Chapter 20

“She’s definitely going to try to kill you after the ceremony, if her family doesn’t first,” Bas drawled as he lay on Mereruka’s bed, his arms crossed behind his head.

Mereruka chuckled. He was soaking in the bathing pool, relaxing after a very satisfying morning. The many fae of the delegation were busy expending vast amounts of magic festooning the palace with the appropriate decorations. All, of course, after the very flustered and queasy praetor had hastily agreed to allow the use of the space, if only to get Mereruka out of his presence.

“Maybe. I’ll just have to convince her that being Queen of Maat is better than being a wealthy ambassador of the Cursed Continent.”

“Do you really think she’s the descendent of a dragon?” Bas asked.

“A very distant one, if she is. It’s more likely her people found the graveyard and claimed a relationship once they discovered some of the heart’s properties.”

He hoped he was wrong though. Even a far-distant relative of a dragon was good lineage by Maat’s exacting standards.

“You’re going to have to make it up to her, this whole shady bargain business. Otherwise, she might just let you make her queen and then decide she doesn’t need you.”

Mereruka laughed.

“Maat would never accept a lone mage ruling a kingdom of fae and shifters.”

“Just like they’d never accept a tattooed fae as their king?” Bas retorted.

“That’s fair.” Mereruka grimaced. Some traditions needed to die, and that was one of them. Thankfully, he knew who he had to kill to put it to bed for good. All in good time. “Enough lounging. Let’s show these uncultured mages what a real royal wedding looks like.”

The whole of the palace had been overrun by strange and awesome magics. Pillars had been replaced by moss-covered, breathing giants, rearing golden horses, curiously silent, rainbow-hued waterfalls and other fantastical creations. The walls themselves were splashed with vibrant new colours in swirling motifs. The ceilings radiated daylight. The floors had become a living, moving scene of a tranquil, decorative pond, complete with brightly coloured, swimming fish and the illusion of ripples wherever one stepped. Strange and fragrant florals had sprouted within the past hour, perfuming the halls. The very air seemed to sparkle with gold dust and various crushed jewels. The mages of Lethe were, almost to a man, captivated with childlike wonder or struck with terrible fear.

Taisiya considered the beautiful fae wedding decorations and the festive atmosphere to be no more than hideous deceit. What would become the main processional hallway had been repainted with lies, a story told in moving paintings of a courtship that had never taken place, of a gallant prince and a swooning redhead. She would kill him for that alone. Magister Emerald would never forgive her. If she ever returned, she would never live down the shame of being a husband-stealing would-be matchmaker.

There was no joy in her heart on her wedding day, only sick trepidation at what lay ahead. And fury.

Milena picked at the airy fabrics of the twenty teal wedding gowns arrayed on mannequins and crammed into their receiving parlour, each in that flowing, revealing style favoured by the fae women of Maat. Zephyros knocked on the door and entered.

“Did you bring it, Zeph?” Milena asked.

“Yes.”

Taisiya sighed.

“Alright, sit down and grab a spoke each. Vasilisa hasn’t returned yet.”

Vasilisa was still busy hunting down a man who would hopefully divulge the name of his master. Taisiya wished to be rid of the bastard whose actions had forced her into this damned sham of a wedding. It was only a shame she hadn’t been present to feed Mereruka to the void.

Zephyros pulled a large silver ring with a number of sharp spokes from his satchel. They sat down in an informal circle and grabbed one handle each. It was spelled to ensure only those touching it would hear the words they spoke. With Vasilisa gone, Taisiya couldn’t be certain there wouldn’t be any spies present.

“As you probably guessed, I was the boon he demanded,” Taisiya began.

“Why didn’t you kill him?” Milena asked.

“You mean aside from not wanting to start a war?” Zephyros asked.

“Aside from that, my magic is sealed so long as my intent is to harm him. I can’t even pick up a knife. My fingers go numb and it slips from my hand every time I try. I can’t do anything to harm him until the marriage ceremony is complete, or so he says,” Taisiya answered.

“We’re not restricted by that, though,” Milena pointed out.

“Still a potential for war,” Zephyros said.

“You’re right. My options, as I see them, are these: first, he suffers an accident shortly after the wedding since we know they can die by lightning. Second, I bear with it until I establish myself in Maat, then kill him. Or, third, when we undoubtedly meet the king, I make a deal for my trade rights in return for turning Mereruka in as a traitor.”

“He’s a traitor?” Zephyros asked.

“I don’t rightly know, but it doesn’t really matter,” Taisiya replied.

“Ah.” Zephyros looked uncomfortable.

“Whatever you need, we’ll help you, Taisiya. No one fucks with our family,” Milena said. “I’m just glad you have an extra dose of lightning. You’ll need it in Maat if this wedding is any indication of their real powers.”

“Extra dose?” Zephyros asked.

“Oh, right. So much has happened lately,” Milena said.

“You haven’t told him?” Taisiya asked.

“Told me what?” Zephyros raised a quizzical brow.

“We were willing participants in father’s ritual,” Taisiya began. “He studied it more than the other magisters suspected, and rewrote it when I agreed to it to ensure, when he died, that I would receive my magic back as well as his. Before I die, we’ll use the ritual again, and hand down this combined power to the next lightning mage heir. If I die unexpectedly, Daria is spelled as the next heir.”

“So…”

“Yep! We’re dirty traitors. Father just wanted our kingdom back, but now that it won’t happen, we’ve decided to just take the empire one marriage and heir at a time.” Milena smiled.

Zephyros sighed.

“Not so different from the islands, or at least, some of the islanders. Don’t say anything to Charis. She really believes in the whole unity of Lethe nonsense.”

“I knew you’d understand.” Milena kissed his cheek.

“If you’re serious about it, then the best place for an accident is on the open sea. I can convince the strategos to allow a vessel or two to provide an escort at least some of the way to Maat. A lightning bolt makes a good signal that you want to be brought back, and it isn’t an uncommon occurrence at sea. The men who serve under me are loyal to me first and foremost. If I say the ship went down and you were the only survivor, they’ll corroborate it,” Zephyros said.

“Thank you, Zephyros.” Taisiya breathed easy for the first time since she’d received Chloe’s letter. She could still turn this horrible situation around.

Zephyros smiled, lighting up his handsome face.

“Well, we’re family now, aren’t we?”

Mereruka watched as Taisiya marched down the aisle like a defiant prisoner to their execution. She didn’t look upon him as a bride looks upon her intended groom. The violent promise in her eyes left no room for the pretence of willingness. No, when Taisiya looked at him with her amethyst eyes, he could almost see her calculating just how long she needed to be wed to him before it was seemly to become a widow. It was the first time he began to doubt the genius of his scheme where she was concerned.

If nothing else, she was undoubtedly the best-dressed woman in the whole of Lethe, in a flowing teal gown that covered her skin in fabric but did nothing to hide every nuance of the form beneath. A spectacular crown in teal, purple and gold sat upon her head, birds’ wings, lush lotus blooms and iridescent butterfly wing decorations framing her pretty face.

Despite his initial concerns, the majority of the ceremony went off without incident. His and Taisiya’s hands were bound by a strip of glittering red silk as Raemka was forced to smile and recite all the well wishes and blessings. Unfortunately, the scribe had one last trick up his sleeve.

“King Khety of Maat has generously provided vows for the prince and new princess consort to recite. If you will repeat after me, Your Tranquility?” Raemka’s smile turned predatory.

Mereruka debated how it would look to kill the officiant at his own wedding.

“I, Prince Mereruka of the Land of Maat, swear to bind my life to that of Princess Consort Taisiya Spark, so that I may spend all my days with her,” Raemka recited.

Bloody hells! They meant to kill him by letting her short life drag him into an early grave. He looked at Taisiya, her brow rising as he stalled. Was she worth sharing all his extra bargained years with? She was vicious, witty, pretty and powerful, no doubt. But he’d have to collect centuries more, just so that they lived the normal length of a fae life together, to say nothing of the many extra centuries he’d planned on living. Suddenly, this whole marriage business was a lot more serious.

“Prince Mereruka? Would you like me to repeat the vow?” Raemka smiled.

He tried to object but found his mouth sealed. The hooks of the original word-as-bond spell he’d been forced to recite reared their ugly heads. Only now he recalled saying he would both obey the king’s commands as well as take a wife. Tricky bastard. Mereruka swore to make Khety’s death a slow one.

Damn. So be it. He hoped Taisiya really was the descendent of a dragon. She’d need the ferocity of one to survive the fae court in the long term.

“I, Prince Mereruka, of the Land of Maat, swear to bind my life to that of Princess Consort Taisiya Spark, so that I may spend all my days with her,” Mereruka said.

He felt the bonds of the spell wrap around him.

“If you will, Princess Consort Taisiya?” Raemka said.

“I, Princess Consort Taisiya Spark of Lethe, the Empire of Mages, swear to bind my life to that of Prince Mereruka, so that I may spend all my days with him.”

Mereruka waited for the spell to claim him, but felt nothing. In fact, the bonds dissipated. If the reactions of his fellow fae were any indication, none of them suspected a thing. But what had it been?

He looked into her stormy amethyst eyes and did his best not to laugh with triumph as the truth hit him.

Her true name was Taisiya Dragonsblood, and no vow as sacred as a life-binding could be sworn using a false one. The fae didn’t know her true name, nor had they used spell sight to confirm his entrapment. Taisiya didn’t know how fae vows were made, so he could use this as a means to ensure his own survival once the marks of their deal faded.

Mereruka revelled in his unparalleled victory.

The emperor and empress approached them from their position on the thrones, bedecked in red finery of every kind and a pair of truly monstrous crowns.

“I, Empress Selene,” the empress said as she stood beside Taisiya and just a little behind her.

“And I, Emperor Belisarius,” the emperor said as he took up a spot behind Mereruka, yet still visible to the gathered crowd.

“Give our blessings to this union,” they said in unison and placed their hands over those of himself and Taisiya.

Mereruka hadn’t expected this part of the ceremony, and so had failed to prepare for it. As the emperor’s skin touched his own, Mereruka’s glamour broke—everywhere on his body. The fae present gasped and hissed, and even Taisiya’s eyes widened with shock. Mereruka’s skin, covered in glowing yellow tattoos to enhance his magic many times over, to protect him from harm, marking him like the basest of mercenaries not fit to enter the home of any noble, had been revealed to friend and foe alike.

The number of people he needed to silence before he reached Maat had just increased exponentially.

“Fuck.”