He looked no different from how he had appeared in her mind. His trimmed beard was immaculate, but his skin was flushed and dripping with sweat. He wore his kystrel proudly on his chest, its metal gleaming against the black velvet fabric. He was a thin, lanky man, and his eyes were sharp as daggers. He saw her crumpled in the chair, and a look of blazing triumph coalesced in his eyes.
“She is here,” Corriveaux whispered savagely. “My lord, has she touched you? Has she . . . kissed you?” His eyes were sick with dread and a little excitement.
Collier stood with easy confidence. “I am not a patient man under most circumstances. But truly, Corriveaux, this is deplorable timing. You cannot barge into your king’s tent uninvited. Be gone.” He waved a hand in lazy dismissal.
“Your Majesty, this is a matter of grave urgency. Your very life is in peril. Come here. Step closer to me.” He gestured slowly, as if Maia were a snake coiled to strike.
“Do you think she is going to stab me? I have been with the princess all evening, sir. We have enjoyed each other’s company in a most pleasant way, but not in the way you are supposing. I believe I ordered you to leave.”
“Your Majesty,” Corriveaux said, his distress growing more visible. “You must hearken to what I have to tell you. She is indeed the banished Princess of Comoros, but she is more than that.”
“You say truly,” Collier said, chuckling. She is my wife.
Maia stared at him in surprise. She had heard the thought as surely as if it had been whispered aloud.
“This is not a moment for jesting, my lord,” Corriveaux snapped. “If her mouth has touched you in any way, you are a dead man. It is my duty to your highness to offer you protection and advice. This creature is a spawn of darkness. She may already have corrupted you. We tracked her from the dark pool of the lost abbey. She is hetaera! There is no denying it.”
“How do you know this?” Collier said with open contempt. “You ride here like lions seeking prey, but must I remind you that I am the master of the realm? You have much to answer for, Corriveaux. Like traveling with soldiers impersonating the king’s men. Like the village of Argus. If you were part of that massacre—”
“—My lord, if you will indulge me a moment longer,” Corriveaux said, his fists clenching. He had finally found her after hunting her for days. He was not ready to let her go. Maia could see his desperation, especially at the mention of the mountain village.
“I have indulged your intrusion with remarkable patience. No, I have not kissed or been kissed by this woman. She is not a camp follower, Corriveaux. Not a harlot. She is the Princess of Comoros.”
“She is the banished princess,” Corriveaux corrected. “My lord, our spies in Comoros became aware of the plot. Her father sent her to the lost abbey to reawaken the hetaera order and begin the killing of mastons. She has the potential to destroy not just an insignificant village but every person living in Dahomey and beyond our borders. Not only does this allow King Brannon to divorce his wife, but it gives him the power to remove all those who oppose him. We have a spy very close to the throne, my liege. We learned about the vessel, her vessel—the Blessing of Burntisland. We found it moored off the cursed shores and captured its crew. They revealed her presence in your kingdom, my lord. We sent word for you by courier, but Your Majesty is difficult to find these days. She is a danger to Comoros, to Dahomey, to all the kingdoms. My lord, she must be taken to Naess and interrogated and executed. She is an abomination! The empire fell due to the plague the hetaera unleashed on these shores. Surrender her to me, my lord. I have enough men to contain her.”
Maia was terrified. She was trapped like a mouse, unable to flee. Even if she had her kystrel, which she did not feel around her neck, she could not have repulsed so many.
“I will give due consideration to all you have told me,” Collier said after a long pause. “Now depart, Corriveaux. Before I call my guard.”
Corriveaux looked down at the ground, his brow wrinkled with frustration. Maia felt a whisper of dread go through her, followed by a feeling of immense fear. When Corriveaux raised his head, his eyes were glowing silver.
“I fear you are under her sway, Your Majesty,” he said softly. “Your will is not your own.”
In a flash of speed, Collier’s blade came out of its sheath and he was suddenly right in front of Corriveaux, the tip aimed at his heart.
“You dare use the Medium against me?” Collier threatened. “Stop or I will run you through. I see your eyes, Corriveaux. Look into mine.”
Maia felt a surge of power rise up in the pavilion. It came from Collier, but she felt it, as surely as if it had been drawn from her muscles and bones. He has my kystrel, she realized. He wears it!