Crush the King (Crown of Shards #3)(106)

The others filled me in on what had happened. After I’d collapsed on the bridge, my friends had rushed me to the Bellonan camp, where Aisha had healed me as much as she could. Then Auster had sent his guards and Xenia had sent her spies back to Fortuna to watch the Mortan side of the river. So far, there had been no sign of Maximus, although Mortan soldiers and strixes had been spotted guarding their camp.

“As for the ship in the harbor, no one seems to know where it came from or who it belonged to, but we all know this was Maximus’s doing,” Auster said.

“Along with the members of the Bastard Brigade,” Xenia added.

I thought of the weather magiers standing on the deck and the terror on their faces when they’d realized that I’d turned their own tidal wave against them. “Did any of the magiers survive?”

Serilda shook her head. “No.”

Xenia eyed the other woman. “How do you know?”

“My magic might not always be precise, but it is quite useful when it comes to this sort of thing,” Serilda replied. “I could see the magiers’ deaths the moment Evie pushed the water back in their direction. Believe me, no one on that ship survived, not even the rats.”

“Well, the magiers being dead solves one of our problems,” Cho said. “But we still have to do something about Maximus before he orders his men and their strixes to cross the river and invade Bellona.”

Worry curled through my stomach, then drew itself into tight little knots. Maximus and I had a relatively even number of soldiers here, but his strixes would turn the tide in his favor, and he could potentially slaughter everyone in the Bellonan camp. Or worse, have his guards fly to Seven Spire and try to take the palace while I was stuck down here miles away.

I had to stop that from happening, which meant that I needed to give Maximus another target to focus on. So far, the two of us had been trading attacks and insults, but I had to give him a reason to play my game for a change, instead of going ahead with his own schemes.

I had used the lessons Xenia had taught me on being a spy to sabotage and undercut Maximus. Now it was time to turn to Serilda’s teachings and be a soldier again.

Now it was time to fight.

“Evie?” Paloma asked. “What are you thinking about? You look worried.”

I sighed. “That’s because I am worried. But I know what we have to do. I know how we can stop Maximus.”

“And how is that?” Xenia asked.

I told my friends my plan. Well, not all of it, but the most important part, the one I could actually control, and the one I needed their help with.

When I finished, they stood there in stunned silence. Then they all started shouting at once.

“No! You can’t do that!”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“It’s a stupid plan, since it mostly involves you getting yourself killed.”

That last comment came from Paloma, who was never shy about telling me when she thought I was being an idiot.

I held up my hands, asking for quiet. “We have to stop Maximus here and now, and we especially have to give him a reason to keep all his guards and strixes here. This is our best option, our only option, and I think you all know that.”

My friends didn’t like it, but slowly, one by one, they nodded their agreement, although Sullivan gave me an anguished look that made my heart twist.

But heartache was something else queens didn’t have the luxury of indulging in, so I threw back the covers and stood up.

“Go back to your tents and get ready.” I gave them all a grim smile. “We have a royal ball to attend.”





Part Three

The Long Game





Chapter Twenty-Four


I called for Calandre and her sisters, and they helped me get ready for the ball.

Calandre had made me another gorgeous gown. It was similar to the one I’d worn last night, with a pattern of silver shields dotting it, and the fabric was a dark gray that almost looked blue, depending on how the light hit it. Cerana and Camille also worked their magic on my hair and makeup, hiding the pale exhaustion of my features with their dark liners, shadows, and berry balms.

When they had finished, I thanked them for their work.

Calandre dismissed her sisters, then looked at me. “Is there something else you need, my queen?”

I sighed. “Is it that obvious?”

She shrugged. “Only to those who can see the worry on your face. Which would probably be anyone who looks at you right now.”

“I need you to make me one final outfit for the Regalia. I should have asked you to make it back at Seven Spire, but I was hoping that I wouldn’t need it.” I told her what I wanted. “What do you think? Is it possible on such short notice?”

Calandre stood still, digesting my request. She knew what it meant, and why I would wear such a thing. After several seconds, she nodded. “I can do it, even if I have to sew all night.”

I reached out and squeezed her hand. “Thank you. And please, keep this to yourself.” I grimaced. “Although I imagine that it will be all over the island and the camps soon enough.”

“Of course.” Calandre squeezed back. “Good luck, Everleigh.”

“Thank you. I’m going to need it.”

Calandre left the tent to get started on my project, and I stepped outside where the others were waiting. Sullivan, Cho, and Auster looked handsome in their formal jackets, Xenia was stunning in a long green gown, and Serilda was a vision in white. Paloma was wearing a green tunic patterned with gold ogre heads, and she looked fierce and beautiful.