Page 71 of Ruled By Magic

The joke forced a laugh from my throat, and the mood in the kitchen lifted. I devoured my meal, surprised to find myself starving. Leo and Andrew entered as I swallowed the last bite. Chairs were shuffled and more food doled out.

Leo sat beside me and squeezed my leg under the table. He scanned the group. “So, you’re all up to speed?” Businesslike and unemotional. Everyone nodded. “Now we decide what to do. Dad, is there anything else relevant about Atar?” His face creased. “The heir is some kind of prodigy with magical tech, I remember.”

My mouth fell open. Of course. A king needed an heir. Leo could have many half-siblings.

Andrew set down his glass. “Prince Adante. He’d be around ten years your senior, and yes, he’s known for his inventions.”

“He’s older? So even if the king acknowledged Leo, the prince would be first in line to the throne,” I said.

“Not necessarily.” Andrew settled back into his seat. Watching Leo and his dad together warmed me inside. Similar mannerisms, similar calm authority. Had they forgiven each other? They seemed more relaxed now, following their chat.

“Atarans value magical strength above all else. Their entire society is geared toward increasing it. So the crown passes to the son whose ability is greatest. That would be Leo. Whether that would stand even in a situation like this, where one son has never set foot in the territory, I couldn’t say.”

“How do you know he’d be stronger?” asked Atalie. “All Ataran mages are strong.”

Andrew shook his head. “Not to his degree. He’s an anomaly, even by their standards. No one has ever tested higher.”

And if we had children, they wouldn’t inherit any of that exceptional strength. The thought came out of nowhere. We’d been together for five minutes, and I wasn’t even sure I wanted kids. Why worry about it? Because others would. It’s what everyone would say as soon as we announced our relationship. One of the many, many criticisms we’d face. Suddenly, running away to the forest looked appealing, giant wolves and all.

“The king isn’t in good health,” said Leo.

“True. And he’s well into his seventies now,” Andrew replied.

“So we can assume the prince has taken on a lot of his duties. Someone has spies in our palace. The most likely situation is that the prince deduced my parentage and decided to eliminate me as a threat. But how?”

“Your face is widely publicized in the media now.” Andrew paused and took a sip of wine. “And you bear a striking resemblance to the king in his younger days. That, combined with reports of your unusual strength, must have tipped the prince off. I should have realized the danger. I’m sorry.”

Leo rubbed a hand over his face. “Right. Well, that makes sense.”

Andrew continued. “If Prince Adante is to blame, it gives us an opportunity. His assassination attempts were unsuccessful before, and now you’re on alert. He knows you’re a dangerous enemy. We convince him you aren’t interested in the throne and will sign a legal document to that effect. If he thinks you might ally with him, even better. Why keep a dangerous enemy when you can have a well-placed friend? And you’ve got another advantage too.”

“What?” Leo leaned forward in his seat.

Andrew smiled, the expression grim. “The public persona you’ve created by seizing power and taking Liv as your consort. Dangerous, unpredictable, and selfish. In many ways, you’ve behaved just as the king might expect his son to. They respect that sort of ruthlessness in Atar. And you need them to respect you if you want them to bargain with you. They disregarded my delegation because they viewed us as weak.”

A brutal assessment, but I couldn’t fault it. Had the Assembly accepted Leo as their leader, or did they only work with him out of fear? Would they stab him in the back given the chance? The mages we met always seemed happy to see him. But then, they all wanted something from him.

Leo nodded. “It could work. We can’t trust anyone at the palace, but we’ve got enough of us here to make up a convincing diplomatic delegation. Obviously you can’t come, Dad. I don’t think the king would welcome you.”

Andrew’s face shadowed. “I wouldn’t trust myself if I saw him. You’re right, I can’t be a part of this.”

“We could pass off the small group as a display of my strength. Damien, you could be my head of security; Atalie, an adviser; Hexara—” He gave her a questioning look.

“Liv’s personal guard,” Hex snapped. She glared at Leo, as if daring him to disagree.

“Yes, that’ll do. And Liv, I’m sorry, but we must hold off on announcing I’ve released you from your sentence. You’ll be in danger over there if they believe you’re someone important to me.”

I nodded. It was tenuous and strung together, but it was a plan.

“The only real issue,” Andrew said, “is getting in contact with the king and the prince.”

I smiled. “That’s easy. They’re watching our media. Let’s give them something to watch.”

Leo sat in an armchair, posture relaxed, immaculate again in a new suit and shirt. He caught my eye, smirked, and gestured to his feet. “What are you waiting for?”

The skirt of the green sundress Andrew had bought for me pooled around my legs as I sank to the floor. If Leo and I were alone, I wouldn’t have minded. I would have relished the heady mix of shame and desire that filled me as I settled myself, leaned against his leg, and looked up at him.

But we weren’t alone. Atalie held a boxy camera balanced on a tripod. Hex and Damien watched from a sofa. Earlier, when Leo suggested presenting this tableau to the Ataran king, I’d felt Hex’s eyes bore into me. When I agreed to the plan, she threw her hands up and stormed from the room.

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