Page 46 of Poisoned Empire

“Then let us settle this deadlock. Domina Amethyst, what say you?”

Her musings were interrupted by three sets of politely determined eyes. What exactly had they been going on about? Did it matter? Selene wished she could spend her time with the griffin, who at least told funny stories before disappearing with another lusty mage on his arm. If Belisarius weren’t such a jealous prude, she’d have taken the griffin up on the invitation in his eyes. It had been an age since she’d had a good tumble with a handsome man. But it was warm brown skin she imagined running her lips over and silky black hair she wanted tangled in her greedy fingers.No, stop it!Now was not the time to go off imagining ridiculous things.

Selene cleared her throat.

“While vaguely amusing, your prattle is beginning to bore me. Can’t you just slap each other to decide who will win this competition?”

Their indignant gasps were all but choreographed. She’d bet good coin they were practiced, at least.

“Spoken like a truly vulgar woman. I cannot fathom what the prince sees in you,” Emerald seethed.

“Haven’t you heard? The prince seems to appreciate the… flexibility of her mind.” Topaz smiled with derision.

“Perhaps the domina knows where the bodies are buried. Nothing else can explain why such a barbarous creature was included among the top candidates,” Opal opined with suspicion.

A few thoughts crossed Selene’s mind, most of which would lose her a substantial amount of gold if she chose to follow them. Others might lose her considerably less, but would be oh so satisfying. Reining herself in, Selene put her cup to one side, stood and wiggled her fingers. The three dominae watched her with a mixture of disdain and wariness, leaning away as she approached. She sauntered around them, hand gliding across the backs of their plush chairs. Domina Opal, with that strange fire in the whites of her eyes, flinched as Selene cupped her cheek. Topaz shot killing glances her way.

“Isn’t the reason obvious? Your fear of me proves the power I hold.”

“How dare you threaten a proper domina that way! And an elemental one, no less. If you didn’t have your title, a crass menial like you would be whipped for such a thing,” Emerald scolded, ire plain.

Topaz’s silent glare threatened murder, while Opal held herself still as a statue. Selene released Opal’s face as the domina flushed with embarrassment, and turned to Emerald.

“Do you deny it, Domina Emerald? Have you honed your gift, or have you honed your useless social graces instead? Have you been content to let the men of your family hold every last ounce of true power?”

“My power lies in my impeccable bloodline and position in society. One word from my lips and you would become a pariah, even more so than you are already.” Emerald raised her chin.

“And is that meant to intimidate me? Do you think the emperor fears the wagging tongues of other nobles? True power simply crushes those beneath it,” Selene countered.

“I shouldn’t have to remind you, but the emperor is a man. Have you forgotten that the late empress held sway over the nobles because of her intellect? Her power to persuade all she spoke to? The late empress was a paragon of a feminine strength and virtue. You fall dangerously short of the mark.” Emerald raised a brow, looking down her nose at Selene, a faint sneer twisting her full lips.

“What would you even bring to a marriage with the prince? If words are so very important, convince me your candidacy is superior,” Selene goaded.

“My province-”

“No, not your province. It belongs to your father, and in future, to your brothers. What good are you to the prince without your family’s connections, and the powers of your male relatives? Or is that everything you are and have allowed yourself to be?” Green eyes glared back at her, but the domina was silent. “And either of you? Do you have an answer for that question? Have either of you developed your gifts past the level of a simple party trick?”

“The imperial army is led by a respected strategos and manned with legions of soldiers. An empress is not meant to fight. We don’t live in a bygone era of savagery, Domina Amethyst. A civilized society is no place for that kind of mindset. If you truly wish to live as some warrior queen, there are a great many barbarian nations across the seas,” Opal replied, her composure regained.

“How long ago was Lethe engaged in a bloody war?” Selene smiled. “How long ago was it that traitors infiltrated the palace and slaughtered the prince’s siblings?”

The women looked at each other, searching the others’ eyes for a rebuttal, but in the end all they could muster was contempt. Pathetic!

“We are, each of us, born with the potential for great power. Only fools cultivate helplessness,” Selene said.

“A domina is hardly helpless. No one exists alone unto themselves. We are members of powerful, wealthy, respected families who would come to our aid with weapons drawn were we to ask for it. We have the support of entire provinces behind us. What good is one mage against an army?” Domina Topaz retorted.

Selene fumed. These women needed to be educated properly. They’d been wrapped in the safety of their names their entire lives. Not one had survived hunger, violence or neglect. Given their outlooks, none of them would survive any true conflict. When she was gone, they would need to start thinking like survivors if they wanted to be more than a pretty face on the throne.

“And which army would dare march against a husband of mine when I can personally decimate an entire city with a flick of my wrist? If I were bloody-minded, I wouldn’t tolerate competition for the position of empress. But you are right. We live in a civilized society, so instead, I allow you your pretty words. But let’s not pretend. We all know that if it came down to it, I could crush each of you beneath my feet. That is power, dominae, and never forget it. The men in your families certainly haven’t.”

“I need not listen to such blatant threats against my person. I will make it my business to teach you what it means to be a pariah.” Zoe Emerald glided towards the door, all huff and indignation. The others followed suit, wordless and refusing to look her in the eye.

Selene turned to their retreating forms and smiled. “If the peace of the empire were to fracture, what good would your social standings do you? Would it protect you from the ugliness in the hearts of men at war? Would you even be able to defend yourselves from an enemy soldier? A common criminal? Your power is a delusion, feared only by those who are equally powerless. When I become empress, not a single man will object to my husband’s plans because of the powerIwill bring to bear. He’ll never need to lift a finger. What would anyone with real power have to fear from any ofyou?”

When the door closed, Selene sighed and rolled her shoulders, stretching her neck. She’d never been forced to play nice with so many people for so long. Selene congratulated herself on her ability to clear a room—and her schedule, too! Maybe she should treat herself? There were several hours until the evening’s festivities. It seemed like fair compensation after the tediousness of the afternoon tea. But first, she needed to get rid of another irritant. Selene breathed deep and released her favourite paralytic into the air of the room. It wouldn’t kill, but it would lock up the joints something fierce. In short order, a man dropped out of a shadow in the corner of the room, dressed in a dark tunic with two white, vertical stripes, a silver belt buckle and black, shiny boots. Military, or spy?

“A shadow mage. How predictable.” She crouched over him.

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