Page 97 of The Court of Secrets
He gave me a look. “I am king, and you are a queen. We are allies, not friends.”
“You sound like the old me.” I smiled softly, and his expression changed. “I would love for us to be allies, Kiros, but friends too.”
He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as he tapped his foot. His hair shone under the white light, and his icy-blue eyes watched me carefully. “It seems, after taking everything into account, we are even.”
“I’ll agree to that.”
“Then…” He extended his arm, still not looking at me. “Will you accompany me for a dance?”
I linked my arm with his and breathed a sigh of relief as I walked with him onto the dance floor. I still saw heartbreak in his eyes when he placed his hand an inch from mine. Our bodies barely touched, stepping around each other’s in perfect sync. “You should know, I am in love with Blaise. I always was.”
He nodded slowly. “I saw you together when I arrived and guessed as much.”
“Can you believe this court?” I switched topics, and his expression lifted a little. “It’s magical, right?”
“It’s definitely something else.”
I marveled at the high ceiling, colored in paint of blue and silver. “I must ask, why the sudden change in heart?”
“Things have not been easy back home since my father died.”
So my suspicions were correct. “You couldn’t afford a war with Magaelor.”
“Your numbers are diminished since your messy battle with your cousin anyway, so I wasn’t too concerned.”
Ouch.
“I actually need something else from you.”
“We’re starting negotiations early?”
“One of your lords has powerful connections with the firedrake wielders. I need him to convince them to call of their attacks on the castle.”
“Which lord?” My eyebrows knitted together. “How would they have those sorts of connections? The firedrake wielders live in the south of Berovia, nowhere near Magaelor.”
He clicked his tongue. “How do you think your kingdom gets dragons’ eggs? Do such delicacies wash up ashore, or would they need to be trafficked?”
I didn’t appreciate his condescending tone but decided snapping back wasn’t going to get me anywhere. “Which lord?”
“A Lord Abor. I hope I’m pronouncing it correctly.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, you are, Kiros. As it happens, I can get him to do what I need, but he will need to offer them something in exchange, I imagine.”
He shrugged. “I’ll leave that to you and your council.” He paused, his expression softening. “I’m sorry.” Something in his stare changed. “They are looking for allies, probably to keep themselves safe against us in case we decide to go after them again. Which, we wouldn’t. My father wanted to use them, not me.”
I nodded. “I will write Lord Abor and tell him to be the negotiator. He will offer them Magaelor’s allegiance.”
“And Niferum’s,” he said.
My gaze narrowed. “Blaise isn’t a part of this peace treaty.”
“He soon would be, no? If you love him, then you will marry him surely.”
A lump formed in my throat. “We will be leaving Niferum out of any negotiating.” My jaw clenched as he stared off, finishing our dance.
He took a step back, then bowed. “We may continue tomorrow, in the meeting.”
“Before you go,” I said to stop him. “You promised Blaise the Ring.”
