After the farewell-to-the-newlyweds extravaganza, Merecot gave a nicely rousing speech and then retreated inside to her chambers with Queen Jastra. For a moment, she let herself just rest, with her mind closed to the spirits and eyes closed to the world.
It’s been a . . . unique week.
She knew she’d have to prepare for the next step soon, but for now . . . Naelin, Ven, and the children were on their way back to Aratay, taking the troublesome spirits with them.
Opening her mind, she reached out, intending just to check—
What . . . ?
For at that moment, Merecot felt Semoian spirits screaming and immediately jumped to her feet. What is Naelin doing to my spirits?
Queen Jastra laid a hand on her wrist. “Stop.”
“But she’s hurting them!”
“Let her.” Folding her hands calmly on her lap, Jastra studied the silver tray of delicacies. A sampling of desserts from the wedding had been delivered directly to Merecot’s chambers, per Merecot’s command. She’d planned to celebrate in the privacy of her rooms.
I should be celebrating! It all went well! She’s supposed to be gone! Why is she still here, hurting my spirits? “Jastra . . .”
“Patience, Your Majesty.” Jastra selected a concoction made with salt and caramel. She popped it in her mouth and chewed with a delighted sigh. “Try one. Delicious. And trust me: Queen Naelin will come to you.”
Merecot paced.
She hated doing nothing.
No one is allowed to hurt my spirits but me.
“At least explain why!” Merecot burst out.
“Remember how I told you an opportunity will present itself? Sometimes you have to nudge that opportunity along. Create a situation in which it will blossom.”
Merecot quit pacing. She stared at Jastra. Slowly, trying to keep her voice steady and calm, she asked, enunciating each word, “What did you do?”
“It’s not what I did that’s important; it’s what will happen next,” Jastra said. “She will attack you, and you will defend yourself. You, with the power of all the spirits of Semo behind you. And her, with the power of only a few hundred, barely controlled, wild spirits that aren’t tied to any land. With such a power imbalance, you’ll easily defeat her.”
“And why will she attack me, after I threw her a lovely wedding and gave her everything she desired?” Merecot clenched her fists then released them. She forced herself to breathe evenly and think clearly. This was not the plan.
“Because your spirits took her children into the untamed lands.”
Merecot was at a loss for words. She looked at the ex-queen across the room. Jastra smiled triumphantly, as if she had done something immensely clever. Instead of immensely reckless and stupid. “By now they are already there,” Jastra said.
“Then they’re dead,” Merecot said flatly.
“Not necessarily.”
“No one survives the untamed lands. Least of all children.” She thought of the boy and girl—they were just ordinary, innocent kids. Sure, she didn’t like little kids much, but that didn’t mean they deserved to die. Kidnap, fine, but not this. I have some sense of right and wrong. And this goes too far. “You sent my spirits, behind my back, to kill Queen Naelin’s children?”
“Remove them, not kill,” Jastra clarified, as if that made any difference when the untamed lands were involved.
Merecot shook her head. She wished she could shake this knowledge out of her mind. “You’re right—she’ll want revenge. You can’t attack cubs without angering the mama bear.”
“Yes! Precisely! She fights you, and you destroy her. You have the advantage—your spirits outnumber hers, and you have better control of them.” Jastra was practically rubbing her hands together in glee. “She knows this, which is why she had to be goaded into action. It’s brilliant! You’ll be able to eliminate one of the Aratayian queens, as well as the problematic spirits in one fell swoop! I have turned your mistake into victory!”
Argh! Merecot gritted her teeth so she wouldn’t scream out loud. She knew the kind of damage Naelin had done to Aratay the last time her children were endangered. It had taken serious power at the border to repel her. And now Naelin was within Semo, in Merecot’s castle. I’ll win, of course. But it won’t be a pretty fight.
Perhaps worse, though, was the fact that Jastra had backed her into a corner, neatly and efficiently and without Merecot’s knowledge. It made her feel powerless—and that was not a feeling she enjoyed one bit. She’d had a plan, and it was working. “I did not make a mistake. Allowing Naelin to take the excess spirits was the correct call, both for Semo and Renthia.”
“In the short term, perhaps. I’m sure it seemed that way,” Jastra said, her voice full of sympathy. “But in the long term? Oh my dear, I wish you had consulted me first! You followed your heart instead of your head, and in doing so, unraveled all our plans.”
Because I had a new plan! A better plan! Let Naelin go, and then, under the guise of peace, visit Daleina . . . and eliminate her. And then—and only then—battle Naelin. But now . . .
Daleina will never let me near her if I’ve just murdered Naelin!
“You shouldn’t have done this,” Merecot ground out. “Especially not this way.”
It was true that killing Naelin had been the original plan if the queens refused to abdicate, but even then they’d planned to make it seem like an accident. A rogue spirit. Or a fall—Naelin was older, distraught over all she’d endured. This . . . Everyone would know Merecot was responsible.
Jastra shook her head and clucked her tongue, as if that made her seem like an old wise woman. But she’s not, Merecot thought. She’s just another person who has betrayed me. “You hadn’t the nerve for what needed to be done,” Jastra said. “It’s important you remember this is about all the children, and sacrifices must be made—”
“Yes,” Merecot cut her off. “They must.” She felt her shoulders sag, and then she straightened. This was not the time for weakness. It’s only that I trusted Jastra. I liked her. And now . . . she’s left me with no choice. It just galled her, because Jastra was right.
I have to do what’s best for Semo. And for Renthia.
Looking beyond Jastra, Merecot said, “Have you heard enough, Your Majesty?”
Queen Naelin was crouched in the windowsill, several of her spirits behind her. Champion Ven was already within the room, his sword drawn. The two of them hadn’t moved closer while she’d been questioning Jastra.
“This could be staged,” Ven said to Naelin.
Naelin’s eyes were on Merecot, and Merecot saw the rage and distrust in them. She wished there were another way. I should have taken the time to explain to Jastra how the plan had changed. No, she wasn’t going to feel guilty about this. It wasn’t her fault! Jastra should have known I’d have a new plan. She should have trusted me!
She wished Jastra had believed in her the way Merecot had thought she did. She wished they’d never involved children. She wished she’d left that damn wolf alone.
“You have betrayed me, Jastra,” Merecot said quietly. “And you have committed an act of war against Queen Naelin of Aratay. I am sorry for what I must do, but you have left me no choice.”
She meant every word.
Stepping back, Merecot withdrew her protection from the former queen of Semo. And the spirits felt it almost immediately. At first they hesitated, as if unsure what to make of this.
But then they came.
Howling, they flew through the halls of the castle, through the windows, down the stairwells, all of them converging. Fire spirits flew from the hearth, a blur of flame. Ice spirits laid frost trails across the floor. Water spirits gushed through the windows. Air spirits whipped around Jastra. Tree spirits pinned her arms together and filled her mouth with leaves, while earth spirits tore her apart.
Merecot forced herself to stand and watch.
At last, when the screaming ended, she closed her eyes and realized she was crying.
Chapter 25