Page 45 of Winter's Dragons. Frozen Flames
Epilogue
Decisions
Cheimon
"February, former Third Lieutenant of Tou Cheimóna, ambassador between The Realm of Eternal Ice and The Realm of Eternal Youth, I declare you guilty of two counts of high treason, attempted regicide, causing the senseless deaths of thirty-two citizens of our homeland and inflicting grievous injuries to fifty-three. The penalty for your crimes is death, and will be delivered at once."
From his spot on the floor of my throne room, February stared at me in paralyzed horror. He opened his mouth, perhaps intending to protest. The words died in his throat when Terry squeezed his shoulder so hard I heard his bones creak. For the first time in many years, I was reminded that Abby's younger brother could truly be as terrifying as his name suggested.
Terry's past issue with Abby had vanished, as evidenced by the fact that they were now standing side by side and displaying no sign of hostility toward one another. However, the price had been steep.
Terry's own mate had been seriously wounded in the attack. The nisse had managed to get to her before she bled out, and it was then that we had learned the reason for her strange behavior. She had been with child. Unfortunately, that was no longer the case, and the loss of the new potential member of their family had hit both Terry and Abby hard.
February let out a choked gasp of pain, but said nothing, nor did he attempt to argue with me again. Nobody did. Everyone had known that there could be no other ending for my lieutenant, not after all the damage he had inflicted upon us. Had his crimes been against me alone, I might have attempted to be more merciful, if only because he had served the realm since before I had become queen. But the blood that now stained the snow of Tou Cheimóna cried out for revenge and would not allow me to make any different choice. I suspected that despite his display, even February had realized it, long before I'd uttered the words.
My dragons shot me a telling look, wordlessly asking for permission to handle February's punishment. I appreciated the thought and the silent offer, but this was something I had to do myself.
I walked up to February, the sound of my footsteps echoing far too loudly in my silent throne room. Upon my cue, Terry and Abby forced February to stand.
The most complicated part of this whole process was not February's sentence per se, but rather, the position it would place me in. Every monarch of the four realms had three lieutenants, one for each month of the year. That was the way it had always been, and I couldn't change the rule established millennia before my birth just because it was inconvenient for me.
None of the lieutenants were irreplaceable. They were merely incarnations of the months, and the magic they commanded would survive their physical deaths. I was not all that thrilled with the concept of finding a replacement for February, but I didn't have much choice.
Icicle claws that mimicked the physiology of my dragons manifested from my fingertips, the very same ones that now appeared when I had sex with them or lost my temper. February probably deserved to suffer more for his actions—my soulmates certainly believed that he did—but there had already been enough suffering, and I had more important things to worry about than coming up with ways to torture him.
I'd never actually used my new claws for anything nonsexual but even so, my aim was impeccable. In one single, clean motion, I slit February's throat, the sharp tips tearing out his jugular as efficiently as the fangs of a vengeful amarok would have. The blow was not quite enough to instantly end his life, and February let out a choked gurgle, his magic flaring one last time before it went still and silent.
It was a grim, sad moment. Abby and Terry placed my now deceased lieutenant onto the floor without being told to. As they stepped back, a bright, white glow emerged from February's body, swirling in the air like a miniature star. I extended my hand and the light obeyed me like an eager amarok pup, drifting into my blood-stained palm. As soon as it made contact with my skin, it turned into an ice-blue crystal that pulsed with the eternal magic of Chronikos. At the same time, February's corpse dissipated, leaving behind a puddle of melting, bloody snow and the remnants of a uniform he had worn for too long.
Pocketing the crystal, I directed my attention to the people who had come to witness February's execution. Pandora and Eranthe were, of course, by my side, together with my dragons and their families, and they did not need any words of comfort or reassurances. The citizens were an entirely different matter. They had gone through a terrible experience, or rather two, if I counted the whole business with Jack's enchantment. This would not be the end of it either. Snegurka's spirit was still free, and she would eventually return to attempt to claim the throne, as well as the soulmates and body she perceived as hers. I had no doubt that she could do just as much damage as February had even without his help.
And then there was the still-ailing Ded Moroz, who had yet to awaken after the failed ritual despite the fact that even Eranthe had attempted to help him. On one hand, his enduring illness meant that I did not have to execute two people who had been so important for the realm for so long, but on the other, the strange limbo of his situation made matters worse.
"My people, troubling times are upon us," I said. It was the understatement of the century, but they were already scared enough without me emphasizing the seriousness of our problem further. "We've been dealt a heavy blow and the land weeps due to the loss of so many lives. However, rest assured that I will not allow any of the remaining culprits to go unpunished. Tou Cheimóna still stands strong, and we will weather this storm just like we have countless others in the past.
"Let this be a lesson to all of us, to embrace the gifts the gods have given us, but never take them for granted. Let us remember and honor those who have fallen, and in their names, create a nation that no one will ever dare to threaten again."
The last thing I wanted was for the people to actually disregard the threat Snegurka posed, but even so, I knew they needed this encouragement from their queen, just like I had needed it from my soulmates. In this, I was proven right, and the speech worked better than I expected. The tension in the throne room seemed to pop, and the crowd exploded into cheers and applause that held so much relief I felt guilty for my small deception. "All hail Queen Cheimon!"
"Long live the queen!"
"May her reign be as eternal as the snow!"
The latter sentence, unsurprisingly uttered by January, reminded me that I needed to speak with my remaining two lieutenants. I allowed the populace to express their enthusiasm for a little while longer, and once I decided I'd indulged them enough, I lifted my hand to quiet them. "Go now, and may the serenity of the gods lighten your steps."
My subjects readily followed my command and one by one drifted out of the throne room. After what seemed like forever, the door closed behind them, leaving me alone with my inner circle. I turned toward January and February, and almost instantly, they dropped to their knees in front of me, shaking like they expected me to slit their throats as well.
I had seen this coming, of course. Ever since they had started to recover from the attack, they had been stuck in a vicious circle of shock, anger, and dread. I could understand their plight, but that didn't mean the attitude didn't frustrate me. "Please, rise," I told them. "Stop looking so terrified. You realize that what happened with February will not influence my opinion of you and your service in any way, don't you?"
January stood with some reluctance, perhaps perceiving any stance other than the kneeling as inappropriate. "We would deserve it. We should have seen this betrayal coming, should have done more to prevent it."
"We noticed February was acting strangely, but we did nothing," December said, as distraught as his fellow lieutenant. "We have failed you."
It wasn't entirely false, although it wasn't true either. I didn't begrudge them for their behavior, but I did acknowledge that their inability to communicate with me was one of the reasons for this disaster. We had all failed the people since if we had been more careful, the thirty-two innocents who had died in February's attack would still be alive.
"You've made mistakes, yes," I agreed, "but so have I. We will have to learn from this and do better. But do not fear. I do not blame you for not seeing your friend as a homicidal maniac.
"That being said, this incident has placed us in a difficult position. Eventually, I will need to find a replacement for February. Until then, I'm relying on both of you to be as conscientious as possible in your duties. January, you will have to take over February's duties as ambassador with my sister."
