Crush the King (Crown of Shards #3)(107)
Paloma and Xenia were talking, and the ogre faces on their necks were silently admiring each other. I hadn’t had a chance to tell them my theory about Amira, but I would. If nothing else, the two of them would have each other, even if I didn’t make it through the Regalia.
“You look stunning, highness,” Sullivan said, pulling me away from the others.
“I know you don’t want me to do this. But I also hope you know why I have to.”
“I do, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.” His blue gaze locked with mine. “I told you once that you would be a wonderful queen. I just wish that the hard and ruthless parts didn’t make me worry so much.”
“Do you regret becoming my consort?”
“Not for one bloody second, highness,” he said in a fierce voice. “Not for one bloody second.”
He took my hand, leaned down, and pressed a kiss to my knuckles, his lips scorching my skin. He straightened and gave me a wicked grin. “Now, let’s get you to the ball, so we can get on with the business of defeating Maximus. What do you say?”
I threaded my arm through his. “That sounds like an excellent plan.”
*
We left the Bellonan camp with a large contingent of guards. We stopped at our end of the bridge, looking around to make sure Maximus hadn’t set another deadly trap, but the plaza was deserted. Ships were still anchored in the harbor, but they were all close to shore, and I didn’t see anyone standing on the decks, waiting to strike out at us. So we crossed the bridge and headed over to the island.
Crowds of people were moving along the waterfront, eating, shopping, and talking, but the mood was far more subdued than it had been this afternoon, and several folks eyed the water with suspicion, as if they thought it was going to suddenly surge up and drown them.
We left the waterfront behind, climbed the hill, and made our way to the DiLucri castle. Several guards were manning the open front gate, and they stopped talking at the sight of me and my friends walking toward them. One of the guards ran deeper into the castle, no doubt to tell Driscol and Seraphine that I was still alive.
We went to the grand ballroom in the center of the castle. The area looked much the same as it had last night. Polished white marble floor and walls. Crested banners hanging down from the second-floor balcony. Royals, nobles, advisors, and others clustered in groups, eating, drinking, and gossiping. The steady tink-tink-tink of gold coins dripping out of the Lady Fortuna fountains in all four corners.
Yes, everything looked more or less the same, but the people and the overall mood were just as subdued here as by the waterfront.
But the quiet didn’t last for long.
One by one, people caught sight of me, my friends, and the Bellonan guards, and several shocked gasps surged through the ballroom. I strode forward and stopped in an open space, my face calm, my shoulders back and down, and my chin held high, letting them all get a good, long look at me. I wanted everyone to see that I was still in one piece and suffering no ill effects from the attack on the bridge.
I wanted them all to see exactly how strong Bellona was.
The loud gasps quieted to soft whispers that spread throughout the ballroom. In less than a minute, everyone knew that I was here. I held my position a few seconds longer, then strode forward toward the center of the ballroom where the other royals were.
They were split into two factions. Eon, Ruri, Cisco, Heinrich, and Zariza were together. Maximus was standing by himself, although Mercer, Nox, and Maeven were lurking behind him like usual. Driscol and Seraphine were here too, a few feet away from the royals.
The whispers had already reached the other kings and queens, who turned to stare at me. The musicians had been playing a soft, dreamy song, but Seraphine made a sharp motion with her hand. The music abruptly screeched to a stop, and the only sound was the steady snap-snap-snap-snap of my heels on the marble floor.
I stopped in the empty space between the other royals and Maximus. “Good evening. How is everyone?”
For a long, tense moment, no one spoke. Then Seraphine nudged her brother with her elbow, and Driscol stepped forward and gave me a tight smile.
“Queen Everleigh,” he said, his voice much higher than normal. “How nice to see you looking so well, given all that . . . unpleasantness earlier.”
“Unpleasantness?” I said, my voice as cold as ice. If I never heard that word again, it would be too soon. “It wasn’t mere unpleasantness. It was an assassination attempt. Maximus sent his bastard relatives to try to drown me on my own bloody bridge.”
More shocked gasps surged through the crowd, followed by furious whispers. It was one thing for everyone to suspect that the Morricones had tried to kill me again, but it was quite another for me to openly proclaim it, especially during a royal ball. Well, fuck protocol, and fuck being polite.
I was through playing everyone else’s games.
Maximus stared at me, not at all concerned by my accusation. “You are mistaken, Everleigh. I have no idea what you’re talking about. I certainly had nothing to do with that unfortunate incident in the harbor.”
“Oh, cut the bullshit,” I snarled. “It was you. It’s always been you.”
Maximus opened his mouth, but I didn’t want to listen to his lies, so I stabbed my finger at him.
“You sent Maeven and Nox to Seven Spire to murder Queen Cordelia and assassinate the Blairs. Then, a few months ago, you ordered Maeven to try to kill Dominic and me at Glitnir. Just last week, you dispatched DiLucri geldjagers to Svalin to kill, torture, and wreak as much havoc as possible among my people. You sent assassins after Serilda on the plaza yesterday and then more into my camp last night after the kronekling tournament. And finally, this afternoon, you ordered the members of your Bastard Brigade to use their magic to create that tidal wave, which was designed to do one thing and one thing only—kill me and my friends.”