"Who in the Mother's name is letting people through?" Ilara bellowed from the golden throne.
A woman with gray hair was visibly trembling as she stood in front of Ilara. I'd been summoned to speak with the queen, but when I'd arrived, Ilara had barely gotten a word in before we'd been interrupted by this harried-looking messenger.
"I-I'm sorry, Y-your Majesty," the woman stammered, taking a step back.
Vernice placed a calming hand over Ilara's and whispered something to her. Ilara glared angrily at her councilor, but then seemed to relax a little.
"Tell me what you know," she snapped.
"T-there have been about fifty ships in the past week," the messenger said, twisting her hands together "Th-the gate master said that all of them had…well, they had your seal. A-apparently, it was stolen a few weeks ago and someone used it to…"
I tried not to smile. Brynna's handiwork, perhaps? But Ilara's fury was palpable, and I said a small prayer for whomever had allowed it to occur.
"Who's in charge there?" Ilara said. "In Skorsa?"
The messenger cowered before the queen, her gaze falling to the ground. "I believe, Your Majesty, that it was the local mayor, Kelsor—"
"Have him hanged," she snapped. "Or thrown into the river, I don't care. But I want him gone."
The messenger nodded.
"And I want it clear—explicitly—that the gates are to be opened for no one." She sniffed loudly, pacing in front of her chair. "Vernice, what about Neveri?"
She started. "What about Neveri?"
"Are ships coming and going from there?" she asked.
"I…I haven't heard they are," she said. "But I assume not—"
Ilara stopped in the middle of the room, and dread dripped down the back of my spine as I predicted what she would say next.
"Give the order, Lady Vernice. I would like the gate at Neveri closed. Permanently."
I said a silent prayer as Vernice gasped in horror.
"Close the gate at Neveri, Your Highness?" Vernice said with a nervous laugh. "I must object."
"Oh, of course you object," Ilara snapped, looking more like a toddler than a queen. "You're more loyal to Kulka than to me."
"I am Forcadelian first," Vernice said, her cheeks flaming. "But Neveri…those gates were never meant to be closed. I'm not even sure they can—"
"Then I suggest you find out," she said.
She licked her lips. "But more importantly, if you close the gates in Neveri, you will permanently cut off trade between Kulka and Forcadel. It could cause repercussions with our alliances—"
"What alliances?" she asked. "Neshua has not accepted me as queen. What do I care if I close my border to him?"
Vernice opened and closed her mouth, looking to me for help. But I was smarter than to get in the middle of this.
Ilara crossed her arms over her chest. "Prepare a trip to Neveri. I want to watch those gates close with my own eyes. Remind the people who's queen." She pointed her finger at the messenger. "Find Maarit and tell her to get a boat ready. We're leaving this afternoon."
"Of course," the woman said, clearly ecstatic to be released from the room. As she passed me, Ilara's attentions finally landed and I girded myself for more of her anger.
"Where were we, Felix?" she asked, her anger evaporating in the space of a few minutes. When a smile curled onto her face, my stomach dropped. "I had called you to discuss the number of soldiers we had in the city as of late. But…it appears a solution has dropped itself in my lap."
"Ma'am?" I said.
"You will reassign the newly graduated cadets to Neveri," she said, without missing a beat. "You and Lieutenant Kellis are to accompany me to the city to get them settled." She smiled. "Unless you have any objections?"
I hated to lose fifty soldiers, especially ones I'd had a close hand in training, but I couldn't see a better place for them. Out of sight, out of mind.
"No, Your Majesty. We'll make arrangements shortly."
Neveri was the one speck of dry land in a seemingly never-ending marsh. Its position close to the mouth of the Vanhoja river and nearness to the Kulkan border made it a strategic asset to Forcadel. Most ships from the farming country took their passage through the gates then to Neveri, before continuing down to the city of Forcadel.
Unlike Skorsa's gate, which was easily lifted and lowered, Neveri's doors were only to be closed in times of great peril to Forcadel. In the six hundred years since they'd been built, there had been no peril so great.
Ilara, however, was using them to satisfy her own whims. It made me sick. Still, I could say nothing that the entire Council hadn't already attempted. Even Ilara's mild-mannered Severian aide had tried, but she wasn't to be dissuaded.
When her ship sidled up to the dock in Neveri, a crowd had already gathered—egged on, presumably, by the Severian guards who stood behind them. None of them seemed pleased to be there.
"Announcing Her Highness, Queen Ilara Hipolita Särkkä of the Kingdom of Severia," Maarit called to the crowd.
None of the Forcadelian crowed moved to bow.
"Is the custom in this nation not to bow before your queen?" Ilara bellowed. "Or are you just deaf?"
The Severian guards turned to the villagers, and some went for their swords. I gripped the ledge of the ship, knowing I was outnumbered, but I wouldn't let Ilara kill innocents because they wouldn't bow to her. But, after a tense moment, one by one, they showed deference.
"That's better," Ilara said, walking off the ship with her head held high. "Clearly, this city is in need of guidance," Ilara said to Maarit. "I look forward to seeing what you'll do here."
My eyes widened as hope surged through my veins. Maarit was being reassigned to Neveri? It was almost too good to be true.
"I plan to establish a real curfew," Maarit said. "And we will inspect every carriage that comes in and out of this city and document visitors and citizens alike. This city will become a model for what Forcadel could be."
"Hm." Ilara turned to me. "Are you mandating that visitors be documented, Captain Llobrega?"
"I am not," I replied. Mostly because I thought it to be illegal, immoral, and a complete disrespect of everything Forcadel stood for. "I don't believe it's an effective use of time. We get so many visitors, between the ships coming in and out, the travelers on foot—it would be a nightmare trying to keep it all straight."
"I see." Ilara turned back to the front. "I suppose I can understand that. This city is much smaller. But perhaps if Captain Maarit can get this city to behave, she might be able to help you with Forcadel."
With their backs turned, I chanced a look up to the Mother for help then over to Riya on the other side of the ship. As long as I maintained control of the guards in the castle, Maarit would never take over the city entirely. But I prayed for those souls in this city for what was about to come to them.
We rode into the city, the crowds of people lining the streets to see the queen, but nary a friendly face amongst them. I'd been to Neveri once, as a young cadet accompanying August and his father as they met with the Kulkan king. Then, my role had been as playmate and psuedo-chaperone to the young prince, although we'd managed to escape our guards and run around a bit before we'd gotten caught. The city was as unfamiliar to me now as it had been then, but even still, I could tell things were different.
"Felix, what do you think of Neveri?" Ilara asked, looking over her shoulder. "Is it not the most disgusting city you've ever laid eyes on?"
"It has its charms. Perhaps you just need to see more of it." I kept my gaze forward, looking for trouble, and somewhat hoping for it. I glanced to the rooftops, searching for a glimpse of a mask and a cloak. But she was on the other side of the country; she wouldn't be here in Neveri.
And yet…
My breath caught in my throat at the sight of Brynna staring back at me. It was one of those coronation posters that had been commissioned, but they'd turned it into a memorial. A hundred candles had been placed around the poster, hanging from the wall in the marketplace. Women passed by, bowing their heads in prayer, and a few wiping away tears.
"Maarit," Ilara said in a clipped tone.
"Of course," Maarit said, looking behind her to where Jorad stood. "You, take this down."
He hesitated, looking to me for guidance. Clenching my jaw, I nodded slightly. Still, he moved slower than he should have as he approached the memorial.
I watched the crowd instead of the destruction, feeling every flinch and angry cry in my gut. This town was already loosely in her grip; if she wasn't careful, she'd squeeze them right into mutiny.
"There," Ilara said, adjusting herself in the saddle. "Your new queen is here now. No need to mourn the old one."
Either she was stupid or oblivious, because the death glares she got in return were telling enough.
After making sure the local innkeeper at the Wicked Duck was well-versed in Ilara's tastes, Riya and I settled downstairs to drown our sorrows in a bottle of whiskey. After all, I wasn't going to take a break from my alcoholism just because I was traveling. Or so I'd tell them.
But seeing Brynna's memorial torn down—along with knowing what we'd witness tomorrow when the gates closed—had settled poorly in my stomach. My gaze caught on a painting of Neveri on the wall; open and free, the river filled with boats of all shapes and sizes.
"I can't believe she's really going to do it," Riya said. "Does she not know people are going to starve if we can't get food from Kulka?"
"Hopefully, this won't last very long," I said, but even I had my doubts. It had been weeks since I'd seen Brynna, and I had no idea where she was. I'd been debating whether to tell her that Brynna was alive, and hopefully amassing an army the likes of which had never been seen. But as much as I trusted Riya, the more people who knew, the more risk I would introduce. And Brynna needed all the help she could get.
"I hope Jo didn't go out under the mask," she said softly. "I'm worried about her back there with Coyle. You don't think he'll just arrest her without proof, do you?"
"Things aren't that bad yet," I said. "And if he did, I'd intervene. I'd rather her think it's me than pin it on any of you."
She sighed and shook her head. "I'm worried, though. Coyle might—"
"It'll be all right. The sun always rises," I said, looking at my hands. "Maybe if I'm lucky, Ilara will reassign me here, too."
"Don't say that," Riya replied, pouring herself another drink. "You may not see the writing on the wall, Felix, but I do. Assigning your guards here puts them out of your purview."
"There are still Forcadelians back home," I said.
"For how long?" Riya replied. "She's trying to isolate you so that when she does take you out, there'll be no one left in the city to give a crap."
I opened my mouth and poured the whiskey down, enjoying the burn. "Then I'll do what I can to protect the city until that day comes."
The next morning, nursing something of a hangover, I accompanied Ilara and Maarit on the riverboat toward the gates to witness their closing. Riya and I had commiserated as much as we could the night before, but as we departed the dock, I couldn't help the pang of sadness that echoed from my chest.
The river gates rose out of the dense fog, and a light drizzle fell on the deck. They were made of Niemenian iron, which didn't rust in the brackish water in which it sat. There were two gate houses and large, black chains that rested in the river on either side. Gearworks inside the fortresses used water to pull the chain either way—or so I read in a book once. Now, a long line of warships sat in the mouth of the river, preventing entry from the sea beyond.
"Close them," Ilara said with a smile.
Maarit waved her hand, and a loud blast of trumpet echoed toward the shore.
After a few moments of silence, there was a groaning in the distance, and the water rippled. The chains that had been hanging for generations tightened, rising out of the water as the hydraulics in the gate houses pulled them taut. Once they were straight, the gate itself moved, almost imperceptibly at first, and then the edges drifted toward the center. My heart pounded as the gap between the two sides grew smaller.
The edges of the gate met in the center, sending a ripple across the water that reverberated through my body. Forcadel was truly closed now, and I could only hope we weren't causing irreversible damage to what was once a proud, prosperous country.
A palpable exhalation echoed from those onboard the ship as the waves settled, and three of the Forcadelian guards looked away from the sight.
"There now," Ilara said with a triumphant smile. "Let's see any ships get past that."
"Very good, Your Majesty," Maarit said.
"I expect a weekly report," Ilara said. "Perhaps you can have Lieutenant Kellis pen it."
I started, sharing a look with Riya, who seemed as confused as I was. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty?" she asked.
"Oh, I suppose I forgot to mention it," Ilara said with a look that said she hadn't forgotten at all. "I'm reassigning you to Captain Maarit's command here in Neveri. Felix seems to have things under control in Forcadel." She smiled at me. "I hope you can spare her. I've sent your other lieutenant, Joella, to help in Skorsa."
At that, I couldn't mask my surprise. "When?"
"I assume she's already on a boat. Coyle recommended her," she said, a smile curling on her face. "After all, she's one of the best, because she's one of yours. Isn't that right?"
Fury shot through my veins, and it took everything inside me not to rip my sword out and fling it at her. Riya had gone pale, too, but maintained her cool. They'd been inseparable since childhood, and now they'd be on opposite sides of the country. There was no need for it, either. Just cruelty.
"Of course," I forced out. "Whatever you need, Your Majesty."
She quirked a brow, and with every inch of me on fire with disgust and hatred, I pressed my fist to my breast and bowed slightly.
The smile on Ilara's face was nothing but sadistic.