Page 45 of Of Brides Of Queens

She answered, “A queen could hang a human from her walls or submit to a rage and do what comes naturally.”

A message then? I was meant to send a message. In truth, the capture attempt was so futile, that I felt no rage. I felt more amusement that ten seconds had passed before I had recalled that I could not die.

How would I handle this event? What queen would I be?

“Mother,” I called to her grave. “We have received a gift from King Raise.” I tossed the bloodied dagger to her, where she swallowed it away. The dagger had not killed me, as immortalas I was, and this capture attempt must therefore make me stronger.

My survival did beget another question, such as how—andif—an immortal could be killed. A curiosity for another time. “Set the human free, my pawns.”

“Free, my queen?” Has Been spluttered.

“But free,” I repeated. “I would no sooner punish a doll for the actions of the child playing with it.”

I was very hopeful that exact wording would be repeated to King Raise.

My eyes shifted to the burning dummy rendition of me. Did the humans need to be quite so rough with their stitches? Most of mine were very neat and intriguing. I had not thought war would be so personal.

I had survived my first battle this night, and though I knew little of war, my response came unbidden. “Stairway pawns, you might tell your liege that he owes me one capturing.”

“We do not follow,” Seal replied after a beat.

My lips torsioned. “I would expect not.”

Chapter Nine

With many dances,

To be danced

To know one rhythm?

Not a chance.

“You know that King Bring favors a seven-night rhythm,” Princess Bring was saying. “When Raise first turned his back on the kingly pact to save, then of course King Bring considered the idea of starting war on night one, then the outcome of starting a war on night two.

I continued, “Then whether the outcome would save or ruin on night three. On nights four and five, he convinced himself of whatever he already wanted to think. On night six, he planned how to dramatically go about it, and then he did just that on night seven.”

“You connect rhythms as though musician born,” the princess exclaimed. “That is exactly what he did. On night seven, he set fire to a great many staircases belonging to King Raise, a consequence for betraying their pact.”

Staircases in Raise’s kingdom denoted the contracts he had formed with humans, so I could only imagine how furious Raise would become after such an attack. “How did he respond?”

Princess Bring chuckled. “King Raise did not like humans in his fifth being set free of their obligations. He formed a great many new contracts with humans in my king’s fifth. A frenzy of them—contracts that protected them from future curse and charm.”

In this way, kings battled. Not directly, but through humans. In fairness, a battle between kings would be endless and pointless. Immortality did not allow for much of a victor in direct battle. So humans were used, and the best strategist was declared victor instead.

“I am not musician enough to understand the rhythms of other kings,” I admitted to Princess Bring, sitting with her at the table.

I had hoped that one princess could teach me war, but several meetings with Princess Bring had shown me that could not be. A princess only understood the rhymes and reasons ofherking, and I could not understand any of them alone.

I sighed. “I note that King Bring freed humans from contracts with Raise—an act of saving—while Raise shielded humans from charm or curse—both an act of saving and ruining. A charm could have helped the humans, after all. How interesting that they stuck to the nature of their purpose despite the battle.”

“I had not put this together myself,” said the princess. “Not beyond the reason of my king, and in that I can tell you that he was particular with which stairways he set aflame, choosing only those that would have a saving effect.”

“I have enjoyed this evening, princess. Thank you.”

“As have I. I had not realized all I knew and understood. I feel… knowledgeable and useful.”

“Your mind has endless capability.” I reached over to touch where I believed her shoulder to be. “I am grateful for you sharing your thoughts with me.”

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