“He cant have it both ways, Cobalt said. “Either he supports Yargazon or he doesnt. He studied her. “Ask yourself this. Who rules? That boy? I hardly think so. Your husband? Hes what, thirty-six? Yargazon is nearly sixty. He has more years of experience with power than Markus has been alive. Yes, Markus needs him. He leaned forward. “The more you rely on what you need, the more you become that which you rely on.
She stared at him. “Theyre nothing alike!
“And if you said that to your husband in front of Yargazon? Would he agree? Or would he seek the Generals approval, even if it meant hurting you in some way, emotionally, even physically?
A chill went through Allegra. “I dont know.
“Cobalt, what do you want her to say? Jarid demanded. “I dont see what grilling her this way accomplishes.
Cobalt pulled his long legs under him and rose to his feet. He went to one of the octagonal windows and stood gazing at the hills of Crofts Vale.
Allegra glanced at Jarid, baffled, and he lifted his hands with puzzlement.
Cobalt turned. “Allegra, I want you to answer my question again, and I want you to think carefully before you do. We can dissolve your marriage to the prince regent of Jazid, if you wish. Do you choose to remain his wife? Before you say yes, be sure that it is what you want and what you choose.
Was she sure? “I cant know what will happen, especially given how unstable everything is now. But Im as certain as I can be.
He smiled slightly. “Does that mean yes?
She nodded, hoping she wasnt making a terrible mistake. “Yes. I want to remain his wife.
He turned back to the window. Leaning his arm against the sill over his head, he watched the village in the hills beyond Suncroft. “Very well. Then I will let him live.
Allegra jumped out of her chair. “What?
Cobalt turned back to her. “I said I will let him live.
She felt as if her heart slammed inside her. “And if I had said no, I didnt want to stay married to him?
“I would have executed him.
She couldnt believe this. “How could you ask me to make a decision like that without telling me what hinged on my answer?
He came to the table and stood on the other side, facing her. “I wanted your answer free and willing.
“Why?
“Ive already told you. The more a king relies on what he needs, the more he becomes that which he relies on. Quietly he said, “Markus Onyx needs you. He has managed, gods only know how, to earn your willingness to, as you said, try with him. I have no doubt, Allegra, that a man such as Yargazon or Ozar Onyx would never have convinced you to say those words.
“No, she said, stunned. “They wouldnt have.
“Then it is done. With that, he nodded to Jarid and strode out of the room. The door swung open with a whoosh under his pull and closed with a loud bang after he left.
Allegra stared after him. Then she turned to Jarid.
The king walked over to her. “He can be overwhelming.
“What if I had said no?
“Would you have grieved for Markus?
“Yes! She felt as if she had been running a race. “Even if I hadnt wanted to stay his consort, Cobalt had no right to make me responsible for his death.
Jarid laid his hand on her shoulder. “Cobalt always intended to execute Markus. The prince regent was the first one whose death he demanded at the summit when we all met after the last war. It was the only way he would let the boy live. If you hadnt agreed to stay with Markus, Cobalt would have gone ahead with those plans. He didnt make you responsible for Markuss death. He made you responsible for his life. He grimaced. “If I were you, I would worry far more about that outcome.
“I just hate thinking of him chained down there. Allegra could still see Markuss bleak look as the guards slammed the cell door. “I wish Cobalt would let me see him, even if only to give him some light.
Jarid lowered his hand. “I never expected to use those cells. Id planned on converting them to storerooms.
“Is it true, what Cobalt said, that you and the Harsdown king would rather fight against him than for him?
“If I wouldnt answer that for him, Jarid said dryly, “I certainly wont tell the wife of the man whose army we would fight. He paced away from her, then turned around. “After you warned us about Markuss army, we sent redwings to the Topaz Palace with a message, and I dispatched a company of men to Taka Mal. The most important thing is to get Vizarana, Drummer and their baby out of there before the Jazid army gets them.
As much as it relieved Allegra that the royal family would have a chance to escape, she also knew that in the view of her husbands people, she had committed treason by warning Jarid, especially now that she had agreed to remain Markuss consort. Yargazon would demand she be sentenced, probably executed. It would have been far easier to say nothingbut she would have had to live for the rest of her life with the deaths that resulted. And she couldnt forget Ozis pensive words: Sometimes you must fight. But sometimesI wish we could find other ways.
“Is your army going to Taka Mal? Allegra asked.
Jarid tiredly rubbed the back of his neck. “My generals have been preparing to march since we sighted Cobalts army. Well take about half my forces, between one and two thousand. Most of Cobalts and my cousins forces will camp here tonight, and well move out in the morning. He stood by a chair and felt for the table with one hand, again with that odd quality, as if he were blind. But he was looking straight at her. “As to what happens when we reach Taka Mal He shrugged. “That depends on what we find when we arrive.
Allegra had no doubt he knew far more about what he wanted to do than he intended to tell her. “Will you fight? Yourself, I mean. She was no military expert, but she was almost certain kings werent supposed to go out on the battlefield.
He seemed surprised by the question. “In a sense.
“Youre a mage, arent you? Ive heard stories. Impossible stories. “Tales about indigo spells and war mages.
His expression shuttered. “You shouldnt listen. People like to weave epic tales about royal houses. Reality is far different.
“Could you She took a breath, needing an answer she had struggled with these past few days. “If you could use your gifts to do harm rather than to heal, would you?
She immediately wished she hadnt asked. He receded from her somehow, drawing within himself. His gaze lost focus. He kept looking at her, but he no longer seemed to see. He reached for the chair, but he hit the back and knocked it over. Even then he tried to find the chair, as if he hadnt heard it fall and couldnt see it on the floor. Then he crouched down and felt around until his hand banged its leg. He picked it up and set it upright, then stood with his hand clenched on its back.
“Your Majesty? Allegra asked, bewildered. “Can I help?
Jarid reached toward her, and she stepped closer. When his hand hit her shoulder, he let out a breath.
“Sire? she asked. “Whats wrong?
No answer. He pulled out the chair and sat down. When he put his hand to his neck, at first she thought he was loosening his collar. Then he pulled out a pendant.
A sphere.
It was a perfectly round ball of iridescent metal. He folded his hand around it and bent his head. Power swirledand a green spell glowed around him. Not all mages created colors, but Jarid filled the room in emerald light. Allegra stared at him, stunned. She had never known anyone who could so easily create such a luminous spell. She felt it spreading throughout the castle.
Hes searching for someone. She sat down, afraid to disturb him. The spell continued to expand. Such power! It was surely absorbing the moods of people throughout the castle, flooding him with emotions. She couldnt imagine how he endured it, unless he knew how to block out everyone but the person he sought.
Allegra wasnt certain how long they sat; moments or an hour. Then the door opened. Queen Iris stood in the archway, bathed in emerald light. As she came forward, Allegra left the table and moved back, out of the way.