to think of any more questions she could ask this one of a kind woman, the one and only Empress of Olica. She took a deep breath as she realized that she had nothing more to add to the conversation and pulled herself to her feet.

  “Thank you for speaking with me,” the girl said. “Even if I’m not supposed to really be here.”

  “Think nothing of it,” Marie replied with a smile. “Part of my payment to Cian is your education, after all.”

  “Speaking of people who are not supposed to be here,” Raea added, “Briana can be a bit of a harsh taskmaster, but I think she has your best interests at heart.” She turned around and walked out of Marie’s bedchambers before there was any chance for a response. She only caught a glimpse of Marie Blachard’s shocked face as she spun away from the Empress.

  Raea kept walking, out of the suite, past the guards, and back to her own bedchamber where she finally fell asleep. The questions in her head weren’t completely answered, but she felt she had something resembling a direction to find them. For the moment, that was enough.