The Spirit War(129)

It was Lenette who saw Josef first. Adela’s mother stopped in her tracks, her face suddenly stricken, as though she’d seen a ghost. Theresa stumbled at the sudden stop and raised her head, her eyes lighting up as she saw her son.

“Josef,” she said, her voice relieved. “They said you were fighting Adela.”

Josef didn’t seem to hear the queen. His eyes were locked on Lenette. “You,” he hissed, marching forward. “Get away from my mother.”

Nico started to follow, but Eli grabbed her shoulder. Lenette, on the other hand, stepped forward, putting herself between the queen and Josef.

“My queen!” she cried. “This man is a murderer. He killed his cousins and now he comes for you. Look at the blood on him.” She clutched her chest with a sob. “Where is my daughter, killer?”

“Step away, Lenette!” Josef shouted, walking faster. “It’s over. Adela confessed. We know everything. You’re an agent of the Empress left here to destabilize Osera after the war, and you trained your daughter to follow in your footsteps. You’ve been poisoning the queen for years, but your treachery ends now. Step away!”

Theresa looked at her lady-in-waiting. “Lenette?”

But Lenette’s face had changed. She glared at Josef with open hatred, and that was when Eli saw her hand flash.

“Josef!” he shouted.

He was too late. Lenette’s hand flew from her skirts, the knife flashing silver before it plunged into the queen’s chest. Josef and the guards rushed forward, dragging Lenette off the queen, but Lenette twisted free with surprising strength. She staggered, the knife dripping red in her hands.

“Long live the Empress,” she said, raising the knife to her own throat.

Eli winced and turned away, but it didn’t save him from the unmistakable thump as Lenette’s body hit the floor. When he looked back, she was lying crumpled on the carpet at the center of a spreading, dark stain. Josef didn’t even look at her. He dropped the Heart and ran to his mother, falling to his knees as he dragged the queen into his lap. Theresa’s dressing gown was more crimson than white now, and her breath came in ragged little gasps. Her face, however, was calm.

“Josef,” she whispered. “Listen.”

“Stop talking,” he said, pressing one hand against her wound as he slid his free arm under her. “We’re going to get you to the surgeon.”

“No,” she ordered, grabbing his hand with surprising strength. “For once in your life, mind me.”

Josef froze, letting his mother guide his hand up to her face.

“Listen,” she said again. “You’ve never made a secret of how much you hated being a prince, and for that I’ve tried my best to spare you, but now I’m afraid we no longer have a choice.” She took a shuddering breath. “The throne of Osera has endured for centuries. Through our history we have lived as outcasts and pirates, shunned by all. I spent my life pulling us out of that pit, turning Osera into a land of prosperity and peace. Now the Empress comes again, and now more than ever we cannot fall. Promise me, Josef. Promise, no matter what happens after, no matter your feelings, you will take the crown and lead our people through this crisis.”

Josef gripped her hand. “Mother, this isn’t—”

“Promise me,” the queen gasped, pulling herself up until her face was inches from her son’s. “One last battle,” she whispered, clutching his fingers. “Swear to me you will not let Osera perish.”

Josef pressed his lips to her pale forehead. “I swear, mother,” he whispered. “I swear it.”

The queen fell back with a pained sigh. “You are all witnesses,” she said, glancing at her guard. When they nodded, she turned back to Josef, reaching up to touch his cheek with her thin, bloody hand.

“Hail the House of Iron Lions,” she whispered, her voice little more than a breath.

“Hail the House of Iron Lions,” Josef repeated. “I will not fail you, mother.”

For a moment, Eli thought he saw the queen smile. Then her body shuddered one last time, and she lay still.

The guards began to creep forward, but Josef didn’t move. He sat on his knees, cradling his mother’s skeletal body. He made no sound, no noise at all, but when the light shifted, Eli saw his cheeks were wet, and he realized Josef was crying. He looked away at once, painfully aware that he was seeing something he shouldn’t. But the moment was just that, a moment, and by the time he’d turned away, it was over.

“You there,” Josef said to the closest guard.

The guard stepped forward with a salute, and Josef stood up, bringing his mother’s body with him. “Take the queen,” he said, gently passing Theresa’s body to the guard. “See that she is laid in state.”