Page 113 of Conspirators' Kingdom

“As you wish.” Mereruka bowed.

Taisiya followed her husband’s lead.

“Make haste with the promised goods and send someone for the children. I’ve no intention of sparing my people for the task.”

The king of Keftu lifted his chin at his own scryer, who quickly stopped the spell. All that was left before them was a plane of still water, suspended in the air. Khety’s scryer fed the water back into a large amphora and bowed before taking his leave, no doubt to inform Khety of every word spoken.

They were alone.

“Knowing what they become, why would any sane fae consent to it?” Taisiya asked, chilled.

Mereruka shrugged.

“Some will do anything for the kind of power it promises. Are we so different?”

“We still have our hearts.” Taisiya frowned.

“Is it wrong to choose evil if you no longer understand the difference? Or is it worse to choose evil in spite of knowing the difference?”

Taisiya’s frown became a scowl. There was no evil in desiring power, only winners and losers. It was far better to strive for it than to be someone else’s stepping stone.

“My husband, the philosopher.”

Mereruka laughed.

“It’s a question for the sages. I have no desire to see what lies on the other side of that wicked spell. Thankfully, the only fae capable of performing it, the soul weavers, are rare breeds, and apt to keep such knowledge to themselves. I imagine the only thing worse than being one of the heartless is having to live amongst them with your own heart intact.”

Mereruka led her from the room, her hand tucked into his arm. She was infinitely lucky that arm was teal, rather than a more familiar shade. The thought of him becoming a monster like that turned her heart to ice.

“The soul weavers don’t remove their own hearts?” Taisiya asked.

Mereruka shook his head.

“You can’t remove something from someone else that you don’t understand yourself. Or so I’m told.”

As they walked out into the sunlight, Taisiya did her best to shake off the gloom.

“If we ever find such an individual, we should kill them. We can’t allow such magic to be used in service of our enemies.”

“Agreed. Thank the gods Khety never found one.”

If he had, they never would have survived.

“Indeed.”

Mereruka had sent Nofret to Rhacotis, detailing his instructions and the goods she was to commission and escort into Keftu. He couldn’t afford to let a single detail go wrong, lest he be on the bad side of two separate kings. Reluctantly, Mereruka also parted ways with Qar, sending him and some trusted soldiers to retrieve the children. Should anything happen to them on their journey, Khety would no doubt use it against him. While he hated not to have Qar near, the shapeshifter couldn’t even enter the seasonal palaces, and Mereruka would rather the man be of some use in securing Maat’s future allies.

Upon hearing of Mereruka’s success with Keftu’s king, not even Khety could complain openly. The king’s mood was further fouled by the fact that even under duress, not one of Nefertnesu’s travelling companions admitted to the murder. Forced to halt his journey, backtrack and still left with nothing but a dead former princess of Maat for his trouble, whispers of Khety’s curse were once again rampant. If Mereruka had helped place those same rumours, no one was the wiser. By the time the procession reached the Court of the Inundation, the northernmost palace, every courtier with a lick of sense was tense, waiting for the king to lash out.

Troubled though they were with Nefertnesu’s killer on the loose, Mereruka and Taisiya had the next part of their plan to enact. An aurora of magic danced along his fingertips as Mereruka added to the protections Taisiya habitually wore. They had a long night ahead of them and she would need every advantage. There was only a single evening to get hold of Inkaef’s cartouche and tamper with the tribute before Khety dedicated it in the morning. With Khety in the darkest of moods, it would merely take one more outrage before he succumbed to his temper.

“Run through the plan with me,” Mereruka insisted as Vasilisa put the finishing touches on Taisiya’s make-up. Taisiya should, by rights, be tended to by multitudes. In future, he might trust someone else to assist her, but not until she was queen and they had been thoroughly vetted by Nofret. For now, Vasilisa’s efforts would have to be enough.

“Again?” Taisiya asked with a scowl.

“Humour me,” Mereruka said.

“I invite Itet and Inkaef to drink with me for the evening. Bas remains with me as a cat to assist in keeping them busy, or to act as an early warning for you if I fail. You and Vasilisa infiltrate Inkaef’s pocket realm to steal his cartouche. Once that’s done, you glamour yourself to look like Inkaef and access the tribute. When you are inside the wards, you and Vasilisa change the seals on the tribute before you leave. Once you’re done, you’ll come to pick me up, at which point I will be lucky not to be completely inebriated,” Taisiya replied.

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