“You needn’t feel any responsibility toward my sister,” Queen Brisha continued, as I wondered what we were going to do. “I know better than anyone what she can be like. She rules with fear, believing it to be the only way to control people. If you have come across the border, especially in the manner you did, with so many ships on your tail, I have a feeling you did not leave on the best of terms. I am simply interested in why—why run from the South?”

Neither of us said a word, prompting Queen Brisha to frown. It was clear she didn’t like to be kept waiting, but there was something else, as well. There was a look of pity in her eyes, as if she knew something we didn’t.

“Gianne used to be a kind, artistic creature,” Queen Brisha went on. “The crown has twisted her up inside, and made her a shadow of the woman she once was. I warned her this would happen—I told her not to let her paranoia get the better of her, but she has taken my words in a manner they were not intended, and I fear it is doing her harm. From what I hear, she is terrified of everyone—she suspects everyone and everything of betrayal, but only has the threat of execution as a means of controlling her populace. She is teetering on the edge of madness.” The sad note in Queen Brisha’s voice surprised me. Although a tentative truce existed between the two sisters, Queen Brisha clearly still cared for her twin. Well, perhaps she didn’t exactly care for her, but she certainly pitied her.

“I think you may be right,” Navan said unexpectedly. “Queen Gianne is not herself. She is using greater force than ever before, and has become less tolerant of infractions against her rules.” I wondered where he was going with this. Surely, telling Queen Brisha that her sister was on the edge of a breakdown would only push the civil war forward? Then again, if it was imminent anyway, it was merely accelerating the inevitable. Perhaps Navan was thinking we could escape during the turmoil that would follow such a battle? It seemed like a longshot, but I wasn’t sure what else he could be thinking.

“Ah yes, your father is her chief advisor, is he not?” Queen Brisha asked, though it was clear she already knew the answer.

Navan nodded. “It’s why our misdemeanor hasn’t gone down at all well with your sister. I think she is terrified of what people would think, if she made me an exception to one of her most concrete rules. She might have thought about it, given whose son I am, but not even my father could talk her into it.”

“Misdemeanor?” Queen Brisha asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s why we’re here, across the border,” Navan continued. “We’re seeking amnesty in Northern Vysanthe, because of… well, because of my feelings for this woman here.” He looked at me, a smile lighting up his ashen face. As much as it warmed me, that felt like an unnervingly bold move, to reveal our romance like that. But I knew Navan must have been damned confident that Brisha wouldn’t blow up like her sister would, or he would never have risked it.

Thankfully, Queen Brisha’s eyes lit up. “Oh! A tale of star-crossed love. Well, this is an extraordinary turn of events!” She was evidently delighted by the idea. Looking at her collection of books, I found myself wondering if she had a few choice romances in there somewhere, for when she needed a spot of escapism. “Although, surely you knew what would happen when you brought her to Vysanthe?” she added, making my stomach lurch.

“I brought her here because I had nowhere else to take her,” Navan replied smoothly. “Her species isn’t used to the temperatures in this part of the universe, and I didn’t want to leave her on some unknown planet where anything might happen to her. I was planning to seek out her homeland in a week or so, after I’d completed some repairs on my ship, but I needed somewhere to keep her in the meantime. I thought I could pass her off as a slave I’d taken, but it… didn’t really work out.”

“How so?” Queen Brisha pressed, licking her lips in anticipation.

“We were caught kissing in a corridor at a party the queen threw in his honor, Your Highness,” I chipped in, flashing her a shy smile.

Queen Brisha chuckled. “How delicious. But what made you think I’d be any less harsh on this affection the two of you share?” Her delight ebbed for a moment, her stare intensifying.

I took a deep breath as Navan replied, “I know your view on inter-species relationships isn’t one that will result in the death penalty, Your Highness. So, I suppose we were hoping you might look kindly on our love, and accept us into the fold, so to speak… It’s a bold assumption, I know, but we didn’t have many other options. It was run to you, or die.”

I watched Queen Brisha as she mulled over our tale, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t read her. Despite her apparent warmth, in that moment I honestly had no idea which way she would swing when it came to our judgment. Not for the first time, I wondered if we’d made a horrible mistake in coming here. What if she spoke to Queen Gianne and realized that our story was made up? It appeared she had a lot of intel on what was going on in the southern part of Vysanthe—what if her spies, whoever they were, fed back the reality of our escape? I couldn’t help feeling we’d simply jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

After a long pause, Queen Brisha spoke. “While I love a tale of tragic romance, and I sense that what you are telling me is the truth, given the way you look at one another… I can’t just offer you the amnesty you seek. As with all defectors, you must prove yourselves to me beyond all reasonable doubt before I can take you under my wing. I will not put my people at risk by inviting miscreants into our midst… as adorable as I think the pair of you are.” She smiled then, her cold mask breaking.

“What can we do to prove ourselves to you?” Navan asked. I noticed his jaw tense slightly.

“I trust you know Gianne’s palace?” she replied.

Navan and I nodded. “It’s a beautiful place, Your Highness,” I said, remembering the glacial surface and the striking towers.

She sighed, lounging back in her chair. “It is beyond beautiful, little Kryptonian,” she remarked. “I imagine it blew your mind, given where you’ve come from.”

I nodded. “I have never seen anything quite like it, Your Highness,” I replied, meaning it.

“Your brother was the architect, was he not?” Queen Brisha asked, turning her attention to Navan.

He smiled proudly. “Indeed, Bashrik was the lead architect, Your Highness.” I knew he’d said his brother’s name for my benefit, given the number of brothers he had. Still, it surprised me. I had never thought of Bashrik as an architect.

“I remember when it was being built,” Queen Brisha murmured wistfully. “I sent spies to check on its progress, and the images that came back took my breath away. It could have been the most exquisite building in the entire universe, but my sister’s tastes have ruined the interior. It’s only a matter of time before the outside starts to go, too. And those gardens! For a coldblood whose passion is supposedly horticulture, she’s done a terrible job of them.” A rueful smile passed over Queen Brisha’s deep red lips.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I don’t follow,” Navan said blankly. I didn’t either. What did this have to do with us?

She chuckled. “I want a building that will rival Gianne’s palace, only my feat of architecture will not be used for something as trivial as housing a throne and a mad queen,” she explained. “I want a building designed that will house a new alchemical laboratory, purely used for research into the immortality elixir. The best and brightest alchemists from across my queendom will reside there, working around the clock to find the key to cracking this elixir. It will be a building that coldbloods will come from far and wide to see.”

“And for that, you need… Bashrik?” Navan asked quietly, a crestfallen look on his face. It flickered there for only a second, before he covered it with a polite expression of interest.

The queen nodded. “He is the only one who possesses the skill I need, to design something truly worthy.” She sighed thoughtfully, and I imagined she was envisioning her vast laboratory. “However, I know he is loyal to the South… so that’s where you come in.”

“You want me to bring him over to your side, Your Highness?”

She smiled. “Now you’re getting it. I want you to invite him here, to the palace, and ensure he comes. I’d invite him myself, but since he would most likely refuse a personal invitation from me, I thought you could do it. He is far more likely to listen to his brother.”

Navan sighed heavily. I could see he didn’t like the idea of getting his younger brother involved in this whole mess, but what choice did we have? If he refused Queen Brisha’s request to wrangle Bashrik, then we were back to square one. And, now that we were in the heart of Northern Vysanthe, we had nowhere to run.

Of course, I didn’t know how we’d even contact Bashrik at this point, let alone get him here, but… one step at a time.

“I will do as you ask, Your Highness,” he said after a few moments of silence, his brow furrowed.

“Excellent!” Queen Brisha said, her eyes glittering with excitement.

“Now, Your Highness,” Navan replied, “if I may, I would like to seek medical attention. I’m beginning to feel a little queasy.” In all the tension, I’d forgotten about his arm, and the medic that had never come. It seemed Queen Brisha had, too.

“Goodness, your arm! I’m sorry, I completely forgot,” she said. “That’s not like Pandora—perhaps someone held her up on the way to the infirmary. Anyway, if you go outside, one of the guards by the door will assist you.”

Navan smiled weakly. “Thank you, Your Highness.” With that, he rose. I got up too, moving to follow him to the door.

But Queen Brisha spoke again. “I’m not quite finished with you yet, little Kryptonian,” she said, her tone eerily light.

Navan turned, his hand protectively closing around mine. “Your Highness? I was under the impression you had given us your request for proving ourselves.”

Queen Brisha shook her head. “That was your mission, Navan, but I need both of you to prove your worth to me. I have something else in mind for your dear love, but I would speak with her in private about it. It is not for your ears.”

“I would rather not leave her alone, Your Highness,” Navan replied tersely. “I trust you, of course, but if you have something to say, you can say it to both of us.”

“Excuse me?” Queen Brisha rose sharply from her seat, her eyes flashing with annoyance. I imagined nobody ever spoke back to her like that, and I wasn’t about to let Navan get on her bad side. We needed to keep her sweet if we wanted to get out of here alive.

Navan tightened his hold on me. “Either I’m staying, or she is coming with me, Your Highness. I’m not leaving her alone,” he repeated slowly, the unspoken words “with you” hanging in the air.

I had to step in before a fight could start—or Navan ended up on the end of a pike. Turning toward him, I looked him dead in the eyes. “Navan, I will be fine,” I said, trying to sound calm in spite of my pounding heart. The last thing I wanted was to be locked in a room alone with this queen. “If the queen requires me to do a task, then I will do it. If it means we can be together, without living in fear, then it will be worth it. Now, go to the infirmary.”

To say Navan didn’t look pleased would have been an understatement, but I sensed he wasn’t going to argue. Leaning down to drop a chaste kiss on my lips, he pulled me into a tight hug even as his injured arm hung limply by his side. He looked like he was going to say something else as he drew away, but thought better of it.

“Just be careful,” he muttered, before turning and walking out of the room.

“Protective, isn’t he?” Queen Brisha remarked, her tone amused. “Borderline stifling, if you ask me, but I know it’s personal preference. I, myself, can’t stand a partner with a hero complex, but I can see the appeal.”

I was surprised by her casual manner, her former irritation fading as quickly as it had appeared. In its place, her warmth had returned. I sat back down, wrapping myself up in the coat that Pandora had given me, as the flames danced higher in the firepit. I was shivering, though not from the cold.

“Now, let’s get down to business,” the queen said softly.