Corrupt

Chapter 33

His laughter is horrific, maniacal, a dreadful and disturbing foil to the gore and corpses strewn in the ashes around us. I flinch.

"I was never corrupt, dear Lynette. I wanted only what I deserved. And I deserved to be king."

I look at Daeva, confusion flooding my emotions, searching them for an answer - but they turn their head from me, almost bashfully.

What's going on?

"People of Carcaseau," Nikolas smirks. "I have some news for you." He attempts to struggle upwards, no doubt to address the crowd; I move the knife in warning, pressing the point to his chest. He stops.

"I am your king. If you will not choose me, it doesn't matter. I am the rightful heir to the throne."

Puzzled silence descends over the field. I frown. Just when I thought I'd understood it all: another riddle.

"I am the son of Queen Junipera."

No. Whatever I was expecting, it wasn't... This. The son of the legendary queen? It can't be. It can't be.

"That's right," he says, grinning madly. "Daeva and I both. Although... We weren't exactly siblings. More like... Half-siblings. Daeva was the only 'real' child. I was just a... Fake. An accident. A mistake."

"What are you trying to say?" I ask him desperately.

"I am the oldest. I deserve the throne. It's my birthright. It is mine. I wasn't going to let myself be put away, be hidden. I was made for so much more. I wasn't going to let anyone take that throne - my throne - from me. Not Daeva. Not my mother."

"Wait," I murmur. Suddenly everything is shifting once more, everything I've been taught misproven - but, finally, it's falling into place. "Queen Junipera didn't die of fever, did she?"

Beneath the blade, his bitter sneer only widens.

"You killed her," I breathe, before repeating it louder: "You killed your own mother!"

"I never meant to kill her," he laughs, "Ask your beloved Daeva. I suspect you don't exactly know everything, do you, Lynette?"

Terrified, I stare at Daeva; they refuse to meet my eyes.

"Is he lying? Daeva? Daeva, don't hide things from me," I beg. "Daeva, tell me!"

"Our powers- I never meant to-" they begin.

"What did you-"

"Oh, no," Nikolas chuckles, interrupting me. "I suspect there's a lot you don't know. In fact, I-"

Before I can even process it, his body convulses violently as I stab the blade into his chest. I scream, rapt within my rage.

How dare he. How dare he hurt me.

Once I retract the blade, dripping with blood, the King lies motionless beneath me, a hint of his final fury lingering in his glazed eyes.

I stare at his limp body for a few stupefied moments.

All that pain. All those lies.

Gone.

I thought I would be drowned in guilt, in regret. But instead, I find myself strangely calm.

It's going to be okay, I think. I haven't been able to think that for a while.

I carefully lay the dagger on Nikolas' chest. I smooth his torn cloak, push his blood-soaked hair from his skin. He was cruel to us. But I refuse to continue that cycle.

Slowly, I stand on shaking legs, and walk into Daeva's arms.

I don't know everything. But I trust them.

Subtly, I support their tremoring weight. While they may have gathered the strength to stand, I'm close enough to see the strain within their tight-lipped frown, the sweat glittering on their pale cheeks. I'm overcome with the sudden urge to kiss their wounds, to wash the crusted blood from their skin. But I sense we are not done here. Not just yet.

"Okay, so... I reckon you'd like an explanation," Daeva nods slowly. Everyone's eyes are trained on them. "I began to fill you in on details earlier. However, I don't expect that many of us were fully listening." This gains a surprised spatter of laughter from amongst the watching crowd. "Of course, I can hardly complain. But, uh... Okay. I'm going to... Go back a bit."

They pause, gulping. It's clear they're struggling.

"You can do this," I whisper softly. I see them gather another ounce of strength.

"My name is Daeva Korren. I'm sure you all know my name. But I promise it's not everything you've been told. And... Yes. I'm Junipera's kid. Which, conveniently, makes me the true heir to the throne of Vaskuoyae. You see, Nikolas was a bastard. Junipera had secrets; she had a big secret, in fact. She had a lover from Llouyae. Had a secret child with him. Nikolas."

Daeva pauses to let the words sink in. I suspect they're also using it for slight dramatic effect.

"Little did my mother know, her children were... Special. You might've noticed the fire. It's a power we share. I don't know where it comes from. I don't know why we have it. But I do know that it doesn't like to be shared. When we were together, it went haywire. Hence the whole... Display." They wince slightly before continuing. "We only found out by accident. When we first met, he... The powers... Everything just... We killed her. It was an accident. We were only children. It was his idea to frame it as a tragic fever."

I stare up at them, shocked. I didn't know this. I didn't know any of this.

"She was gone. The war was getting worse. And now Nikolas wanted her power. Desperately. He needed it. He thought himself, as the older sibling, to be the rightful heir. He wanted the throne. And so he took it. He killed the fleet of Llouyaeans. He was a saviour. And I was his final obstacle. He couldn't let his powers go. So he made me go instead. I was exiled. All of us were," they add, gesturing to the rebels amongst the citizens. "For knowing the truth. For daring to speak it."

Once again, we stand in utter silence. Daeva tilts their gaze to the ground, narrow eyes closing with shame.

I think it's my turn to speak.

"Carcaseau, Daeva is honest. The murders of your friends, amongst the Eskalis massacre... The murder of my dear friend, Andrea... These were not the rebels' doings. And so, I... I believe that Daeva stands as the heir to the throne. Not just because of bloodlines. But because they are... They are Daeva." Daeva's glance snaps to my eyes, eyes wide. I smile, lacing my fingers through theirs. "I've had the time to get to know Daeva Korren. And I can tell you that they are... They are clever, and caring, and funny. They care for their people." The rebels begin to nod.

"I think, perhaps, in that time, I might've... I might've... I might've even fallen in love with them. And so, Carcaseau, I hope you agree that Daeva deserves to be your monarch. And it would be my honour if they would let me be beside them."

I finish my speech, swallowing down my dizziness. We plunge back into bewildered silence. Daeva squeezes my hand.

I look out across the sea of bloodied faces. And then I spot Eloise and Ashia. Together, they drop to one knee. Gradually, the movement spreads.

Daeva's other hand flies to their mouth.

Before us, the whole field kneels to their new leaders.

"Thank you. Thank you, Carcaseau. Thank you. I will be honoured to serve you. I hope I can make you feel the same. We will rebuild this land. We will rebuild our people."

"And, I hope," I interrupt, raising my chin, "We will make you proud."