Chapter 13

Mereruka supposed it’d been at least a few days since the malcontents among the fae had tried anything. Bas was too busy looking into the backgrounds of various noble ladies to spy on his enemies. In retrospect, it had been a poor use of his limited resources.

The enormous beast mage Strategos Marduk approached him with Djadty at his side, deep in conversation. He’d gone on alert as the red-ochre-skinned fae smiled his crocodile grin at him, his white hair and sharp blue eyes shining. Djadty was one of the king’s many royal guards, though one of the least favoured, ostensibly in charge of the safety of the diplomatic mission. Mereruka was certain the only one Djadty meant to keep from real harm was himself. A quick glance at his other enemies—the scribe Raemka and the quiet treasury official Itu—with their amused glances, confirmed his suspicions.

“Prince Mereruka, your man Djadty tells me that you enjoy regular sparring. If it pleases you, you’re welcome to join my men during our practice tomorrow morning. We’ll take care to replace our steel with more appropriate metals.”

He was about to politely decline when Domina Chloe Emerald’s eyes sparkled with interest. She’d kept close to him since he’d met with another woman a few days past. Even now, her hand was tucked into the crook of his arm and every starry-eyed woman who approached was quickly glared into a hasty retreat.

“How splendid! I’m sure many at court are keen to see what you and your men are capable of, Prince Mereruka. If you’ll allow it, I would be happy to organize such an event,” Chloe said.

“I can’t speak for the prince, but I assure you I would happily participate,” Djadty added.

“I suppose such a thing could be arranged with a few of my men,” Marduk said.

“Wonderful! Of course, we must defer to your preferences, Prince Mereruka.” Domina Emerald smiled demurely.

With few polite options left to him that wouldn’t have him looking like every kind of spoilsport, Mereruka gritted his teeth and smiled. He was beginning to worry that Chloe was not a suitable candidate after all, if she couldn’t read the situation between him and the other fae by now.

“I look forward to seeing what Lethe has to offer.”

“As do I. Strategos, if you like, you could have a look at our weapons. I think you’ll find our metal a vast improvement to steel,” Djadty said to Marduk.

Mereruka spent the rest of the evening stewing over what Djadty had planned. Would Djadty try to maim him during combat? No, that would be too easy, too obvious. Was it a distraction to keep him occupied while Raemka and Itu set some other scheme in motion?

He turned over possibilities in his mind but came to no obvious conclusions save one—tomorrow, he had to overcome whatever obstacle they placed in his way. When Bas returned that evening with information, he feared none of it would help him in the trial to come.

“So? Which lady do you want to hear about first?” Bas asked.

“Surprise me, but be brief. I need you to try to find out what Djadty has planned for tomorrow during a sparring event,” Mereruka said.

Bas snorted.

“You don’t need a spy to tell you that. Djadty only ever has one plan—kill it with the pointy end.”

“If he were my only enemy on this mission, I would agree, but Raemka and Itu will have also had a hand in this.”

Bas shrugged.

“Maybe the sword is poisoned? What are you really worried about? You made them swear not to leave the continent without you alive and well, right?”

“I…did.” Mereruka paused as he recalled his exact words. “Shit.”

No, he hadn’t.

“What?”

“I might have forgotten to specify what condition I had to be in.”

“Shit! How could you forget that?”

Gods, he didn’t know. No, that was a lie. He knew full well he’d let himself get overconfident after he’d cowed them all by killing the trade minister. Too busy thinking about how they planned to force him to wed a barbarian or strand him, he hadn’t considered that they might have the moxie to murder him outright. In Maat, no one with killing intent had ever been able to approach him, save perhaps his brothers. That the fae here treated him with disdain was not unexpected, given they followed Khety’s every whim in hopes of advancement. But if they also had secretive orders to kill him if it looked like he might return? He’d erred to think Khety would always be so discreet with his hostility.

“Okay, okay.” Bas began pacing. “Most of the delegation is neutral anyway. The trade minister is dead, and he was easily the worst of them. That leaves Djadty, Raemka and Itu, maybe one or two of their subordinates.”

“If the blade is poisoned, I believe the empress could be of some assistance. She is well versed in such things,” Mereruka said.

“He won’t attack you with iron, since he can’t touch it himself,” Bas added.

“We hope.” Mereruka shivered in revulsion at the mere memory of it. If Djadty had a shapeshifter in his bloodline, he might have inherited a tolerance for the poisonous metal while remaining fae in appearance. After all, the soldier was not well known for his magical prowess, just his physical one. “I suppose that leaves us with the final possibility—a cursed blade.”

“I’d like to see the stupid look on his face when it doesn’t work,” Bas grinned.

Mereruka nodded. Thanks to the many counter-curses Mereruka hid beneath his glamour, it was nigh impossible for such a trick to work on him.

“All the same, secure the waters of the Hapi. Khety wouldn’t have been able to send a voyage out without some on board.”

Bas nodded.

There was a reason Maat was wealthy beyond measure, and it wasn’t that its nobles never cheated on their taxes or that they had more gold than similarly wealthy kingdoms. No, it was the control of the Hapi River. Blessed by some forgotten god with a love of the fae, its waters could cure what no magic could—iron poisoning. Maat’s royals were tasked with guarding it jealously and at any cost, no matter how cold-hearted or miserly the fae living outside Maat found that.

“Alright, tell me what you’ve learned today,” Mereruka said.

“Mages prize elemental gifts above all and look down on the rest. Those without elemental magic are called menials. Or ferals, which I think refers to the ones that look like shapeshifters. I don’t think they use the term to refer to shapeshifters in their animal forms who’ve gone mad, like we do. I don’t even think they know what shapeshifters are.” Bas shook his head at the absurdity of it all. “Domina Chloe Emerald is the second daughter of Magister Emerald and sister to Magistra Zoe Jade. Jade was once the apple of her father’s eye until several months ago when it came to light that she didn’t possess elemental magic. Since then, the magister’s favour has shifted to Chloe, who has become one of the most desirable bachelorettes in Lethe, owing to her family’s long history, wealth, and status as one of the most powerful families, barring the emperor’s own. No known scandals.”

So Taisiya had chosen a truly ambitious woman for him. She was taking that aspect of their deal seriously, though whether or not his wife had one of these elemental gifts meant next to nothing to him. No matter what magic she possessed, it would pale in comparison to all that even the youngest fae child could do.

“And the ambassador?”

“Illustra Taisiya Spark, third of five surviving siblings, all lightning elemental mages. Previously engaged to a son of the neighbouring governor. Mother, Illustra Oxsana Spark, currently a recluse in mourning. Theodore is the eldest child, a known pushover and a bureaucrat. Daria is next, a bit severe but expected to be engaged to one of the emperor’s cousins. Sonya is younger, a social butterfly, also soon to be engaged to a cousin of the emperor. Milena is the youngest, unruly and engaged to Lethe’s most prominent admiral. Not much else to tell that you don’t already know through gossip and rumours. They kept mostly within their former lands, and their connections and wealth vanished a year ago.”

It didn’t tell him much of use. He wanted to curse.

“Alright, look in on Djadty and the others. Any warning of what’s to come would be a great help.”

“I want extra compensation for this. I’ll be up all night at this rate,” Bas complained.

Mereruka raised his violet brow.

“Shall I remind you how difficult you were to house-train as a kitten? How many priceless pieces of imported cedar furniture you clawed to ribbons?”

“No,” Bas mumbled, chagrined.

“Then go. And be careful.”

Bas rolled his eyes.

“I’m always careful.”

He shifted and was gone a moment later. Mereruka had nothing to do but wait.

Dawn greeted Mereruka unexpectedly. He’d tried to stay awake the night before, but he’d fallen asleep waiting for Bas to return, his jewellery and clothes leaving creases in his skin and a kink in his lower back.

“Shit.”

“Prince Mereruka? I’ve come to escort you to the training grounds.”

A polite knocking on his door signalled the beginning of his ordeal. Without any information from Bas, he would need to keep a clear, level head.

Mereruka soon found himself standing in fae armour inspecting the soldiers who had volunteered to participate in the sparring. It was mutually agreed upon that only those who could tolerate fae presence should participate. Mages of all kinds were forced to excuse themselves, and in the end, only a few remained.

Domina Emerald had been overly modest about her plans, for arranged around the sparring ring were intricate, earthen stands, with green, gold and deep red banners looped around the colonnades, turning the whole of it into an arena. There were even servants carrying trays of food and pitchers of wine. It was quite the feat of engineering—social and structural. The emperor and empress had decided to attend, along with most of the fae and a number of highly placed nobles. Taisiya and her sisters were scattered throughout, while those who had an aversion to his kind were seated furthest from the centre of the action and the seats that held his people.

Chloe softened out the creases in her lively mint dress, one blending the styles of Maat and Lethe, and stood to announce the beginning of the event. Mereruka and the others expected to fight stood in the centre of the ring.

“I would like to thank our generous hosts, Emperor Belisarius and Empress Selene, for agreeing to allow this bit of sport, and for our new friends from Maat for humouring us by participating. So that nothing gets too out of hand, I’d like to ask that no magic be performed during the matches.”

Mereruka smiled and bowed in acquiescence.

“Are there any other handicaps you would like to insist on?” Djadty asked.

“I don’t believe so, unless Your Majesties have anything to add?”

The imperial couple waved them all on.

“Excellent!”

Djadty touched the rune hidden at the base of his skull. His second set of arms sprouted from his back. A few of the fae in attendance hissed while the mages were caught between morbid shock and confusion at the fae reaction. Mereruka kept his face neutral.

Under different circumstances, Mereruka might have pitied the soldier, a victim of high-born fae prejudice against the use of runes and tattoos. It was a foolish one at that, and borne from the snobbery that the bodies of royalty, nobles and those who associated with them must be free of the marks of mercenaries and low-born malefactors who had failed to master high magics. Djadty was one of the few such individuals allowed to walk the halls of the king’s palaces so marked, and only because he was devoted to Khety.

Djadty flexed his four arms and tossed his swords between his hands.

“If this is to be a true competition, there should be a prize! Perhaps our Prince of Dreams will agree to grant a wish to the ultimate winner of the sparring matches.”

What in the hells was this about? Was this the trap?

“And yet I am a participant. Who is to grant me a boon if I win?” Mereruka asked.

Djadty shrugged.

“Don’t be stingy, Your Tranquility. Grant a mage of your choosing a wish instead. Maybe our generous hosts, or the lovely mage who put this event together? If, of course, it pleases the emperor and empress.” Djadty bowed.

“It pleases us,” the empress called down with a grin.

“How could I refuse?” Mereruka smiled at the hopeful look coming from Chloe.

It seemed Djadty was vying for the top spot on his list of troublesome people to do away with. So be it. If this were all he had planned for the day, then Mereruka simply needed to prevent the soldier from winning that boon.