Both Perri and I know the invitation is more of a command. She looks afraid for a moment before an air of calm falls over her. I know she will do what needs to be done to get through the evening.

I send her away with the women so she can be bathed and dressed. Tonight, she will wear my mother’s gems, and she will glow. Despite the circumstances, I am eager to see the spectacle.

I wish things had worked out differently. The matter I was attending along the coast has accelerated the time frame of my coup. My allies are ready. Some have been holding their place for almost a year. I have learned a great deal about revolutions, and I know they must come quickly or not at all. We will be ready in another week or two. I have left nothing to chance. It will be as bloodless as possible. I will emerge the king of Arietus. My brother Crucis will be in custody, defanged at last and never able to kill another innocent person.

We only have to last another two weeks.

My thoughts are dark, but when Perri returns to my chambers, I can’t help but feel an intense pleasure when I look at her. She wears rich blue silks tonight to match the color of her jewelry. Powdered minerals add a shine to her eyelids. Almost shyly, she offers me her hands, and I draw her into a kiss, nuzzling along her throat to preserve her lips, which have been painted a deep plum.

“You look spectacular. I’m tempted to stay here and ruin you.”

She shivers at my words, leaning close to me. “Could we really do that?”

“I am afraid not, darling.”

“I didn’t think so. Shall we?”

I think of queens again, and swear that when this is all over, I will lay Arietus at her feet. Perhaps that will pay her back for the terror and confusion she feels now. She deserves it.

My brother is in a stately mood tonight. Instead of an orgy or a restrained threat, he is having a dinner in the old style. The first thing we see is a large dining room with a roast at the center, turning on a spit over a fire. Surrounding the fire are a series of couches, each with a small table in front of it, all served by silent servants.

Absently I note who is at the dinner. I recognize all the faces there, of course, having been raised in Arietan high society. Many of them are as disgusted with Crucis as I am, though they thoroughly hide their dislike.

We are escorted through the room, and I greet each individual as we pass them. I can feel Perri’s shyness in the way she clings to my arm, but she smiles and nods at the nobles of Arietus as if she were born to do it.

We are settled at the couch next to my brother’s, a position that is familiar to me. Our proximity to him makes me nervous. Crucis is unpredictable even at relatively staid events. I would rather be farther away. Still, there is nothing I can do but greet him, and he, in turn, smiles at me.

“My brother and sister-in-law. It is good to see you tonight. I am afraid I offended you on our last visit. My hope is that tonight I can repair any breach.”

“There’s nothing that needs to be fixed, my brother. I am not one to hold a grudge. Neither is Perri.”

She ducks her head, but I can tell it is not shyness making her avoid Crucis’ gaze. It is anger. I hope she can restrain it a little longer.

“That’s good to hear. Let me come join you.”

It is not uncommon for the host of a dinner to sit and eat with his guests, eating different courses with different people. Nevertheless, an unpleasant chill runs up my spine when he settles on the couch. Perri is trapped in the middle between us.

“I believe I recognize those gems. Were they your mother’s?”

“They were. She gave them to me for my wife. Don’t you think Perri looks good in them?”

“She does, but she deserves finer jewels than those tawdry things. Something like red diamonds, perhaps. Maybe even nephilite. Do you know those stones, Perri?”

Perri jumps when she is directly addressed and shakes her head. “I am still learning a great deal about my new home, your majesty. I have never heard about that gem.”

I see the cruel glint of malice in Crucis’s eyes. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I know he has not forgotten how she defied him on her first night at court.

“Learning more about the place where you will live and die is a worthy pursuit. Nephilite has an old story attached to it. Do you know it, brother?”

“I have never cared much for fairy tales, my brother. You know I prefer action.”

I hope he will take the hint and change the subject. He laughs, leaning closer to Perri. She cannot retreat any further and chooses to watch him with a cool and wary eye.

Crucis pays no attention to either of us. “Nephilite is the creation of the god of the mountains. He owned all the gems of the world and used them to create the most beautiful trinkets, but they were not enough to convince the goddess of the rivers to lie down with him.

“Finally, desperate to bed her, he went down into the heart of a mountain. Using the heat of magma and pressure of stone, he created nephilite, shining red and orange.”

“Did it work? Was it something she wanted?”

“Yes, Perri. The goddess who thought herself too good for the god of the mountain lusted after the shiny new bauble. She searched all over the world for stones of her own. When she could not find any, she went meekly to the mountain.”

I bare my teeth before I remember who is speaking to me. There is something deadly in the air tonight. It makes me feel uneasy.

“She asked him for his nephilite, telling him she would give him anything. The god of the mountain is a fine bargainer, and he began slowly. For the ability to stroke her long red hair, he would give her the smallest crumb of nephilite.”

“And she took it?”

“Of course, she did. She was a woman. When women want things, they will do what it takes to get them. After all, it was only her hair. The small bit of nephilite was not enough to satisfy her. She came back many times, asking for larger pieces, and the price slowly increased. He asked to touch her breasts, pinching the nipples and pulling on them until she wept. He asked to finger her beautiful pussy. He asked to fuck her mouth.”

Perri shifts uneasily. I can feel a dark fire starting up inside me. If Crucis were not my brother and the king, I would never have permitted him to speak this way. The rage building inside me will not be easily dismissed.

“I’m not sure I like this story. It seems cruel.”

“Life is cruel, Perri. Finally, for the last beautiful gem, he convinced the goddess of the river to let him fuck her ass high up on the mountain so that everyone could see her wailing and enduring the indignity in the open air and sunlight. He won. He gave her the last gem, and he returned to his mountain, the proudest man in the world.”

“Is this where the story ends? What happened to the goddess?”

“No one knows. I assume she slunk home to comfort her sore ass by wearing beautiful jewelry. What else does a woman do?”

Perri swallows hard. “Thank you for telling me the story, your majesty.”

I vow to kill him one day. And Crucis isn’t done.

“I have a question about the gems you wear. What did you do to earn them?”

“Your majesty?”

“When my brother took you to the brothel, what did the girls teach you? Did you learn to please him with every nook and cranny of your body? I like a well-trained girl, and I can dress you in gems more beautiful than the ones my brother has given you.”

I am already on the brink of boiling over. When he reaches over to cradle Perri’s soft breast, I feel something inside me snap. There can be no more waiting.

With a barely constrained growl, I grab Perri and pull her away from Crucis, standing to put my body between them. “You will not speak to her like that.”

Crucis rises from the couch as well, an expression of satisfaction on his face. “Oh really, brother? How would you like me to speak to your wife?”

“Never speak to her again. You don’t deserve to sully her name with your tongue.”

“Those are big words for the wastrel drunk from the lower city. I wonder if you have anything inside you besides sharp words.”

“I do. I challenge you, Crucis, and I will not be satisfied by first blood. For your insult, I want your death.”

All around us I hear gasps of shock. Perri, beloved Perri, behind me does not make a sound. She clasps my hand tightly, and I know she will never let go.