Page 18 of Oath of War
The empress frowned, no longer amused by my resistance, before she grumbled with annoyance, shaking her head.
‘You arrogant ... Are you trying to goad me into allowing this? I should just kill you both and leave Dagome to its fate,’ she said before looking at my broken fae.
‘Annika, no, it’s too dangerous. I won’t accept the trial.’
‘It is decided, then. Alaric has refused. Valaram, put an end to this farce,’ the empress snapped.
‘Decided, is it?’ Looking Ari in the eyes, I lifted my bloody weapon, lighting it with aethereal fire. ‘Then watch me die fighting for you, knowing it is your decision. I won’t let them touch you, Alaric’va Shen’ra. You belong tome.’
‘Annika, no! Stop! I agree!’ Alaric’s voice cut through the mayhem of Orm grasping my arm and immobilising me completely. I nearly cried when the big bear of a man kissed the top of my head and spoke up.
‘I will fight as Annika’s champion, but after this idiocy is over, Alaric will be free from your machinations and be allowed to live freely wherever he chooses.’
‘The trial is the duty of the accused couple. No other can bear the burden. It is between the goddess and her daughter whether his redemption will be granted,’ Valaram said, and I felt Orm’s arms tighten around me.
‘Are you challenging me, Lord Commander?’ The empress’ voice dripped venom, her measured poise fracturing as her power erupted, rippling through the chamber. Her beautiful face twisted with a hatred born of centuries of grief. ‘For five hundred years, I have endured the knowledge that the murderer of the man I loved walks free, unpunished, and you think I will let him escape so easily? That I would allow you to fight in place of the woman who offered such insult to my face? No, Commander. I will not be taken for a fool a moment longer.’
The empress’ mask of disdain shattered, revealing the raw agony beneath. Her grief resonated with my own pain, and I spoke softly, hoping to pierce through her fury. ‘I’m sorry. Iknow the pain never truly fades but punishing him won’t bring you peace. Let me put an end to this. Let your goddess decide. I’ll go through the trial—for your mate and mine.’
For a moment, her rage abated. I glimpsed the bitterness etched into her soul before she hid it once more behind an indifferent façade. ‘Very well, little mage,’ she said, her voice cold but composed. ‘Let the goddess judge you both. But understand this—if you fail, whatever treaty exists between our kingdoms is null. You are not just fighting for him; you’re fighting forallof them. I have no wish to ally with a nation of regicide and traitors.’
Reynard’s face darkened with disbelief. ‘You can’t lay our future on the results of this trial.’
‘I can, and I will. Your court is riddled with the Lich King’s spies, and my informants report that you have no army to fight him off. I would be better off seeking an alliance with other nations while that monster wastes his time destroying yours. However, if our Dark Mother lets her live, then I’ll consider aiding you.’
Nodding to the ambassador, she turned to me and said, ‘I’ll grant you two days to say your goodbyes.’
The spell holding Alaric dissolved, freeing him, and the older fae looked at Ari with a strange combination of pity and envy. ‘You chose your domina well. May the Dark Mother have mercy on you,’ Valaram said, pulling out a golden vial from beneath his breastplate. Whispering a few words, he drew a glyph with his sharp nail, and the contents of the vial blackened in front of my eyes.
‘Drink,’ the ambassador said, passing the vial to Alaric. ‘If she fails, death won’t be swift.’
With a bow, my broken fae accepted the ominous liquid. ‘As long as I follow my domina, nothing else matters,’ he said, tipping the thick, oily liquid into his mouth.
‘What is it?’ I asked, dread curling in my stomach.
‘Icta poison, to ensure Alaric won’t flee once he’s free of his bonds,’ Valaram stated.
I scoffed, masking my fear. ‘Alaric isn’t someone who backs down from a challenge.’
‘No. Neither are you, it seems.’ The fae mage bowed, taking my bloodied hand and kissing my knuckles. ‘It’s a shame you aren’t dark fae. I would fight for the privilege of serving you. Perhaps I still will. Your resistance was ... enlightening.’
I stood there, stunned, as he rejoined the empress, who spoke with bored disdain.
‘It looks like we have two days to discuss how involved our empire will be in your fight if the mage succeeds. My courtiers will call on you presently. I will leave you to sort out your . . . succession, King Reynard.’ Her gaze swept the room with disgust. ‘Hopefully, when I come tomorrow, you will still be sovereign.’
Without another word, she departed, the undead she’d raised collapsing lifelessly to the floor. As the last of the dark fae vanished, I turned to Orm. His worried expression deepened my exhaustion.
‘Can we go home, please? Wherever it is, can we just go?’
Instead of my man, Reynard spoke up. ‘My home is yours, my lady. Especially since I have to stay here now. Use it as you please . . . and I’m sorry Orm, but we need her to even stand a chance.’
He looked genuinely remorseful, but I’d just been dragged through a pit of pain, and I wasn’t even sure if we’d won or lost. Even if the man I had declared king deserved compassion or understanding, I couldn’t forget that he had chosen to sacrifice Alaric, so all I had to offer was civility.
‘I will ... Your Majesty,’ I replied dryly.
Reynard sighed but nodded, turning away as more nobles poured into the throne room in response to whatever gossip had undoubtedly swept through the palace halls like wildfire.
‘Ormond—before you leave, call for my officers. I need to secure the palace,’ the king ordered. ‘Someone clean up the bodies and mop the floor—it looks like a slaughterhouse in here.’ Finally, he turned his gaze to the chancellor and the men restraining him. ‘Lock that traitor in the darkest cell you can find, then hunt down that bastard, Ihrain.’
