Jovari the Blue

Chapter 16: Losing the Kingdom

Kastali Dun

Reyr tipped the vial to his mouth, swallowing the contents in one gulp. Verath, who'd kept a steady stream of communication with him, went silent. The concoction burned all the way down, its flavor acidic. He recognized hints of dragon's bane and something else. He shuddered. His skin broke out in a sweat and his body began trembling.

A muted gasp sounded beside him. He jerked his head to the side, abandoning his own discomfort. His imposter queen looked exactly like he felt. Her eyes were wide and unseeing. He reached out, taking her arm just as her body sagged. Then her facial features began to change, her hair darkened, and she shrank several inches. His body was changing, too.

Distantly, he registered gasps from the courtiers. Registered that Dallin and Verath were also handed similar vials. Registered that they also drank.

What choice did they have?

He blinked, the discomfort fading. Claire's lookalike was no longer standing before him. Instead, Merrian gaped up at him. He wanted to ask if she was okay, but Kane was already speaking.

"So you see," he told the crowd. "They are not your rulers after all. Your rulers are gone. King Talon abandoned you. He isn't even in this world anymore."

Cries of surprise echoed in hall.

Reyr's skin heated with anger. "He's only there because you—"

"Ah-ah-ah. I'm king now. I get to decide who speaks, and what truths are told. Oh, and I'll be taking that." Kane muttered a few words under his breath, an incantation. The heavy crown upon his brow flew into Kane's free hand. The other still held a glittering golden stone.

If only he could get to it—steal it. If only...

Something about the stones arrayed on Kane's breastplate made him frown—

"Guards!" Kane's voice rang out. "Seize them! Toss them in the dungeons."

"You're not just going to kill us?" he sneered. He would have preferred it. At least dead, he wouldn't have to face his failure.

As if reading his mind, Kane said, "I want you to watch me rule in place of your precious King. If he returns, I'll enjoy witnessing the moment he realizes that you lost him the kingdom."

It took every bit of his control to remain in place. He wanted to surge forward and attack. Wanted to plunge his blade through the sorcerer's chest. Even at the risk of damning all of dragon kind.

But the sorcerer would never allow him to get close.

A set of guards in Oshean livery strode forward. He eyed them with distaste. It confirmed their prior suspicions, that Kane was working with Oshea.

Merrian cried out as they were taken. "Don't hurt her," he growled at her set of guards. They ignored him, wrenching her arms behind her back, clapping her in shackles. He was vaguely aware of them doing the same to him.

Merrian's blue eyes flashed with fear, her chest rising and falling in bursts. He hadn't ever seen her like this and it did something to him.

"It will be all right," he tried telling her in a low voice. It was all he could think to say, even though it was a lie. Nothing about this would be all right.

Kane had succeeded. Their worst fears had come to life. It had been stupid to hope that Bedelth and Saffra might've beat Kane to the stones; he feared to think about that, about what Kane might have done if he'd intercepted them. Or Koldis and Taylynn, for that matter. But they were alive. He knew in his heart that they were alive, because he would have felt their deaths, otherwise. Which meant they'd failed. Kane had the stones and he was helpless to do anything about it.