Page 178 of The Jasad Crown

Arin smiled.

“That wasn’t the right answer, was it?” she whispered. “I should have chosen differently.”

“It was the perfect answer.” He was her Commander. Her Heir. “It is only that I love a woman whose choices are not so perfect.” Who found her peace in Arin even when Arin found nothing peaceful in himself.

Arin straightened from his crouch, drawing himself to his full height.

Enough of that. The Capsule had already had its chance to cannibalize its favorite morsels of Arin, and he would offer it no fresh bites.

“Is the council convened?” Arin asked.

“Y-yes. In the war wing.”

They’d need to hurry. In the best of scenarios, the council’s courage would last until the first gate was breached.

“Have the soldiers release my guardsman from beneath theCitadel,” Arin said. “Meet me in the war wing when you are finished. Jeru will not join you—he has his own orders.”

Without waiting to see if Layla would follow, Arin crossed the passageway. Even if the defenses Arin had set in place worked, Ruby Hounds had once been able to travel at three times the speed of a horse. Vaida would be at the gates of the Citadel by nightfall, if not sooner.

Ruby Hounds. Arin stepped into the stairwell, grudging humor tightening the corners of his mouth. Like a true prodigy of these blood-soaked courts, Vaida had known she needed a way to win a war against Nizahl without the other kingdoms’ support.

When Vaida came, Arin would be prepared.

He was a prodigy of these courts, too.

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

ARIN

The doors to the council room flew open beneath Arin’s hands.

As expected, the council was already on their feet, their shouts clearly heard from down the hall. A moment later, and Arin might have caught them in the midst of making their escape. The Citadel was the target of Vaida’s attack, and it had been too long since any of these soft-boiled nobles had fought a battle they were not assured they could win. Years since they reckoned with the true meaning of their mortality.

Heads swiveled to Arin, and he was amused to find that only Bayoum seemed furious to see him freed from the Capsule. Relief rippled over the others.

Rawain watched him from the head of the table, entirely unsurprised at his son’s appearance. The glow of health his father had carried throughout his fifty-some years had waned into a sickly gray. Even his shoulders seemed to have shrunk, smaller than usual beneath the heavy fabric of his robes. The place on the table where his scepter would typically lean was noticeably empty.

“Arrest him!” Bayoum roared. “Who allowed this traitor free?”

“He is your Heir!” Sama snarled. “The Commander of this kingdom.”

“Titles do not outlast treason!”

Arin ignored them. His father watched Arin, and Arin returned the attention in kind.

Had he played out this coup in his head already? In another world, Arin might have spent time explaining to the council what Rawain had done—the Blood Summit, the mined magic, the truth of Arin’s heritage. Arin would have wanted the straightforward approach, guided by facts and reason.

However, in that scenario, the council would need incontrovertible proof, and Arin did not have it. Meanwhile, the proof of Arin’s treason was covered by the sleeve of his father’s robe. Readily available and undeniable. A decision would be made, and it would not be in Arin’s favor.

Perhaps Rawain would be proud. Arin’s new strategy had been taken directly from his father.

“It will not be long before Vaida arrives at the gates of the Citadel with the Ruby Hounds,” Arin said. The din of argument died. Bayoum still glared, but he had clearly been outmatched. “Ruby Hounds cannot be cut down by modern swords. No armor will shield against them. They follow the Sultana and the Sultana alone.”

Arin crossed to the windows and flipped the lock pinning the two sides together. The window opened outward, delivering a refreshing breeze entirely at odds with the gravity of what lay behind the dark outline of Essam Woods.

“The tower’s alarm has not sounded,” Sama said, wiping her forehead on the inside of her wrist. “If Nizahl were in true danger, wouldn’t it have warned us?”

“Vaida hasn’t crossed through Nizahl’s borders yet.” Arin traced the wall, following her path through the map inside his mind’s eye. “She will have gone north first to retake the Ivory Palace and expel our soldiers. I imagine my father sent thousands of soldiers to barricade the Citadel for fifty miles out, at the very least. She will usethe bulk of her army to tear through those soldiers, and the rest she will send around the mountains.” Arin’s finger moved over the wall. “Where they will enter Nizahl through the lower villages.”

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