“Have you heard from your brother yet?” Shiver shifted in the corner of his cell, trying to find the least uncomfortable spot in the filthy straw that was currently his pitiful excuse for a mattress.
“Don’t be stupid father, Eden is not one of us anymore.”
“He is still my son, and your brother, whether you like him or not, Rowan. When did you last see him?”
“He went off fawning over that Sha’sekian aberration before she left. I haven’t seen him since, though no doubt he’s moping around, somewhere appropriate for his rank.”
Shiver shuffled to his feet, groaning as his knees ached in protest. His body was suffering in the damp cold in the cells underneath the castle proper; he needed to get out of here, and soon. He approached the bars to face his eldest son. “You might be the acting Lord of Sevenspells right now, but remember that Eden is my chosen captain of the guard, and he’s just had a hand in saving the king’s life. Don’t talk lightly of him, it’s not safe to do so.”
“Saved his life from you, you mean, father? If you’d held your side of the bargain with a bit more grace, you’d be on the throne already.”
“It wasn’t me that was the problem. I’ll tell the king it was all the baron’s doing. I’ll say I was manipulated by that girl, with her powers. He’ll have to believe me.”
“That’s the easy part; I’ve never seen such a clear case for a hanging in my life. But, there will still be a trial—a public one—so we all need to make sure our stories are the same to keep your head out of the hangman’s noose.”
“My head? If the king figures out just how far our plans went, you will be joining me there, son. So you make sure you keep both of your brothers in your sight, and that they have no idea that you know exactly what I was doing with the baron. We can still make our way out of this, we just need to keep our wits about us.
“Without that empath of his, Sammah is near to useless and he’s going to the gallows, whether he likes it or not. What we need to do now, is make sure that Vance knows it was Sha’sek that was a problem. There was always going to be a war. Sammah thought he could just sit there and take this throne, but he was wrong. I was always going to sit on the throne, Rowan, and when the time came, I’d take Sha’sek, like we should have done years ago. The islands are weak, and so is Vance. They both need the iron fist of Sevenspells ruling these people, not that puppet.” Shiver spat, and felt the warmth of adrenalin circle his tiring body. He needed to keep hold of that fire to get through this storm.
Rowan, his dark hair sleek and brushed back, a warm mink pelt around his shoulders, looked through the bars at his father with a poorly-veiled sneer of superiority. Shiver, the lord of Sevenspells, hadn’t been put in the same gaol as the pale, stinking peasants in the city. He had at least been afforded the luxury of a chamber with a brazier, and a rudimentary bed. He hadn’t been chained to the walls, though the threat of shackles hung ever-present against the wall, should the lord ever misbehave. He was being fed, and was at least being given the respect due his rank. He was however guilty of treason, and so this isolated room would be his home until the trial was over.
Rowan smirked. “I do wonder, father, what’s actually stopping me from supporting King Vance now? The whole idea was to gain more power, and with you in this position, if I gain Vance’s trust now then I have a direct route to the throne. What’s to stop me from taking it all for myself?”
Shiver’s brow darkened at Rowan’s words, and he struggled to keep his anger in check. Keep it he did, though, because he didn’t want to alert the guards, who had been bribed to leave them alone whenever Rowan visited. “You listen to me, you upstart, you don’t do anything without my say-so. You might be my heir, but you’ve forgotten who else is involved in this plot.” Rowan paled a little, and Shiver smiled a thin, mean grin. “Yes, your mother. What can she do from there that I can’t do from here? Lady Petra has access to more…resources shall we say.
“And don’t forget, she’s a lot more experienced at this game than you are, Rowan. A messenger should arrive from Sevenspells in the next couple of days, and you’re going to be the first person he comes to see. Make sure that you drop anything—and I mean anything that you’re doing—in order to receive this messenger. Listen to everything he has to say, and make sure you follow his instructions to the letter. If you don’t, I’ll find another son, who can follow my simple requests. Do I make myself clear?”
Rowan gulped, his position made clear. “Yes, my lord. Unquestionably.”
“Good. I knew I put my faith in you for a reason.”