The room is so silent I can hear Lake and Bax breathing. Vile things with their inhumanly large noses.
At least no one is dumb enough to say anything. Not even Bale. Not yet.
I need a moment to process what just happened.
It’s a trap.
Squeezing my eyes closed, I bite down on my lip. Then, “I don’t want to hear your nonsense right now.”
Suddenly, a warmth rushes through my body, calming. Soothing. It travels through my limbs and up to my neck. Wraps a blanket of tranquility around me, and I slowly, effortlessly walk to the couch and sit.
There, Prince. Ease your mind.
“What are you doing?”
But Bale doesn’t answer, only continues to send a steady stream of her unnerving relaxant through me.
I understand your distress, but you must listen. They are using your mother to bait you to them.
At hearing the dark goddess utter those words, a cramp seizes my chest. But it’s quickly eased away. I begin to think more clearly. They must be aware of the new moon. What it means.
They mean to trap us. Kill you, and capture me. We cannot play into their hands.
“Our deal,” I grit out past clenched teeth. “I was to retrieve my mother, and you get the restored relic. That’s the deal!”
You want so much, dear prince. Your mother. Kaliope. Your crown. Your power… I’ve made sacrifices. It’s time for you to choose what you’re willing to surrender.
Shaking my head, I laugh a mirthless laugh.
“Caben.”
This comes from Bax. It’s said so low, so direct, I almost hear my father’s voice. The Otherworlders have never called me by my name. Not my given, anyway. It forces me to look at him, my guard down.
He’s still clinging to his chains. “Did you happen to notice what was around the empress’s neck?”
I hike my eyebrows. “Unfortunately, no, Bax. Not while her lackeys were imprisoning my mother at sword point.”
He nods carefully. Smart mutant. “The shard, Prince. She wore the relic shard around her neck.”
I shake my head. “That no longer matters.” His eyes widen, but I brush off his alarm. “Bale knows, mutant. She’ll become corporal with or without the relic in less than two days, and I’ll finally be free, with more power.”
Sinking my hand into my pocket, I grasp the emblem, containing and shrouding my thoughts as much as possible. The cool metal grounds me, centers me, where I can hide what I know is to happen. Luckily, Bax comprehends this, and only nods again in response.
Then a realization hits me like a blow to the head. I stand and march toward Bax. Yank his chain and force him close. “We’ll offer a trade,” I say. The plot forms quickly. And I’m thankful, for now, for Bale’s calming touch. I’m able to think almost clearly. “I want my mother, and Kal wants you.”
Bax’s eyes widen. “That could’ve very well been an excellent plan, My Liege. But you are forgetting one thing. The Nactue leader, I’m sure by now, has very little say.” I release his shackles, and he straightens his shoulders. “If you don’t believe me, send a scout. Or use your inside connection. Kal’s probably as much a prisoner of Perinya as your dear mother.”
I hear Bax’s voice suddenly—danger.
A wisp of a memory—only allowed to bleed into my thoughts briefly before I shut it out—reminds me of this. Kal’s in danger. From her own people.
“Lake,” I say, taking a backward step away from Bax. I glance at my number one. “Send in a scout. Have them make contact with Councilor Teagan. Find out what the hell is going on.”
“Yes, My Liege.” I acknowledge his bow, and he sets off.
Pushing his matted dreads from his eyes, Bax lifts his chin. “And if word comes back…”
“I’m getting my mother no matter what,” I say, ignoring Bale’s hiss in my mind. “We’re all getting what we want.”