Page 11 of The Witch Queen

The audacity.A wind whips around the room, my power seeping out in my fury. Queen Lobelia is feral with delight, and Clem looks like he wants to crawl under the table, his features pulled into a grimace. Nemesia puts her hand gently on my arm, lowering me back to my seat. I hadn’t even realized I’d stood.

“To even consider this, we would need more favorable thayar prices and access to Velmara’s archives for the emissary we send. We will adjourn to another room to discuss while you think over what you’re prepared to offer,” Nemesia says, her voice strong and clear.

“Yourbribe, as you say, better be worth my time,” I hiss, turning on my heel and slamming a wind into Mazus’s advisors that knocks them over.

Nemesia

The people of Thayaria are known to be powerful plant channelers. While the ability exists outside of Thayaria, nowhere else has such a large population, and most of the notable plant channelers throughout history have been Thayarian. Magical historians and philosophers alike agree that Thayarians’ affinity for plant channeling stems from the numerous leylines that cover the kingdom. Plant channelers are best known for their ability to coax the landscape to their will, though their control over the plants around them take many by surprise as they find themselves ensnared in a trap of vines.

A Brief History of Modern Thayaria

“What thehellare you doing?” Laurel asks sharply once we’re secluded. “I will not allow that bastard’ssoninto my kingdom!” The room practically shakes with her power.

“El, listen to me,” I say with my calmest voice, attempting to deescalate the situation before she blasts me with her power. “We can gain access to the archives, can ask for better thayar prices. You don’t even have to interact with the Prince, just relegate him to the Council and give him busy work.”

“And who would we even send?” Laurel spits out. She’s lethal. I’ve never seen her this angry, especially not with me. I pause, knowing what her reaction will be when I reveal the plan I came up with the moment Mazus threw out this insane proposal.

“Me.” I keep my eyes locked on Laurel’s. She physically convulses for just a moment, so quick that few would catch it. Then she locks down her emotions in the vault she’s too practiced at using. The Queen emerges, and she dons a mask of cool indifference that I hate seeing. “I know you don’t trust him. I don’t trust him either. I know this is some farce and that we haven’t yet determined the game he’s playing. But we have to put our best pieces on the board and play the game. AndI’mour best piece,” I say, squaring my shoulders and keeping my eyes on hers. “If he agrees to give me access to the archives, I might finally find information that can help us.”

“You know as well as I that he’ll hide any books that are of relevance to us,” she says dryly.

“I know he willtry,” I respond, confidence in my voice. “But I’m capable of finding information in the most irrelevant of books. I see what others don’t see. I can find information in those archives that no one else can. And I’ll come home at the tiniest whisper of trouble.” I sense Laurel becoming more open to the idea, the mask of Queen receding, so I press on. “I’m out of ideas, El.” My voice wavers. “I have no more experiments to try, or books to read, or elder fae to talk to. The flowers are declining, and we don’t know why or what impact it will have on the kingdom. Admon and I both tried finding answers here from the other advisors, and that was a dead end. Even if this is another one, wemusttry. There could be real answers in Velmara.” I lock my eyes on hers, pleading with unspoken words. She looks away.

“Admon, what do you think?” she asks the elder fae. He frowns, the deep lines on his face shifting with the movement.

“I’ve known both of you all your lives,” he says thoughtfully, kind and wise eyes darting between the two of us. “I was there the day you were born, Laurel. I was the one who received the missive that the Valley of Moormyr had bloomed under the blood moon. I delivered that news to your parents and watched them connect it to the prophecy and realize the implications. I’ve seen you both shoulder more than your fair share of tragedy and trauma. You’ve matured gracefully under immense pressure.” My throat aches with tears I don’t dare shed. I glance at Laurel. She must feel the same, though she would never show it, even better than I at concealing her emotions. “So I also know,” Admon continues, “what it will cost the two of you to be separated. But I do believe Nemesia is the best person to send. She knows every book in our own archives back to front and is smart enough to make connections where others may not. She can also protect herself with her magic if it comes to it.”

Laurel’s resolve falters, eyes softening and brow unfurrowing. Laurel’s a good Queen. She’s a fair and honest ruler, who truly listens to the advice of her counselors. She may put up her own wall of mist between herself and the world, but underneath she’s just as beautiful and lush as Thayaria.

Laurel sighs. “I’m wary of Mazus’s true motivations. He’s up to something. This is not some altruistic gesture…”

“El, we know—” I start to protest, but she cuts me off.

“But I see the sense in sending Nemesia to Velmara,” she says, finally meeting my eyes with a look of open vulnerability. Relief courses through me. “We should ask Mazus to agree to pay more for Velmara’s imports of thayar,” Laurel continues. “We know that our supply is going to decrease soon. With decreased supply, we’ll have no choice but to raise prices to keep our revenue stable. That could signal to the other rulers that something’s amiss. If Mazus pays more now, it will cover the shortfall in revenue and keep our secret longer.”

I’m delighted but not surprised by Laurel’s line of thinking.

“If Mazus knows about the declining thayar already,” I add, following Laurel’s logic, “he’ll have to agree to this, because he knows that prices will go up inevitably once our supply runs low. His kingdom relies so heavily on thayar imports for their trade across the Nivan Desert, he can’t afford to let Thayaria send future limited supplies to the highest bidder. This lets him secure the flower and might tell us what information he has.”

Admon sits thoughtfully, looking between the two of us. “It’s a good plan. If Mazus agrees readily, we’ll also know how desperate he is to send his son to Thayaria. We won’t know why, but we’ll have more information regarding his intentions.”

Mazus and his decrepit advisors whisper in a corner as we enter the chambers, returning to their seats when they spot us. Mazus gazes coldly at Laurel, then asks, “So, what have you decided to ask for? I confess we’re not eager to make the first move. We’ve agreed to give you access to the archives. That feels sufficient to us.”

Laurel stands, every inch the powerful and confident Queen I’ve seen her become over the last three hundred years, so different from the female I had to peel from the ground during the Battle of Moormyr. Her shoulders are set, back straight, eyes hard with resolve. She gives Mazus a haughty look that scares even me, so unused to this version of her.

“Let me remind you thatyouare the one who seeks this arrangement,” she says, and the room quivers. “I am perfectly content to leave things as they are. Nevertheless, in addition to access to the archives, should you wish to burden me with your incompetent and imprudent son, you’re going to have to pay me for it. I want a thirty percent increase on the export tax you pay for thayar flowers. In exchange, Thayaria will source our grain exclusively from Velmara.”

The room erupts in chaos once again. Lobelia hisses while Mazus’s advisors look aghast, hands raised in outrage. It’s a smart plan, though I’m unsurprised at her expert political maneuvering. The Council of Advisors fights every time about who to send with Laurel to the Forum of Royals, but the reality is she doesn’t need anyone to accompany her. She’s fully capable of running her kingdom and negotiating with the other leaders. She’s the only one who doesn’t see the fearsome and capable ruler she’s become.

Mazus and Laurel stare one another down. I practically hold my breath, waiting for Mazus’s response. He raises a single hand, and the room quiets. “You have a deal, Queen Laurel,” Mazus says, eyes bright. I let out an inaudible sigh, tension leaving my body, while Mazus’s advisors suck in a breath. Laurel only grins.

“And what about Delsar?” Lobelia asks, though not with the anger I would have expected from her.

“You can still purchase thayar from us at the same quantity of prior years, and I’ll reduce the export tax by fifteen percent,” Laurel responds. Lobelia only nods, and I can’t understand why she isn’t more upset at this turn of events.

Despite my confusion, I nearly laugh at Laurel’s brilliance. She’s played the game well. The arrangement secures Thayaria grain without increasing thayar shipments by a single stem. We’ll make more coin on the shipments we do produce, a resource we’ll desperately need in the future if I don’t uncover a way to stop the declining magic. Plus, it gets us out of the agreement with Lobelia that we absolutely would not have been able to honor, while covering the real reason for us agreeing to trade with Velmara after three hundred years of embargo.

Laurel remains stoic, staring Mazus down with a self-satisfied smirk. Mazus sneers at her in return, the two of them locked in a battle of silent wills. The tension coils in the room, and once again the Delsar Queen has to step in to cut the tension. The room practically takes an audible breath in at the release.

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