Castle Coeds 10, page 23
He grinned, and I thought I might be looking at the devil himself.
“Me,” he said.
The emperor leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands on top of the table. He wore chunky, gold rings on his pinky and ring fingers on his left hand, and I tried not to stare too intently. There was a splotch of leathery, black skin at the tip of his fingers, and it almost looked like it was rotting.
“I need someone strong and reliable to join my army,” Constantine said. “Someone who can step in as low king when one falls ill, or worse, perishes.”
I blinked in surprise and confusion at Constantine. My eyes darted to Keith as if he had the answers, but the guard stared ahead with a blank expression.
“The provinces are stirring,” Constantine said, “but what you can do for me is put them back in their places. You will go far in my ranks. I promise you all the riches, and potentially power, in the world.”
He wanted my help to tame the provinces, which meant he knew that the other kings and queens were questioning his authority. King Lavino was the first of many hits, and if we didn’t put an end to Constantine’s madness, he would try to kill the others, too.
My real answer was hell no, but I unfortunately couldn’t tell him he was an insane asshole who could go to hell just yet. I reeled in the mixture of anger and hatred that was seeping into my veins and turning my blood cold, and I put on a polite smile.
“I can’t believe you thought of me,” I said. “I haven’t been in Tullia that long. It’s very flattering.”
I managed to hold down my last meal as the words came out of my mouth.
“Which is precisely why you are the best candidate.” Constantine leaned over the table and stared at me like I was his next project. “You have made a name for yourself in less than a year. I have heard the stories of your victories. You set foot into the Outlands at the peak of its corruption and restored the land. Do you see what that means?”
His eyes shone bright like Charlie Day in the conspiracy board meme, and he drummed his fingers on the tabletop.
“We can finally restore a… partnership with them,” Constantine said. “Reform the leadership to match our agenda. Isaac, may I be familiar? If you can tame the Outlands, you can do the same for kingdoms we have yet to discover.”
Keith’s icy-blue eyes darted to the emperor for a split second, and I noted the pop of his jaw muscle.
“I live at the edge of the world,” Constantine said in a melancholic tone. “However, I have heard of faraway places. Have you ever set sail across the Bounghai Sea?”
I didn’t have time to shake my head before he rambled on.
“There are no records of any captain to have sailed further than the horizon,” Constantine explained. “You can be that captain… for me.”
One minute, he was promising me a high rank in his army, and the next, I was a captain of a ship. I guessed it was none of the above, and his plan for me was to become a glorified slave.
Discovering new areas of this world was a dream of mine, but I wasn’t going to colonize foreign lands for anyone. Constantine stared at me with an expectant gaze and a frozen smile that made my skin crawl. I couldn’t outright decline his offer, but I couldn’t say yes, either.
“Now, you’re the generous one,” I said with a fake smile. “I’m very grateful for your offer, your majesty.”
It hurt my soul to have to address him with so much praise, and I internally shuddered.
“I will need to think about it,” I said. “To get my affairs in order. There is much to think about.”
“That’s disappointing.” Constantine’s face crumbled. “You are a sensible man. I will allow you until my wedding day’s festivities to come to your senses.”
By that point, he wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
“Thank you.” I bowed my head.
“I am done with this conversation.” Constantine got up abruptly, and his chair scraped the floor. “Lady Ellaria, you may show our guests around. General O’Malley, keep an eye on the ladies.”
Marcus Constantine marched out of the room with an air of importance, and the whole exit was a bit anticlimactic. I’d built up the meeting in my head to be a life-or-death situation, and I was left annoyed and puzzled.
Maybe all the years of isolation had messed with the emperor’s social skills. Maybe he’d begun slipping into insanity after centuries of unnatural life.
All of our gazes fell to Keith. The guard let out a long exhale, and his expression slackened.
“Follow me,” he said in a gruff tone before he strode out into the hall.
We hurried after him, and Keith led us back out the main door. No one talked as we crossed the dirt drive and past the dragon statue to the end of the path near the forest’s edge.
The palace had been built near the edge of the island, and the rest looked like it was covered in wilderness. I wondered if any creatures lived in the thick forest or if the only beast here was Marcus Constantine.
Once we’d slipped through the foliage, Keith faced us with an urgent look.
“There isn’t much privacy in the emperor’s palace,” he said. “This is the safest place, but we do not have much time. The guards usually roam the gardens or the halls, but they do not venture past the treeline.”
“Why is that?” Gwen asked, and she glanced over her shoulder at the shadowed forest with apprehension.
“Fear, incompetence, or spite.” Keith pursed his lips. “There are a few guards who are against the emperor, and they have been waiting longer than I have to end him.”
“You’re not the only one here?” Asha asked in surprise.
“Far from it,” Keith said. “I have instructed those guards to be at the wedding while the others stay inside or patrol the front of the palace.”
“That’s great.” I nodded.
It would buy our men time to swarm the venue before Constantine’s guards got to us.
“What about the servants?” Gwen asked. “I’m sure they’re dreaming of leaving.”
“The contrary.” Keith shook his head and frowned. “They are under some kind of witchcraft. They are all pro-emperor.”
I wondered if it was magic or Stockholm syndrome.
I hadn’t been sure of Keith, but he’d proven himself to be useful to our cause. We had some of our soldiers nestled in the belly of the Trojan, another group camping out in the caves inside the cliffs, and once the rest of them showed up, they wouldn’t have any pushback from the men guarding the wedding.
“I am quite nervous,” Ellaria said and bit her lower lip.
Her dramatic eyebrows arched with worry, and her light brown, almond-shaped eyes gleamed with welled-up tears.
“Of marrying… him.” Gwen motioned with a tilt of her head toward the palace.
“My father has tried to marry me off since before I was of age.” Ellaria’s voice was bitter. “I am used to small men.”
“Why haven’t you married?” Andamora asked with curiosity. “Would that not free you from Lord Brixton?”
“Yes… and no.” Ellaria shrugged. “It would only be a different kind of prison. If I were to get married, I want it to be to someone who thrills me, who understands me, and who would inspire me. A kind man who will allow me to grow and make a difference in the world.”
A fire lit in Ellaria’s gaze, and it danced with her growing passion. Her eyes darted to me and back to Andamora, and a pink flush stung her high cheekbones.
“I want so much more than what my father offered,” she said with longing. “I want to make a name for myself.”
“And you will, dear,” Maeve cooed, and she patted Ellaria’s arms soothingly.
“In a matter of days,” I said with certainty, “you’ll be free to be whoever you want to be, and with whoever you want.”
Ellaria’s expression was dreamy, and she stared at me with an almost pleading look.
“You promise?” she asked in a soft voice.
My words caught in my throat, and I nodded. All I wanted to do was protect her.
“I am capable of defending myself,” she said as if she read my mind, “but I am still unsure.”
“Can you wield a weapon?” I asked in a gentle tone.
“It has been a while,” Ellaria said. “I used to swordfight with Owain when he’d practice, but I will not be able to walk down the aisle with a sword.”
“Maybe not,” Asha agreed. “But you could hide this.”
The dark-skinned woman unfastened the leather strap around her chest and offered it to Ellaria. There was a bodice dagger tucked inside the leather pocket, and the gunmetal hilt peeked out.
“I cannot accept your weapon.” Ellaria’s full lips parted in amazement.
“Of course you can,” Asha insisted. “I have others.”
My heart was filled with warmth for the athlete, and I gave her a proud smile. This was one of the reasons she was perfect in her role of second-in-command.
She was brave, strong, and kind, and I was happy to stand by her side.
“Thank you, Lady Asha.” Ellaria smiled and dipped her head.
Ellaria unsheathed the dagger and inspected the weapon with an awe-struck expression. The kris blade was only about four inches long, but it could still do serious damage if Ellaria wanted to.
It was a simple dagger that Asha had gotten when we’d fought off Khan’s army.
“I do not know how to fight with a small weapon,” Ellaria said.
“Jabbing it works,” Asha said with a grin.
“If you’d like,” I offered, “I can teach you a couple moves.”
“You have about five minutes,” Keith said as he looked over his shoulder to the entrance of the palace.
I could work with that.
I led Ellaria away from our group to give us a bit of space and took out a small dagger I’d hidden inside my jacket. It was a couple of inches longer than hers, but it would do for a quick lesson.
“We’ll start with how to hold your dagger,” I said. “It’s best in your case to stick to a reverse grip, like this.”
I demonstrated with my weapon and had the tip of my serrated dagger pointed almost parallel with my forearm.
“It’ll be easier for you to drive the blade into your enemy,” I said. “Always use the force of your body weight. It’ll be less hard on your muscles.”
Ellaria watched my hands with rapt focus and nodded as she mimicked my movements. She wrapped her delicate fingers around the grip and held the dagger firmly.
“The areas you want to target if they’re wearing armor are the face, neck, joints like the back of the elbow or knee, or armpit,” I instructed.
“Armpit?” She frowned.
“It’s usually unprotected,” I said. “Not only are there nerves and arteries there, you can potentially puncture their lung, too, if your blade is long enough.”
Ellaria lowered her weapon and reached over to press her fingertips on the side of my pec. She wore a pensive look, and she cocked her head to the side.
“Here?” she asked.
My breathing had turned raspy, and it caught in my throat. Ellaria didn’t need any weapons to make my heart skip a beat. Her light brown eyes drifted across my chest, along with her gentle touch, and rested at the center of my sternum.
“What about the heart?” she asked.
Her perky breasts peeked over her neckline, and they rose and fell in rapid succession with her breathing. She licked her Cupid’s bow, and my eyes shifted to her parted lips. My skin felt on fire where her fingers pressed, and electricity flourished from her touch and expanded over my body.
“Fatal,” I said.
I mentally facepalmed and wished I’d come up with a smoother line.
“Um,” I cleared my throat. “It’s a difficult hit, though. There’s a strong, thick bone here that protects the heart. Aim for squishy bits.”
Ellaria nodded and stared at her fingers where they still touched my chest.
“The emperor is not happy with me,” Ellaria said, and it seemed out of the blue.
“Why is that?” I asked and held back from claiming her mouth.
“I can never be his.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, and the fires in her eyes danced with a hidden meaning.
Ellaria dropped her hand and sheathed Asha’s dagger with a sigh.
“We should head back before he notices,” she said, and her shoulders sagged.
Her fingers trailed down my torso as she backed away, and my chest was as cold as the Baltic Sea without her touch. I nodded without a word and returned to the group, where they hovered by the forest’s edge.
The rest of the day was uncomfortable. We returned to the palace and were led to our rooms, and I recognized the annex from when I’d seen Ellaria crying while I was astral projecting.
Constantine didn’t show up for dinner, and we ate in silence in the massive dining room with Ellaria. Maeve and Gwen ate in a quiet room next door for personal servants. There were four guards stationed at the two entrances, and we couldn’t discuss our plans freely. I kept eyeing them while wondering if they were on our side or the emperor’s.
I couldn’t be sure.
After a sleepless night, I looked forward to seeing Owain and Alarik, who would arrive in the evening with the other guests. My stomach was in knots, and my appetite was nonexistent.
I spent the next morning strolling around the gardens with Andamora, Gwen, Asha, and Ellaria. Constantine seemed to hide out somewhere in the castle, and I suspected he was in the tower with Tevai’s heart.
I had no idea how the magic worked, but I assumed he needed to be close to the dragon relic to keep himself alive.
While the women got ready for dinner, I wandered through the palace. I walked for nearly twenty minutes before I reached the door to the tower, and I was relieved that there weren’t any guards.
I couldn’t see any light from the cracks around the door, but I sensed the electric pull of Tevai’s powers tugging at my core. All I’d have to do is knock out the guards upstairs to retrieve her second heart. I was so close, it was torture not to get it right then.
I was inching closer to the door when footsteps approached from behind me. I slipped inside the first unlocked door before anyone could see me and let out a slow, silent breath.
The room was empty and had only a small skylight. The walls were painted a deep burgundy, and the wooden trim around the base was dark brown. A leather-upholstered chair faced an unlit fireplace, and there was a large map of Tullia hung over the mantle.
A writing desk was tucked in the corner and was covered in yellowed parchment. A thin layer of dust covered the shelves attached to the desk, and there was a blotch of dried ink at the edge of the table.
I scanned the pages that were scattered on the desk. Most had tiny, cursive writing, and others had detailed sketches of dragons, people, and maps.
There was a map of a continent I didn’t recognize with the word “Vallia” written on it. I skimmed some of the pages and spotted passages about flying overseas to meet locals and other dragons.
I frowned at what looked like personal letters about a journey, and couldn’t make sense of what they could be talking about. My jaw dropped at the last line, “Cordially, Eramus.”
It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Eramus, as in the ancient dragon we’d found in the caves of the Outlands? If the dragon was the one to have written all these letters and documents, these were much older than I’d expected.
I stacked all the pages and carefully tucked them in my pocket inside my jacket to read later. If the snippets I’d read were true, then Eramus might have discovered foreign lands centuries ago.
I rushed out of the office and nearly ran into one of Constantine’s guards when I turned the corner into another hallway.
“Emperor Constantine’s guests have arrived,” the man said in a bland tone.
I nodded and speed-walked to the dining room, where Andamora, Asha, and Gwen waited for me. I was surprised there weren’t many joining us for dinner, and I wondered if the wedding guest list was intentionally short.
Owain and Alarik sat across from me at the dinner table. Lord Brixton senior spoke loudly about his tremulous journey with his advisors next to me. Ellaria looked sad and was quietly eating next to Constantine, who downed four glasses of red wine like it was water.
Constantine looked a little gaunt. His eyes looked deeper set than earlier, and his tanned skin seemed grayish. He splayed a hand over his thick comb-over like a nervous teenager about to ask a girl out for the first time.
He looked like he could have been handsome once, maybe in another lifetime. I wasn’t sure if the magic was wreaking havoc on his body or if the extra centuries he’d had were finally taking a toll on him.
“I hear you are married.” Lord Brixton turned to fix me with a glare. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
He didn’t even pretend to smile.
“Thank you,” I said. “It’s quite recent.”
I placed my hand on Andamora’s, and her warmth gave me the strength to push through the conversation with the lord of Lydmark.
“I should be the one to thank you,” Lord Brixton scoffed.
Owain stared at his father from across the table, and I imagined he was coming up with a hundred and one ways to shut him up.
I was, too.
“If it were not for your stupid decision not to marry my daughter,” Lord Brixton said, “she would not be marrying the emperor tomorrow.”
“That would be a shame,” I hummed, and I tried to school my features into a neutral expression.
The emperor coughed, and it sounded like he was hacking for his life. He suddenly sprang out of his chair while coffee was being served after dessert, and cleared his throat.
“I had a lovely evening,” he said. “I need to rest for my day tomorrow.”
“Are you sure you do not want to enjoy your last night of freedom?” Lord Brixton senior’s voice wobbled a little with desperation.
