Page 75 of A Crown of Lies

Michal’s jaw flexed, and he said nothing.

Eris put a hand on her belly and leaned forward. “Queen Olga is about to give birth to your replacement as heir to the throne, and you are proving you will do anything to hold onto power, Prince Michal, however underhanded. If I were to welcome you into my court, I would have to spend the rest of my life watching my back, afraid I would find a knife in it. I cannot trust you. All of that is a moot point,” she said, sitting back. “I will marry Ruith, and our child will sit on Brucia’s throne.”

Michal sighed and lowered his head. “I did not want to do this, but now I have no choice. There is one more reason you should reconsider your marriage to Ruith the Crow, Queen Eris. One I have not yet stated.”

“Oh, and what reason is that?”

Michal sat up straight, rolling his shoulders back. “Because this evening, I have a meeting with Queen Haarima-jaan of Trinta, and I intend to make her the same offer. If she accepts, Brucia will stand alone against the might of the Free Cities.” He leaned forward, the chair creaking under his weight. “Join with me, Eris. Help me crush them, or we will crush you.”

For a moment, she considered it. He made a good argument, as far as arguments went. There was discontent in Brucia. She’d seen that firsthand when Reese destroyed part of the city, and the unrest had only been growing since then. The protests hadn’t grown violent… yet. But the council was worried they might.

The arrival of refugees from Trinta only compounded the issue, as the war in Greymark meant there wouldn’t be enough food to go around. There would be shortages come winter, and people had already begun to hoard what little they had.

Brucia was a powder keg waiting to explode. That was one of the reasons she’d agreed to peace talks with Trinta in the first place. If Brucia went to war in support of Greymark, they would do so without the support of the people. Such a wildly unpopular move might cost Eris her crown, and her life.

And the life of her child.

They had to avoid violence in Brucia at all costs. But was this too high a price to pay?

The baby kicked. Hard. Eris’s hand flew to her stomach as she stared down the prince sitting across from her. He could never have what he was asking for and let her child live.

“No,” she said firmly.

Michal’s eye twitched. “No?”

“I’m sure you’re familiar with the word. And if you are not, familiarize yourself,” Eris said, sitting taller. “I expect Haarima-jaan’s answer will be the same. She is already the queen of Trinta. Tell me, Prince Michal, what use does she have for you? What can you give her that she does not already have? You have no armies. No great wealth to rival hers. She owns the Brotherhood and what is left of the College of Mages. She has all the trade routes. What could you possibly offer either of us?”

His lip twitched up in an ugly snarl. “I am offering you salvation. Without me beside you, your own people will reject you!”

Eris held out her hand, signaling for Isaac to help her up. He took it and helped her rise.

She smoothed her hands over her skirt and then held a hand over her belly. “The era in which a queen needs a king to rule is over. If all you have to offer are threats, you will have a poor time searching for a wife, especially on such short notice. Pardon me, Prince Michal, but I suddenly find myself in need of some air. It’s much too stuffy in here.”

The prince jumped to his feet as soon as she turned her back. “You will regret this,” he ground out.

“No, Prince Michal. I thinkyouwill regret it. Deeply,” Eris shot back, and walked out of the room with Isaac close behind.

“That was very bold,” Isaac whispered to her as they hurried down the corridor for the safety of their quarters. “But there will be fallout. Perhaps we should speak with Haarima-jaan before her meeting with the prince, remind her that she does not need him.”

“We’ll send word,” Eris agreed, “but I also believe we should prepare to depart in case things start to go badly here.”

Isaac nodded. “A wise decision. I will send word to the stables to have the horses and carriage ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Eris slipped her hand into Isaac’s and rubbed her stomach. The baby had begun kicking furiously, perhaps from the stress of moving around so much. “I worry about what he’ll do if the queen’s labors begin. There might be a coup, Isaac.”

“I swore to Ruith that I would protect you and deliver you safely to him upon his return,” Isaac said, squeezing her hand back. “And I won’t fail that oath now.”

“I know, Isaac,” she said, patting his arm. “I know.”

Yet she could not shake the sudden uneasy terror that had settled low in her stomach. It was as if they were standing in the calm before a great storm, and quickly running out of options for shelter. Michal had been right about one thing. Tensions were high in Brucia. If these talks fell apart because of Michal’s meddling, there would be war, and she could lose everything.

Twenty-Three

Rowanhadtheseatingarrangements at the head table changed an hour before dinner, a supreme irritation to Gallaway. Her head had practically exploded when he told her to relay the rest of his instructions to the staff. They were to place a tablecloth and bring in the dishes instead of pre-set tabletops. She griped at him for being too influenced by his time in Trinta, because that was how Trintan lords served their dinners.

He had two smaller tables brought up onto the dais instead of using the single large table. It went down into the main part of the Great Hall with some extra chairs, which meant they could host an additional twenty Crows at a time.

He also adjusted the menu for the head table slightly, which had the cooks irritated at him. They threatened to chase him out of the kitchen with wooden spoons. It was all in good fun, though. He used to do that sort of thing all the time. Small mischiefs, the staff called it. They couldn’t see the larger purpose at play, which was just fine with him. He had a habit of crafting elaborate plans with simple executions. After all, what was the fun in behaving properly?

---