A Soul for Vengeance (30 page)

Kell forced his anger and worry down into the pit of his stomach. Now was not the time to let his emotions dictate his actions. This was a time for diplomacy, and if he wanted to get information, he had to be willing to give some in return. He met his friend’s gaze, his voice calm and steady as he said, “I asked Zara to marry me last night.”

Bynn flew to his feet with a curse. It took several passes across the length of the room before he managed a civil word. “How long?”

“How long what?”

“How long have you two been—” He caught himself, his hands shaking until he clenched them into fists. “How long have you been involved?”

“Months.”

Another curse, followed by quicker pacing. “You can have any woman in the kingdom, but you have to go after my sister. Why?”

“Because there’s no one else like her.” He stood, his words growing momentum with each syllable. “Because she’s smart and resourceful. Because she’s willing to risk her life to keep our people fed while we hide in the camp and squabble over politics. Because she’s the heart and soul of this rebellion. And because I’ve discovered a dozen other reasons to love her.”

Bynn actually looked sorry for him. “You can’t marry her, Kell.”

“Why not?”

“Because—” Bynn caught himself again, this time looking at the letter. A wince of pain tightened his features. “Zara was severely wounded by the Thallians, Kell.”

“I know,” he replied, recalling the pale coils of knotted skin that crisscrossed her otherwise smooth stomach. “I’ve seen her scars.”

“You’ve seen her scars?” The veins on Bynn’s forehead popped out now, and his teeth gritted together to keep what looked like another stream of curses locked inside his mouth. “Damn it, Kell. She’s my sister.”

If he’d been the one who seduced Zara, he would’ve gladly taken the punch Bynn teetered on giving him. But that wasn’t the case. “She’s the one who came to me, not the other way around.”

“Sweet Lady Moon, and now she leaves me this mess to clean up while she goes off to Trivinus to get herself killed.” Bynn sank into a chair and raked his fingers through the hair along his temples. His shoulders sagged as though he were carrying a load far too heavy to bear. “I don’t know how Zara feels about you, Kell—she never told me—but I can tell you why she can’t marry you. When the Thallians wounded her, they pierced her womb. She can’t have children.”

“That doesn’t matter to me.”

“Well, it should,” Bynn snapped. “You’re the last of the Sanguazur family. If you don’t produce a legitimate heir, your line dies with you, and that dog Fermo will pounce on the throne like a bitch in heat.”

Kell sat back down, letting Bynn’s news sink in. He’d been so focused on winning Zara’s heart that he’d never considered something like children. And he wanted children with her, almost as much as he wanted her.

Bynn reread the note still in his hand. “When she heard your proposal last night, she must have decided it would be better to sacrifice herself than hurt you.”

Guilt slithered into his heart and darkened his mind in shadows. When he’d asked her to marry him, he never thought it would lead to this. “And what is her plan?”

“She’s told you about the kokalla the Thallians use to control our people, right?” When Kell nodded, Bynn continued. “She’s been collecting a stockpile of it with the intention of sneaking into the castle and using it against the Triumvirate. And if she’s caught, they’ll kill her.”

“But she’s smart, Bynn. There’s always the chance she won’t be caught.”

“Maybe, but who’s to say she’ll be safe once we launch the attack on the city?” He threw the note into the brazier, staring at it as the flames turned it to ashes. “I pray to the Lady Moon she’ll be safe.”

“Why aren’t we riding out after her now?” Kell started for the door. “If we hurry, we might still catch her.”

Bynn caught his arm before he stepped outside. “She’ll always be one day ahead of us. Besides, we’re needed here. You were right in saying Zara’s resourceful. If her plan does work, then it will make taking Trivinus back much easier.”

“And is there a chance she’ll be safe, too?”

Bynn’s eye swam with emotions he restrained from spilling over, even though his face grew more lined with worry than Kell had ever seen. “I hope so.”

“Me, too.” He offered a prayer to the Lady Moon that when all this was over, he’d still be able to marry the woman he loved.

Chapter 25

Zara sat in a kitchen in the heart of Trivinus, her nerves on edge as someone knocked on the door. She counted out the knocks, listening as they formed a recognizable pattern used by members of the rebellion. That still didn’t stop Niestro from cracking the door open a sliver to see who was outside before letting them gain admittance to his home.

A couple darted in, the woman throwing her arms around Niestro’s neck as soon as the door closed. “Is it true?” she asked Niestro. “You’ve found a way to free me?”

Zara studied the woman. She was of the same build as her, even though their faces and eye color were different. Still, Zara might be able to pass for the woman as long no one looked too closely. “Are you willing to let me take your place?”

The woman’s eyes widened. “You’d want to exchange places with me? Do you understand the consequences of that?”

The light caught in the metal band around the woman’s wrist, marking her as one of the palace slaves. Zara dug her fingers into the palm of her hands to keep them from trembling. “Yes, but it’s the best way for me to gain access to the palace.”

The man stepped forward. “When my brother told me of your willingness to sacrifice your freedom for my fiancée, I was shocked. Now, I am truly grateful.” He wrapped his arms around the woman. “We can marry like we’d planned to do before the Thallians arrived.”

Their love for each other was evident from the way she threaded her fingers through his to their matching smiles when they looked at each other. A twinge of bittersweet envy tightened the spot between her shoulder blades. She’d never have something like that with Kell, but at least she knew that her mission would reunite two lovers torn apart by the invasion. “I wish you two every happiness. But, since we only have a few hours to get everything into place, I’ll have to steal your fiancée for now so we can swap clothing.”

Niestro’s brother placed a kiss on his fiancée’s cheek. “I’ll be making arrangements for us to leave the city as soon as Lady Zara’s done.”

The woman followed Zara into the tiny bedroom and unfastened her scarf, sending her dark brown hair cascading down her back like a bolt of chocolate silk. “Niestro mentioned that you had some questions for me.”

“I do.” She started working on the knotted bow holding her dress together. “For starters, I need to know your name if I’m going to pretend to be you.”

“Sagalia.”

“What is your role in the palace household?”

“I’m a kitchen maid, mostly.” She let her bodice fall off her shoulders and added to the pile of clothing. “I help prepare the food, do the dishes, make sure the head cook knows what we have in the cellars. On a few occasions, I’ve been pulled to help serve meals.”

“What can you tell me about the Triumvirate? Is there a part of the palace where they spend most of their time? Is there something only they have the privilege of eating or drinking?”

Sagalia paused, her overdress halfway over her head. “You’re not thinking of poisoning them, are you? Because they use several food tasters, all of them Ranellian.”

Zara shook her head. The poison she intended on using was no different than the poison already ingested by the food tasters. “I promise I have no intention of harming any of our people. But I need to know how to gain access to the Triumvirate.”

“They are quite fond of the King’s private reserve of sherry.” Sagalia removed the last underskirt, leaving her shivering in just her threadbare shift. “As far as I know, no one else in the palace is allowed to drink it. They’ve even placed a gate around the barrels.”

“Perfect.” Zara handed her dress to Sagalia and started donning the layers of clothes the maid had supplied. The coarse fabric itched her skin and reeked of sweat and smoke. “What else should I know?”

“You won’t be able to get past the spells they’ve cast without this.” She held out the wrist with the metal bracelet. “There’s a small locking mechanism on the side.”

“I’ll take care of that next.” Once she was fully dressed, Zara retrieved her set of picks and started working on the bracelet. “And when that’s gone, you’ll be free to leave Trivinus.”

“I won’t be completely free, not with the kokalla in my system.” Her skin grew damp, and she ran her free palm along her skirt. “Niestro said you had a plan to help me out with that.”

Zara nodded, her attention focused on the tiny keyhole that barely held her smallest pick. “I’ve given him a small supply of kokalla to take with you. It should be enough to prevent you from going into withdrawals. Once you reach Lord Fermo’s castle, a healer named Cero will help free you completely from the kokalla’s effects.”

A click vibrated through the pick, and the bracelet fell off Sagalia’s wrist. The maid rubbed the pale skin beneath it, her eyes wide. A giggle laced her words as she said, “I’m free. I’m truly going to be free.”

But when she met Zara’s gaze, her joy was cut short. “Are you certain?”

Zara picked up the bracelet and snapped it over her wrist. The sting of magic reminded her of Kell’s pendant. Whatever spell had been cast on it, it hadn’t been broken by transferring the bracelet from one owner to another. “No one else can do what I need to do.”

For the next hour, Sagalia filled her in on the inner workings of the palace now that the Triumvirate resided there, who the head servants were, the changes the Thallians had made to the castle’s architecture. Zara made mental notes and filed them away for later. When they finished, she wrapped the scarf around her curly hair and turned around. “Do you think I’ll pass for you?”

“Well enough.” Sagalia smiled. “I hope one day we’ll meet again so I can thank you in a better way.”

“So do I.” It was time to put the next piece of her plan into action. “I hope you don’t mind that I’ll have to borrow your fiancé for a bit. After all, he normally escorts you back to the palace on your day off, right?”

“I know he’ll be back for me as soon as he can.” She hugged Zara. “Please, be careful. I wouldn’t dream of messing with the Triumvirate. I’ve seen enough of their evil to last me a lifetime.”

“I’ll be as careful as I can be.” So much was riding on her carrying out her plan perfectly. She had to build up their tolerance to the kokalla slowly. If she gave them too much right away, the side effects would alert them to its presence. But if she didn’t have them on a high dose by the time Kell and the armies arrived, they still might be able to function well enough during their withdrawals to be a threat. She had four weeks, by her best estimation, to bring down the Thallian rulers.

She grabbed the smallest pouch of the kokalla powder she’d smuggled into the city and strapped it to her inner thigh. “Let’s go.”

Niestro’s brother barely said three words to her as he walked her back to the palace, but when they arrived at the main gate, he kissed her cheek like an affectionate suitor. “May the Lady Moon bless your endeavor,” he whispered.

She squeezed his hand. “And yours.”

Zara held her breath as she passed through the gate. A veil of magic surrounded her, crackling along her skin. But, the magic of the bracelet kept her safe, and she made it past her first obstacle.

The courtyard was packed with servants. It was the one day of the week where the castle slaves were allowed to leave for a few hours to visit with friends and family in the city. The Thallians didn’t have to worry about the slaves not returning—the kokalla took care of that. No sane person wanted to go through the withdrawals, and they willingly returned to their masters in time for their next dose.

She entered through the kitchen and made her way to her quarters according to Sagalia’s directions. The attic room was damp and drafty, filled by two long rows of narrow beds for the female slaves. Her bed was the seventh one on the left. She laid her cloak on it and reported to the kitchen for her assignment.

The steward barely gave her a second glance as he inspected the returning slaves. He seemed more interested in number rather than the people. Once he was satisfied they’d all returned, he dismissed them with a wave, instructing them to report back to duty.

One of the cooks grabbed Zara by the arm and pulled her over to the massive fireplace where several sides of meat roasted. “You’re the one who switched places with Sagalia, aren’t you?”

Zara eyed the flames, wondering if she’d accidentally have to shove the cook into them. Who else had Sagalia spoken to? “Are you going to tell on me?”

The woman shook her head. “I think you’re mad to do it, but I’ll help you slide into her duties. Now start polishing those platters for dinner.”

 Zara threw herself into her work. Once the dinner platters were polished, the meals were placed on them for the Triumvirate and carried up to their private dining room along with a decanter of the sherry Sagalia had described. Then the slaves ate their meal before starting the cleanup for the night. Her stomach churned with the first bite of the meal, the knowledge that all the slaves’ food had been tainted with the kokalla keeping her from enjoying the meal. Even if she survived bringing down the Triumvirate, she’d face days of withdrawals afterwards.

By the time she finished her duties for the night, her body ached in ways she never imagined. She’d rather battle a hundred Thallians with her sword and crossbow than have to polish one more piece of silver. She dozed for a few hours on the hard wooden plank that served as her bad before sneaking back down into the kitchen.

Almost a dozen barrels of sherry sat behind the iron bars that enclosed them. Zara easily picked the lock and turned the open barrel on its side, removing the tap that occupied the bunghole. Then, after checking several times to make sure she was alone, she poured the pouch of kokalla into the barrel.