Page 91 of The King is Dead
“Enough!” Yilan shrieked, then closed her eyes and shook her head, fighting for her self control. “Enough,” she repeated more quietly. When she opened her eyes, it was to stare at Turo, pleading in her eyes. “You could stop this—youshould.You know they’ll listen to you. And you were there.You know—”
“They should listen toyou,”I snarled. “Don’t make yourself smaller for these pompous pricks who—”
“I do not need your instruction on how to speak tomypeople!” she barked, whipping her head to glare at me.
I bristled, but pride in her softened my irritation, because she looked so damned beautiful, standing there, fighting to be heard. Though she shouldn’t need to.
Some of the others started to smile when she bit at me, but their smugness was quickly doused when she turned on them next.
“This discussion is over,” she said firmly, eyeing each of the men in turn. “Melek Handras treated me with the respect and protection I would have expected fromany of you.And now he stands here willing to benefitbothour nations to avoid war. He holds honor that we would admire in anyone else, and I will do anything it takes to make use of him to the gain of the Shadekin.
“If you cannot accept that, perhaps I have insight you do not. If you can’t trust my judgment enough to even considerthat I may have observed something you haven’t, then perhaps your time on my Council has come to an end. Perhaps it is time for me to look for new Advisors?”
I blinked and looked at her sharply. This wasn’t the time to create more upheaval! But Yilan had the bit in her teeth. She stood, while the rest of us sat, her eyes blazing with regal pride andrage.
“You gape like fools,” she muttered. The men blinked. “You gape as if I have stunned you—yet if any of you were to take this stand, you’d expect the support of the others. Well, so do I. We are walking a razor’s edge that takes us ever closer to war with a people who haveproventheir strength. I know we have strength and weapons that our neighbors do not, but if you truly believe wecannotbe defeated, I am not the blind fool in this room. This is our one chance to walk through this season and emerge in peace. Thisman whooffers himself to your gainholds the hearts and minds of the strongest nation on earth.”
“He is a General, not a ruler,” Wellhurst muttered.
Yilan glared at him. “For how long? I walked among them. I heard them—and so did you, Turo,” she added with a pointed look at the General. “You know as well as I do, if he had remained there, he would have taken the crown. Yet, now he offers to find a way to peace with us and youscoff.”
Turo sighed. “Because I don’t trust him.”
“I’m not asking you to trust him, I’m asking you to trustme,”she said through her teeth. “I am not the fool that I have been painted in the past hour. And I am not out of touch. Wakeup,men! Do youwantto go to war with the Neph? Because if you do, you stand in opposition to your Queen. I am not afraid to walk to war, but I refuse to reach the end of this process and look back knowing I brought a solution thatdidn’trequire slaughter, and yetyoustood in the way. So I say again: Stand with me, or walk away. Because I will choose others to come into your place who can see my vision.”
“That… won’t be necessary,” Turo said quickly, his face pale.
Yilan gave him a skeptical look, then turned to eye each of the men around the table again. The three younger all bowed their heads and muttered their loyalty. Turo nodded his agreement with them, so only the two gray-haired men remained sullen.
But when Yilan arched one brow, Hughes cleared his throat. “I see your point,” he said quietly, then turned and nodded to me. “I will listen and… consider the General’s words.”
“Wise choice,” Yilan said. Wellhurst’s lips twisted before he opened his mouth, but Yilan turned on him before he could speak. “You’re too late. Gather your things. Return to your home. You are retired, Sir. You will continue to draw a pension in recognition of your time served. But I no longer believe that you hold my crown in the regard necessary for this position. Leave.”
Wellhurst’s jaw went slack, but Yilan only raised her chin higher. “I do not wish to make the guards escort you from the room, but I will if that is what it takes.”
The man blinked and his cheeks reddened. But he gathered his robes and got to his feet, turning to me as he pushed his chair away from the table. “I hold you responsible for the downfall of our nation, when it occurs,” he muttered.
I snorted the air from my nose and didn’t bother to reply.
Yilan acted as if the man no longer existed as he strode away from the table, snapping his robes and stalking for the door.
She turned back, as if to address the others again, but as Wellhurst yanked the door open, a servant woman hurried inside, eyeing the angry man warily as he shoved past her, then looking at Yilan as she entered the room.
Yilan caught sight of her and sighed. “Already?”
“I can carry a message if—”
“No, no, it’s fine. The later we begin, the later we all get to bed.” Then Yilan turned back to the table. “I have duties for the Jubilee to attend. I trust you all will keepyourhonor. I need you working together for a solution, not… swordfighting in my absence,” she muttered, with a glance at me that made me jerk. “I look forward to hearing how we might step forward together in the wake of this evening,” she said. Then turned with a sweep of her gown and started out of the room.
And just like that, she was gone.
I blinked, both impressed and feeling cautious.
But when I turned back to the table, it was to find the men shifting in their seats and eyeing each other reluctantly.
I caught eyes with Turo and tipped my head in a question. “I’m willing to set aside my bone-deep loathing of you and work together for safety, if you’ll do the same.”
He gave me a flat look, then ran a hand over his face, before yanking at the cravat at his throat and unbuttoning his jacket.
