Page 73 of Empire of Death
“Yes, Death Queen.” Commander Maverick turned away to perform his duties, leaving me alone at the bow of the ship.
With him gone, I took the opportunity to speak freely. “I should speak with King Ithaca.”
“Why?” Callum turned to me.
“Maybe I can help him fight back. Keep the Barbarians focused on me and away from their ships.”
“Xivin, that sounds dangerous?—”
“They outsailed us with ease,” I said. “If I want my men to survive this, they need every advantage they can get. If I destroy these ships, it’ll be a win for the Southern Isles…at least for my dragons.”
He continued to stare at me, concern heavy in his eyes.
“Take me to him,” I commanded.
“Xivin—”
“You can pull me away if you need to.”
That didn’t seem to bring him comfort, and I didn’t know why. But he reached for my arm, gently gripped me just above my elbow, and then the world twisted for a mere second before it went still again.
“Barricade the doors!” a soldier shouted. “With anything you can find.”
I looked around the throne room, seeing the soldiers moving furniture against all the doors as if that would keep them safe. Too distracted by a pointless attempt at self-preservation, they didn’t notice me right away.
King Ithaca stood near the throne with his terrified wife beside him, his two adult sons nearby with their wives. They had their arms around their wives for comfort, but their faces were the color of milk.
King Ithaca turned his gaze on me, and so much frustration and terror were packed into that millisecond. He took a step back even though we were twenty feet apart.
I moved forward. “You’re dressed for battle but shelter in place beneath a ceiling made of glass.” All the soldiers stopped what they were doing and turned to me, every single one of them aware of the fact that I’d somehow made it inside even though every door was blocked by a table or a dresser. “You should be out there.” I pointed at nowhere specific. “Taking up arms and fighting alongside the men who would die for their kingdom. Leave your wives to flee to safety while you fight for your people on your own two feet.”
King Ithaca didn’t look at me with his signature disdain. Now he had a brand-new look, like he didn’t know what to make of this, like he finally understood how deeply he’d underestimated me.
“You’d rather die trapped like a rat?” I asked in disbelief. “Your men will fight harder if they fight alongside their king.” I continued forward until I was only a few feet from him.
He continued to stare at me like I was a ghost.
“Have you lost the ability to speak?”
A sudden slam erupted against the double doors behind me. The thud was so distinct that all the walls shook. The ceiling looked like it was about to shatter. The room went silent afterward, the smallest breath audible in the quiet.
Then it happened again, the doors shifting from the impact. Again and again. One more hit and the doors would snap.
I turned back to King Ithaca. “I will fight for you if you fight with me.”
He started to sweat from the panic. His wife gripped his arm, as if the tighter she held on, the more likely they were to be saved.
The doors shook again—and this time, they broke free.
I saw a horde of Barbarians enter the throne room, and I recognized two in the center, both with golden masks and mahogany uniforms underneath black armor. I barely had a moment to take it in before Callum gripped me by the arm and squeezed.
Nothing changed, the world remained the same, but I felt a change within me.
King Ithaca narrowed his gaze on me then his eyes shifted around frantically, as if looking for something.
I turned to Callum for explanation.
“We’re invisible to their eyes.” He guided me away from the center of the room as the Barbarians moved in. There had been three leaders in Riviana Star, but since I’d killed one of them, now there were only two.
