The Cogsmith's Daughter (Desertera #1)(84)

“Zedara, my love,” King Archon cooed, his eyes softer than Aya had ever seen them. “Please, I can explain.”

“Quiet!” Zedara snapped. “You lost the right to speak the moment I caught you with this peasant whore. You are lucky my guards did not behead you while you still lay between her thighs.”

“You cannot have me executed. I am the king. I am the law!” King Archon no longer needed the lion mask. His top hat had fallen to the ground, leaving an untamed mane of gray hair around his reddened face. His blue eyes bulged wider than Aya thought possible, and his mouth warped into a foaming, rabid snarl.

“Yes, and you broke it.” Zedara smirked. “Desertera has never had to execute a king before, but my darling Archon, it looks like you will be the first.”

“You cannot do that. I am the king!” King Archon lurched toward Zedara, but the guards held him back. “I decide who to execute, not you.”

Queen Zedara laughed. “Well, I suppose it is time for a new system then, isn’t it? Maybe one you and all the future kings can’t cheat.” She motioned to her guards. “Take him away.”

King Archon struggled against the three guards, kicking his legs and swinging his arms. When this did not work, he allowed his legs to go limp and attempted to pull the guards to the floor. His flailing proved to be ineffective, and the guards strengthened their grip and dragged the king out of the room. Despite the strong hands digging into her own arms, Aya smiled at the sight of the king being pulled away. He looked exactly as her father had. No matter what happened to her now, at least she had her justice.

Aya turned her attention to Queen Zedara, who still watched the retreating figure of King Archon. As her anger coiled in her stomach, Aya clenched her fists and jerked her arms. One of the guards let her slip out of his grasp, but the other held her firm, doubling the strength of his grip. Instinctively, Aya groaned, and the sound made Queen Zedara’s glare turn to her.

“This was the plan all along,” Aya hissed through gritted teeth. “Bring in the poor little whore, blind her with her lust for revenge, and catch her in the king’s embrace.”

Queen Zedara tilted her head and walked over to Aya. With her pale skin reddened by argument, it looked exactly like the strawberry ice cream. She leaned in close to Aya’s face and studied her. For a second, Aya saw a flicker of sympathy in her eyes, then it was gone, as quick as a bolt of heat lightning over the desert.

“I’m sorry, Aya, but I don’t know what you are talking about.” Queen Zedara widened her eyes at her guards and shook her head. “Lord Varick showed you a great kindness by taking you in. I welcomed you into my palace, tried to be a gracious queen. And this is how you repay us both? By bedding my husband, the king?”

“Stop with the lies,” Aya seethed, twisting her neck to stare at the guards. Her pleas would likely be useless, but she had to try. “Zedara planned this. She and Varick both did. They wanted King Archon to be caught in adultery, to be executed. They are traitors.”

The guards remained silent, but their fingers tightened around Aya’s arms again.

Queen Zedara stuck out her bottom lip, mocking Aya. “It’s over, Aya. Lord Varick and I cannot let you go back to your life. If anyone else finds out about this, we would all be in too much danger.”

Aya scoffed. “And I’m the one who will tell? I’m the one the public will believe? You and Varick are a much bigger threat to each other than I am.”

“You are the cogsmith’s daughter, a traitor’s daughter.” Queen Zedara scrunched her eyebrows, something between pity and contempt in her eyes. “I cannot let you live. I’m sorry. I simply can’t.”

Aya felt the blood drain from her face. She had not realized that Queen Zedara knew her true identity, but after everything she had learned tonight, Aya cursed herself for being so na?ve. She struggled against the guards, screaming at them to let her go, but they were too strong for her to break free. Queen Zedara stood as still as a statue, watching Aya thrash like a chained horse. Aya settled for what she could do. She spat in the queen’s face. “You lying bitch.”

Queen Zedara did not wipe Aya’s saliva from her face. She simply stood there, staring at Aya. Tears slipped down her cheeks. She leaned in closer to Aya, her voice almost inaudible. “I’m sorry. It was me or you. I had to choose me.”

With that, the queen turned away and pointed to the entrance. Like the prince before her, she had condemned an innocent person to death out of fear and selfishness, too cowardly to say what needed to be said, to even try to find another option. The guards began dragging Aya out of the room, but she fought. She knew she would not break free, but she wanted to make their trek as slow and difficult as possible. Aya thought back to her father being dragged away, finally seeing her younger self through his eyes. She might die, but she would get in one final punch.

“You are a coward, Zedara!” Aya shouted. “You are no better than Varick or Archon or Lionel! Isadona would be ashamed.”

As the guards reached the entrance to the round room, where the corridor narrowed, they turned sideways to shimmy through the tight space. Aya looked back over her shoulder to see whether Queen Zedara still stood there pointing or if she had moved to follow them. As Aya expected, the queen remained in place, her arm limp at her side. Aya felt a wave of pleasure knowing that her words had stung Zedara. However, that feeling evaporated as Aya’s eyes landed on the other side of the room.