Page 102 of Poisoned Empire

“Your Royal Highness, we must move to a more secure location.”

He moved through a daze of denial and panic, herded from his rooms through secret tunnels. A mage in the rear sealed them off with curses as he went. Deep underground, he sat in a room enchanted to completely repel magic of any sort. He knew it well. He and Mother had built it, slaving over the enchantments for months. Multiple shafts had been dug to ensure airflow, communication with the outside world achieved by exchanging notes passed up a similarly enchanted shaft operated by pulley. An escape route led to a mountain stronghold known only to a select few.

When the first note arrived, he knew what it would contain. The scrap of paper spelled the end of his life as he knew it.

Emperor Darius Bloodstone has been murdered. The inner palace will be secured before sending word. Do not proceed until the praetor or strategos come to retrieve you.

He clawed back the anguished sobs that threatened to tear from his throat. Belisarius had never been more alone in his life.

Selene, having slept fitfully for a few hours, left the safety of the strategos’ apartments to wander the gardens before dawn. Torn between rage and despair, Iliana had done her best to comfort her. Even Marduk had sworn she wouldn’t have to deal with the prince until she was ready, offering her the use of a spare room. She supposed she could finally see what Iliana had seen in the man—he was good.

The hour was cool and quiet, a balm on her shattered heart. But everything seemed to remind her of the prince—the stables, the training grounds, the scents of sandalwood and florals that always perfumed his rooms. She needed to leave the continent. Only distance and foreign lands could help erase him from her thoughts.

The cacophonous clanging of bells brought an end to her pity-party. As she hurried back to the strategos’ rooms, the imperial army mobilized, marching through halls and banging on doors. Searching the palace grounds, they stationed guards in areas they’d thoroughly vetted. When she tried to speak to one, he told her to seek shelter and remain indoors. Seeing she would get no answers from that quarter, she hurried back to Iliana. In her haste, she ploughed headlong into a person rounding a corner and fell onto her backside. It was the librarian, Azar.

“What’s going on?”

He reached down and pulled her up with ease. Had he always been so strong? The leer on his face turned her innards cold. From behind, someone clapped a metal collar around her neck. Poisons were trapped beneath her skin. Dread swallowed her whole. Before she could scream, a sharp pain in her head knocked her out.

A pounding ache woke her.

With no natural light, Selene had no notion how long she’d been unconscious. When she tried to move, she found her wrists and ankles were chained, the metallic scraping alerting her captors to her wakefulness. The walls of her prison were rough-hewn stone, the rock floor beneath chilling her to her bones as her heart skittered and her gut roiled. Azar, Magister Diamond and his son lounged nearby on the only furniture within the cell. A shadow mage stepped out from the darkness. It seemed the wards inside the dungeon had never been repaired.

“The prince has been sequestered somewhere we can’t access. The army is still searching the palace. The magistri are being guarded,” the shadow mage reported.

“Will you be able to take the women and speak to the magistri before the coronation?” Azar asked.

“I believe so, though Topaz might be troublesome.”

“Kosta, take his daughter first, and send one of our asekretis to deliver the message once it’s done,” Azar directed.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” Kosta replied before vanishing. A teleportation mage. The shadow mage followed shortly, leaving her with the librarian and Magister Diamond.

Selene didn’t understand. Why had the teleportation mage spoken to Azar like he was the prince? Diamond noticed her staring.

“It’s awake,” Miroslav sneered.

Azar turned to her. Everything from how he’d held himself to the expression on his face was wrong. This was no amiable, bumbling scholar. Before her stood a nobleman with a regal bearing and cunning in his eyes. His smile made her insides squirm.

“I’d apologize for the rough handling, but I think we both know you wouldn’t have come obediently.”

Had she hit her head extra hard? Was Azar the traitor all along? Belisarius had said it was definitely a family member, but this man was clearly not related, or the praetor would have known. He chuckled at her confusion.

“Remove the enchantment, Miroslav. It’s unnecessary now.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

As Magister Diamond removed the earring in Azar’s ear, the librarian’s entire face rearranged itself before her eyes, his earring disintegrating into dust as Azar grew in height and bulk. Selene had never seen anything like it, never dreamed that what she witnessed was even possible. She gasped. A younger, leaner, crueller Darius stood before her. His smile was predatory, and his bow was all dramatic flourish.

“First Prince Mercurius Bloodstone, true heir to the Empire of Lethe, here to claim what is mine.”

“The First Prince is dead.” Selene’s denial was unconvincing, even to herself.

Mercurius was light on his feet as he approached. He crouched down and lifted her chin.

“You can see for yourself what a lie that is. I’ve merely been vacationing across the sea with my dear uncle.”

Selene swallowed her fear as best she could. His desire for the throne was clear, but why imprison her? If he was as powerful a fire mage as she suspected, he could have turned her to ash in an instant.

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