He didn’t feel ill, though, which still bothered him. He was just—empty. “I need a distraction,” he decided, then remembered the letter the maid had brought. Perfect.

  Will took the envelope from the nightstand and broke the wax seal with his thumb. The outer page had been neatly folded with care and precision, while the single page within was clean and precisely lettered. It was either from a nobleman or someone who could afford a professional scribe. He opened it, and by the time he had finished scanning the first lines, he was on his feet.

  Dear William,

  Your presence at the party yesterday was truly a surprise. I do hope your sister is well. I’d wish the same for Laina, but we both know the true state of affairs there. In any case, congratulations on your victory and good luck replacing me. Fortunately for you, I am not vindictive, otherwise I might do some truly awful things, and considering how rude you were during our battle, I think I would be justified in such behavior.

  I won’t lower myself, though. Instead, I will give you some fatherly advice. Considering how you handled Bradshaw, and the fact that you’re still alive today, I can only assume the lich has taken you under his wing. Seeking powerful allies is usually wise, but be careful that you don’t rely on those who have too much power. They always expect to be paid. Grim Talek will probably be furious with you for forcing my hand.

  Tell him not to fret. My defeat hasn’t changed anything other than forcing me to abandon the game. I had thought to enjoy it for a few more millennia, but I suppose I should get on with my life and find a new home. You will probably have at least a few years, perhaps even a decade, to enjoy ruling the world.

  However, in the end it won’t matter. One way or another, you’ll only serve as food for my offspring. The egg-guardians you fought yesterday were merely a taste. My true children will devour everything, including one another, until just a few remain. Such has always been the destiny of your world.

  You are cattle.

  But every rancher has a favorite bull, and so I thank you. To honor you, I will remember you in the tales I tell my cattle in the next world. I cannot leave you completely untouched, though. As you have taken my home, I will take yours, insignificant as it may be.

  Farewell and good fortune to you!

  Lognion

  Chapter 14

  Several violent impulses ran through Will’s mind in quick succession, but he discarded all of them. Smashing up the room wouldn’t improve his reputation with Agnes, and burning the letter wouldn’t do either. Selene needed to see it.

  He dressed quickly and efficiently, fighting to repress the panic that made him want to hurry. He’s going to destroy Rimberlin House. Sammy was there, along with Janice, Emory, Blake, Jeremy, and a host of other servants. Will descended the stairs two at a time.

  In the entry hall, he passed the front parlor and paused. Darla and Tiny were both within, dressed in comfortable robes. Messages would need to be relayed. Retracing a few steps, he stepped in.

  “Will!” exclaimed Tiny, clearly pleased to see him. “You look health—what’s wrong?”

  Without preamble, Will gave his instructions. “I need you to give Selene a message when she returns. I’m going to Rimberlin House. I’ll return as quickly as I can.”

  “She needs you more here,” said Darla. “The city is close to falling into chaos.”

  He ignored the assassin’s words. “Where’s the dagger? I might need it.”

  Darla reached into her robe, exposing entirely too much skin as she withdrew the demon-steel weapon. “It’s yours anyway.”

  Tiny started to interrupt, but Will held up one finger. “Why do you say that?”

  The Arkeshi responded without hesitation, “You gave it to me. You told me to use it or return it to you when it was needed.”

  Will’s eyes narrowed. “When did I say that?”

  “The day before yesterday, when you snuck into my room.”

  He stared at her for a moment, thinking. He hadn’t been in Cerria that day, so it had obviously been an imposter, either a shapeshifter or a skilled illusionist. Darla was difficult to fool, so he suspected only a few magic users could have managed it. Grandmother or Grim Talek. Given the warning he had received, and Lognion’s letter, it was almost certainly the lich.

  Tiny was moving for the door. “Let me dress. You need me with you.”

  Will started to argue, then nodded in agreement. “Five minutes, then I’m leaving. Don’t bother with food or anything.”

  The knight left, and Darla asked, “What’s happening?”

  “Lognion is alive somehow. Tell Selene, no one else.” He pulled the letter from his belt and handed it to her. “Give her this. She’ll understand.”

  Darla’s face darkened. “He’s alive? Bring me with you.”

  “You need to protect Selene.”

  “I am not yours to command. I wi—”

  His source-link caught her, and Will had paralyzed her before she realized what was happening. The Arkeshi’s will was stronger than most, despite the fact that she wasn’t a magic-user. Will was angry, but he didn’t bother with threats. “You want Lognion dead, so do I. We don’t even know where he is. For now, you’ll do exactly as I request, otherwise you’re useless to me. Do you want him dead?”

  Darla’s eyes were cold. “Yes.”

  “I’m going to kill him. Again. You can be a part of that or—” He didn’t finish the sentence, but his expression might have given his thoughts away. Or you can be buried in the garden. “Choose.”

  Pragmatism was ingrained in the Arkeshi. “I will protect your wife, until you succeed or fail.”

  Someone began pounding on the door, ending their conversation. It wasn’t the sort of knock usually heard at the doors of the wealthy. Muffled voices accompanied it. Being in the parlor, Will saw no reason to wait for a servant to answer it, so he headed into the entry hall. Getting closer, he heard someone yell, “Open up! We know he’s in there!”

  Darla spoke from beside him, still clad only in a robe and with yet another long-bladed knife in her hands. “You should not open the door. They are here to kill or arrest you.”

  Will looked at Darla, one brow raised. “I never would have guessed. Get back into the parlor.” He continued toward the heavy oak door.

  Agnes Nerrow addressed him from the stairs. “There’s a mob. Don’t open it. The house guard isn’t here.”

  “It’s me they want,” said Will.

  “A mob has no reason. It will start with you, but if they gain entry, it won’t end there.”

  He couldn’t help but respect her level-headed rationality. Agnes probably wouldn’t mind seeing him dead, but she was still wise enough not to risk her household. The voices outside grew louder, and it now sounded as though multiple people were pounding on the doors. They’ll be smashing the windows before much longer. “I know you hate me, but I’ll make sure they don’t enter. Whatever they do will happen elsewhere.”

  “You should never have come here to begin with,” said Agnes. Will took another step, and she raised her voice, adding a tone of command. “Don’t open it. You can’t control a mob.”

  He ignored her statement. “I loved them. They were never part of any game in my mind. I didn’t start the fight yesterday. Lognion killed Laina and nearly killed Tabitha. That was when I lost my mind.”

  Agnes’ composure broke. “They’re both fine!”

  Will opened the door and used a force-push spell to move those nearest away from it so he could step out and close it behind himself. Hopefully someone would have the sense to bar it quickly. Looking around, he saw that the iron gate that protected the front yard of the house had been bent out of shape. There were still several men standing by with massive pry bars.

  Someone came prepared, Will noted. A man sat atop a horse in the middle of the lane, someone he recognized. Terrance Lane, son of Count Martin Lane, one of the local lords. The count hadn’t been involved in the war, but Sir Terrance had served as a captain for one of the brigades.

  “Sir Terrance,” said Will with a polite nod. “I’m glad to see you are well.” He kept his voice soft, but everyone heard him clearly despite the loud muttering that came from every direction. The crowd was quite large.

  “Lord Lane now,” said the young noble. “My father died yesterday at the palace. You’re under arrest for the murder of the king, my father, and everyone else who died or was injured that day.”

  “Is that really wise?” asked Will. “After what happened at the palace, don’t you think it’s a little too dangerous to confront me here, in such a crowded place?” He was truly puzzled, but as he said the words, he realized that there probably weren’t many witnesses left, and those who did survive might not have been believed. The things that had happened had been nothing short of fantastic.

  The new count stiffened, straightening his spine. “I am not alone. Several of my guards are also sorcerers.”

  The smarter members of the nearby crowd began to make room, moving farther away. No one wanted to be too close if a magical battle broke out. Will began walking forward, and those who remained parted before him. His temper was rising, disturbing the turyn in the air for as far as his eyes could see. Only Lord Lane and his sorcerers could see it, of course, but Will thought it might be useful for persuading the crowd nonetheless. He cultivated his malice and let it propagate out and up, into the sky.

  Clouds began to form.

  “Your queen is even now meeting with the High Council to decide matters. I doubt she gave permission for what you’re doing, Lord Lane.”

  “Regicide is not a legal means of inheriting the throne, and the choice of our next king has not been made yet. Regardless, you must be brought to justice.” The lord’s horse took a rough step back, tossing its head. The animal could sense danger coming.

  Will passed through the front gate and turned left, charting a course through the thickest part of the crowd gathered at the road crossing. Lord Terrance was still in front of him and slightly off to his right, but it was obvious he was planning to walk past the man and his guards. “Selene is your queen now. Your acceptance is only important in that it will determine the length of your life, Count Lane.”

  “Stop there!”

  Thunder rumbled above, exciting a series of fearful cries from the crowd. The people began moving away in earnest as lightning began to trace startling tracks across the sky. Will caught the nearest of Lord Terrance’s sorcerers with source-links and began draining them of turyn. The others attempted to respond with attack spells, but their magic failed to manifest.

  Will ignored them, continuing to walk along the street that would eventually lead him to the city gate. Exploring his newfound talent, he let small streamers of lightning flow around him, moving back and forth between his hands and the ground. He wanted to make certain they knew who was responsible for the storm.

  Panic and terror had fully taken the crowd by then, and people ran in every direction, trying to get to wherever they thought safety might be. The quiet part of Will’s mind wondered whether his actions would be a net positive or negative for Selene’s political future, but the adrenaline in his veins was begging for more. Just keep walking, he told himself. They’re scared stiff. You’ve done enough.

  Lord Terrance was no longer in his field of view, but he felt it when the man’s turyn began to move. The young lord used the only attack spell still available to him, a force-lance. Will’s temper snapped.

  Without having his eyes on the enemy, a point-defense shield wasn’t practical, so he blocked the force-lance with a half-dome force-wall. Then he sent a faint pulse of power from the ground at Terrance’s feet upward into the clouds. The storm was still small and immature, but the return stroke would be more than enough to do the job.

  A voice cried out, “William, no!”

  The lightning stroke was small, but its proximity caused a boom that rattled the teeth of everyone in the vicinity. Terrance and his horse would both have died, but for a broad force-dome that briefly covered them. The horse had had enough, though, and it bucked, tossing its master to the ground. The count’s face was an artist’s vision, with a mixture of fear and confusion written across his features as he fell.

  The shield had been unexpected, but it wouldn’t be enough for the next stroke. Will’s full attention was on the man now as he prepared to call down the full fury of the storm. Someone ran across the square, racing toward the count. Will almost didn’t notice, but he heard the woman’s yell as she ran. “William, that’s enough!” It was Selene.

  Recognition shocked him back to self-awareness, but lightning was not so easily controlled. Once called, it came, irrespective of whether the summoner changed their mind a second later. Will crafted a force-dome and cast it over Selene and the count, and then the world went white for a moment.

  His defense collapsed, but when the flash passed, Will saw that they were still alive. Selene had erected a second force-dome and a broad earth wall beneath that. Both had been shattered, but most of the energy that remained had been channeled way from her and the man she stood over. She stared at Will with a wild gaze that was accented by the fact that her hair was standing out from her, giving her the puffed-up appearance of a feral cat. She was breathing heavily as she screamed back at him, “Are you done?”

  Suddenly unsure, Will glanced up at the clouds. The potential there was no longer growing, but it was still dangerous. It would find a way to spend itself, either within the clouds or between the clouds and the ground. Still new to this strange power, Will did the best he could. Another impulse went up, and a brilliant electrical storm ensued, gradually diminishing the potential as streaks of lightning spider-webbed back and forth across the sky. Only one bolt reached the earth, the one that answered his initial command. It struck where Will stood, flowing around him and shattering the cobblestones at his feet.

  He remained, unharmed, though his nose was filled with the acrid smell of ozone and burnt hair. He had protected his hearing and sight, but he still blinked as he looked back at his frazzled wife. “I think it’s over now.”

  Selene remained understandably cautious. “Are you sure?”

  Will started toward her, and to Selene’s credit she didn’t back up, though he could see the thought crossed her mind. Considering that he’d just been struck by lightning, he couldn’t blame her for wondering if it would happen again. “It’s over, and what you did was incredibly reckless! Lightning is difficult to control. This could have been really bad.” He was angry and relieved all at the same time.

  He saw it coming, but he didn’t duck. His cheek stung after her palm landed, but he still wasn’t apologetic. “Learning bad habits from Agnes?”

  The fire in her eyes was undiminished. “If you can’t control it, then don’t use it! I can’t rule if you kill my subjects!”

  “He brought a mob to the house,” Will growled. “I needed something to scare them away. It would have been fine if the fool hadn’t attacked me.”

  She didn’t waver. “You had other means. Don’t blame your mistakes on this idiot.” Selene paused then, looking down. “You’re under arrest, Lord Lane.”

  The young count was staring at the ground, visibly shaking, but he was obviously stubborn. “You don’t have that authority.”

  Will tensed, but Selene stopped him with a glare. Then she pointed at the lord’s guards, who were currently sheltering by the gate to the Nerrow house. “Give me your names.” They answered quickly, and she repeated their names back to them, then she commanded, “Take him home and keep him under house arrest. I’ll deal with him in a few days. Lord Lane will likely face either execution or be stripped of his land and title. Whatever the case, your futures will rest upon whether you faithfully follow my commands.”

  She was answered by a mixture of replies. Most notably there were several ‘your majesties’ among them. She didn’t quibble over the results. Selene nodded and waved her hand. “Take him away.”

  The two of them remained in the middle of the road and watched while the former guards-turned-jailors took their lord away. It took several minutes, but eventually the street was deserted, even the bystanders were gone, though Will didn’t doubt a few still people still watched from their windows.

  Alone at last, they spoke quietly together. Not that it mattered, Will kept their voices entirely private. “What are you doing out of bed?” asked Selene, her manner calm.

  “Your father sent me a letter. He isn’t dead.”

  “Let me see.”

  “Darla has it. You’ll see when you go inside. He’s planning to destroy our home.”

  She frowned. “I’ll go. You should rest.”

  Will smirked. “Leave me alone or you might not have a city when you come back. Besides, you need to be here. Otherwise, some fool will take the throne in your stead.”

  Selene growled. “I never wanted it.”

  He shrugged. “Me either, but you saw what just happened. I’m not suited to it.”

  She squinted at him. “You could have handled the mob and calmed everyone down without the dramatic effects—if you made the effort. You have to listen first, then show strength, but you should never—”

  Will held up his hand as he interrupted, “Listen to yourself. You don’t even have to think about it. You knew how to get the mob under control, not me. You were raised to rule. I’m just a peasant who’s gained enough power to scare people.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit.” Selene turned to Tiny, who had been standing by patiently for several minutes. “Keep him alive.”

  The big knight dipped his head respectfully. “I’ll do my best to work miracles, Your Majesty, but your husband is a difficult man.”

  The corner of her mouth quirked into a brief smile. “Next time, be more careful who you swear oaths to. You have only yourself to blame.” That said, she pulled at Will’s collar, dragging his head down level with hers. The kiss she gave him was quick, but fierce. Without a further word, she left them and strode through the twisted gate and into the Nerrow house.