Mercy Burns (Myth and Magic 2)

I didn’t. And we’d see soon enough which of us was right.

“So, just how do you plan to take over the Jamieson clique? Because that’s you’re intention, isn’t it?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You know more than we presumed. Or did Leon talk too much?”

“Leon couldn’t do much of anything once we’d finished with him.” They weren’t wise words, but I couldn’t help the urge to bait him.

He merely smiled. It was a cold, cruel thing, and a chill ran down my spine. “Those actions will haunt you when your time comes, Mercy.”

The chill increased. I ignored it, keeping my voice even as I said, “Our king is never going to name you heir.”

“Oh, but he already has. Even if he doesn’t know it yet.”

I frowned, and he laughed. “It’s always amusing how little you draman know about the culture you live in. Kings name heirs in legal documents kept in the council vaults. They are easy enough to access if you know the right peo

ple to bribe, and even easier to alter if you know a good forger.”

So one step in the plan was already completed. I wondered how much time our king had left; how much time Marcus Valorn had left. If we didn’t catch Hannish, he might yet go ahead with the plot, with or without the backing of the Jamieson clique. After all, we had no real evidence connecting him to any of this as yet.

But maybe Damon didn’t need it. Maybe Hannish would simply disappear again.

“So why kill the draman in Stillwater and Desert Springs? Couldn’t you have just relocated them?”

“They refused to sell their land.” He shrugged. “They paid the price for that refusal.”

“But why take that risk?”

He snorted. “What risk? Jamieson wiped out the Whale Point settlement years ago, and not one council member bothered investigating it.”

“You’re wrong. The council has been watching Jamieson—and our king—ever since.”

“Yeah? And done what, precisely?” His voice was mocking. “It was a draman settlement, like Stillwater and Desert Springs. We both know draman don’t matter.”

Well, he was at least right about that. “But how does killing them make anything any better? The land would be bequeathed to their heirs, not you.”

Seth raised an eyebrow. “Would you hang on to land on which your whole family had been slaughtered?”

The answer was no, and we both knew it. There would be too many ghosts living on this land for anyone with even a hint of dragon blood to remain.

I would feel them at night’s onset, because the time between day and night gave every dragon power, even those caught between worlds, but I wondered if Seth would. Could someone who appeared to have no connection to life really be aware of those who lingered in death?

My gaze flickered past him, studying the view beyond the fridge’s doorway. Flags of red and gold were beginning to tint the horizon, meaning the night and the shadows would soon be gone. If Damon was going to make a move, then he’d better do it soon.

I met Seth’s gaze again. “So you simply stepped in and bought the land from the surviving heirs? Where the hell did you get that sort of money? And how can you even sleep at night?”

“We have our backers, Mercy, and I sleep very well, trust me.”

Of that I had no doubt. A man so out of touch with anything resembling humanity wasn’t ever likely to be attacked by guilt. “Even so, you can’t possibly think the other cliques are going to let two murderers usurp the council.”

“Oh, but they already have. I’m sure the muerte has already mentioned Montana. It set a precedent—one the current kings will sorely regret.” His smile was cold and arrogant. “Our king’s succession document is not the only one that has been changed.”

So Damon’s guess had been right. This was about taking over the council. “The council knows about the plot. You won’t succeed.”

He gave me a condescending smile. “If the council knew, the muertes would have been unleashed and we would be dead. No, this will be done properly, the deaths will all take time and look accidental, and no one will be the wiser. Not until it is far too late, anyway.”

I glanced past him again, studying the growing shadows and wondering what the hell Damon was doing. His song continued to reverberate through my soul, growing in strength, but it gave me no real idea of his location. He could have been just outside the door for all I knew.

“The mere fact that it’s you who’s becoming one of the kings is reason enough to stop this mad scheme.” His attitude toward draman was worse than most. “You said there were two reasons I’m here.”