He met my eyes, only a flash of triumph in his expression before he said, “You know how to enforce that command.”
Prince Colin blinked a few times and awakened. Blood dripped down his face as he scanned his surroundings, muttering curses under his breath. When he looked from Patrick to me, his eyes were filled with hate.
Patrick would kill Prince Colin. Just like he’d killed Terrell, and almost killed James and Tobiah. Just like the wraith boy had killed Meredith.
He’d kill Prince Colin for me. For my kingdom.
Tobiah’s words haunted me: “What kind of queen will you be? The kind who allows others to murder in her name, or the kind who stands up and makes decisions her conscience can agree with?”
“Fine.” The word was a breath. My heart sped faster, and the cold sapped at my strength, but I forced my voice to project. “I hereby declare myself Queen of Aecor.”
PART THREE
THE VERMILION THRONE
TWENTY-SIX
THE EFFECT OF my words was immediate.
A great cry rose up behind me. The air shook with thousands of voices, some in protest, but many more in triumph.
Prince Colin glared at me with murder in his eyes, but Patrick simply nodded and took a slow, measured step away from the prince—but not before edging his blade a breath closer to Prince Colin’s throat, leaving a long, thin cut. A reminder. A promise.
Then Patrick’s blade hit the floor and he held out his arms in surrender.
“Arrest him,” I told the red-coated guards.
They hesitated, looking between Patrick, Melanie, and me.
“Do it,” Melanie said. “Wilhelmina is your queen. You answer to her, not to Patrick.”
They obeyed without further question.
Within two hours, one of the wagons became a moving prison, guards of both colors watching over Patrick. The soldiers stationed at Snowhaven Bridge were reinstated, and the wraith boy began to clear snow under my direction; I didn’t trust him not to move it all into the bay and cause a flood.
“Prince Colin will not forgive this,” James said as we walked back to my wagon where a dozen Aecorian guards waited.
“I did it to save his life.”
“He won’t see it that way.”
“Unfortunately.” Had I made things better or worse? It was impossible to know.
The night had deepened and grown colder. The snow Chrysalis had moved away from the caravan formed glistening walls to the north and south, stinking like the wraithland.
After that exertion, Chrysalis was paler, his movements sluggish, but I stopped myself before asking if he was all right. He was going straight back to his wardrobe. At least I didn’t have to worry about him running away; he stuck to my side as surely as a puppy, desperate for attention.
“I should warn you.” James kept his voice low. “Several Aecorians have named themselves part of your royal guard. You can accept or dismiss them as you wish, but you should make a decision soon. Some will want favors in the future. You should be mindful of who you owe.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want any of them. I already have you.”
“Then you risk offending potential allies.”
Not what I wanted to hear.
“At any rate, there will be new sleeping arrangements. You’re no longer incognito and I’m not willing to risk your reputation—”
“It’s my reputation to ruin if I want, James.”
“And I’m not willing to risk mine, either.” He gave a smug grin and motioned to the wagon just ahead. “Lady Melanie will join you. I will station myself outside your wagon, along with any Aecorian soldiers of your choosing.”
“Oscar and Ronald.”
“The ones who brought Prince Colin to Lien?”
“They’re Ospreys. They may have sided with him during the Inundation, but they won’t allow any harm to come to me. The Gray brothers might have been born high noblemen, but they’re clever and good with their weapons.” I paused. “Besides, I don’t know any other Aecorians.”
James nodded. “Very well.”
“As for the others who’ve named themselves my royal guards, I’ll find out what Melanie, Ronald, and Oscar think of them before I accept any oaths. I’d like to know your opinions, too, if you happen to spend time with them.”
“Of course.” He wouldn’t forget, either. That was one of James’s best qualities: complete reliability. “As for the wraith boy, his wardrobe has been moved to the wagon following yours.”
The wraith boy gasped. “No! I want to be close to my queen.”
“It’s only a wagon away.” I leveled a glare on him, though the expression didn’t feel as menacing as I intended; I was too exhausted. “That’s close enough, and I will visit you in the morning.”
The hardness of his face softened. “You trusted me tonight. I wanted to make you proud.”