Page 59 of Conspirators' Kingdom

His faith in his father was admirable, but perhaps misplaced in this instance. Vasilisa rolled her eyes.

“I’m sure he’ll lie through his fucking teeth when he wakes up,” Vasilisa muttered.

“I heard that,” Bas snapped back.

“Good! Then grow up! If you haven’t learned what kind of man he is after forty years, you’re probably too stupid to live out your next forty,” Vasilisa retorted.

Bas jumped to his feet at the insult. Taisiya leapt to hers and placed herself between them, her arms out. Sparks of blue electricity arced across her palms, keeping them at a distance from each other.

“Stop it! Both of you! If you have the energy to fight, then direct it at our enemies. Bas, who gave you the bowl?”

“One of the scribes. He was helping in the kitchen, handing out food to everyone,” he replied.

“And this wasn’t odd to you? Do the scribes usually help in the kitchen?” Taisiya asked.

Her impression had been that, with the exception of the crew, the fae on board were all nobles of a sort—hatya, they called themselves. From what Mereruka had described, Maat was as stratified as Lethe, if not more so. So what was a nobleman doing in the cramped ship’s kitchen?

“I… I don’t think so. I’ve seen him bring Raemka food before, but I’ve never seen him in the kitchen itself,” Bas answered.

“What does he look like?” Taisiya asked.

“Green skin, pink hair, dark eyes, about Vasilisa’s height with an average build. I think his name is Pepi,” Bas answered.

“Should I go retrieve the little bastard?” Vasilisa asked.

“No, not yet. We’ll all stay in here for the night, as quietly as we can. Let him think he’s won. If there’s anyone else aboard this ship who wants us dead, or who conspired with him, I want them to out themselves,” Taisiya replied.

Luckily, no one had left the room through the door since Bas had come in with dinner. Vasilisa hadn’t been seen in the hold. If they were fortunate, no one had heard them through the thick wooden walls since their ordeal had begun. Hopefully, whoever else was in on the plot would come to check on them in the hours to come.

Vasilisa sighed.

“You take the first watch. You’re terrible at staying awake,” Vasilisa said to Taisiya.

“I’ll take second,” Bas offered.

Taisiya nodded. Tomorrow morning, they would answer violence with retribution.

“Has he spoken to anyone?” Taisiya asked.

“No, he’s spent the morning pacing,” Vasilisa answered. “How do you want to handle this?”

Taisiya did some pacing of her own. Mereruka had woken briefly on Bas’ watch, but not since. She couldn’t rely on him for advice, though she suspected that killing their enemy was the only path he would have advised. Taisiya grimaced.

“Gruesomely,” she answered.

She walked over to Mereruka and pulled back the thin blanket covering him. The healing paste had closed his wounds, leaving red splotches where Bas had applied it. Without his glamour, Mereruka’s golden-yellow glowing tattoos were almost pretty against his teal skin, though anywhere the iron had broken the glyph, the tattoo had disappeared. In all, she counted eleven wounds.

“Will he be able to redraw his tattoos over the wounds, Bas?” Taisiya asked.

“If he bathes in the Hapi when we return.”

“Good.” She said, then turned to Vasilisa, “Give me eleven of the projectiles.”

“I could just drag him to the void,” Vasilisa offered, concern evident.

“No. He’s my husband and my vassal. I should be the one doling out the punishment,” Taisiya said, her stomach in knots. “Bas, go ask for the scribes and soldiers to assemble on the deck. Don’t tell them why, just that their princess consort has ordered it.”

“Alright. When they’re there, I’ll come back to tell you.” Bas nodded before he ducked out of the room.

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