Page 83 of Conspirators' Kingdom

Mereruka revelled in the flurry of panicked activity their arrival at the building site caused. When he disembarked with Taisiya at his side, both in their royal finery and attended by a hoard of servants as well as a scowling Qar, work stopped and workmen knelt with their heads bowed. Ensconced in a palanquin big enough to comfortably fit a dozen people, they were brought around the perimeter of the survey. A few workers disappeared into the ether, no doubt informing the nomarch. The overseers blanched at the sight of them. Did they know the source of their master’s windfall? Or were they surprised that it was he, and not the nomarch’s son, who had stepped off the opulent barge?

“What do you think of the project, Princess Consort?” Mereruka asked, knowing the workers could overhear them.

“It’s… cosy.” The description dripped with derision.

Mereruka might have chuckled, but he was strung as tight as a bowstring. Already, Henenu, the nomarch of Shedet, was being hurriedly carried on his palanquin towards them. When he stepped down from his conveyance, both Mereruka and Taisiya barely needed to look down. The nomarch was a man of uncommon height and brawn, more comfortable with an enchanted blade in his fuchsia hand than he was with reed and ink. Though his practised smile and his graceful kneeling might have fooled others, the wariness in his dark eyes betrayed his unease.

It struck Mereruka then that an uneasy man with martial prowess was not someone he wanted anywhere near his wife.

“Prince Mereruka, I’m flattered and humbled by your unexpected visit. I had heard rumours of your return, but I didn’t believe them. Please, allow me to welcome you to Shedet and to entertain you in my home.”

Taisiya clicked her tongue. Henenu flinched.

“Allow me to introduce Maat’s newest princess consort and my wife, Princess Consort Taisiya, recently of Lethe, the Empire of Mages,” Mereruka said.

Taisiya glared down her nose at the kneeling fae before them. Before Henenu could greet her, Taisiya spoke, her words like acid.

“I’m afraid we’ll need to turn down your offer of hospitality. It would sour my disposition if I had to watch someone entertain us using our stolen wealth.”

Henenu’s eyes widened with terror and he prostrated himself before them.

“Please, Prince, Princess Consort, allow me to explain-”

Mereruka snarled, cutting off his excuses.

“The penalty for stealing from royalty is death, a fate your foolish son has already suffered.” At the nomarch’s flinch, it seemed he’d not heard of his son’s untimely demise. “That I have not already severed your head for your gross insolence is a testament to my forbearance and my wife’s generosity.”

“No one has ever returned from the Cursed Continent, Your Tranquility! Everyone thought you had perished!” Henenu said, his panicked breaths disturbing the sand beneath his lips.

Thank the gods he’d not attacked. He hoped to sway them with words. For now.

“Did you just refer to my homeland as the ‘Cursed Continent’?” Taisiya asked with venom in her tone.

“Forgive me, Your Harmoniousness!” Henenu gasped. “I meant no disrespect, I-”

“Enough! You have stolen from me, had the gall to make a monument dedicated to your crimes and now you dare to insult the princess consort! I shall have your head for this!” Mereruka roared.

None could fail to understand the situation now. Just as they’d planned, Taisiya played the part of appeasing wife. He trusted it would offer Henenu enough hope not to decide he had nothing left to lose. A warrior like the nomarch could kill several people in the blink of an eye. He was centuries older than Mereruka, and he’d spent very few of them idle. Qar’s hand slid to the pommel of his sword.

“Dearest husband, calm yourself. I shall render justice on our behalf.”

“He deserves no lenience!” Mereruka bellowed for effect.

“No, he does not,” Taisiya said soothingly as she petted his chest.

Mereruka did his best not to shiver at her soft touch. He turned his focus on the quivering mess of the prostrated nomarch before him and the potential threats around him. By now, several of Henenu’s sons and daughters had come to the building site and watched in horror. Several of Mereruka’s men, disguised as labourers, kept close watch, lest they strike while their father grovelled. Each was a threat in their own right, most of them being near enough to Mereruka in age and many gifted in martial arts.

Taisiya descended from the palanquin with grace and poise, aided by the magic of their attendants. If she needed to use lightning, she couldn’t be touching him. He had to remind himself that she wore as many protections as he, and that his overseer of the soldiers was nearly as fast as her lightning. But when her sandaled feet touched the ground, it took an effort of will to hold himself back. Any indication that Mereruka feared Henenu’s reaction would make both Taisiya and himself appear weak.

It had seemed so simple when they’d planned the scenario. Now, faced with the reality, his confidence shrivelled. As she stepped closer to the hulking nomarch, his instincts screamed at him. If Henenu struck, he might hurt her, kill her. Why had that fact never crossed his mind before? Why had he agreed that she should be the one to punish Henenu? What good was flaunting her power if she died?

He scowled and crossed his arms to hide his wildly beating heart.

“Nomarch Henenu, do you deny your crimes?” Taisiya asked with admirable calm as bile crept up Mereruka’s throat.

Gods, what if this foolish posturing got her killed? The very thought was like ice in his veins.

“I do not, Princess Consort. Please, show mercy.”

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