Crush the King (Crown of Shards #3)(60)
Our next stop was Heinrich, Dominic, and Rhea, who were standing close to the buffet tables. The two men looked quite handsome in their dark gray jackets, while Rhea was absolutely stunning in an emerald-green gown that highlighted her strong, beautiful curves.
The captain might have dressed up for the ball, but she hadn’t abandoned her duties any more than Paloma and Auster had. Two daggers were holstered to the thin silver belt that circled her waist, and I was willing to bet that she had at least two more strapped to her shins underneath her long skirt. Several Andvarian guards were also lurking nearby, ready to spring into action if anyone threatened their king and prince.
“Finally, some friendly faces,” I drawled.
Heinrich, Dominic, and Rhea all laughed at my joke, but their chuckles quickly faded away, and their faces grew watchful and serious again.
“I see that Cisco openly snubbed you, but that was to be expected,” Heinrich murmured, studying the other king over the rim of his champagne glass. “He’s always been jealous of Bellona’s mines and timber, and he never got along with Cordelia. That old fool is so desperate and greedy for the things he doesn’t have that he doesn’t realize Maximus is planning to take away everything he does have.”
“But Eon and Ruri spoke to you at length,” Dominic said. “How did that go?”
I shrugged. “I asked them to align with us and told them the Morricones will murder us all if they don’t. We’ll see if they take my warning to heart.”
“An alliance would have been much easier to come by if your assassin’s arrow had found Maximus’s throat earlier,” Heinrich murmured. “Bold of you to attack him so soon. Even I didn’t expect that from you, Everleigh. I think it earned you quite a bit of respect with everyone, even Cisco.”
Heinrich studied me with sharp, shrewd eyes, but once again I kept my face blank, neither confirming nor denying that I had anything to do with the attack on Maximus. Heinrich might be my friend, but I didn’t want to put him in a position where he had to lie to the other royals or his own people.
A courtier came up and whispered something in Heinrich’s ear, and he moved off to speak with the man. That left Sullivan and me standing with Dominic and Rhea.
I didn’t want to dodge any more awkward questions, so I turned to the other woman and changed the subject. “You look beautiful.”
“As do you.” Rhea smoothed down her skirt. “It’s nice to get dressed up, although I would much rather be wearing my sword and fighting leathers.”
“You’ll be wearing both of those all day tomorrow during the tournament.” Dominic curled his arm around her waist. “And I will be cheering you on the whole time.”
Rhea nudged him with her elbow. “You’d better cheer, if you know what’s good for you.”
Dominic pulled her a bit closer. “Oh, I certainly do,” he said in a low, husky voice.
She nudged him again, but her eyes were warm and luminous, and the scent of their rosy love for each other swirled through the air.
Sullivan discreetly pointed his finger to the side. “Xenia’s waving at us.”
I glanced in that direction. Xenia was standing with Zariza, and she tapped her silver ogre cane on the floor in a clear indication that we should come over there right now. Sullivan and I both wished Rhea good luck in the tournament tomorrow, said our goodbyes to Dominic, and headed over to the Ungers.
I hadn’t seen Xenia since she had left with the Ungers after the opening ceremonies, but she looked lovely in a dark green velvet gown patterned with tiny ogre faces done in silver thread. Her amber gaze swept over me from head to toe, and the ogre on her neck peered at me as well, as though they were both making sure I was okay after the plaza attack. She must have been satisfied that I was all right, because she relaxed a bit, and the ogre’s worried expression smoothed out as well.
I nodded at Xenia, then turned my attention to her cousin.
Even among the many beautiful women here, Queen Zariza was in a class by herself. She looked absolutely stunning in a green gown that brought out the deep, rich color of her glorious red hair, which cascaded in loose waves past her shoulders. The slits in the bottom of the gown offered teasing glimpses of her long, toned legs, while the deep, plunging neckline showed off her cleavage to its maximum effect.
A thick gold chain ringed her neck, along with a gold pendant shaped like a snarling ogre face that was bigger than my palm. Emerald eyes had been set in the ogre’s face, along with glittering diamond and ruby teeth, as though the creature had just taken a bloody bite out of someone. The ogre rose and fell and seemed to stare at me with every breath Zariza took, as did the morph mark on her neck.
“Queen Zariza, Lady Xenia.” I tipped my head to them. “You both look lovely.”
“I always look lovely,” Zariza said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“I’m sure you think so.”
The words popped out of my mouth before I could stop them. Xenia grimaced, while Zariza arched an eyebrow at me.
I hadn’t meant to be quite so catty, but I couldn’t apologize. If Zariza thought I was some meek little thing, some weak queen who cowed at an angry look or a stinging rebuke, she would never align with me. No, I needed to be just as bold as Zariza herself was, insults and all.
“I’m so glad we’re finally getting a chance to talk,” I said, preparing to launch into the same speech I had given Eon and Ruri. “We both know that the Mortans are a serious threat—”