Kingsbane (Empirium 2)

“I tried to stop him,” Rielle whispered, walking toward him. “I’m sorry, I…I burned him. He’s terribly wounded, but…it wasn’t enough. Audric, I’m so sorry. His name is Corien. He’s an angel, Audric. He turned the Sauvillier men against us…”

Their two forms embraced. “Thank God you’re all right. I thought I’d lost you.”

“Never,” said Rielle, wrapping her arms around him. “Never.”

The vision ended, leaving the room just as it had been—except now, the room was in an uproar. The air sizzled with panic. Shouted questions and curses, keening wails. The kingsguard and Rielle’s Sun Guard immediately formed a protective circle around her and Audric, keeping the crowd at bay.

On the floor, Ludivine cried out. Her body jerked as if it had been kicked, and then her eyes cleared. She sucked in a gasping breath and pushed herself unsteadily to her feet.

“They’re here.” Her voice was her own again, but torn through like shredded paper. She grabbed Rielle’s hands. “We must find them before they do anything else. They’re close. Here, in the city.”

But Rielle could only watch Audric, her body clenched stiff with dread.

“It wasn’t like that,” she whispered so only he could hear. “It was more than that. He didn’t show you everything that happened. I tried to stop him that day. I lost control.”

Audric’s expression was unreadable. He was looking at her with such focus that she felt flayed, every layer of herself peeled ruthlessly away.

Then he muttered, clipped and cold, “Come with me now,” and swept past her, toward the garden doors on the ballroom’s northern side, his kingsguard following close behind.

• • •

Deep in the gardens, near the edge of the seeing pools and far beyond the golden reach of the party, Audric finally stopped. His back was to them. He faced the black seeing pools, the catacomb doors beyond them. It was dark and still, so far from the castle, the guests’ confused outrage a distant rumble.

“Leave us,” he told his kingsguard, and the Sun Guard as well. They obeyed, moving off into the trees until they were alone—Rielle, Audric, and Ludivine.

Rielle felt light-headed, a strange numbness sweeping in constant waves through her body. The only thing she could feel with any certainty was Ludivine gripping her hand.

“I defended you,” said Audric at last, his voice soft. “From the beginning, I’ve defended you.”

Ludivine stepped forward a little, putting herself in front of Rielle. “Audric, please, allow me to explain—”

“Oh, I think you’ve done enough. I think I’ll be the one to talk now. That was real, wasn’t it? That vision I saw. That was the whole truth. And everyone else saw it as well. I could hear them reacting to it, just as I was.”

“It was part of the truth, yes,” Ludivine said, “but it’s more complicated than what you were shown.”

“Oh, please, stop talking, Ludivine. Stop talking this instant.” And then Audric turned, his terrible dark gaze falling upon Rielle. “You tell me. Darling. Was that the truth?”

She searched frantically for a solution, for the perfect words that would disintegrate this horror and return her life to what it had been only moments before, whirling about the ballroom with him.

Her silence stretched on too long.

“Tell me!” he roared.

She jumped, the fury in his voice crashing against her like glass. She had only a few times in her life ever heard him raise his voice, and each had been in the defense of her or in the throes of loving her.

“It’s true,” she whispered. “What you saw, what everyone saw, is at least part of what happened.”

“Part of what happened,” he repeated.

“He didn’t show you everything.”

“He.” Audric blew out a soft laugh. “Corien.”

She stepped forward, hesitant. “I wasn’t trying to kill our fathers. I was trying to stop Corien from hurting them.”

“And yet still they died.”

“I…” She shook her head, tears rising. “It was the most power I’d ever unleashed. I was terrified. I thought he was going to kill them. I lost my grip on it.” She watched him, how he kept his expression cold and hard, and felt the world fall away from her, leaving her suspended in darkness. “You don’t believe me.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said, his voice empty of all feeling.

“Believe me,” she cried, reaching for him. “I love you, and I wouldn’t…”

She fell silent, catching herself.

He smiled cruelly at her. “You wouldn’t lie to me?”

“I was trying to save them.” Her words felt small on her tongue, pale and inadequate. “I lost control.”

“And now they’re dead,” he said flatly. “And now we’re married, and now you’re queen.” He turned away, dragging a hand across his face. “What am I supposed to do now, Rielle? Everyone in there saw. Maybe everyone in the city saw. And I’ve just married you. What do they call you? Those who hate you. The Kingsbane. And now he’s proved them all right.”

“Stop berating her and listen to me,” Ludivine said. “Corien is coming, and he’s close. We should be sending out every last soldier to bolster the city’s defenses against him. And I should be searching for him rather than standing here keeping you from hurting each other. I suggest we talk about this later.”

“Fuck your suggestions,” Audric hissed. “We’re talking about this right now.”

“I told you he would make you hate me.” Rielle’s voice came out thin and shaky. It was a foreign thing, beyond her control. “He’s been waiting for the chance to turn us against each other.”

“Well, and he’s succeeded beautifully, hasn’t he?”

Tell him about the child, Ludivine said, her presence shrill and piercing. Rielle, he must not turn you away.

Tell him about the child, and I’ll kill you, Rielle replied.

“I lost control, Audric,” she said aloud for what felt like the hundredth time, and she would say it as many times as she needed to. She clenched her fists to steady their trembling. “Please believe me. I was trying to stop Corien. He was threatening you. Don’t you remember? You were on Atheria. I saw you. You were in pain. You might have died.”

He watched her in silence for a moment. “Yes, I remember.” o;I tried to stop him,” Rielle whispered, walking toward him. “I’m sorry, I…I burned him. He’s terribly wounded, but…it wasn’t enough. Audric, I’m so sorry. His name is Corien. He’s an angel, Audric. He turned the Sauvillier men against us…”

Their two forms embraced. “Thank God you’re all right. I thought I’d lost you.”

“Never,” said Rielle, wrapping her arms around him. “Never.”

The vision ended, leaving the room just as it had been—except now, the room was in an uproar. The air sizzled with panic. Shouted questions and curses, keening wails. The kingsguard and Rielle’s Sun Guard immediately formed a protective circle around her and Audric, keeping the crowd at bay.

On the floor, Ludivine cried out. Her body jerked as if it had been kicked, and then her eyes cleared. She sucked in a gasping breath and pushed herself unsteadily to her feet.

“They’re here.” Her voice was her own again, but torn through like shredded paper. She grabbed Rielle’s hands. “We must find them before they do anything else. They’re close. Here, in the city.”

But Rielle could only watch Audric, her body clenched stiff with dread.

“It wasn’t like that,” she whispered so only he could hear. “It was more than that. He didn’t show you everything that happened. I tried to stop him that day. I lost control.”

Audric’s expression was unreadable. He was looking at her with such focus that she felt flayed, every layer of herself peeled ruthlessly away.

Then he muttered, clipped and cold, “Come with me now,” and swept past her, toward the garden doors on the ballroom’s northern side, his kingsguard following close behind.

• • •

Deep in the gardens, near the edge of the seeing pools and far beyond the golden reach of the party, Audric finally stopped. His back was to them. He faced the black seeing pools, the catacomb doors beyond them. It was dark and still, so far from the castle, the guests’ confused outrage a distant rumble.

“Leave us,” he told his kingsguard, and the Sun Guard as well. They obeyed, moving off into the trees until they were alone—Rielle, Audric, and Ludivine.

Rielle felt light-headed, a strange numbness sweeping in constant waves through her body. The only thing she could feel with any certainty was Ludivine gripping her hand.

“I defended you,” said Audric at last, his voice soft. “From the beginning, I’ve defended you.”

Ludivine stepped forward a little, putting herself in front of Rielle. “Audric, please, allow me to explain—”

“Oh, I think you’ve done enough. I think I’ll be the one to talk now. That was real, wasn’t it? That vision I saw. That was the whole truth. And everyone else saw it as well. I could hear them reacting to it, just as I was.”

“It was part of the truth, yes,” Ludivine said, “but it’s more complicated than what you were shown.”

“Oh, please, stop talking, Ludivine. Stop talking this instant.” And then Audric turned, his terrible dark gaze falling upon Rielle. “You tell me. Darling. Was that the truth?”

She searched frantically for a solution, for the perfect words that would disintegrate this horror and return her life to what it had been only moments before, whirling about the ballroom with him.

Her silence stretched on too long.

“Tell me!” he roared.

She jumped, the fury in his voice crashing against her like glass. She had only a few times in her life ever heard him raise his voice, and each had been in the defense of her or in the throes of loving her.

“It’s true,” she whispered. “What you saw, what everyone saw, is at least part of what happened.”

“Part of what happened,” he repeated.

“He didn’t show you everything.”

“He.” Audric blew out a soft laugh. “Corien.”

She stepped forward, hesitant. “I wasn’t trying to kill our fathers. I was trying to stop Corien from hurting them.”

“And yet still they died.”

“I…” She shook her head, tears rising. “It was the most power I’d ever unleashed. I was terrified. I thought he was going to kill them. I lost my grip on it.” She watched him, how he kept his expression cold and hard, and felt the world fall away from her, leaving her suspended in darkness. “You don’t believe me.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said, his voice empty of all feeling.

“Believe me,” she cried, reaching for him. “I love you, and I wouldn’t…”

She fell silent, catching herself.

He smiled cruelly at her. “You wouldn’t lie to me?”

“I was trying to save them.” Her words felt small on her tongue, pale and inadequate. “I lost control.”

“And now they’re dead,” he said flatly. “And now we’re married, and now you’re queen.” He turned away, dragging a hand across his face. “What am I supposed to do now, Rielle? Everyone in there saw. Maybe everyone in the city saw. And I’ve just married you. What do they call you? Those who hate you. The Kingsbane. And now he’s proved them all right.”

“Stop berating her and listen to me,” Ludivine said. “Corien is coming, and he’s close. We should be sending out every last soldier to bolster the city’s defenses against him. And I should be searching for him rather than standing here keeping you from hurting each other. I suggest we talk about this later.”

“Fuck your suggestions,” Audric hissed. “We’re talking about this right now.”

“I told you he would make you hate me.” Rielle’s voice came out thin and shaky. It was a foreign thing, beyond her control. “He’s been waiting for the chance to turn us against each other.”

“Well, and he’s succeeded beautifully, hasn’t he?”

Tell him about the child, Ludivine said, her presence shrill and piercing. Rielle, he must not turn you away.

Tell him about the child, and I’ll kill you, Rielle replied.

“I lost control, Audric,” she said aloud for what felt like the hundredth time, and she would say it as many times as she needed to. She clenched her fists to steady their trembling. “Please believe me. I was trying to stop Corien. He was threatening you. Don’t you remember? You were on Atheria. I saw you. You were in pain. You might have died.”

He watched her in silence for a moment. “Yes, I remember.”