That was Loelle’s voice, and it was commanding enough that those around me lowered their fists, though no one released me.
She marched forward, and although I couldn’t see her from my position on the floor, I felt her anger from here. “Joth, what have you done?”
Joth had taken refuge from the fighting on the steps to the Scarlet Throne, and he held his place as he widened his arms. With the same arrogance as I’d heard from him before, he said, “I have taken the kingdom, Mother. We may have lost the throne when the Navan were exiled, but now I have a new throne, and a land far greater than what we left.”
“This was never the plan!” she said. “And this is not my son speaking now.”
His expresson grew colder. “I am your son, and I have improved upon your plan.”
“Nothing that I see here is any improvement. Where is Kestra?”
“Go and find her,” Joth said, I assumed to the half-lives. “If she is still alive, bring her to me now.”
He paused, perhaps while his orders were carried out, and then looked down at his mother, who echoed, “If she is alive?” When he did not answer, she said, “After all she has done for us, you betrayed her?”
Now Joth became angry. He stomped down the stairs and marched directly in front of his mother. “I finished what you started! You convinced Captain Tenger to give her magic, and the magic she acquired was better than any of us could have imagined. Through Kestra, we finally had the ability to raise an army that Endrick could not kill. You did that to her!”
“Never to harm her.”
Joth raised his voice further. “Is that so? You saw what was happening to her in the forest, and still you pushed her onward.”
“But I was looking for a way to bring her back, Joth. I’m still looking!”
“There is no way to bring her back. Before she killed Endrick, he did something to her. He corrupted her beyond redemption.”
His words hit me harder than any of the half-lives could ever have done. I sucked in a breath but could not make myself release it. If what he said was true, and Endrick had gotten to her, then Joth might be right.
Beyond redemption. Few words had ever been spoken of greater tragedy.
Loelle wasn’t finished arguing. “And then what? You attacked her, I assume. Where can she go now, Joth? You have doomed her!”
Joth dismissed his mother’s objections with a wave of his hand, then began walking a circle around her as he spoke. “Wasn’t it you who told me that Kestra was doomed from the moment of her birth? Didn’t you describe to me how any chance she might have had for a normal life vanished once she accepted the role of Infidante? How she belonged to all groups and to none. You told me of her powers, great in their potential, strong enough that they would certainly trap her within them. Didn’t you tell me that the closer she came to success, the more that success would destroy her?” Now Joth faced his mother directly. “The truth is that I did nothing to change her fate, nor did you; we only altered the route she took to get there.”
By then, I had recovered enough to sit up, though my voice was weak when I said, “Where is Kestra now, Joth?”
He closed his eyes to listen, then said, “The half-lives have found her, but she is not alone. You have accused me of terrible things, but I am not threatening her life. Someone else is.”
Harlyn.
“Kestra is in a weakened state,” Joth said. “She has no defense against her attacker. But even if she should happen to survive, if she returns to confront me, as she confronted Endrick, I will be ready for her.”
“I will not let you harm her,” I said.
“Nor I,” Loelle echoed.
Joth laughed. “Mother, eventually you will come to see that I am right. And, Simon, before you offer Kestra any protection, you might study your reflection in the mirror and see what my army did to you in only a few minutes. I will be less kind in our duel tomorrow.”
Loelle arched her neck. “We are leaving now, Simon and I.”
“Not just us,” I said. “I invite all Halderians to come with us, and all those of you who refuse to be associated with Joth Tarquin, king of his own wilted mind and nothing more.”
Loelle walked out first, then I, and when I glanced behind me, nearly the entire room of restored people was following us.
Joth still held the throne, but I left the palace certain I had won that battle between us.
I don’t know how long I ran through the tunnels, but the passages seemed to stretch out endlessly before me, a twisted maze that darkened and compressed with every step I took. Strength was slowly seeping back to me, so it should have been possible to pull enough magic together to find an escape, or to reach out for help, but my heart was drumming against my chest and my thoughts were flying in all directions. I was breathless and drenched in sweat, and through all of it, I knew only one thing: Harlyn was still behind me, still in pursuit. Still intending to kill me.
And so I ran, until at one point I tripped and fell, yet there was nothing beneath my feet to have caused it. Pain shot from my foot up through my leg. I tried to stand, but something held me down.