The Destroyer Book 3 (57 page)

"Here." He handed me a dish with a few cold slices of turkey, beef, cheese, and dark bread. "You need to eat for strength. We need to stick together now; we are all that the kingdom has left." I took the dish and then set it on the table in front of me. I wanted to go outside and stand on the balcony again.

"Jess, please eat. The empress will want to meet with you soon. She will be upset if you are ill."

"I'm doubtful she cares about my wellbeing!” I spat. I was surprised that the anger felt better than depression.

"She speaks! Spirits be praised!" Nanos gave a little dance across the marble floor while he smiled at me. I didn't laugh at his joy though, even if Kaiyer were still alive this would be a desperate situation. When he realized that his tomfoolery hadn't brought a smile to my face he stopped dancing and sat next to me on the couch.

"It could be worse," he sighed.

"How could it be?"

"You could be dead."

"That might be better." I closed my eyes and tried not to think of anything, to just clear my mind, but I just saw Kaiyer's head rolling on the ground.

"No! It would not be better. You are my sister and the only family I have left. I am determined to bring joy back into your life." He smiled at me and although my brother had rarely been nice to me, I did derive a small amount of warmth from the gesture.

We sat in silence for many minutes. I could tell that he was searching for something to say.

This was a power I didn't realize I possessed. I had always been the one trying to appease people, mostly my mother, but here my brother was trying to make me happy and he was struggling. I felt some empathy for him, but then I recalled the many years of snide remarks and behavior that matched my mother's practically word for word.

"Have you spoken to our uncle?" I whispered. They had separated us at the entrance to the castle and I hoped he was well.

"Unfortunately not, I'd imagine he is still grieving Nadea's death." He reached over to the small table on the side of the daybed and handed me a glass of water.

"Nadea is dead?" My hands shook and a bit of the water spilled over the side of the glass and onto my sleeping gown. Kaiyer had told Beltor that she was alive. I was surprised, but I did not feel as sad as I knew I should have. It was just one more death, one more loss, one more reason to give up and join them all as quickly as I could in the Spirit world.

"Aye. Several months ago she sneaked into the castle and fought some of the guards. Was stabbed in the stomach. I was with Kaiyer when she was attacked. I tried to help her, but we couldn't save her."

I nodded and took a sip of water. Then I realized that I really was very thirsty and I drained the rest of the glass. I motioned for him to refill it and then I took the plate of food from the table and sat it in my lap. I nibbled on the cheese and beef while I prepared my next question for my dear brother.

"Is there a guard at my door?" I asked.

"Yes. Two of the Elven women. They look tall and frail, but do not cross them. I have seen them kill our soldiers with hardly a flick of their wrist." He shuddered before he continued, "don't worry though. I will protect you."

"Thank you."

"If you want to talk about Kaiyer," he paused and put his hand on my shoulder. "I am here for you. I haven't been the best brother, but like I said earlier, we only have each other now."

"He is dead." I spoke the words, but it seemed like the voice wasn't mine. Words gave life to ideas. Saying someone you loved was dead wasn't the intended purpose of language.

"Did he say anything to you that night?" My brother's eyebrows bent down with concern.

"He was mostly speaking to those other O'Baarni." The name of Kaiyer's people still felt weird to say. I was used to it being the name of one person in our legends.

"So he didn't mention how I helped him escape? Did Uncle Beltor?"

"Beltor didn't speak of your assistance. Kaiyer just told him that Nadea was alive."

"She is alive?" He didn't sound happy.

"That was what Kaiyer said to Beltor. She led the remains of our army." I noticed a dish of thick yellow butter on the side of the tray and smeared some on the dark bread before taking a bite.

"There is an army outside the city walls," he muttered.

"The Elven one?"

"No. No. No," he sneered and then caught himself and smiled slightly. "It is our army." He stood up and then paced my room while I continued to eat. "They don't give me much information. But I have eyes and ears in the city. An army bearing our flag reached the south walls last night."

"It might be Nadea's army!" My heart fluttered and I tried to hide my pleasure.

"I doubt she was in charge of our army. I would not believe she is even alive. Like I told you, she was dead the last time I saw her." I nodded, even though I knew my brother was lying. Why did he want me to think her dead?

"What do they want with me? Why capture me and keep me here instead of killing me? Isn't that what invading armies do to the conquered realm's rulers?"

"The empress is fair, Jess. She just wants our help with the nobles and peasantry. She just wants to let me rule and considers herself as more of a steward. She just wants a seat on the Council and a place for her people to live." I didn't bother to look at him since I was sure he was lying again. What could my idiot brother possibly understand about these evil monsters?

"If she wanted peace with us, she went about it the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"They could have come to us and asked for land or jobs. Instead they just killed Father and took our kingdom. Where are the Loshers? They were the people to raid our castle and I haven't seen any of their soldiers. I would guess that they were tricked out of land and displaced by the Elvens as well."

"They did ask Father for a truce, but he refused them." Nanos slapped the leather of the daybed and shot to his feet. "He caused this whole mess! If he had just given them what they wanted no one would have died!" He pointed an angry finger at me when he finished his rant.

I laughed.

The irony of the situation was too much. I never imagined I would be here in my suite, with my brother, having this discussion while our lives and country hung off of the edge of an endless precipice.

"What is so funny?" he sneered.

"You are." He seemed confused and his lips turned upward, showing his ivory teeth. I hadn't realized it before, but he smelled of foul alcohol. "If Father agreed with their plans, he would have been killed within the year. Just like we will be once we help with the nobles and peasantry. We are less than vermin to them. Kaiyer told me how they enslaved his people and what they are planning for us." I set down my bread and stood up to face him.

"You think you are smarter than this empress? More clever? More powerful? How many of her soldiers were lost when they took Nia? How many of our men, women, and children killed?" I paused and Nanos's brows pushed together. "You don't even know do you? Do we have any human guards loyal to us in the castle or are they all being paid by the empress now?"

"That isn't any of your concern, Sister. I have this situation well in hand."

"No, you do not, Brother. You don't know what she really wants from us and you don't realize what she is going to do after we give it to her."

"Jess, you are being hysterical. We have an agreement and she will protect us."

"Guards!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The sudden outburst startled Nanos. I heard the door behind me fly open instantly.

"My brother is displeasing me. Please remove him," I said. I had seen Kaiyer move quickly, so I shouldn't have been surprised at how swiftly the two leather clad Elven women grabbed my brother's arms and hoisted him into the air like a light piece of furniture.

"What? Wait!" He swung his legs out, kicking the one on his right in the shins. Her hair was as black and polished as a pool of ink and her eyes were a strange orange. Either she didn't feel his frantic attacks through her high leather boots, or she didn't care.

"This is how much control you have, Brother. I'm alive because she is finding you less useful than she planned," I said as they carried him out of the doorway to my suite and into the stone hallway.

"Take him to his room and get me whomever I am supposed to be speaking with," I told the black-haired guard. She nodded and closed the door behind them. The thick piece of oak muffled the sounds of my brother's pathetic attempts at convincing them that he was the king of Nia and they should do as he commanded.

I walked over to the table, grabbing the plate of food and glass of water before continuing to the balcony. A small table and set of chairs sat in the far corner. All were made of thin twisted iron and painted with shades of pink. I sat down on the chair that gave me a view of the door and let out a sigh of relief.

Now I would wait.

I guessed correctly what would have happened when I called the guards. I was starting to puzzle through the situation here in the castle. Even though I had never been any sort of strategist, I was good at listening to the gossip of the nobles and interpreting what was transpiring. There was no reason for the empress to keep me alive other than that she did need me for something that Nanos couldn't do for her. I didn't believe that she just needed help with politics. She had an army and death on her side. Nobles would listen to her because they would fear her burning down their estates. Peasants would obey because they had no choice. The merchants and guilds wouldn't raise a fuss as long as the gold kept flowing.

Of course, I could be wrong. Perhaps the empress allowed Nanos to come see me hoping he would lighten my mood. But it didn't change the fact that she probably needed my cooperation for something. I may not have been as obsessed with it as Nadea, but I had studied history. Conquering armies did not leave the vanquished rulers, or any members of their family and household, alive. It was strategically dangerous because a blood heir could rally loyalists and stage a rebellion. Domination had to be complete. This empress had not gained the power she had by showing compassion. I doubted I could take my country back, but maybe I could hamper her plans enough to pay her back for killing Kaiyer.

The idea of a purpose took some of the pain from my heart. Perhaps it was wrong to replace sadness with anger, but if I could use the negative emotions to help save my people it would be worth it.

I finished my food and water. Then I waited and thought about what I would ask the Elven that would come to see me. I planned my responses to their possible questions, and I laid out what I was prepared to sacrifice.

I didn't have to wait very long.

There was a sharp knock on the door. I felt excitement, but no fear, though I realized how precarious my situation was, how powerful and dangerous the Elvens could be. The worst they could do was murder me, and if they did, I would be with my love.

“Enter,” I called as confidently as I could.

Then Nadea walked into my suite.

I felt the air leave my body with surprise. Before I thought of getting out of my chair I was already moving past the veranda's table and into the main room of my suite. I could hardly contain my joy. Nadea would know how to get us out of this mess, though I would dread telling her of Kaiyer's death. My wonderful cousin had strongly believed that he was the answer to this invasion. I reached out my arms and for a brief second I remembered what her hugs felt like.

My slipper covered feet slid across the marble floor a few feet into my suite when I stopped short. This woman was not Nadea. She was an Elven, but looked surprisingly like my cousin. They had similar colored hair, eyes, and facial features. I should have been able to spot the differences immediately just by their dress. She wore a green robe that wound tight around her chest and shoulders. The fabric flowed out on her sleeves and hung loose down past her hips. Nadea preferred to dress like a man and wouldn't wear this outfit unless it was some sort of banquet or ball. Even then, the garment didn't run to her tastes.

"Greetings, Jessmei. I am Empress Telaxthe." She seemed surprised by my abrupt movements.

"Greetings to you as well, Empress." I bowed and tried to hide my warm flush of embarrassment. Perhaps it would be good for her to think of me as strange. I decided it was also prudent to keep her similarity to Nadea to myself for the time being. The more I knew that she did not, the more power I had.

"May I sit?" Her voice reminded me of Nadea's even though the timbre was slightly higher. I wondered how she could possibly be so similar to my cousin. I had never seen an Elven who reminded me of a human. Maybe I was more saddened by the thought of Nadea’s death than I realized and my mind was making up for the loss by seeing her everywhere.

"Please." I gestured to the side of my daybed closest to the door and the Elven woman adjusted the tail of her robe before sitting. She was of similar build as Nadea, more than half a foot taller than me, and her ears pushed through her bronze hair a few inches, which gave her the illusion of additional height.

"I wanted to apologize for the mishaps surrounding your return trip back to Nia. I understand that you are upset." She paused and perhaps waited for me to nod or agree with her. I just continued to stare and wondered how this woman's nose even looked similar to Nadea's, if just a touch narrower. It was not my imagination. She bore an undeniable resemblance to my cousin. Why had my brother not noticed and commented on it? Even the Elven’s facial expressions reminded me of Nadea.