Iron Crowned

 

Kiyo asked no questions when I called Enrique back and told him I'd be out of town and out of contact for a while - but that I trusted him to carry on. Really, Kiyo said little at all as we hurried back to my house. Within minutes, I had a small satchel packed, and then we were off to the Otherworldly crossing. No matter what ups and downs had occurred in our relationship, he knew me well. He knew I had to act on this immediately.



The questions began once I reached my castle.



"How the hell," I began, "did this happen?"



I was in one of the receiving rooms, Kiyo by my side as I stared down Shaya and some of the soldiers who manned the grounds. Rurik was with them, which gave me mixed feelings. I was glad he was back from Dorian's. I trusted him more than any other military guy around here. That being said, there was a petty part of me that held him responsible. How could someone as capable as him have let this happen?



He grimaced, as though guessing my thoughts. "A small group sneaked onto our grounds, overpowered her guards ... and took her." He hesitated. "She only had two with her, Your Majesty. As you'll recall, her escort was lightened. Still. There is no excuse."



I hadn't witnessed this kind of diplomacy and respect from Rurik since ... well, actually, I'd never really witnessed it. With Dorian? Yes. Not with me. Jasmine's abduction had really gotten to Rurik, no question. I was pretty sure he was taking it personally. But I'd also caught the slight meaning in his carefully worded comment about her lightened guard. That had been my call. I had done it in response to her good behavior and had let her outside more. I'd known it was a potential security risk - but not one that involved her leaving against her will.



"We're at war," I said. "Regardless of her guard, this whole place should have been under lock-down."



He nodded, face growing grimmer. "As I said, there's no excuse. I take full responsibility."



I waved a hand dismissively. "It's too late now. I know you're doing your job. Don't lay yourself out for the slaughter. Volusian said there was a note?"



Shaya handed me a piece of rolled parchment. Kiyo leaned over my shoulder as I read it silently to myself:



To Eugenie, Usurper Queen of the Thorn Land, Daughter of Tirigan Stormi, King:



As you no doubt know by now, I have your sister within my custody. If you wish her returned to you alive, you and the Oak King will surrender unconditionally to me. You will cease hostilities immediately, withdraw your armies, and cede your lands. Additionally, you will turn over the alleged Iron Crown to me.



If you do not comply with these terms, your sister will be executed at noon, three days from the receipt of this letter. For now, she is alive, and I have given her into the keeping of my nephew Cassius.



I await your response.



Sincerely,



Katrice, Queen of the Rowan Land,



Beloved of the Gods



I looked up at the many watching eyes. "'Given her into the keeping of my nephew Cassius.' Does that mean what I think it does?"



Shaya grimaced. "That is the nephew she wanted you to marry."



"Why execute Jasmine then?" I demanded. "Why not marry her off to Cassius? Isn't that a waste of one of Storm King's daughters?"



"Katrice hates you," said Kiyo softly. "At this point, she probably doesn't even care about the prophecy. She wants to get back at you, hurt you, and if that means killing Jasmine, then it's probably an acceptable loss - especially if she tries to then give you to Cassius after this 'surrender.'"



"So I'd get to live?"



Kiyo shrugged. "Longer suffering."



"Why choose her as a hostage though?" I didn't know why I was arguing the logic here. None of it mattered. Only the outcome did. "Everyone knows we don't get along."



"Everyone also probably knows that's been changing a little," said Kiyo. "You brought her to Dorian's."



"And," added Shaya, "a royal family member usually makes the best hostage in these situations."



These situations. For a moment, I nearly swayed on my feet, wanting to close my eyes and pass out. It had nothing to do with the heat. It was this. All of this. This situation always repeating itself. Me and Jasmine, cursed by our blood, always to be used and captured as possessions in a greater game. I'd hated Aeson, but at least he'd lured Jasmine into some pretense of love before taking advantage of her. But what about this Cassius? He'd make no attempts at kindness. This was all about punishment and revenge, after all. Had he already raped Jasmine? Was he doing it now? A sickening memory of Leith came to mind, one sharp and clear in spite of the drugged state I'd been in during my ordeal with him. Moments later, it was replaced by an image of this faceless Cassius lowering himself over a cowering Jasmine....



I pushed my weakness aside, steadying myself and bringing the world back into focus. I turned to Rurik. "How far are our armies spread out? How soon could we get them together and march on her? I want to raze that bitch's lands and burn her castle to the ground! I want to have the fucking wrath of heaven rain down on her and - "



I cut myself off, as startled at my words as the others were. Where had that rage come from? Well, the situation, obviously. I wouldn't want anyone thrown to Katrice's nephew before facing execution. But it occurred to me in that moment that my reaction was also ... personal. Somewhere, in the ups and downs of our dysfunctional family, I'd come to care about Jasmine. My anger came from the loss of her.



"Easy, Eug," said Kiyo, resting a hand on my arm. There was a nervous note in his voice, mirrored by the others' expressions. I'd once been told that when I was angry, I resembled my father. I took a deep breath and pushed back any further outbursts.



"Leading a massive army in - while deserved - wouldn't be ..." Rurik was still treading lightly, still choosing words carefully. "Well, Katrice was already in wartime mode, heavily guarded. After this? The lands outside her home probably have triple the guard they did before."



"But if our force was large enough ..." I began.



Rurik nodded. "True. It's possible. Especially if ... especially if my lord Dorian's armies were involved." He looked uneasy at mentioning Dorian, but I could see a considering look on Rurik's face. I had a feeling we shared the same puzzle. Would Dorian lend forces to help me? Possibly not, not if his anger overrode any devotion to me. On the other hand, Dorian was still in this war, and I knew him well enough to think he might welcome a full-out march on her castle. Rurik knew that too. "With his forces, it's possible," Rurik said at last. "But Katrice's would be defending. It would be bloody. It would be ugly."



He didn't sound opposed to that, per se. He was a military man; ugly battles were the way of the world. But we all knew that wasn't ideal.



My mind spun. Part of me wanted that large force to beat on Katrice because I thought she deserved it. This was about more than revenge, however. It was about Jasmine. I needed to go with the plan most likely to get her back, and an invading army wasn't it. It would take a smaller group, just as she'd no doubt sent here, one that could slip in. We were heavily guarded, but with the assorted petitioners and refugees always coming and going, it was no wonder Jasmine's kidnappers had slipped in. Katrice undoubtedly had a similar stream of people coming to her in these times, but she'd probably be on high alert with them too.



"Imanuelle," I said, realizing too many moments of silence had passed. "Can you get me Imanuelle?"



It was this, finally, that took the group's eyes off me - because they all exchanged astonished looks. Kiyo's face grew troubled.



"That's your plan?" Kiyo asked. "Assassinate Katrice? Eugenie, you're better than that." He'd apparently heard of Imanuelle.



"I am," I agreed. "And smarter. Get her for me." That was to Shaya, who nodded and then shot a look at a hovering servant. He gave a hasty bob of his head and darted out of the room.



"Ready to repeat history?" I asked Kiyo. "It'll be like raiding Aeson's all over again."



"You're going ... No. Eugenie, you can't go there."



I gestured to Rurik and began moving for the exit. "You heard him. We can't get in with a large force - not easily."



"Yes, I get that," said Kiyo, following after me. "But you can't go."



"I have to go," I countered.



Rurik had hurried along after us. "He's right. Send someone else. I'll go. We'll sneak in and take her."



I came to an abrupt halt, nearly causing both men to run into me. "I'm going. This is my responsibility. Besides, who else around here can match me magically?" I peered back and forth between their faces, daring them to challenge me.



"Even so," said Rurik, "if you're discovered, you'll be outnumbered. And you're an enemy queen. In wartime. Walking right into your enemy's stronghold. I can't allow this."



"It's not your place to allow me to do anything!" I snapped. "Or you either." I turned to Kiyo for that, guessing his words. "We won't be discovered. Not if Imanuelle's as good as she claims." I was so tired of men telling me what I could and couldn't do.



I left them and stalked off down the hallway toward my bedroom. Neither followed me right away, but I just barely heard Rurik mutter to Kiyo, "Well, if she's caught, she will get a massive army descending on Katrice, at least. My lord Dorian wouldn't permit anything less."



The flaw in my plan, as it turned out, was waiting on Imanuelle. After our last meeting, she'd left my kingdom, and finding her wasn't easy. You couldn't just openly summon a famed assassin. Girard was at my court, however, and apparently had secret ways of sending messages to his sister. I didn't ask any questions about his means, so long as she showed up.



Waiting for her gave us time to plan strategy. Once my advisors grudgingly accepted that I'd be going personally - and once Rurik accepted that he would not be accompanying me - they fell in line to pool their knowledge about Katrice's castle. I'd joked earlier to Kiyo about this being like our break-in to Aeson's ... but really, it was true. This time, we had no guide personally to take us in. We had to rely on anecdotal knowledge from those who had been there and could make best guesses at where Jasmine might be held. And that was presuming Katrice was actually keeping her on-hand.



Perhaps the most surprising part of all of this was Kiyo's acquiescence. I'd expected protests about my safety or perhaps a diplomatic solution. But, no. He realized the importance of saving Jasmine. And he too knew this was probably our best shot - at least on such short notice.



"You should know," Rurik told us later, "that you aren't going to be able to bring Volusian." He, Kiyo, Shaya, and I were in my bedroom, which I'd made my makeshift war headquarters.



"Why not?" I asked. That was a surprise. I'd been counting on his muscle, something I had to admit I'd missed while fighting for the crown. What was the point of an undead minion if I couldn't put him to good use? "He can go in with us invisibly."



Rurik shook his head. "Everyone knows about him. Katrice does. She'll have people on-hand who can sense him. She'll also probably have those with the power to banish him. Enough of them united together could."



"You have a lot of faith in her," I noted dryly. Volusian was hard to banish - I couldn't do it - but Rurik had a point. Get enough magic-users together, and they could eventually pull it off.



He gave me a twisted smile. "She's not stupid. And she has advisors. Not as good as yours, of course, but they would have thought everything over before kidnapping Jasmine."



A knock on the door interrupted any response I might have made, and after I called entry, a servant showed Imanuelle in.



"Finally," I said.



She swept in, clad in billowing red silk pants and a matching, midriff-showing top. The assassin arched an eyebrow and gave me an amused look as she put her hands on her hips. "I don't wait around on your every command, Thorn Queen. And last time we spoke, you made it pretty clear, you didn't want me around. Have you finally come to your senses? From what I hear, now's a pretty good time to get rid of Katrice." Imanuelle paused carefully. "Although, getting rid of her before now would have been even better. Would have saved you and your sister a lot of trouble."



I bit off any snide remarks. "We can't have Katrice killed. I'm pretty sure the instant her people found her dead, Jasmine would be next. I need you to sneak in and get Jasmine out of there."



Imanuelle's cocky smile dropped. "That's not what I do. I kill. I don't rescue."



"I'll do the rescuing. You need to get me and Kiyo in. Disguise us with this so-called power you keep bragging about. Or is masking more than one person out of your skill-set?"



"I can do it," she said, narrowing her eyes. "But it'll cost you."



"We can afford it," I said, trying to ignore the pained look crossing Shaya's face as she no doubt added up mental ledgers.



Imanuelle said nothing for several moments as she pondered it all. "Just you two?"



"Yes. And you, of course," I added.



"Do you have any idea where you're going in there?" she asked.



Kiyo and I exchanged looks. "Kind of," I said.



"Kind of." Imanuelle snorted. "Fine. I'll do it. But I'm only there to disguise you. I'm not fighting if you get caught."



"You don't have to," I assured her. "We'll protect you."



This brought another scoff and a haughty curl of her lip. "If they detect us, I can get myself out of there, believe me. You'll be on your own."