His Red Queen

Chapter Forty-three

"You idiot!" I scream as Cal and I tumble to the floor. He dodges my punch and grabs my wrists. My knee connects with his stomach. He does not release me.

"Hear me out," he pleads, out of breath. The electricity in the room hums, a steady rhythm begging to be freed. I take a deep breath, trying to calm the thrumming of lightning that I so desperately want to let consume me. His next words undo my willpower completely. "Please, Mare, let me explain."

Purple lightning bursts, snaking up his arm. He cries out and stumbles back. Iris steps away from him and stands by my side, eying him. Of course she's wary of him; he's a burner, a former Nortan Prince, and an alleged traitor.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say," I grumble, steeling my nerves. "Maven is out there, unguarded, undeterred, with an army of Newbloods on his side. Tell me where he went or I swear by my colors—"

"I don't know where he went!" He looses a breath and scrubs at his face. 

Evangeline rolls her eyes and steps up to him. "I'm giving you two days to figure it out or I will personally have my father's people find you, capture you, and then lead Maven back to you." there is no kindness across her face. This is not a threat but a promise. An oath. Not to aid Maven's cause, but to end Cal's and take it for her own. 

My breath hitches. It doesn't necessarily mean she'll turn her back on me. 

She turns to Iris, the princess standing there ever so stoic, almost too calm in a room full of potentially the most unhinged people she has ever met. Besides my husband, of course.  "Princess Iris, I am so sorry for my tone, but if worst comes to worst, I will aid you in divorcing him and should your family have an issue, I offer you a place in my court."

Iris furrows her brows and offers a thin-lipped smile, barely nodding. "Thank you, Princess."

Cal scoffs. "It isn't even your court!"

"And where is yours?" she purrs. When he fails to respond, she continues. "Get out of my sight, the next time I see your sorry ass had better be with Maven in custody or in a cell."

He opens his mouth to argue but I butt in. "Go." 

"Iris?" His eyes widen as she comes to stand beside me. "Are you coming? You don't have to."

"She's staying with me," I say before she can respond for herself. Before I think properly about what she wants. But Iris seems innocent enough, well as innocent as any Silver royal can possibly be. She has not yet personally wronged me, so I decide to keep her with me, allow her to stay safe from both Calore brothers. 

"I believe I will be safer with these women than you," Iris says to her husband of less than forty-eight hours. Then Cal is gone, running down the hall, on his way to fix something that he never should have had the chance to ruin.

Evangeline plops down on a settee and sprawls out, yawning. The sun is barely rising now, small bits of light shining through the windows. Iris sits opposite her at an armchair and crosses her arms over her chest. 

I remain standing; if I sit down I will probably fall asleep and this is no time for sleeping. I need to prepare for Maven to return or fight tooth and nail as he is dragged back here. 

"I don't trust Cal to get him back," I finally say. "He doesn't have it in him. No matter what Maven does to him, to me and..." I trail off, looking around the room as though Maven might appear and either make everything better or a million times worse. "...Cal's not going to do what needs to be done."

"And are you?" Iris throws an accusatory glance in my direction. The words hit me like a punch to the throat. 

"She's tried." Evangeline is sharpening her metal nails, wiggling her other hand's fingers idly as they grow longer, sharper. 

"You married him," Iris prods. 

Sparks surge to my hands and Iris jumps. I quickly will them to cease and tuck my hands in my pockets. "You married Tiberias."

"We are not the same," she says too defensively.

"You're right; I married him to protect my family from a fate that you could never imagine having even a taste of. I married him because it was the only way to ensure that I would not die in vain. You on the other hand married him for an alliance, your mother hoping that she could take what's left of Norta."

I stride over to her quickly, propriety damned. She is unflinching as I get him her face though I hardly need to lean down to be at eye level with her sitting form. "So, you're right, Iris, we are not the same. And I am the Queen of Norta so as long as you are in my palace you will stay out of my way of ruling my country until my husband is back."

She is silent for a long moment before she finally responds. "Okay, then."

"Where do we begin?" I turn back to Evangeline. She has more experience in being nobility than I do. If anyone knows about keeping up appearances and strength and power, it is her (though I sort of hate to admit to myself that in fact do need her). 

Evangeline stands. "We start by calling upon Elane and Ptolemus. Right now, you need to get dressed and be prepared to figure out how far you are willing to go to get Maven back here." She turns to Iris. "As for you, Princess, I need to you to prepare to put out a lot of fires."