Page 81 of Poisoned Empire

Iliana stepped out into the receiving parlour, a simple room with simple, plush furniture, martial-themed tapestries and a mosaic of sea creatures beneath her feet. Diodora sat stiffly in a chair, a cup of untouched tea in her hands, the room bright with magic sconces. When she stared at Iliana, it was with those familiar, deadened eyes. She appeared as if she’d just come from a ball, her platinum hair swept up and festooned with jewels while the sapphires at her ears, neck and wrists sparkled. Diodora mechanically placed the cup on a nearby table, stood, and smoothed out her embroidered silk skirts before approaching Iliana. When she was a few paces from her, Diodora spoke.

“Have you truly lowered yourself by sleeping with a beast mage?”

Iliana froze, dumbstruck by the vulgar question. It was all the more bewildering coming from the prim and proper lips of her half-sister. So neutral was her tone that Iliana wasn’t even certain if her sister felt the disgust she implied. There was no reason to respond at all charitably.

“I think it would be best if you left, before I find something sharper than your tongue to cut you with.”

“I am to assume that means you have.”

Iliana almost didn’t catch the quick movement of Diodora’s hand thrusting out from where it had been hidden behind the flowing skirts of her evening dress. In it, she held a wicked blade of sharp glass in a cheap wooden handle. Without metal, she hadn’t sensed it. Iliana deflected Diodora’s hand with an unpractised swipe of her own, narrowly sparing herself a dagger deep in her gut. Iliana cried out.

Blood bloomed across the gash on Iliana’s stomach.

Marduk burst through the bedroom doors, brutally shoving Diodora away. Her half-sister flew into the table, splintering the wood, and crumpled onto the floor. Once he could see she was down, Marduk looked over Iliana, panic in his eyes.

“Are you hurt?”

“No… I… I think it’s just a scratch,” Iliana stuttered, shocked by the sudden violence. Not once had she seen any of her half-sisters move with such speed.

Marduk inspected her belly and nodded. He marched over to Diodora, kicking away the blade. He knelt down and heaved her up by the fabric of her dress, the many sapphire pins and jewels she’d decorated herself with strewn across the mosaic floor. His glare sent a shiver down Iliana’s spine.

“Why did you attack my fiancée?! You’d best answer before I decide to send you to rot in the dungeons for the next few decades!”

“Father said that the family would be disgraced if she were intimate with you. He told me to kill her, and then myself, if that happened. It would lessen the scandal. No domina in her right mind would wish to be tied to a beast mage, and any magister who allowed it would be ridiculed.”

With a spiteful glower at Diodora, Marduk called out for the guards.

“Send her to the dungeons for questioning. Have someone get a message to the praetor and the prince that we must meet immediately.” He turned to the newly arrived servant. “Call for a healer. My fiancée has been attacked.”

When it was just the two of them, Marduk pulled her into a tight embrace. The sound of his wildly beating heart was the only indication of his terror. Lucky that. Iliana shook.

“Starting tomorrow, you’re getting lessons in combat.”

Iliana buried her head against his chest, trying to ignore the fiery sting across her belly as she shook harder.

“It’s safe now, my love,” he cooed.

Except it wasn’t. Tears welled in her eyes.

“I-I shouldn’t cry. It’s not even close to the worst cut I’ve ever had.” She choked, her voice watery.

“If you come apart, I will hold you together.” He ran his hand down the length of her hair, over and over.

Her lip trembled. In moments, she was nothing but a vibrating mess. She supposed it was too much to hope they would get out of it all unscathed. No matter where she went, her father tainted it, stealing her joy. But there was nowhere left to run, not if she didn’t want to carve out her own heart by leaving Marduk behind. She wouldn’t do it! He’d taken everything from her, but she wouldn’t let him take Marduk too.

“I hate him! I just-I just wantedoneplace where I could feel safe. He took it from me. He stole it again!” Iliana sobbed, hands fisted in his robe.

“He didn’t steal our love, or our lives. He failed. You won this battle. You belong here, and he can’t take that from you, Iliana.”

She came apart then, tears soaking his robes. But through it all, he kept his promise—Marduk held her together.

Chapter 28

Thedaysbeforethemagistri’s arrival had seen a whirlwind of activity unprecedented in the history of the palace and Nadioch. It been cleaned from top to bottom, made to sparkle, and then polished again for good measure. Fresh flowers hung from every available perch, tapestries seemed to have mated and produced offspring overnight, and the only scent from the stables was that of freshly groomed horse and new hay. The streets of Nadioch had been festooned with flowering plants, bright ribbons and palace personnel distributing grain, booze and tasty treats. Every magister had outfitted their chariot team in outrageous costumes and had them running races nonstop in the Hippodrome while magistrae were patronizing every heart-pounding romance play in the Odeon. The ordained path of the honoured magistri’s carriages had been laid out with extra finery, and the cobbles swept so clean they could be eaten off of with more confidence than the local taverns’ crockery.

Everywhere, the sounds of music and revelry could be heard late into the night. It wasn’t only the prince who had secured himself a wife, after all. A great many other noble families had nuptials to plan, and each magister had a son or daughter who had found someone to bring home during the bride show. Overnight, dress makers and florists and wedding planners were so thick on the ground, you couldn’t go more than a few steps without bumping into at least one of the three. Every inn for miles around was full, as was every home, apartment, spare room, barn, stable, shed and dingy hole. Anyone who could lay claim to any spare inch of space was raking in coin from visitors. So were the taverns, shops and entertainers.

Selene was greatly disappointed not to be a part of it all. She knew she’d have sold out of her wares quickly enough.Got a new son-in-law who needs to disappear? Did some vixen sink her claws into your man? Hoping to inherit that property before the kids come along? Poisons for every occasion! Discounts for multiple purchases! Debilitating, humiliating or just plain unpleasant. Poisons for all!

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