They’re the best part, and they were grown in my own garden …
“The first thing you need to know as a member of Her Majesty’s army is that a good dog will always be rewarded.” The thaumaturge waved her arm over the food. “Go ahead. Take a bite.”
He flapped his head, willing away the unfamiliar voice. It was that girl again. The red-haired girl who was so repulsed by him.
Wolf’s legs moved of their own accord, drawing him toward the cart. His stomach yearned. His tongue lagged.
But as soon as he reached a clawed hand toward the platter, pain lanced through his gut. He doubled over in agony. His legs gave out and he crumpled to the floor, his shoulder smacking the edge of the cart and sending it crashing into the nearby wall. The pain dragged on and on, arcing through every limb, like a thousand daggers burying themselves in his flesh.
The thaumaturge smiled.
The pain relented. Wolf was left trembling on the ground, his cheeks damp from sweat or tears or both.
The torture wasn’t new to him. He remembered it from his training before, with Jael. But he had not felt it since he’d become the alpha. A prized soldier. A good, loyal pup.
“And that,” said the thaumaturge, “is what will happen should you disappoint me. Do we have an understanding?”
He nodded shakily, his muscles still twitching.
“Do we have an understanding?”
He coughed. “Yes. Mistress.”
“Good.” Taking the tray off the cart, the thaumaturge dropped it onto the floor beside him. “Now eat your meal like a good dog. Our queen awaits.”
Sixty-Seven
Kai was beginning to understand why Levana had set the time for the coronations as she had. The ceremony was coming at the end of Artemisia’s long night—two weeks of darkness, broken up only with artificial light. This would be the first real sunrise Kai had seen since he’d been on Luna. A new dawn, a new day, a new empire.
It was all very symbolic.
He simultaneously longed for this day to be over, and wanted it to never come at all.
Standing amid the lapping waves of Artemisia Lake, staring at the blue-black water that spanned as far as he could see, Kai hoped Levana’s new dawn would be very different than she expected, although his hope was spread thin. He didn’t know if Cinder had survived the fall into the lake, or if the people of Luna would heed her call, or if they would succeed even if they tried.
At least he knew with certainty that the video footage of Cinder’s reclaimed body was fake. Even from the distant, blurry footage, Kai could tell it wasn’t her, but some dummy or an actor or some other poor victim dragged from the lake bottom and made to look like Cinder.
If they were faking her death, she hadn’t been found.
She was alive. She had to be alive.
At least, with the coronation drawing closer, the queen had begun to relax some of the restrictions on Kai and the other Earthen guests. He was finally free to roam the palace and even venture down to the lakeshore, though every step was trailed by a pair of matching Lunar guards.
He’d spent his whole life surrounded by guards, though. It had gotten easier to ignore them.
She’d even let him have his portscreen back so he could check on the Earthen newsfeeds and confirm for them that all was well up here on Luna.
Ha.
The sand slipped out from beneath his feet as the surf pulled back into the lake. The world disintegrating beneath him. He was mildly curious whether this was moon rock pulverized to fine sand, or if it had long ago been imported from some white Earthen beach. So many times since coming here he had wished that he’d spent more time researching the history between Earth and Luna. He wanted to know what the relationship had been like when Luna was a peaceful colony, and, later, an allied republic. For years Earth had supplied Luna with building materials and natural resources, and Luna had returned valuable research in the fields of space exploration and astronomy. Knowing it had once been a beneficial relationship suggested it could be again.
But not with Levana.
Scanning the shore on either side of the lake, Kai watched the royal guards still searching, waiting for a bedraggled cyborg to wash ashore. Kai had also seen them patrolling the city streets from his window, and if they thought it was possible Cinder had survived and gone into hiding, then Kai would believe it was possible too.
Meanwhile, the palace was bustling with final preparations for the coronation. The aristocrats—or families—were very good at faking unadulterated merriment. Even the havoc from Cinder’s failed execution had been swept away like a minor mishap, bound to happen from time to time. Everyone seemed happy to leave the manhunt to the guards while they commenced with their drinking and eating and revelries.
If they were at all concerned over Cinder’s calls for revolution, they weren’t showing it. Kai wondered if a single member of the court would take up arms against the people if it came to that, or if they would cower in their fancy mansions and wait for it to be over, happy to claim allegiance to whoever sat on the throne once the chaos had ended.
Thinking it, Kai shut his eyes and bit his tongue against a smirk, knowing the fantasy was petty. But oh, how he would love to see their faces if—when—Cinder became queen and informed the families that their indulgent way of life was coming to an end.
A throat cleared behind Kai, drawing his attention over his shoulder. Torin stood in a formal tuxedo, already dressed for the coronation though it was hours away.
“His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Rikan,” Torin said. It was a code they had devised with the rest of the Earthen guests—to begin each meeting by mentioning some other person who had been present when they had first formally met. It had been Kai’s idea, so they could always make sure they were speaking to the person they believed they were speaking to, rather than a Lunar using a tricky glamour.
Kai smiled at the mention of his father. He didn’t remember meeting Torin, who had been a permanent fixture in the palace since before Kai’s birth.
“My mother,” he said, by way of reply.
Torin’s gaze dropped down to Kai’s bare feet and rolled-up slacks, but didn’t linger. “Any news?”
“Nothing. You?”
“I spoke briefly with President Vargas earlier. He and the other American representatives feel threatened. They feel we’re all being held hostage.”
“Smart man.” A wave crashed into Kai, and he swayed with it, curling his toes into the wet sand. “Levana believes she has us right where she wants us.”
“Is she wrong?”
Kai frowned, and didn’t respond. His silence was followed by a sigh.
Glancing back, Kai saw Torin untying his dress shoes and removing his socks. He rolled up his pant hems before coming to stand beside Kai in the surf.
“I told President Vargas that once Levana has the title of empress, she will feel less defensive and we’ll be able to set rational boundaries around a new Earthen-Lunar alliance.” He hesitated, before adding, “I didn’t say anything about Princess Selene. I felt he would see any hope placed in her as nothing more than a fairy tale.”
Kai bit the inside of his cheek and hoped that wasn’t the case. He had been putting his faith in Princess Selene even before he’d found her. Even before he’d known she was the most capable, resourceful, determined person he’d ever met. Even before he’d started having fantasies of a royal Earthen-Lunar marriage that didn’t involve Levana at all.
“Your Majesty,” said Torin, with a tone that said he was about to broach a subject Kai wasn’t going to like. Kai braced himself accordingly. “Have you given thought to what your next move will be should our hoped-for outcome not come to pass?”