Page 41 of Blood Red Woes

“How—” I start, but then I stop. I don’t know how to say this without sounding rude.

“How did my mother die without having a true heir? You are right to wonder. It is a curious thing. Empresses are not forbidden from having children, but their children are not in line as heirs. Do you know how empresses are chosen?”

I shake my head, though it’s hard to take my eyes off him. The more I look at him, the more unreal he seems, in both body and aura. The vibe I’m getting from him is mixed. Even his handsome face can’t push away the suspicion inside me.

“Empresses live long lives. Their magic fuels them. They do not wither away, nor do they grow old. It is only when they find someone worthy that they relinquish their position, and in doing so, their lives as well. An empress must die for the next empress to take her place. It is the way of things… until recently.”

“You’re saying,” I pause as I put it all together, “your mom died before she chose her replacement?”

He frowns slightly, and it annoys me that even his frown is handsome. “Yes.”

“So what happened to her magic?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps it remains in this place. Perhaps it is the reason I cannot leave this throne.”

I blink at him. “You can’t get up?” Oof. To be stuck to a chair for eternity, now that doesn’t sound like a fun time. Handsome as he is, that’s a tough break. Mom diedandstuck to a chair; not something you hear every day.

The Emperor’s blue eyes are on me, his stare piercing. “I have been waiting years for someone to break the bonds that tie me to this throne—and finally, someone has come. What is your name?”

I croak out an awkward sound, and then tell him. “Rey. Look, buddy, I’m sorry about your mom and about the whole—” I gesture to the throne. “—stuck to a chair thing, but I’m not here to fix everyone’s problems. I just want to go home.”

“I would be in your debt,” he says. “I would be obligated to do everything in my power to help you go home, if that’s what you want.”

It’s tempting, I’m not going to lie. As an emperor, maybe he could help me more than Frederick. Maybe he could somehow get his mom’s power and use it to send me home. But… I told Frederick I’d try to get him his dad’s research. I don’t go back on my word.

“I—” I’m seconds from telling him I can’t help him, which he must sense, because he then tells me something that shuts me up immediately.

“I can also give you the answer to the question you’ve wondered your whole life.”

The words die in my throat, and all I can do is stare at him. My heart beats fast for a whole different reason now. I’m not dumb. I know I can’t trust him. I know he’s probably saying whatever he can in the vain hope that I agree to help him, but I am curious about what that means.

What is the question I’ve been wondering my whole life? What could this emperor possibly know about me? He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know where I came from or how hard I had to struggle to get here. He literally met me five minutes ago and he’s trying to tell me my whole fucking life.

I let out a hard breath to calm myself down before asking, “Just for curiosity’s sake, what would you need me to do?”

His response is just as insane as I knew it was going to be: “Kill Empress Krotas and Empress Gladus.”

The words are so strong I have to take a step back. That’s all, huh? He thinks he’ll be able to stand once all the empresses are dead? How in the world does that make sense? How does he know that will even solve the problem?

He must see the confusion on my face, because he explains, “The other empresses are the only ones in Laconia with magic. If they are gone, the threads that tie me to this throne will grow weak enough that I can break free on my own. Their presence keeps magic here. You have seen the troubles Laconia faces, have you not?”

I nod, still too flabbergasted to say a thing.

“The plague. The blight. The scourge. These woes came upon Laconia to punish us. The moment my mother died, Acadia has seen less. Damage has already been done, but if I am freed fromthis chair I can help my people rebuild. I can return Laconia to the great realm it used to be.”

Finally able to speak, I tell him, “Look, I’m sorry. I am, but I can’t help you. I can’t kill two empresses on the off chance that it might free you. I’m just a girl—”

“A girl who wanders past the afflicted outside the gates. A girl who can walk through the storms without the scourge tainting her.” So confident in the way he speaks of me, but how does he know all of this? “You are so much more than you think you are, Rey. You have the power to save us all. You are exactly what we need… what I need.”

He thinks destroying the others would cause the woes to stop, but what about me? What about Rune? If he knew about the magic I can summon, would he want me dead, too?

I shake my head. “I can’t. I’m sorry, but I… I just came here looking for Frederick LaRoe’s research. I promised his son I’d follow his path to Acadia and look for it. He was researching the woes and ways to counter them.”

“Yes, I remember him. An old man, tainted by his journey here. My mother confiscated his things and threw him in the dungeon. He died a long time ago.” How he can speak of something so awful and yet sound so matter-of-fact about it gives me the ick.

Although, I guess, if I was magically tied to a chair, unable to move for years and years, I’d care about only one thing, too—getting off it.

“By that time, she was already mad. I was… a child. There was nothing I could do. I was born only a few years before the first sign of the woes appeared in our lands.” The Emperor heaves a great sigh, and I’m pretty sure I see his gloved hands tighten on the armrests of the throne. “I cannot fix what has been done. I can only attempt to mend the future, and I can only do so with your help.”

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