“You’re late.” Quinn greeted me with a scowl as I entered the room.
Nyx’s old chamber looked exactly the same as when she’d been alive—barren save the thick rug and a seating area to the left.
I was the last to arrive.
I took my place at a long rectangular slab that served as the table. Priscilla was already seated with Marius at her left and Commander Audric to her right. Further down were Quinn and several of the rebels’ former command. And then there was Merrick, Priscilla’s cousin and quite possibly my least favorite mage until quite recently.
A scribe was near the back, his quill scratching away.
“Ryiah.” Priscilla smiled up at me, and for a moment I froze. She’d been kind the last time we met, but it was just as jarring to see her smiling now, when I was used to a smirk or a sneer.
Where had the girl from the Academy gone?
“I called this meeting because I wanted to discuss some upcoming changes for the Crown. I plan on making the announcements during the feast.”
She didn’t wait for us to react, but, then again, she was about to be queen. “In a show of good will to Horrace, I will be altering some key positions among my staff.”
Priscilla’s eyes found the gruff commander at her right. “Audric, you were the one to lead the Crown’s Army into Caltoth. No one here, and certainly not me, faults you for obeying your king’s orders, but that doesn’t take away your role in the war. And for that reason, I need you to step down.”
The man’s hands fisted at his sides. “I’ve served the Crown loyally for decades.”
“And I will repay you in kind.” Priscilla nodded to the scribe. “You will be given the title and lands of my father.”
“What?” Merrick jumped up, sputtering. “That’s mine!”
Priscilla gave her cousin a belittling smile. “You are disinherited from the family title.”
“You can’t do this!” The boy’s face was purple with rage. “I’m your own blood!”
“And I’m the queen.” The girl turned to a guard at the door. “Remove this one immediately.”
The mage went kicking and screaming.
A part of me, a small part, smiled.
Priscilla returned to Audric. “You’ll also be commanding the Langli regiment. It’s not the Crown’s Army, but it’s the best I can do.”
Audric didn’t speak. The young queen-to-be had just freely admitted he deserved better. Unheard of for the Crown.
The commander finally spoke. “I accept your terms, but I won’t take part in the execution.” I finally noticed the shadows under his eyes. “Darren… he was like a son to me.”
“Very well, I relieve you of any obligation to attend.” Priscilla’s eyes fell to the former Black Mage. “Marius, I would like you to be one of my advisors. You served Jerar well, and Horrace won’t contest your presence. You were still in the desert when the Crown’s Army marched on Caltoth.”
The mage nodded, his gold hoop dangling in the flickering light. For a second, his eyes flitted to me, and I saw quiet defeat. Someone must have told him about his sister’s role in the war—and mine in her death. There was no hate, but he looked older than before. The truth had aged him.
I bit back the silent regret that followed. War had stolen from us all.
“Quinn, you are now head mage of the King’s Regiment. I need someone I can trust, but more so, I need a lowborn guard the people will respect.”
“Ray, Klaus, Jeremiah, Tianna, Cade, Baxter, Silas, Ailith, you will be given lead positions over key regiments in the Crown’s Army. The former command will step down and be displaced to city regiments. And last…” Priscilla turned to me. “I want you to be my Black Mage, Ryiah.”
I stared, disbelieving and numb. Does she honestly think this is what I want? Now? After everything that had passed?
“You are the best. And you fought for the rebels to the end.”
She was really asking me to take Darren’s place.
“You wouldn’t make a good queen.” Priscilla had the decency to avert her gaze. “The people need someone who understands the intrigues of court, Ryiah, especially in the delicate state we are in… but I would be willing to grant you a dukedom, the highest rank in nobility save my own.”
I waited for her to finish. She was trying, but she wasn’t offering the one thing I wanted. And she knew it.
“I don’t accept.”
The room went silent.
Priscilla’s tone was clipped. “I’m giving you everything I can.”
“You can’t buy me off with fancy titles.” My teeth gnashed together as I spoke. “You want my allegiance? Call off Darren’s execution instead.”
Everyone’s eyes were on me. I had just disrespected our future queen and the robe I had always claimed to want.
Funny, it took losing everything to understand what truly mattered in the end.
“You know I can’t.”
I snarled. “The only reason you are holding Darren accountable is because he’s a martyr!”