“I am sure they will be fine. They are surrounded by your men and are very much on their guard after the three attempts that were made. They won’t allow for another.”
“Three? There were only two. The poisoned soup and the assassin in my bedchamber. What was the third?”
The third was Dremu’s attempt on her life, but Jaykun didn’t know about that, and if he ever found out, he would kill Dremu where he stood. She had no intention of ever telling him and she cursed her slip of the tongue.
“Right. Two. I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”
Jaykun narrowed his eyes on her a moment, but eventually he nodded. “I’m sure you are right. They will be able to take care of themselves. I only wish I wasn’t trapped here, unable to lend them any aid or even tell them where I am. They will be greatly worried when I do not return after only a few days. And no doubt highly peeved as well. They want to return home to their families and now I am delaying that trip.”
“I’m sorry. That is my fault. I should have been clearer with you about the nature of your travel here.”
“It’s all right,” he assured her soothingly. “I am glad to be here with you. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. I am very cognizant of what a rare opportunity this is, how rare it is for you to welcome a man from the Overworld into your world. I am deeply honored.”
“Do not feel so honored,” she murmured as they came around the edge of the cave wall that housed the dining area. “I have done you no favors.”
Jaykun stopped short when he saw Barban standing at the side of the room, talking to a shorter, more muscled man with streaks of iron-grey in his long black hair. But unlike the silky black of Jileana’s hair, with all its deep richness, this black was as flat and lightless as deep, dark dirt. His eyes were small for his face, a dull brown, but everything in his bearing radiated that he was a man of confidence and power. A man used to getting his own way in things. A man very similar to Barban.
The empress entered the room and everyone moved to stand by their seats.
“No. Jaykun, Jileana, I wish for you to sit closest to me,” she said, gesturing for them to move along the table to sit at her elbow on her right side. On her left sat Barban and the other man, indicating their position of power within the court. “Jaykun, may I introduce Horgon and his son Barban,” the empress said, indicating the two men in turn.
Horgon. So this was the man who was next in line to the empress’s throne. And that made Barban his heir and the next in line after him. No wonder they thought they had power over every other person in the selkie world. Because, with the exception of the empress, they did.
“I have met Barban already,” Jaykun said, iced steel in his voice.
“Horgon has kindly graced the court with his presence. He has not eaten beside his empress for quite some time. You are very fortunate to be meeting him,” the empress said. But it was clear from her tone that she was not impressed with Horgon’s solicitude.
“I am my empress’s servant,” Horgon said, and it was clear by his tone that he was not at all impressed with his empress; nor did he take kindly to her power over him, which she had exercised in order to get him here.
“And my heir,” the empress said. “Although if he had his way, I don’t doubt he would maneuver himself onto my throne regardless of my being alive or dead.”
The empress had taken the gloves off with that remark and Horgon’s eyes narrowed on her. “I wouldn’t think of—”
She shut him up with a sharp, dismissive cut of her hand. “Of course you would. Who wouldn’t want the selkie throne? And it is no secret that you wish me dead so you might pick over the bones of my kingdom. But never fear. As long as I remain unwed and without heirs, your time will come.”
“There is a solution to both of our perspectives,” Horgon said with a tight smile. “If you agree to become my bride, we can join our two houses and—”
The empress cut him off again, this time with a snorting laugh. “I’d rather be chained to the ocean floor for the remainder of my life. For that is exactly what it would feel like.”
Horgon bristled under the insult. But before he could say anything Jaykun jumped in.
“I believe Jileana shares your perspective. Barban has determined that Jileana is to be his—in spite of her many spoken desires otherwise. He thinks to force her hand just as Horgon tries to force yours.”
The empress’s brows shot up high. Then she narrowed her eyes on the seething Barban. “Is this true?”
Through his teeth, Barban said, “This is nothing you need to concern yourself with, Great Majesty. Jileana’s brother and father and I will discuss the matter and it will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.”
“Everyone’s satisfaction but mine,” Jileana spat. “You will notice I was not named as a member of this consultation over my future.”
“I had noticed that, yes,” the empress said. Jalaya fell silent a moment. She seemed to be thinking, weighing whether championing Jileana was worth creating further friction between her house and Horgon’s. Jaykun was filled with dread that she might turn her back on the situation, giving Barban all the power he needed over Jileana. “In the end, it is your choice, Jileana. No one can force you to do otherwise,” she said, leveling a hard look at Barban.
“This is outrageous!” Barban exploded. “What gives you the right—”
“I am the empress!” Jalaya shouted, slamming a fist down onto the table. “Something you and your father conveniently forget every chance you get! If I say it is her choice, then it is her choice. If I say she must marry you, then she must marry you. I am the empress, and I am the first and last word on these matters!”
“There are those who believe you should not be empress at all,” Horgon snapped, shooting to his feet. “The sirens are attacking our borders and you do nothing about it. The sea monsters make excursions into our waters and again you do nothing about it. The grots are causing trouble and you do nothing about it! The selkies do not feel safe. They would rather turn to me for help than continue to watch you flounder about helplessly like a fish out of water. You are in over your head, Jalaya! The people know this. It is only a matter of time before they depose you and put me in your place. Enjoy your power while you can, Jalaya. Your days as empress are numbered.”
With that, Horgon and Barban exited the cave, leaving a table full of stunned courtiers behind. Then, all at once, the courtiers began to talk, calling reassurances down the length of the table to Jalaya, telling her they would never think any such thing about her. Jaykun wasn’t at all sure he believed them.
Perhaps it was wrong to have stirred up so much trouble, but he had desperately wanted Jileana to feel safe. He had needed to have the empress in their corner. It was the only way she could be free.
“Majesty,” he said quietly, “I am convinced more than ever that my solution to your problem is the only one.”
That brought her attention sharply to him. They both knew what he meant. Killing Horgon was the only way to keep her throne safe. Only it wouldn’t be just Horgon. It would have to be him and his son…because if she cut off the one’s head, the other would quickly grow up in its place and she would end up right back where she was now.
But sometimes killing was necessary. Still, the empress had made her feelings on the matter clear, so another solution would need to be found. The empress needed to surround herself with loyal, powerful families, solidifying her position and supporting her right to be on her throne. From what he had seen, she was a just and strong ruler; she merely was in need of support from a council or some other group of dependable advisors. Right now she was an island, out there all on her own.
“If you support your empress,” he said loudly over the continued reassurances, “then you will help advise her in your areas of trouble. Majesty, I recommend a council made up of the finest families that support you. Members of this council will act as your advisors, bring the concerns of the people to your ears, and reduce the t
hreats made both internally and externally. They should buffer you, protect you. Help you.”
“A council?” The empress bit her lip, the first outward sign of vulnerability he had seen from her. “There has never been such a body before.”
“Maybe it is high time there was. Whenever I take over a city government, I always install a single leader and a council to advise that leader. This way the leader’s word is final, but he or she must also reasonably listen to the wishes, demands, and advice of others as a way of keeping grounded and in touch with the needs of the people.”
“I would like very much to be in touch with the needs of my people. I thought I was. I didn’t even realize that the issue of the sea monsters was worrying them so much. How is it Horgon knows this but I do not?”
“All the more reason to support the idea,” Jaykun said. “Also, the beauty of a council is that the council members also share the responsibility when things go wrong. You do not have to shoulder all the blame yourself. Not unless you outright ignore their sound advice on a matter.”
“I will gladly serve on such a council,” one male spoke up from along the table.
“And I!”
“I would as well!”
“You have people eager to serve, but make your choices wisely. Make them varied and well rounded. You do not want people who will always say yes to you or who will always say no to you. That would be counterproductive.”
“I am beginning to think of some individuals already. Jaykun, I am speechless with how to thank you for all the help you have given since you arrived. You have been here but a few days and yet your advice has done more for me than…well, I cannot say. I have prayed to Diathus day and night for solutions to my troubles and she has sent me you. She will be most pleased you have helped her favored children. Now I will help you in return.
“Do you recall telling me of your brother? The one who is buried deep in the ground?”
“Yes,” Jaykun said, a strange sort of anxiety bleeding into him the moment she spoke the words. Somehow…somehow he knew what she was about to say would be instrumental in his search.
“I am certain I know where he is. I did not mention it before because it was merely a legend amongst my people, but the legend sounded so similar to your story. The legend tells of four brothers who angered the gods for whatever reason and they were buried deep beneath the ocean floor…where we chain our prisoners. It is considered cursed ground because of that. But I believe the legend has it wrong, that it isn’t four brothers, but one. Yours.”
Jaykun could hardly believe what he was hearing. So close! All this time! He must have swum past the chains at least twice in the past hours. He had ignored the area because of the serious faces of the guards patrolling the prisoners and the eerie look of the people chained to the bedrock of the ocean floor.
But as exciting as it was to know where Maxum was, it was just as devastating. The foundation of the entire area of the chains was solid stone. There was no telling where to begin; there was no telling how to begin. Even if they could free Maxum, the god Sabo might merely thrust him back into the ground somewhere else where they would never find him. Sabo, who had devised Maxum’s punishment, was a cruel and unforgiving god. It would take another god to free Maxum. Nothing short of another god could do it.
“Thank you,” he said quietly as he got to his feet. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you,” Jalaya said, grabbing for his hand and squeezing it hard until his dazed eyes met hers. “What you have given me is priceless. The gods will reward you one day.”
“The gods have forsaken me,” he said numbly. He gently removed his hand from hers. “But I thank you for the thought.” Jaykun turned and walked out, leaving everyone to stare after him.
“Aren’t you going to go after him?” Jalaya asked Jileana.
“Not just now,” she said quietly. “He needs some time to come to terms with this knowledge.”
“I did not tell him previously because I knew how impossible it would be to retrieve his brother. I wasn’t sure which would be worse: searching endlessly elsewhere or knowing that he is here but just out of reach. I decided it wasn’t my knowledge to give or withhold. Eventually someone else around here who is old enough would’ve remembered the legend and told him. I didn’t have the right to make the choice for him, in any event.”
“I’m sure he is glad you have told him. And maybe there is a solution. It will just take some time to come to it.”
“Maybe. Jileana, I must thank you for bringing him here. I don’t know if I’ve done that yet, but I must. His advice to me has been invaluable and he gave it freely without expecting anything more in return. We had already negotiated the building of Weysa’s temples, so he had nothing more to earn.”
“I am glad I brought him. But I must thank you, for the situation with Barban. Tradition is for the father to approve or disapprove of the mate of his daughters; you could have upheld that tradition.”
“That tradition is dust and bones, where it should be. None of the fathers I know force their daughters to marry someone they do not wish to. Not even in the high houses, where marriages are advantageous. Certainly there is gentle coercion, but nothing more.”
“It is standard practice now to let each daughter choose for herself and then have that choice approved by the father or parent. It seems my father was being forced away from that practice. After all, he dare not say no to the second-most powerful man amongst our people.”
“Horgon is going to have to get used to hearing no. He will be hearing it a lot soon. His son as well. If they give you any further trouble, simply come to me and I will handle the issue more forcefully.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Now I am hungry. Let’s eat something.”
The courtiers agreed and the food began to be served. The entire meal was spent with courtiers jockeying for positions on the blossoming council. The empress heard each of them thoughtfully in their turn.
Jileana, however, barely heard any of the exchanges. Her mind had walked out of the room along with Jaykun.
It was nearly a week before Jaykun allowed Jileana to speak of Maxum without shutting her down immediately. That week had been spent helping the empress construct her new council and negotiate the finer details of the siren hunting parties. Jalaya had demanded Jaykun be by her side for all of this, and he had willingly complied and worked diligently on her behalf in both matters. They first had to decide how big the council should be. Then they had to decide who should be on it. Jalaya knew her people far better than Jaykun did of course, but she was able to give him brief pictures of each applicant’s worse and better points.
The members of the court jockeyed for the open positions for all they were worth. Jileana had never seen so much kowtowing and foot kissing in her life. Courtiers sent Jalaya lavish gifts or poetic verses or whatever they could think of to sway her attention their way. But Jalaya ignored most of it and focused on what would serve her best and who.
Jaykun did not distance himself from Jileana entirely. They still spoke of other things. They still made love—although there was a taste of feverishness to his lovemaking that had not been there before. It was something almost desperate at times. As though somehow, in the warmth of her body, he could find the solution he was looking for.
She felt as though she let him down every time the solution did not come.
But finally, when she happened upon him sitting at the edge of the chains, staring out at the solid bedrock and the people bolted to it, he had something to say to her about Maxum.
“I suppose we could just chip away at it for the next thousand years,” he said, his tone wry and full of pain.
“We could. Perhaps we could give the task to the prisoners…give them something to do. It might break up the monotony of their imprisonment.”
“I have already thought of that. The truth is, there is nothing to be done to find him if Sabo doesn’t want him found. But perhaps…now that we
know where he is, perhaps I can beg Weysa to help us retrieve him. For I know only a god can offer me a solution to this. I do not care if he has to suffer the same fate I do night after night, as long as he is free the rest of the time. Perhaps I can convince Weysa that he would make another fine soldier in her army, that he can help us fight for her cause.”
“You have the ear of a goddess. It seems the wisest course of action,” she said.
“I have that ear only when it pleases her. I cannot make demands of her. She will not take kindly to it.”
“Then ask. Beg. Supplicate. Do whatever you need to do.”
He nodded. “If only there was a temple here.”
“Jalaya has begun work on the ones she has promised to you. But they will not be complete until after you have left. Do you need a temple to contact her?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how it works. I have never called for her before. Perhaps my brothers would know, but…” He trailed off. They both knew why he couldn’t contact his brothers. She had cut him off from them.
“I’m so sorry. I never meant to cause you any pain or inconvenience.”
He turned and looked at her with surprise on his features. “Do you think I blame you for something? Hold you responsible?” He then thought about it a second. “I do blame you. If not for you, I would never have heard this story. I would never have come here and found my brother. I would have sailed away to the next city on my list and been completely ignorant. Yes, I blame you for all of that.”
He jerked her into his arms, up against the hard length of his body, and sealed his mouth over hers. Kissing him beneath the water like this always flooded her senses with the taste of the salt water first, then overwhelmed her with the taste of him. His kisses were bold and warm and so very much a reflection of what Jaykun was, it made her dizzy with sensation and excitation. He had not kissed her with such unfettered zeal in many days. Before, there had always been the shadow of his brother hovering over them.