“My lady,” said a voice.
Liz turned to see Meteia.
“I’ve locked him up,” Meteia said. “And I relieved him of this for good measure.”
She held out the Black Camellia. The curious black garment possessed a will of its own, much like the Spiritblade Sovereigns. She had previously explained that, despite its appearance, it was one of the Dragon Lord’s Drakeblades—weapons forged from the corpse of the original Black-Winged Lord. That did not account for its sentience, however.
Liz took the mantle in hand. She could feel in its weight that it contained some strange power.
“It shouldn’t lash out unless Hiro tells it to,” Meteia added, “but keep your guard up, just in case.”
“It’s full of...all sorts.”
Liz could just about make out a mixture of forces within the garment, lurking in the depths of a pitch-black pit, but it was too murky to see clearly. All she could sense with clarity was resentment, so potent it seemed like it would swallow her if she stared into it unguarded.
“I wouldn’t look for too long,” Meteia said, evidently concerned to see it capture her attention. “It’s full to the brim with curses. Darkness has all kinds of faces. Hot and cold, friendly and hostile, foul and fair... Give that thing half a chance, and it’ll take you under its spell and tear your heart in two.”
“I’ll be careful.” Liz gave her a reassuring smile and turned back inside the fort. “Now, I think we’d better hear what Hiro has to say for himself.”
“If you like. Although I wouldn’t say no to some dinner first...”
“Later.”
Meteia laid a hand on her stomach and cocked her head. “Later?”
With a wry smile, Liz opened the door and headed through. She had left a portion of her forces at Fort Kaputo and relocated the rest to Fort Towen some distance away. Fort Kaputo was too small for her purposes and too frail to hold off an assault, while Fort Towen was garrisoned by the First Legion. As its former commander, Liz was more familiar with its capabilities, and she had much more confidence in its defenses.
“I’ve missed this place. Do you remember, Cerberus? How we brought Hiro back here from the forest?”
The air inside the fort felt a little chilly on her skin, but that would not last long. Soon, the place would be heaving with soldiers.
Meteia nodded. “He looked like he was at his wit’s end. Especially when we dragged him with us up the mountains the very next day. When I think of all that happened after, it’s a wonder he even survived.”
“It is. But not everyone was so lucky.”
Out of everyone who had left Fort Towen that day, only Liz, Hiro, and Cerberus now remained. Tris, Dios, and the soldiers who followed them had all been lost to the wars that had consumed Soleil. Liz would always look back fondly on the days they had spent together, but she felt their loss like a weight upon her chest. Every day, she asked herself whether she had become the princess they believed she could be. Every day, she hoped they had not died in vain.
“They’d be proud,” Meteia said. “Tris, Dios, and all the rest. They’d be overjoyed to see who you’ve become.”
“I hope so.” Liz nodded. “But I know some of them won’t be so easily impressed. If I really want to make them proud, I still have work to do.”
They came to the dungeon. The underground cells were under a heavy guard, with sentries positioned to cover Hiro from every angle. Under their watchful gazes sat the black-haired boy.
“How do you like your new accommodations?” Liz asked. “I had them readied specially.”
He lifted his head enough that she could see his face. “Some fresh air would be nice, but I can’t complain. Well, I do remember a friendlier reception last time, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“We’re pushed for space, I’m afraid. Too many soldiers, not enough rooms. And besides, if I didn’t keep you under careful watch, you’d be over the horizon before I even knew you were gone.” Liz unfolded the Black Camellia for Hiro to see. “I took the liberty of confiscating this. Normally, you’d just break right out, but without this, you’re like a bird with your wings clipped.”
“I don’t fly as well as you think, I promise you.” Hiro sighed. “So what are my charges?”
“Disturbing the peace of the empire by inviting Lebering’s armies across the border without imperial leave.”
“Pardon my interruption,” a female voice said, “but I don’t believe that’s quite fair.”
Both Liz and Meteia spun around. Farther down the corridor was a wooden chair, on which sat Queen Claudia van Lebering.
Liz’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”
“Why, I thought it might make a novel venue in which to take my afternoon tea.” Claudia took a sip from her teacup, smiling blithely all the while. “I’ve been ever so busy lately, and the quiet of the dungeon seemed the perfect place to unwind. But it would be terribly dull with no one to talk to, so Lord Surtr has been kind enough to keep me company. Who can blame him? He has little else to do. It appears someone tied him up.”
She took another dainty sip and continued.
“But to the point, I daresay that our intervention was the best conclusion to the northern unrest you could have hoped for. Had the monsters made for Second Prince Selene’s lands after taking Friedhof, it would only have aided the nobles under the Demiurgos’s thrall. Monsters would now be pouring down from the north unending, and we would not be sitting here enjoying this delightful conversation.”
Claudia flashed one last smile, satisfied she had made her case. For all her provocations, it was hard to fault her logic. Only an external intervention could have saved the north from disaster, and Lebering had been the only party in a position to act. Inviting her across the border had ultimately served the empire’s interests. Now, the rebellion was over, and Claudia had brought them a ready supply of capable officers as prisoners of war, all while luring more northern troops after her in pursuit. Once the allied forces integrated the pursuing forces into their army and reinstalled the captives in positions of command, they would be far better positioned to face the Demiurgos.
“I know,” Liz said. “But Hiro isn’t the fourth prince anymore. He’s a foreign leader. The king of Baum. His actions might have been for the greater good, but they still cost imperial lives. You can’t expect my nobles not to take offense when another nation starts a war on our soil.”
That was why she had made the executive decision to take him into custody. If she could not placate the imperial nobles, their outrage would have distracted them from the battle at hand.
“It seems you have succeeded in talking them down.”
Liz nodded. “And Lebering has my thanks. I will make sure you are well rewarded.”
“Marvelous.” Claudia’s smile took on a hint of amusement. “And now that I have that assurance, I do believe I will take my leave.”
She finished her tea, got to her feet, and walked up the stairs without so much as a glance in Hiro’s direction.
“Well,” Liz said to herself, “that’s ruined the mood.”
She and Hiro had a great deal to discuss, but her time was in high demand. It was hard to find the opportunity to sit down and question him thoroughly. With any luck, Aura’s arrival would take a little weight off her shoulders, and she promised herself they would resume this conversation then.
“I have a strategy meeting to get to,” she told him. “We’ll talk another time.”
Once both Claudia and Liz were gone, Meteia heaved a sigh. Her face betrayed lament and exasperation in equal measure. Still, she was perfectly composed by the time she approached Hiro’s cell.
“Don’t get any funny ideas about escaping,” she said through the bars. “I’ve spun my threads all around your cell. Move so much as a muscle and I’ll know about it.”
“I know what they do. Go on. Go after Liz. I’m sure she could use your help.”
He was as hard to read as ever, but he seemed content to stay put for now, and she had the Black Camellia in her possession. There was surely little he could do even if he wanted to. That said, it couldn’t hurt to press the point.
“Take this chance to rest awhile,” she said. “You’ve been running yourself ragged.”
With that, she followed Liz up the stairs.
Hiro leaned his head back against the wall and stared up into empty space, a rueful smile forming on his lips.
“I’ve rested long enough,” he murmured. “Now I’m just biding my time.”