Page 12 of Conspirators' Kingdom

Unsurprising, given the welcome.

“We find iron both toxic and repellent. Your man over there carries it on his person to greet us. It is considered exceedingly hostile.”

She tilted her head and curtsied.

“If you will give me a moment, I will rectify that, Prince Mereruka. We meant no offence.”

She turned and spoke to the horned man. His eyes widened and he turned to an armoured, winged man beside him. Unbuckling his sword belt and stripping out of his breastplate and greaves, he handed it all to the man beside him with orders that didn’t carry on the breeze. The blonde woman turned to the carriages and blanched. A quick conversation between the blonde, the man, his soldier and the ambassador took place. The soldier nodded and opened feathered wings before taking off into the sky towards the palace. Odd. It seemed the ones that appeared to be shapeshifters were not, in fact, of that race. Taisiya turned from the two and approached him once more.

“Our carriages have many iron fittings and are not suitable to convey you to the palace. We will have palanquins brought immediately.”

He almost sighed with relief. No more iron surprises—for now. Best to impress upon these mages what the fae could do—all the wondrous, beautiful, magical things—and all the terrible power they would bring to bear if insulted.

“No need, Ambassador. We brought appropriate conveyance with us.” Mereruka turned to his new trade minister. “Bring the barge up from the hold, and summon something impressive to pull it.”

Chapter 8

Taisiyadidherbestnot to let her expression show how shocking the fae appeared. It was as if a mad artist had simply chosen every conceivable colour besides the usual ones to paint them with. She hid her reaction to the impressive fae magic as well. Wherever they could, they used it instead of manual labour.

A doorway was spelled into the side of their ship and a pink-coloured fae man hopped through in order to pull out a long, thin, floating barge with four seats facing one another, all festooned in bright, beautiful patterns and images. Except there was no explanation for how the ship was not taking on water, nor how the barge it had fit in the hold, and certainly not at that angle, or how it remained weightless. As it was brought closer, gold and jewels winked along its side.

All the while, a pale green man the prince had called ‘Trade Minister’ drew a circle on the pier with glowing runes and called out a few commands. Two horses with enormous, pale blue wings on their backs leapt from the circle and allowed themselves to be tethered to the floating barge. Another impossibility. The mask of polite calm she’d been trained her whole life to portray was going to crack after a day like she’d had, and it wasn’t even half over.

When she glanced back at the illustri, she was ready to scream. Though Marduk at least had the sense to do a passing job hiding his reaction, Iliana’s eyes sparkled with awe and shock. At least she had the sense to cover her open-mouthed astonishment with a hand.

Bloody amateurs.

“Would you prefer to fly to the palace or walk along the streets?” the prince asked her.

His skin was a deep teal, and his long, violet hair, partially braided, reached to the small of his back. Pointed ears were pierced with gold and his chest bare except for the collar made of precious, brightly coloured stones and gold that came down over his pectorals. A jewelled belt secured a short kilt of bright white, embroidered and pleated at the front. An open, long-sleeved robe made of a gauzy material, also highly decorated, revealed more than it concealed. On his feet were jewelled sandals, glittering up at her from below. His eyes, the colour of citrine, sparkled with humour. How irksome. Especially given she thought he’d been leaning in for a kiss earlier.

His compatriots were dressed similarly, though less splendidly. The women wore tight, revealing, heavily embroidered dresses in the same bright white fabric, though their serious, business-like manner brought bureaucrats to mind rather than mistresses or wives.

This prince obviously meant to impress them with his showy magic. Taisiya didn’t want to give him the reaction he sought. Especially not with that knowing grin on his face.

“It’s entirely up to you, Prince Mereruka. The sky would allow us to avoid any foot traffic, but it will make it difficult to show you particular landmarks.”

“The streets, then,” the prince said.

“Will the rest of your party be joining us?” Taisiya looked at the barge tellingly.

Would the four seats become forty between blinks?

“They will summon their own steeds and travel behind us,” Mereruka replied.

Oh but of course—more flying land mammals conjured from the ether. How silly of her not to assume as much. The scream trapped in her throat edged ever closer to her lips.

He held out his hand. As she placed hers in his, she nodded to Vasilisa. For now, it seemed their new visitors were not a threat. The darkness mage sank back into the shadow at Taisiya’s feet.

“Where does she go?” he asked.

“The void. I could ask her to give you a tour, but it’s not for the faint of heart,” she said, hoping to goad him into foolish bravado.

A trip through the void would quickly rip away any sense of superiority the fae might have. Though the illustri had obviously telegraphed awe at magics these people considered routine, and injured the dignity of Lethe in the process, she hoped she would be able to shore it up before this whole affair was over. The last thing she wanted was for another nation to see Lethe as weak, ripe for the picking—or its highest placed nobles as easily impressed rubes. Especially not one ruled by the fae, a race known even in isolated Lethe as easily angered and immensely powerful.

“Interesting,” he replied.

Damn. Not so easily tricked, then.

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