Page 98 of Conspirators' Kingdom

“Yes.”

“So what would happen if, say, all the seals bore someone else’s name? Maybe Inkaef’s?”

Mereruka howled with laughter.

“It would be quite the scandal. Given Khety’s recent behaviour, I have no doubt Inkaef would be disinherited, maybe even exiled,” Mereruka mused. “Seeing the browbeaten Inkaef try to usurp favour with the forgotten gods might bring Khety’s paranoia to a fever pitch.”

For so long, only Mereruka had borne the brunt of Khety’s distrust. If he thought even the most loyal and placid of his siblings were out to get him, no doubt he would begin casting furtive looks on everyone around him. And a fearful king made unreasonable, chaotic choices that could be used against him.

“Would it be enough to potentially sway Itet to our side? She hardly seems interested in politics. With her beloved twin exiled by Khety, we could offer Inkaef amnesty if she renounces her claim,” Taisiya added.

Itet would do anything for her twin. If this scheme worked, he could see eventually persuading her to agree to their terms, or at the very least, agreeing to stay out of their way. Itet had no special love for Khety and found politicking to be a great chore. And if Itet became enraged by a punishment given to her twin, so much the better. Should she aim for Khety’s head, only one would be the victor, and Mereruka would place his bets on his eldest brother. Several potential outcomes could mean multiple siblings wiped off the playing board and potentially weakened.

“We may not be able to ally with Itet just yet, but she’s as fae as I. If we offer her a good deal with her brother’s fate on the line, she’ll be sorely tempted to take it. And if she aims her axe at Khety, we only stand to benefit.”

“Wonderful. Now, how is the tribute protected and how do we get around that?” Taisiya asked.

“There are guards and barriers of the highest quality. Inkaef holds the sole key that opens a portal through those barriers. He is no fool. He will have that key hidden in a pocket realm of his making.”

Docile he may be, but careless? Not with his official duties.

“A pocket realm?” Taisiya asked.

“Fae have the ability to create spaces within reality. It takes a great deal of magic to create one and can only be sustained by regular sacrifice. And that sacrifice must be both living and unwilling. Wild animals are often captured for the purpose.”

Mereruka didn’t keep one very often. Most would expect him to, and it would be the first place desperate and determined people looked to find evidence against him or weaknesses to exploit. In truth, as convenient as pocket realms were, they were a needless, potentially dangerous complication.

“Often, but not always?”

Taisiya grimaced. Mereruka shook his head.

“Eons ago, the fae of Gaia created an entire world of their own. Some of Maat’s earliest histories speak of Wild Hunts conducted by enemy fae, collecting sacrifices to build and sustain their world. It is illegal in Maat to sacrifice a person for the sake of sustaining a pocket realm. But laws like that are only codified because some see fit to transgress them.”

Taisiya shivered. It was the only reasonable response. Some said the souls of those sacrificed to keep a pocket realm alive felt the agony of being torn apart piece by piece until there was nothing left. It would have been a fitting way to deal with Khety, except one had to possess a great deal more magic than one’s enemy in order to offer them up to the voracious spell. He decided to keep those macabre titbits to himself.

“So, find the pocket realm, get the key, slip through the barrier and replace the seals,” Taisiya said.

“I’ll need to disguise myself as Inkaef to get by the guards,” Mereruka added.

“Will your glamour be up to the task?” Taisiya asked.

Mereruka sighed. If only it were that simple. Transforming one’s face, and the features and expressions on it, was a level of skill he didn’t possess. Thankfully, there were other ways to go about impersonating someone, for a time at least.

“I’ll need a strand of his hair or a drop of his blood. My glamour could allow me to look similar to him, but the guards will know his face well enough to spot the difference. I’ll need that piece of him to focus the spell.”

“Where does Inkaef live?” Vasilisa asked from the shadows.

“Inside one of the royal apartments in the Court of Emergence, at present,” Mereruka answered.

“I can get us that strand of hair, but I don’t know how to locate a pocket realm,” Vasilisa said.

“I can find it, if he keeps it nearby,”Bas said, speaking directly to their minds.

“Is it safe for Bas to wander through the palace?” Taisiya asked.

“If he stays well away from Radjedef and Khety, yes. Khety has long banned shapeshifters at court, on pain of death, so no one would think a shifter would dare walk among them. He’ll have my collar on, so they’ll think he’s my beloved pet and treat him well. It’s more likely he’ll have to dodge courtiers looking for an easy way to win my favour by returning him to me unharmed.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him. We’ll retreat to the void if we need to,” Vasilisa added.

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