Crush the King (Crown of Shards #3)(66)
“Thank you, Heinrich,” Zariza replied. “I knew I could count on you to express the proper sentiment.”
He grinned and toasted her with his glass a second time. Zariza turned back to Maximus and arched an eyebrow, silently daring the Mortan king to threaten her again.
“You’ve made your choice, Zariza,” he said in a cold voice. “Unfortunately for you, it’s the wrong one. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.”
Maximus spun around on his bootheels. People scurried out of his way, and he stormed across the ballroom and disappeared through one of the archways that led deeper into the castle. Mercer and Nox followed him, but Maeven stayed in the ballroom with the rest of the Mortans, all of whom looked and smelled just as worried as she did.
Still basking in her triumph, Zariza waved her hand. “Heinrich had the right idea. This calls for a toast.”
A servant rushed forward, and Zariza plucked two snifters of Ungerian apple brandy off the man’s tray. I finally loosened my grip on the vial of poison in my pocket and took one of the glasses from her. Xenia and Sullivan grabbed their own drinks.
“To our new alliance,” Zariza murmured.
“To our alliance,” I repeated.
She clinked her glass against mine, then threw back her brandy like it was water. I took a much more modest sip, enjoying the sweet, crisp apple flavor and then slow cinnamon burn in my stomach. Xenia and Sullivan also clinked their glasses together and started sipping their brandy.
I thought about everything that had just happened, then toasted the Ungerian queen with my glass. “Well done,” I murmured. “That was a truly masterful performance. One of the best I’ve ever seen.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Zariza signaled for another brandy.
I waited until the servant had handed her a fresh glass before I spoke again. “Oh, don’t be so modest. You really had me sweating there for a while, especially during the dance.”
Sullivan frowned. “What are you talking about, highness?”
“I’m talking about the fact that Zariza was always going to align with me. The dance, insulting Maximus, it was all just a show for her nobles and everyone else.”
Zariza pouted a moment, but then a sly smile slowly curved her lips. “What gave me away?”
“Part of it was how eager you were to confront Maximus. Your eyes practically lit up with glee when you saw him,” I said. “And then there was your speech about family. Few people can speak so eloquently and viciously on the fly, so you had to have been thinking about exactly what you were going to say for quite some time.”
Zariza shrugged, conceding my points.
“But I still don’t understand why you told Xenia to teach me the Tanzen Falter, or why you challenged me to perform it here.”
She shrugged again. “I did that for me. Xenia, Halvar, and Bjarni told me about you dancing the Tanzen Freund at Castle Asmund. I wanted to see for myself how good you really were. I also wanted to see whether you would rise to the challenge, or do the polite thing and throw away the dance so that I could win, regardless of the stakes.”
“Would you have preferred that?”
She let out a low, amused laugh. “Fuck politeness. You won fair and square. You outdanced me, which is something very few people can do.”
I grinned. I was starting to like the Ungerian queen. “You’re right. Fuck politeness. And fuck the Morricones.”
Zariza grinned back at me. “I’ll definitely drink to that.”
She clinked her glass against mine again, and we both sipped our brandy, celebrating our new alliance.
Chapter Fifteen
A series of bells chimed, signaling the start of the kronekling tournament. Everyone in the center of the ballroom stepped back, while the servants brought out two tables, along with several chairs.
The royals huddled with their respective entourages, and my friends and I ended up in the corner, next to one of those annoying fountains that kept spitting out gold coins.
“Now, remember,” Cho said. “Watch the other players for nervous tics and tells. That’s half the battle of winning kronekling. Along with counting cards.” He winked at me.
Xenia might have schooled me in the Tanzen Falter, but Cho was the one who’d spent hours reviewing kronekling rules and strategies with me. The dragon morph loved the card game as much as he did sweets, and we’d played hand after hand with Sullivan and Serilda, most of which he won. Of course I had played kronekling before, but only casually, and the pressure to win had never been so high.
“Oh, leave her alone,” Serilda said. “Evie is going to do fine.”
“Did you see that with your magic?” I asked, not quite joking. “Please tell me you saw that with your magic.”
“I don’t have to see it with my magic. You’re smart and a quick thinker and ruthless when it comes to winning. You’ll do fine. Now go out there and make Bellona proud.”
Xenia, Paloma, and Auster nodded their encouragement, while Sullivan kissed my cheek.
“I would wish you luck, highness,” he murmured. “But Serilda’s right. You don’t need it.”
I flashed him a grateful smile, then strode forward and took my place at one of the tables.
Eon, Heinrich, and Zariza filled the remaining three seats at my table. Maximus was at the other table, along with Ruri, Cisco, and Driscol. Even though he wasn’t a royal, it made sense for Driscol to join the game, since you needed four people to play. Perched at each table was a dealer wearing DiLucri colors.