Crush the King (Crown of Shards #3)(59)



Even though I had been expecting one or both of them to mention the earlier incident, I still had to work very hard to keep from showing any emotion. The spectators might have thought that the arrow had been a lark, or part of some act, but Ruri and Eon knew better. Then again, queens and kings were more cognizant about people trying to kill them.

Still, I had no alliance or friendship with either one of them—not yet—and I knew better than to be loose with my words and brag about what I’d done. Not that there was anything to brag about, since my assassination attempt had failed.

“Maximus was attacked before the opening ceremonies, and my friends and I were besieged by assassins afterward,” I replied in a neutral tone. “You can both draw your own conclusions about the incidents and how they might impact your own safety during the Regalia.”

Eon remained silent, but Ruri spoke up again.

“My conclusion is that I might have done the same, should such a terrible tragedy have befallen my family,” she murmured, and the dragon on her hand peered up at me with what seemed like sympathy.

She had given me an opening, so I stepped even closer to the two rulers, letting them see exactly how serious I was. “The Morricones have always been a threat to the other kingdoms. Maximus has always wanted more land, magic, and resources. At Seven Spire, he showed exactly how far he’s willing to go to get what he wants. He won’t rest until he has control of all seven kingdoms.”

They didn’t say anything, but the scent of their collective worry filled my nose. They didn’t disagree with me. They couldn’t because they’d had the same dark thoughts themselves. Kings and queens always had to worry about someone trying to take their thrones. It was the only way they survived for any length of time.

“What are you proposing?” Ruri asked.

I looked at the dragon on her hand, then up at her face, speaking to both of them. “I want you and Eon to align with me, with Bellona. I want you to promise aid if Morta ever attacks or invades Bellona or Andvari.”

Both royals frowned at each other, then looked at me again.

“And why should we agree to such a deal?” Eon asked. “How does it benefit us? Bellona does not have a large navy, and Andvari doesn’t have one at all. So how can they help us? We have our own problems. Pirates, sea monsters, and the like.”

“I don’t have many ships, but I have other resources,” I countered. “Coldiron, timber, fluorestones, coal. Things your kingdoms have in limited supplies. You help me, and I help you. It’s as simple as that.”

“Vacuna and Ryusama have helped each other for centuries,” Ruri pointed out. “And our two kingdoms have flourished together. So why upset that balance? Why should we help Bellona? Or Andvari?”

“Because if you don’t, and Maximus continues on his current path, then he will conquer both Bellona and Andvari, and maybe Unger too. And when he finishes with us, he will turn his gaze to your kingdoms. You might think the sea will shield Vacuna and Ryusama from Morta. And it might, for a time. But that water is not nearly deep or wide enough to thwart Maximus’s ambition and greed.”

Eon still looked doubtful, but agreement flashed in Ruri’s green eyes. Then again, Ryusama was much closer to Morta than Vacuna was.

I sensed an opportunity to sway them, so I kept talking. “The Mortans attacked my queen, my family, in our palace, in the very heart of Bellona. And they will do the exact same thing to you the second they get the chance. The Mortans will slaughter you, your consorts, and your children without a second thought. So think about that when you lie down to sleep tonight—if you can sleep at all.”

My dire warning delivered, I respectfully bowed my head to the king and queen, along with their consorts. Sullivan offered me his arm again, and the two of us strolled away.

“What do you think?” I asked.

He turned his head so that he could see the two royals. “They’re talking to each other. They both look worried, as do their consorts. If nothing else, you gave them something to think about.”

Well, it was a start and probably the best I could hope for tonight, so we moved on.

King Cisco of Flores was wearing a long tan coat over a light green tunic and tan leggings and boots. A large pendant of a gold horse with topaz eyes running through a topaz wheat field hung from a thick gold chain around his neck, and several gold rings also shaped like horses and studded with emeralds and rubies adorned his fingers, almost as if animals were galloping across his knuckles. The scent of beauty, strength, and other glamours wafted off the jewels.

Cisco was a cousin to Lord Durante, who had tried to save Princess Madelena, his pregnant wife, during the Seven Spire massacre, although Vasilia had eventually killed them both. Several months ago, I had sent Cisco a letter expressing my condolences for Durante’s death, but he had not responded.

I stopped and nodded at Cisco, trying to engage him in some benign communication. The Floresian king stared at me a moment, then deliberately turned his back, indicating that he didn’t want to speak to me.

A few nobles gasped at the obvious insult, but I kept my pleasant smile fixed on my face, as though Cisco’s snub didn’t bother me. Right now it was a minor annoyance. Flores might have wheat fields and grape vines galore, but they didn’t have much of an army. I didn’t need an alliance with Flores as badly as I did with Vacuna, Ryusama, and especially Unger, so I swept past Cisco.

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