Winter

Thirty-Seven

Kai stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the window of his lavish guest suite but seeing nothing of the beautiful lake or city below. He had not managed to appreciate any of the luxuries of his fine prison, despite the suite being larger than most houses in the Commonwealth. Levana was feigning respect, giving him accommodations complete with an enormous bedroom and closet, two sitting parlors, an office, and a washroom that, at first glance, had seemed as though it had an actual pool in it, before Kai realized it was the bathtub.

Breathtaking, to be sure. It was even more luxurious than the guest suites in New Beijing Palace, though Kai and his ancestors had prided themselves on how they welcomed and treated their diplomatic guests.

The effect was ruined, however, by the fact that the double doors leading onto his outdoor balcony remained locked and Lunar guards were posted outside his chambers day and night. He had fantasized about breaking one of the windows and trying to scale down the wall of the palace—it was probably what Cinder would have done—but what was the point? Even if he avoided breaking his neck, he had nowhere to go. Though it pained him to think it, his place was here, beside Levana, doing his best to keep her occupied with wedding and coronation rubbish.

Which was not going well, given that he hadn’t seen Levana or any of her cohorts since they’d locked him in here after the ambush in the docks. The only visitors he’d had were mute servants bringing him overflowing platters of extravagant food that went largely untouched.

With an exasperated growl, he started pacing again, sure he would wear a hole through this stone floor before this ordeal was over.

He had succeeded in getting Cinder and the others to Luna, which had been his primary role in their planning, but it hadn’t gone smoothly and he was going mad not knowing what had happened. Had they gotten away? Was anyone hurt?

Even without a D-COMM link, he would have been tempted to send a comm to Iko or Cinder just to know what was happening, but Levana had confiscated his portscreen. It was maddening, but given the risk of a comm being traced, possibly for the best.

His anxiety would have been quelled if he could have moved forward with his other objectives. In addition to distracting Levana, he had also been tasked with gathering information about Scarlet Benoit, but he could learn nothing, nothing, while trapped in here.

It was like being stuck on the Rampion again, but a hundred times worse.

A bell echoed through his suite.

He bolted through the main parlor and yanked open the door. A liveried servant stood on the other side, a boy a few years younger than Kai. He was flanked by four Lunar guards.

“I am not a prisoner,” Kai started, wedging his foot into the door in case it was slammed shut as it had been countless times before. The servant stiffened. “I am the emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth, not some common criminal, and I will be treated with diplomatic respect. I have the right to hold counsel with my adviser and cabinet officials and I demand to hear Queen Levana’s reasons for detaining us in this manner!”

The servant’s mouth worked, speechless, for a moment, before he stammered, “I-I have been s-summoned to escort you to Her Majesty.”

Kai blinked, momentarily baffled, but he quickly gathered himself. “It’s about time. Take me to her immediately.”

The servant bowed and stepped back into the corridor.

Kai was marched through the palace feeling even more like a prisoner with the guards spread out at his back, though no one touched him. He did his best to observe the palace layout, picking out memorable landmarks when he could—an interesting sculpture, an intricate tapestry. Over a sky bridge and down a long, narrow corridor where holographic portraits were lined up like a gauntlet.

His feet stumbled once when he saw the last holograph. He had to look twice to be sure he wasn’t losing his mind.

The final holograph was a woman who looked, at first glance, just like Cinder.

His heart pounded, but as the holograph turned toward him, he realized his mistake. This was a mature version of Cinder, with flirtatious eyes and a vixen’s smile. Her cheekbones were more pronounced, her nose a bit narrower. In fact, the real similarities lay not between this woman and the Cinder he knew, but between her and the Cinder he’d seen at the base of the ballroom steps.

He checked the plaque, confirming his suspicions. QUEEN CHANNARY BLACKBURN.

Cinder’s unintentional glamour, painfully beautiful as it had been, looked so much like her mother.

“Your Majesty?”

He startled and whipped his attention away. He said nothing to the servant as he left the swaying holograph behind.

He had expected to be taken to the throne room, but as they walked through an iron-grated door and into a far less luxurious hallway, he grew suspicious. On his left they passed an elaborate vault door.

“What’s in there?”

Expecting to be ignored, he was surprised when the servant answered, “The crown jewels and regalia.”

The crown jewels. In New Beijing they stored priceless artifacts and heirlooms in one of the most secure underground vaults. There they kept gemstones the size of eggs, millennia-old gold-plated swords, even the crowns of the emperor and empress when they weren’t in use.

It was clear that this wing was not open for general palace tours. Where were they taking him?

They turned another corner and Kai was ushered through a door into some sort of computer control center, full of invisi-screens and holograph nodes. Maps and surveillance videos were flickering on every wall and there were at least thirty men and women analyzing the abundance of feeds and compiling the ongoing data.

Before he could begin to make sense of what they were doing, he was shoved through a door into an adjacent room. The door was shut, locking him behind soundproof glass.

His gaze swept around the new space. A backdrop on one wall showed the city of Artemisia and Earth off the horizon. Two elaborate thrones sat before it.

The rest of the room was full of enormous standing lights and recording equipment. It reminded him of the media room in New Beijing Palace, but without any seats set up for journalists.

Levana stood behind one of the thrones, her hands rested on its back. She was dressed in a shimmering black gown hung with a silver sash. A brooch on the sash had a delicate gold filigree and rhinestones that read Princess Winter, Though Gone, Never Forgotten.

Kai’s lips curled in disgust. This bit of gossip, at least, had reached him in his captivity. Princess Winter had been murdered. Some were saying it was by a guard, some were saying a jealous lover. But after seeing the way Levana had snarled at her stepdaughter, Kai couldn’t help having his own theories.

Thaumaturge Aimery stood by the door, along with the red-haired captain of the guard. An unfamiliar man was fiddling with one of the lights.

Though Levana’s mouth was smiling, her eyes were vicious.

Something had happened.

Kai planted his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets, hoping to come across as composed but formidable. “Hello, my sweet,” he drawled, recalling the sycophantic endearments she’d mentioned in the ports.

Levana gave him a withering look, which spoke volumes. If she wasn’t willing to fake amusement, then something had gone horribly wrong.

Which he hoped meant something had gone horribly right.

“I was promised that I would be treated as a diplomatic guest,” he said. “I wish to hold counsel with Konn Torin and the rest of the Earthen delegates and to be allowed access to roam the palace and city. We are not your prisoners.”

“Unfortunately, I am not taking demands today.” Levana’s long nails dug into the back of her false throne. “You are, however, going to help me with a little project. Are we ready?”

The man was holding up pieces of paper in varying tones of white. “One more moment, My Queen.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “I’m not helping you with anything until you grant my requests and answer my questions.”

“My dear groom-to-be, you gave up your rights to diplomatic courtesy when you brought those criminals into my home. Sit down.”

Kai experienced a heartbeat’s worth of defiance before his legs moved of their own accord and he collapsed into one of the thrones. He glared at the queen.

“I’m told,” he pressed, “that you took an Earthen prisoner during a time of cease-fire. A citizen of the European Federation by the name of Scarlet Benoit. I demand to know if there is any truth to these rumors and where the girl is now.”

Levana started to laugh. “I assure you there is no Earthen prisoner by that name here.”

Her laughter set Kai’s teeth on edge and her statement did nothing to convince him. Was Levana implying that Scarlet was dead? Or no longer in the palace? Or no longer in Artemisia at all?

Levana grabbed a veil from a mannequin’s head and draped it over herself. Aimery stepped forward and settled the queen’s crown on her head. When Levana turned back, her glamour was no longer visible. Having grown accustomed to her beautiful face, Kai had forgotten how this blank veil had filled him with horror for so long.

“What are we doing here?” Kai asked.

“Filming a little video,” came Levana’s voice. “There has been some confusion in the outer sectors of late, and I thought it pertinent to remind the people of their true loyalties, and all the great things you and I are going to accomplish once we are husband and wife.”

He studied her, but could see little beneath the veil.

She was telling him so little, but she was telling him enough. Cinder’s video had played. Levana was on the defensive. It had to be.

“What do you expect me to say?”

Levana clicked her teeth and took the throne beside him. “Nothing at all, darling. I will do the talking for you.”

Dismay kicked behind his sternum. He tried to jolt to his feet, but his legs had become stone. He wrapped his hands around the chair’s arms, digging his nails into the polished wood. “I don’t think—”

His tongue halted.

The technician counted down on his fingers and a light glowed on the cameras before him.

Kai’s body relaxed. His hands released the chair’s arms and settled in his lap. His posture was poised but natural, his gaze soft. He was smiling as he looked into the camera’s lens.

On the inside, however, he was furious. He was screaming and threatening Levana with every law regarding intergalactic policies he could think of. None of it mattered. His tirade was apparent to no one but himself.

“My good people,” said Levana, “it has come to my attention that you have been accosted by an impostor claiming to be our beloved Princess Selene, who was tragically lost to us thirteen years ago. It has distressed me greatly that this girl, whose real name is Linh Cinder and who is a wanted criminal both on Luna and on Earth, has dared to take advantage of this painful episode in our history, particularly when we are still in mourning over the death of my stepdaughter. It breaks my heart to inform you that this girl’s claims are nothing but lies meant to confuse you and manipulate you into joining her even when your good sense, when not so manipulated, would refuse to participate.”

She gestured to Kai. “I wish to introduce you all to my future husband, His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Kaito of Earth’s Eastern Commonwealth. He has a reputation of being a most fair and compassionate ruler, and I have no doubt he will be a great king to us as well. Together, we will unite our countries with a union built on admiration and mutual respect.”

Inside, Kai gagged.

Outside, he turned love-struck eyes toward his bride.

“You may not know,” Levana continued, “that His Majesty has had many personal dealings with Linh Cinder, this criminal who is masquerading as Her Highness, Princess Selene. I wanted you to hear his opinion of the girl so you might make decisions based on facts, and not emotional responses. Please grace him with your full attention.”

Kai faced the camera again and the words that came out of his mouth would later have him scrubbing his own tongue.

“Citizens of Luna, it is my honor to address you as your future king, and my greatest sadness that my introduction to you must be on such tumultuous grounds. As your queen has stated, I have had many interactions with Linh Cinder, and I know with certainty she is not what she claims to be. The truth is that she is a violent criminal, responsible for countless thefts and murders on planet Earth. After developing an obsession with me, she even attempted to assassinate my beloved bride-to-be, your queen, during our annual peace festival in New Beijing. When that attempt failed, she went so far as to kidnap me on the day that had been intended as our wedding, proceeding to hold me hostage against my will and under inhumane conditions until I promised to give up on this union between Earth and Luna and agree to marry her, instead. It is only thanks to Luna’s brave soldiers and Her Majesty’s indomitable spirit that I was safely released. Unfortunately, Linh Cinder has not given up. She continues to live a fantasy in which she is Princess Selene, returned from the dead, in hopes that she might win my affection. Her instability and recklessness have made her a dangerous felon and a threat, not only to my safety, but to the well-being of all who come in contact with her. I would urge you all, if you see Linh Cinder, to report her to officials immediately. Do not speak to her. Do not approach her. As your future king, I am now most concerned with your safety, and it is my hope that Linh Cinder will be found and brought to Artemisia where she can be met with the justice her crimes deserve.”

By the time he had finished speaking, Kai felt like he would have ripped out his own tongue if given the chance.

Levana started again, “Of course, if ever there was found to be any truth to the rumors that my dear niece, Selene, had survived all those years ago, I would joyfully welcome her into my heart and home and place Luna’s crown myself upon her head. Sadly, it is not to be. Selene lies with the stars, and I alone must maintain the security and livelihoods of our people. I know times are difficult. It is with great sadness that I watch our food production diminish year after year, and our limited resources fail to meet the needs of our growing populace. Which is why it has been the topmost priority of my regime to secure this alliance with Earth, so that our future might be brighter and our people taken care of for generations to come. This, my people, is the future that I alone can offer you. Not this cyborg, this impostor, this fraud.” As her tone dipped toward resentment, Levana paused and regathered herself. Her voice carried a smile again as she finished, “I am your queen and you are my people. It is my great privilege to guide us all into a bright new future.”

The technician stopped the recording and Kai’s body throbbed as control was returned to him. He bolted to his feet and rounded on Levana. “I am not a brainless instrument to be used for your propaganda.”

Levana removed the crown and veil and passed them to Aimery. “Be calm, my beloved. You spoke so eloquently. No doubt the people were impressed.”

“Cinder will know it was fake. She’ll know you were controlling me.”

Levana’s eyes flashed. “What do I care what Cinder thinks? Her opinion, like yours, means nothing.” She snapped her fingers at the guard. “I am finished with him. You may take him back.”