Rebellion in the Mist, page 11
The gentle description from his low voice made a tingle run up my spine and my cheeks redden further. Hopefully my sunburn was concealing it for me.
I could feel the close scrutiny on me from all the leaders at the table. The more they looked at me, the more exposed I felt. Like their assessing gazes were burrowing into my soul, and they would soon uncover that I wasn’t who I presented myself to be.
Shit, say something, anything.
“The same could be said for you,” I said, slightly breathily, my nerves getting the better of me. “My reports failed to mention that you’re not nearly as brutish in your looks as you are in your reputation.” That certainly sounded more flirty than I really wanted to be. Especially to a man who was rumored to torture people for fun, but the first thing that occurred to me was to mirror him with an equally suggestive statement.
My response earned another booming laugh from Ransom, followed by gentle chuckles of the other leaders whose attention slid off me as they resumed their conversations.
I reminded myself not to allow my relief to show. I fixed my gaze on my water glass and focused on calming my mind. I tightened my posture, drawing my spine up, pushing my shoulders back, tilting my chin high, and pushing out my chest. The dress pulled taut across my bust, and I couldn’t stop my nose from wrinkling briefly at the stretch of the fabric.
“My reports of the new ruler of Moriale were very limited, it seems.”
I jumped at the words in my right ear and looked sharply over at Ransom to catch his eyes traveling over me again. He leaned in closer still and whispered, “But then again, it might have been indecent to report on how deliciously curvy you are.” He gave me a mischievous smirk. “Good thing I’ve never been afraid to be indecent.” He turned back to the other leaders.
The crime lord’s words should feel lewd. My body was probably just confused because of how anxious I was tonight, and the heat he made course through my core was nothing to concern myself with.
I would have to pay closer attention to him to see if he used this strategy on everyone here or if the flirtatious draw was a special kind of torture just for me. Maybe he found that if he charmed people with suggestive comments, they would give him what he wanted more easily.
It was also possible he was doing it to throw me off balance, in an attempt to get a truer read of Aurora. It was a damn good strategy, considering how my mind was reeling from this very short interaction with him. I would probably be thinking about this for days.
Those stupid comments from Lina and George cropped up in my mind again. I was probably extra susceptible to his tricks because of how out of sorts I was right now. After all, Lev was making me fumble more than I usually did for men. But Ransom. Fuck. With only a few sentences, he had made my body react in such a visceral way. It was unsettling.
Queen Elara stood up from her place at the head of the table and began speaking in a loud, clear voice. “Welcome, guests, to the Kingdom of Nixia. We are so honored to host you here at Castle Nix. Joining all our kingdoms together in one room has not been done since before the Great War, and these five hundred years have been a long wait.
“We waited and gave the dust time to settle after the war. We let the new borders be drawn in the mainland and the peace treaty be signed.
“We waited until the overreaching Kingdom of Centralia felt secure. We waited until leaders reemerged in our former allies’ territories. We waited until the powers aligned again, and those born with the strength to change history were ready to take lead. The perfect pieces in the right places at the right time.”
I shifted uneasily in my seat at her almost prophetic proclamation. One of those “perfect pieces” was already dead and replaced by an imposter.
“We feel the time is right to meet again,” Queen Elara continued, “but now we meet as something new. A new Gathering of the Six to usher in a new era for the realm. The six true kingdoms, ready to put Centralia back within its borders.” Her words were met with cheers from the entire length of the table. I clapped along like a good rebel leader should.
“The Emperor has not shown any signs he is aware that we have gathered, but we cannot assume that to be the case. He didn’t conquer his neighboring kingdoms without being cunning. While we should all remain aware of our surroundings, rest assured, I have no qualms with eliminating unwanted visitors.”
My fist clenched around the fabric of my napkin, and I tried to remember to breathe at normal intervals. The full weight of what was happening here settled on me like a boulder falling on my chest.
“I cannot organize anything against the Emperor, as the terms of our peace treaty from the Great War dictate. The Emperor will not try to invade the remaining kingdoms as long as we do nothing to aid any resistance against him.
“However, these types of magically bound treaties can offer loopholes if you know where to look. So, this is simply me hosting a gathering of my friends.” She spread her hands wide with a conspiratorial smile. “I cannot and will not hold any planning sessions or offer suggestions for the future of the mainland. I cannot say what Mira Galfrey of the region formerly known as Decca will discuss with Ransom Dimitris of the territory formerly known as the Solterra. I will have no knowledge of what the Chancellor Parisa Harrow of Gallia will plot with Aurora Fey of the region formerly called Moriale.”
Chancellor, not queen. I wasn’t sure why I thought Gallia was a monarchy.
“I can’t help what the royals of Kind will overhear at our weekly events, and the trade decisions their kingdom will make after this Gathering will be in no relation to that talk. I will not be able to stop my ears from hearing the plans that may be discussed at our weekly dinners. Any movement of my forces after this will be entirely unrelated.” Queen Elara grabbed her goblet and raised it. “Here is to all my friends visiting me for the next two months and talking amongst themselves. Cheers.”
She drank deeply. The echoing cheers that erupted were probably heard down in Port Mora. The queen sat back down and began talking to the king and queen of Kind once more, a smile wide across her face.
Servants entered and began to clear the plates. I watched them as they moved up and down the table. I should try to befriend one of them. They got to hear every conversation at this table, and that would be useful information to have.
The servants reappeared with fresh plates and trays of desserts. As they moved along the table the second time, I reconsidered. I might need to ask someone else in my group to befriend them. They were all much more closed off by my end of the table, and more at ease further down near where Wynn was seated. I kept forgetting I was now one of them. No longer a commoner in the background, but a main player.
After dessert was enjoyed and the dishes cleared, the Queen of Nixia stood once again. The room immediately fell silent. “I hope you enjoyed your meal. I know leading people, even unofficially, is laborious, and correspondence with your homelands will take up most of your time, but don’t forget to experience the beauty and leisure we have to offer in Nixia. You are free to eat here in the great hall at any meal you wish, even if historically in Gatherings, most delegations have dinner in their suites. My staff can bring food to your rooms at any time.
“There are two exceptions to this each week. On the third day of the week, we will dine together as we have tonight. Also on the sixth day of each week, there will be an event that you must attend. The events will vary week to week, and will be a great opportunity to socialize, as locals will attend them as well to further the impression that this is a trade conference. You will be notified in advance with the specifics of each event. In our final week together, the event will be moved to the seventh day so that our ball falls on the evening of the autumnal equinox.
“That is all for tonight. Please go enjoy your rest.”
I waited until a majority of people were rising before I excused myself. I was still the first of the leaders to leave the table, but I didn’t care. I wanted to get away from them as soon as I could.
My group reassembled outside of the hall before making our way back to our rooms. Once in the Moriale wing, we started to discuss the best way to use the days we had before the first event.
“I will meet with you tomorrow after breakfast, Aurora,” Lev said. It startled me once again to be referred to as Aurora. “That way, we can start to talk about the state of the East and what specifics we want to accomplish.”
“I should probably join too, to speak to anything discovered on the boat,” Jo said.
“That would be fine,” Lev agreed slowly.
“Alright, with eating breakfast and getting ready, I think I’ll be ready around ten—” I paused as we came to my door, noticing that it was slightly ajar. Everyone stared at the fraction of an inch of light shining through my doorway.
Ameal stepped in front of me without hesitation and walked into my room, followed by Jo. They searched my room much more thoroughly than they had the first time.
“It seems as though the drawers and trunks have been rifled through, but we couldn’t find anything else,” Ameal reported back.
“I was the one who checked the trunks before the journey. I didn’t notice anything missing,” Jo said as he reappeared from my room. “They did spread some clothes around your dressing chamber and bathing room, and there were letters on the floor, but nothing seems to be gone.” I didn’t mention that the clothing mess was probably my doing.
The security in this castle had been drastically overstated by Mansby. I wasn’t allowed to use magic as Aurora, but if my life depended on it, I wouldn’t hesitate to defend myself in that way. We all stood in the hall for a moment in silence, unsure what to do next.
Ameal gave me a firm look. “It’s clear we need to keep your defensive training in top shape, especially considering your resources to defend yourself here are fewer. Be ready in the Southern Courtyard at six tomorrow. Then you can have your breakfast and talk strategy.”
Chapter sixteen
My eyes were reluctant to open to the watery morning light streaming in through my window as I dragged my feet out of bed. I tied my hair up in a quick bun on the top of my head and dressed in the first loose-fitting pants and tunic I could find. I also found a leather jacket in the trunks that must have been huge on Aurora, because it fit me surprisingly well. Since I couldn’t bring any standard issue Protectorate gear, Lev had picked up a pair of generic boots for me in the town near the First. I was grateful to have shoes to train in that actually fit my feet.
I was as ready as I could be for whatever Ameal was going to throw my way. I found the courtyard with time to spare, since he seemed like one of the types of trainers that would make me pay for my tardiness.
I took in the pleasant freshness of the mountain air that I hoped I would never get used to as I leaned against the low gray stone walls that surrounded two sides of the Southern Courtyard. The morning was cool this high up, despite it still being midsummer, and I pulled the jacket tighter around me as I waited.
Ameal stalked across the grassy yard from the castle, looking formidable. He was an imposing figure normally, but with his all-black attire, carrying a large bag, I knew this training session was going to be more serious than I was used to.
He set down the bag next to me. “We’ll start with a few stretches, a jog to warm up, some conditioning, then we’ll get to training.”
“Then we’ll get to training?” I repeated. He had described three days’ worth of exercise for me back at the Compound.
“Yes.” He eyed me as though he was unsure how intelligent I was.
He was as good as his word. After what I would consider an entire week of training, but he called “just a warm up,” we did lunges, squats, and holds on my forearms. He made me lift heavy rocks in various ways. When my body finally felt too tired to go on and all my limbs were as limp as cooked noodles, we began with hand-to-hand combat.
It went as poorly as I expected it would.
“You’re not blocking when I come from the left,” Ameal critiqued, just as I felt I was finally progressing a little. “I know you’re new to this, but you need to protect your left as well.”
“I’m not a total novice, they taught the wiel—me defense too,” I corrected myself. I tried to protect my left while gasping for air. “We trained for an hour, three times a week!”
“You trained hand-to-hand for three hours each week and your left side is still open?” he asked, swatting away my strike as though I was nothing more than a gnat buzzing by.
“Well, it was three hours for everything. Hand-to-hand, archery, swords, conditioning, strength training.”
He sighed. “I think I understand why your left is always exposed.” He jabbed my ribs with a quick tap that I could tell only held a fraction of his true strength. “Plan on being here every morning that we are here.”
“Every morning?” I thought longingly of all the sleep I was going to miss out on.
He breathed in and out deeply through his nose. “You can have off the mornings after the Gathering events. Seventh days are yours.”
It was a much bigger concession than I ever thought I would get from him. After that, he began to show me the basics of how to use the knife that I had reattached to Aurora’s belt. By the end of our session, most of my hair had fallen down from the bun and was plastered to my face and neck with sweat. My shirt was stuck to my back and the leather jacket had been long since abandoned in the grass.
I hurried off to bathe before my meeting with Lev. When I entered my room, Wynn was sitting at my table eating breakfast. I would have to remember to lock the door between our rooms too.
“Good morning. Your lady’s maid requested you some breakfast.” She waved her hand at the food on the table. Maybe the shared door could stay unlocked. “It would be stupid to let it get cold, though, so I started without you.”
My path deviated from the bathing chamber over to the table. “It’s still hot?” I asked, as I looked over the spread. She nodded, and that made my decision to eat now, bathe later.
Wynn watched me as I began piling my plate with bacon, eggs, toast, and fruit. “Worked up an appetite, huh?”
“You have no idea,” I replied between bites. If she was going to ignore the awkwardness between us since my questions about her life in Polis, then so would I. Selfishly, I would have much rather had her as a fledgling friend than get insider information on Aurora. I told her what Ameal planned for me with the amount of time we would be training and everything we would be covering.
“I can’t believe they didn’t train you as much…before. You can’t rely on your…political powers for everything.”
“Well, I see that now. How am I supposed to know I was so unprepared? I could always use my political powers before coming here.”
“Such a mentality of a person with power. That you’re so superior to us mere mortals that you don’t need to be in shape when you go out into the world.” She might have been carefully choosing benign words, but their tone and true meaning echoed through me unpleasantly.
“Yeah, I see that now,” I said quietly to my toast.
I didn’t have much more time to dwell on Wynn’s words, although I did want to revisit them when I could. After eating, I was out of time to fully bathe and settled for a fast wash with a cloth. I went to find another flowy dress that fit me. Nothing was suitable in my quick flip through the trunks. I would have to go to Lev’s room in my sweaty training clothes.
I made a mental note to inventory the dresses that I could wear and set them aside later today for quick access to less smelly clothes.
I knocked on Lev’s door right as bells outside chimed ten times. He was dressed casually, his light hair mussed from sleep or running his hands through. The look was very becoming on him. I was overly aware of my still-sweaty clothes and barely washed body.
“Right on time,” he greeted me.
I joined him at the table covered in maps and books that awaited our lesson. A moment later, Jo joined us. We discussed the geopolitical history of the Empire before the Great War for most of the morning. I was glad most of what we covered was information taught in primary schools. The review was welcome, since I was so tired from training, the journey, and the stress of the dinner last night. I nodded along to Lev’s history lessons and Jo's perspectives.
I lifted my cheek from the cradle of my hand as we began to cover how the Southern State, then still Solterra, became a stronghold for witches after the war broke out due to its inaccessibility to the rest of the mainland; they’d thought they stood the best chance there, being surrounded by mountains and water. I lifted my pen to take notes on the first topic all day that piqued my interest.
“This was before Agora was the only true city remaining in the Southern State. The witches congregated in a town whose name is lost to time,” Lev said as he pulled a map of the Southern State to the top of the stack for me to inspect.
“How could there have been any other town in the Southern State? It’s all desert. And how is the name lost to history?” I was always hungry to know more about witches. The subject was taboo and not discussed in schools or polite company.
“There’s much we don’t know, due to the witches' interference. Once they realized their cause was lost, they used their remaining strength to protect their secrets. They summoned a huge surge of power to wipe the minds and history books of their misdeeds, hiding the ability to do their magic from all who knew it. Apparently, it was stronger than they intended. They only meant to punish the mainland in this way, but their effects rippled across all seven kingdoms, stopping only at the mist. After that, the witches began dying off. Within two years, there were none left,” Lev explained.
“But the Emperor and General Drakemore were alive during that time. Wouldn’t they remember those names and places?” I asked.
“The witches’ sorcery became locked away. It was very different than the fae powers we know today,” Lev said. “Their history simply vanished along with all their abilities, even to those alive during their time. There’s no known way to bring back the powers the witches once conjured.”
