Page 84 of Troll Queen

Melantha bolted upright, gripping the blankets around her as if she planned to somehow turn them into a weapon. “What is she doing here? We cannot trust her.”

Rharreth reached down to rest a hand on Melantha’s shoulder. He was not sure what to think either. He had seen Vriska and Drurvas talking often before the coup.

Zavni shut the door, bolting it again. “I understand. She is not the member of the shield band I was expecting to come.”

“I know. I know you don’t trust me. You have good reason not to.” Something in Vriska’s voice was shaking, and her face was drawn in a way Rharreth had never seen. “I never thought this would happen. I didn’t realize. I’m sorry.”

Melantha snorted. “I have been there, done that, said that. You are going to have to do a whole lot better to convince us.”

Rharreth squeezed her shoulder, then held out a hand. She took it and let him haul her to her feet. Only then could he see that her dress was thoroughly bloodstained, its shoulder ripped. Rharreth leaned against the wall next to the fireplace and gave Vriska a stern glare. “Explain.”

“I knew Drurvas wasn’t happy. I wasn’t happy. But I didn’t think...I didn’t think this would happen.” Vriska was shaking, but she held Rharreth’s gaze steadily. “Nirveeth and Darvek are dead. The others are in hiding. But right now, Drurvas thinks I’m on his side. I’m the only one who can move about freely.”

“How do we know we can trust you?” Melantha’s voice tightened. “I have betrayed my people. I have convinced myself that what I was doing was right. But it was not. And I have learned that no amount of groveling or work can earn redemption. So if you are here to try to earn your way back into our good graces, then forget it. But if you are here to confess without any expectation or feeling that you deserve restoration, only then will I be willing to hear what you have to say.”

Vriska drew in a shuddering breath, her gaze swinging to focus on Melantha before she ducked her head. “You are correct. Honor is not trying to earn back what I lost by my actions. Honor is confessing, even knowing the consequences.”

Melantha eased closer to Rharreth. The set of her spine softened. Only fractionally, but Rharreth could tell.

Vriska stared down at her hands for a moment before she straightened her shoulders. “I failed you, my king.” She glanced to Melantha. “And I failed you, my queen.”

That eased the lines on Melantha’s face, though her mouth remained tight.

Rharreth felt the tension easing in his shoulders as well. His chest and back were aching from standing, so he pushed from the wall and took a seat on one of the benches. Melantha sat next to him, twining her fingers with his underneath the table where the others couldn’t see.

He squeezed her fingers, hoping she could tell how very thankful he was for all she had done the night before.

Rharreth met Vriska’s gaze. “How bad is it?”

“Not good. Drurvas has total control of Khagniorth Stronghold after spending the night killing or subduing anyone who showed any hint of loyalty to you.” Vriska glanced at Zavni, who had taken a position leaning against the door. “Those still loyal to you that survived have fled the stronghold and are hiding in the home of one of the warrior families still loyal.”

“Mymrar here heard about them this morning, and I sent him to make contact as quietly as possible.” Zavni nodded to the man, the stranger. It must be his house that they were sheltering in.

The man was standing to the side with his wife, the children no longer in sight. They must have quietly sent their children to play in one of the bedrooms.

“The surviving shield brothers are all wounded. They had to fight hard to get out of the stronghold, once they realized His Majesty was already dead or apprehended, and the best way to help was to escape.” Vriska shook her head, the bones braided into her hair rattling. “I was not with them that night. Drurvas seemed to think I was on his side, and once I realized what was going down, I played into his belief, knowing I would be able to help more from the inside than if I fled with the others. I was actually able to aid some of the last few escaping. I had just gone to the place they were staying to warn them that Drurvas plans to attack them there.”

Rharreth gripped Melantha’s hand tighter. Drurvas had planned well and gathered his allies with skill. Except for the fact that he had failed to kill them, Drurvas had won.

“Your orders, Your Majesty?” Vriska met his gaze. “I need to return to Khagniorth Stronghold soon. Drurvas thinks I’m gathering evidence and scouting the locations of those loyal to you in order to turn over to him. I need to have something to tell him.”

What could they do? What should he say? Drurvas had backed them into a corner. Perhaps Rharreth could rally the warriors loyal to him, but that would take time. Drurvas had the advantage of being organized and prepared.

Beside him, Melantha straightened, then glanced at Rharreth. “We need to go to Tarenhiel. Ask my brother for sanctuary while you rally those loyal to you.”

“No.” Rharreth shook his head, unable to look at Melantha. She sounded very sure, but she did not know the culture of Kostaria well enough yet to know why her suggestion would never work. “If I take back my throne with the help of the elves, then I will never have the loyalty of my people. I will look like the weak king that Drurvas accused me of being, and I will never keep my throne.”

“I know. But a prolonged civil war is not going to help Kostaria. Maybe Drurvas eventually wins. Maybe you do. But in the end, Kostaria loses. The people lose.” Melantha’s eyes flashed, her voice tight and simmering, as she gestured behind her to the man and woman. “You need to figure out how to stop him quickly. To do that, we need help.”

She had a point. Rharreth had been fighting for peace for months. He had seen the improvement in the life of his people, even in the short time since he had signed the peace treaty with Tarenhiel and Escarland. Fighting Drurvas in the streets of Osmana would undo all that hard work.

He needed to back Drurvas into a corner until it came down to just the two of them. No armies. No large loss of life. Just strength against strength. Only if Rharreth won such a contest could he retake his throne and regain the loyalty of those warrior families who were currently siding with Drurvas.

“I will have to challenge him to a Dulraith.” Rharreth glanced between Vriska and Zavni. Both gave a solemn nod, as if they had already realized that.

“What is a Dulraith?” Melantha glanced around at them, her forehead wrinkled.

“It is a traditional duel to solve aspersions cast upon a warrior’s honor.” It was a lot more than that, but Rharreth didn’t want to divulge all of the details yet. It would only make Melantha worry if she knew.

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