He laughed without humor. “More like to save themselves. They turned tail and ran in the middle of the night. We haven’t heard a word from them since. As an added bonus, they emptied the coffers before they left. So I think you’ll agree that whether or not they believe you is irrelevant.”
All that hope sank to the bottom of Cassia’s stomach and turned to ice. She couldn’t believe her parents had left the kingdom defenseless, especially after all the years they’d lectured her on the merits of duty to the throne. Her people must hate the Rose name now more than ever. She pushed past the ball of shame in her throat and asked, “What else have I missed?”
“Well,” Jordan began with a hitched brow, “after you left, the Durangos started making empty threats. No one believed they would invade; everyone knew they didn’t have the money for a war. I figured they’d accept a payout for the broken marriage contract, and that would be the end of it. But then the king and queen died in a shuttle ‘accident’”—he used his fingers to make air quotes—“and Marius took control.”
“Marius is king?”
“Of three thrones—every dynasty except for yours. He’s the one who attacked, and not only us. He hit the other two kingdoms so fast there wasn’t time for an alliance. They fell in a matter of days. Now he owns those lands, and the former title holders are probably waiting for their own ‘accidents’ to happen.”
“But wait,” Cassia said. “That doesn’t make sense.” According to the charter, Marius was within his rights to invade her kingdom because she’d broken their marriage contract. But that privilege didn’t extend to the other two dynasties. He had no cause for aggression there, and certainly no right to assassinate royals. The Solar League should’ve intervened and sent a legion of Enforcers to stop him. “Who’s allowing this?”
Jordan delivered the kind of amused look one might give a child who’d asked where babies came from. “I imagine the same person who paid for his missiles.”
“You think he has a financial backer?”
“I know he does. And it’s someone with connections powerful enough to make the Solar League look the other way.”
“What about my kingdom? Who’s in charge?”
“That depends on who you ask.”
“No one?”
He answered with a shrug. “Or everyone. Either way, it’s a mess.”
“So how have you fought off the Durango army for this long?”
“The citizens took up arms. Which seemed like a good thing, at first….”
“Until?” she prompted.
“Until they stopped taking orders and formed a rebellion. They want the charter amended to form a republic.”
“Oh god.” Cassia gripped her temples and thought back to the symbol she’d seen defacing the palace. That must be the mark of rebels. But an uprising was the least of her problems. Without a leader, the Rose kingdom would continue its downward spiral until it tumbled right into Marius’s hands. Her people needed a queen, and no matter how tarnished her reputation, she was the rightful heir to the throne. She nodded at the cell door. “Let me out of here and take me home.”
To her great surprise, Jordan told her, “No.”
“Excuse me?”
“This isn’t a rescue mission.”
“Enough games,” she snapped. “Unlock this door right now.”
“Let’s say that I do,” Jordan countered, “and that we actually make it out of here alive. Do you think Marius will just shrug it off and let you go?”
Cassia tightened her jaw. She knew the answer.
“He won’t,” Jordan said. “He’ll burn down every house in the kingdom until he finds you. This is personal for him—he’s been the colony joke ever since you left him at the altar. I think the reason he hasn’t completely crushed us is because he wanted you to be here to watch it happen. When I heard you were captured, I infiltrated his guard detail so I could see you. But I didn’t tell anyone. Not even my next-in-command knows I’m here.”
“Then what’s the point? Did you come here to taunt me?”
“No. I came to see if you grew a backbone. To see if there’s any fight left in the Rose bloodline.” He delivered a pointed look. “And to see if you can help me take down Marius from the inside.”
That shocked a laugh out of her. “And what’ve you decided?”
“That I think you have it in you.”
“Well, I think you’re unhinged.”
“Maybe we’re both right,” he said. A click of footsteps from overhead warned their conversation would be cut short. He moved closer and spoke in a whisper. “Running away won’t solve anything, and neither will assassinating Marius. We have to take him alive so he can tell us who’s supplying his missiles and where he’s hiding them, because they’re not in his armory. Once we have his missiles, his army will have to stand down. If you find a way to neutralize Marius, I’ll come back for you. And when I do, you’ll have the full support of the military to reclaim what’s yours.”
His idea set Cassia’s inner wheels in motion, but she still didn’t see how it was possible. “I can’t do anything from in here.”
“Then you’re not as cunning as I remember.”