“I bet that wouldn’t feel like much of a victory.”
“No, but it may be necessary. Besides, I’d wager that you would make for high-value leverage against Alexander. He might do just about anything to protect you.”
“He’d better not,” she said.
Phane frowned at her, shaking his head. “I’m not sure I will ever understand you,” he said, finally.
“I’m certain you won’t.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way, Isabel,” Phane said. “I’ll give you anything you want.”
“You don’t have anything I want.”
“Don’t you understand?” he snapped. “I’m offering you the world. You can rule over the entire Seven Isles in my name. I’ll let you run things any way you like.”
“I understand exactly what you’re offering and I reject it,” Isabel said.
“You know, it doesn’t have to be you, Isabel. I’m sure that any woman I chose in all the Seven Isles would be flattered by my attention.”
“Until she got to know you.”
“You try my patience.”
“What? Are you going to beat me again?”
“I just might, but later,” Phane said, motioning to the guard at the door the moment he heard the knock.
It opened wide and Lacy and Wren were herded into the room, followed by a stout man and a half dozen female guards.
“Well done, Drogan,” Phane said. “Report for duty tomorrow and don’t ever return to this house. Men are not allowed here, except in unusual circumstances.”
“I was sent to retrieve them,” Drogan said. “Job isn’t done until you deliver the goods to the boss.”
“Indeed, and a job well done at that,” Phane said. “You are dismissed.”
Drogan nodded awkwardly and excused himself, followed closely by two of Phane’s female guards.
Isabel searched Wren’s eyes for any sign of encouragement but found none, and her initial appraisal of Lacy found the princess wanting, or at least out of her depth. Things were going from bad to worse.
“Ladies, do come in,” Phane said. “I’ve taken the liberty of preparing a dinner for us all.”
Isabel nodded to Wren, almost imperceptibly. She came to Isabel’s side and took the chair to her right without ever seeming to look up.
“What is the meaning of this, Prince Phane?” Lacy demanded.
“The meaning is quite simple, Princess. You are my prisoner. You can either sit at my table on your own, or one of those very large men over there will pick you up and put you in your chair.”
Lacy started to say something else but thought better of it, clenching her jaw shut before she took the seat next to Wren.
“Excellent, I believe we’re beginning to understand each other,” Phane said, opening his Wizard’s Den with a gesture. He slipped inside, then quickly stepped back out, closing it behind himself with a word. He held up the box containing the third keystone and set it on the table in front of his chair.
“Lacy … I want you to open this box.”
“Don’t do it,” Isabel said.
“I won’t,” Lacy said.
Phane sat down, motioning for the nervous servant to fill his wine flagon, then taking a long drink before returning his attention to the table.
“Can’t say I expected you to cooperate, but I think I’ll hang on to you just the same,” Phane said, tossing two collars onto the table in front of her and Wren.
“Put them on,” he said.
“What do they do?” Lacy asked, picking up the collar and looking at it suspiciously.
“They’re called Andalian slave collars … you’ll both understand how they work much better after you put them on.”
Wren put her hands flat on the table and stared forward.
“I won’t put it on,” Lacy said. “I’m not a slave.”
“That’s where you’re mistaken,” Phane said, holding her in her chair with his magic, the collar floating off the table and roughly snapping into place around her neck.
Wren sat with her hands on the table, ignoring his order. The other collar floated up, closing around her neck with a click.
“If you try to leave the city, your collars will choke you,” Phane said. “Otherwise, you’re free to pass through any door that will open for you. Now, enjoy a meal with me,” he said, smiling brightly.
Servants entered with a wide variety of dishes. Isabel ate freely, building strength for the coming days. She ignored Phane’s attempts to engage her in small talk, focusing on her food until he gave up and shifted his interest to Lacy.
“So … tell me, Princess, how does it feel to hold the fate of the world in your hands?”
Lacy looked at him without responding.
Good, Isabel thought, continuing to eat.
“Surely, you of all people understand that Zuhl is unstoppable,” Phane said.
Lacy seemed ready to speak but held her tongue at the last moment.
Isabel picked up a roasted bird leg and took a big bite.
“His army is beyond us all,” Phane said. “But you could defeat him … right now … and it wouldn’t cost you a thing. In fact, I would defend Fellenden with all of my power and name your family Protectors of the Realm. You cannot hope to do better.”
Isabel stopped eating, looking pointedly at Lacy.
She gritted her teeth, leaning toward Isabel. “I know,” she said, then turned back to Phane.
“I’m not going to open that box. Not later today, not tomorrow, not ever.”
Isabel nodded to herself, taking another bite from her roasted bird leg.
“We’ll see,” Phane said. “You are of secondary importance right now. Watch and learn who I am and what I have to offer … then make your decision.”
“Do I really have a choice?” Lacy asked.
“No,” Phane said, “not really.”
“Then out with it,” Lacy said. “What do you want?”
“I want my birthright, just as I imagine you want yours,” Phane said. “You are a princess, noble by blood, and that deserves respect-respect that I’m willing to pay … provided that you recognize me as the rightful Reishi Sovereign. Only together can we stand against Zuhl.”
Lacy sat stone-still, almost charmed by Phane’s words until Wren started giggling under her breath, dispelling his carefully woven lie with simple incredulity, sending him stomping away from the table with the box and leaving the three of them laughing under their breath.
Isabel knew that their little victory would come at a cost, but she relished it just the same. “We won’t have much time,” she said. “I hope you’re serious about that box. If you open it, the world will die.”
“I know-I’ll never open that box,” Lacy said, “but Phane has other ways of getting inside it.”
“Indeed I do,” he said, sauntering back into the room from his Wizard’s Den without any hint of ire. He sat back down and refilled his flagon with wine.
“Let’s talk about power, shall we?” he said, holding up the slaver’s ring on his finger and tapping it gently. Lacy and Wren both began to choke, struggling to breathe while Phane watched them like bugs in a jar.
“Stop it!” Isabel said.
Phane tapped the ring again and the collars relaxed, leaving Lacy and Wren gasping and coughing. Phane smiled at their discomfort, waiting patiently for them to regain their composure.
“I own you … both of you belong to me now. I have all of the power and you have none. Obey or suffer. Those are the new terms of your lives. Do you understand?”
They both nodded timidly.
“Excellent,” Phane said. “Now, I’m going to explain the state of the world in the hopes that you, Princess Lacy, will come to see that you’ve picked the wrong side.” He raised his hand to forestall her protest. “Listen before you answer. I rule Karth outright. Andalia is openly loyal to me. Most of the islands of Tyr are under my control. The Ruathan Army is fighting the Lancers to a stalemate and they’re about to be blindsided by Elred Rake from the north-he’ll deliver a crushing blow, I assure you. The tide will turn against Ruatha after that, forcing those loyal to my dear cousin to retreat into Glen Morillian where they will remain.”