Page 123 of Conspirators' Kingdom

“Yes, he will,” he answered calmly.

The game had shifted that afternoon. Shadowy, underhanded tactics had been cast aside in favour of unconcealed boldness. There could be no question in anyone’s mind now that the king wished them dead. Inkaef’s death was a blow. There would be no way to win Itet to their side now, and so his death had stolen two potential allies to their cause. She’d held no ill will towards the calm, amiable Inkaef, nor the bold, ribald Itet. They could have eventually become friends. Now, all that was lost.

“It was good of him to make it so blatant. We need to capitalise on this as best we can. I want everyone whispering that the king has truly been cursed—killing one brother and then demanding another face feral dragons. By the time we return, we’ll have people wishing someone would take Khety’s head.”

“Oh, trust me, I suspect those whispers have already reached the courtiers. The palace servants are notorious for gossip.” Mereruka smiled.

“I must say, I’m finding it hard to believe he ever outwitted you. Overpowered, perhaps. But those were not the actions of a shrewd man.”

They were the actions of a tyrant who’d lost all sense of subtlety, brandishing unchecked power like a cudgel and solving all their problems with brute force. In fact, Khety was acting much more like Radjedef than the wily opponent Mereruka had made him out to be. Had her husband been overestimating his opponent all this time?

“He’s changed…” Mereruka began.

“How?”

He ran a hand through his hair, frowning, as if he too couldn’t quite believe what had become of his foe.

“I’ve never seen him act so rashly. If something foul needed doing, he was the soul of discretion and caution. He never started fights he wasn’t absolutely certain he would win. This change of his makes me wonder if he really was cursed in my absence.”

“Wouldn’t he be protected from such things?”

“Yes.” Mereruka sighed, tapping the arm of his chair in contemplation. “We’ll need to be ready to kill Radjedef. We can worry about Khety when we get back from this latest death sentence. He sent us out there to die quietly, where all witnesses to the fact could be silenced, but that means the same fate can befall my brother.”

“Surely we’ll need to prepare for battle? Radjedef will be bringing soldiers along with him, won’t he?” Taisiya asked.

“Yes, as will we, though my best is currently on his way to Keftu.” Mereruka groaned.

Radjedef wasn’t the issue. One man against all their combined might could easily be felled. But the royal guard? That presented some problems. There had to be a better way to deal with Radjedef than a full-frontal assault, one that would prevent him from using those same soldiers.

“Does Radjedef care for anyone?”

Mereruka blinked in surprise.

“Not that anyone is aware of. I can’t imagine someone wanting to be in his obnoxious presence long enough to form an attachment, can you?”

“A wealthy prince with the power of the military behind him, and not a single partner? Personality aside, someone out there must be ambitious enough to put up with him,” Taisiya mused. “Vasilisa?”

Vasilisa stepped from a nearby shadow.

“Shall I spy on him?” she asked.

Taisiya nodded.

“If he has anyone significant, take them and put them somewhere in the void for safekeeping. It will give us bargaining power.”

“Can I do it dramatically?” Vasilisa asked with a sly grin.

“If they scream as you drag them away, I won’t complain.” Taisiya smiled back. She turned to Mereruka. “Any objections?”

“None.” He grinned. “Good hunting, Vasilisa.”

As soon as Vasilisa was gone, Mereruka’s expression turned grim once more.

“What is it?” Taisiya asked.

“My lost earring…I’m concerned it will come back to bite us. I’m certain now that I lost it while Vasilisa and I were on our little mission. And I can’t risk using the magic connecting the two, lest someone notices and then tracks it back to me. Bas?”

“Yes?” Bas asked once he returned to his two-legged form.

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