She pressed her mouth into a line.
“I want to protect my people. From hunger, sickness, dehydration, wraith—and riots. I want to protect you and the Red Militia, too, but right now, you stand with Patrick. He and I are not on the same side.”
“He wants you on the throne.”
“I don’t need him to put me there. I’m not a puppet. When the time is right, I will be crowned queen, but Patrick will have no place with me. Soon he’ll be tried for his crimes, both here and in the Indigo Kingdom.”
“And I can go with him, or with you?” Claire asked.
“More or less.” I stood, and Melanie followed. Then Claire, her hands twitching toward weapons. “The riots must stop. There can be no negotiation on that. Nor the fact that my allies from the Indigo Kingdom will be welcome here. I told you I signed the Wraith Alliance. Do you know what that means?”
She sneered. “People like my parents are never seen again.”
“Not anymore. People like your parents—and you and me—can volunteer to help fight our real enemy, the wraith. Using magic outside of that will still be illegal, but no more flashers will vanish from the streets. Not anymore.”
“Say I believed you,” Claire said. “Say I agreed and I’m tired of watching my people get hurt every night for a man who allowed himself to be captured.”
I’d been right. She’d lured us here hoping to negotiate.
“That doesn’t change the fact that you signed the Wraith Alliance. That still means no magic, and places like the lowcity will continue rotting because they don’t have this.” She gestured around.
The factory. The water.
I’d always thought my ancestors had ceased industrialized magic a hundred years ago. Never had I imagined they might have kept such a scale of magic alive.
But it had been to help people. Everyone deserved clean water.
What a choice.
“I’ll find a way,” I said. “A nonmagical way to restore this factory.” Skyvale Palace had been renovated after the Wraith Alliance. Why couldn’t a factory?
“That’s not a very firm promise.”
“You haven’t made any promises,” I said. “Can you stop the riots?”
Her eyes were steady on mine. “I’ll find a way.”
“Then we can both get what we want.” I smiled and offered my hand. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to share the names and locations of other Red Militia cells.”
“Not a chance.” Claire shook my hand, and escorted us to the exit.
“That was well done,” Melanie said.
I hoped so. Part of me wanted to send a score of police to apprehend everyone there, but I’d lose Claire’s trust. If I let her be, she could help to pacify the Red Militia.
“Mel.” I stopped at the rampart and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Wil.” She mimicked my stance.
Bitter wind cut around the wall, making me shiver. Dawn edged on the horizon and we needed to get inside, but I had to tell her first. “I’m not going to ask what Claire was talking about back there. Not because I don’t care or want to know. I do. But you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
“Same as you’ll tell me when you’re ready to talk about Black Knife.”
“It won’t be long now, I think.” I’d made decisions as a queen tonight. Not only an Osprey. Not only Black Knife. But Queen Wilhelmina, who was also an Osprey and Black Knife.
Being queen didn’t prevent me from missing the way things used to be—simpler, though I hadn’t realized it then—but what I’d done tonight shifted something inside me. There was a way to be true to myself and rule Aecor. I was unprepared, but I could learn. I would, just as I’d learned to fight and steal and survive after being a princess.
“It might be a long time for me.” Melanie dragged her fingers through her short hair.
“It will take however long it takes.” I pulled her into a tight hug. “But whenever you’re ready, I’m here.”
THIRTY-THREE
WINTER DEEPENED.
Icy gusts pushed through the castle. Even in my father’s office—my office now—I shivered and pulled my cloak tighter. The fireplace was on the far side of the room from my desk.
Paige sat opposite me, sifting through lists and documents. “I’ve looked into clean water for the lowcity. There are several options, but developing the right system will take time.”
“It’s urgent. People there are dying.” True to her word, Claire had made progress on the riots. There’d been no change the first night, but the following nights were quieter and quieter until last night when the streets around the castle seemed to hold their breath, waiting for a mob that never came.
This morning, I’d lifted the curfew. There’d been cheers in the streets; people thought the problem was solved.