All these years, Claye had turned a blind eye to them. He swallowed, but it didn’t take away the tightness in his throat. After his recent travels through the Gate, the ignoring had gotten more difficult.
Treatment of the servants almost reminded Claye of how the emperor treated anyone who lived outside the Crown.
Shaking his head, Claye glared at the ground. Kessoku was different from the emperor. They wanted unity. They wanted every citizen to have equal opportunity. Maybe they treated their servants poorly now, but it would be different once they took control of Kamdaria.
It had to be.
Without warning, everyone in the room began filing out of it. If Claye had been paying better attention, he probably would have realized the conversation had ended.
When he went to fall in step with his parents, someone caught him by the shoulder.
Lucian’s face held nothing but a blank mask as he watched everyone leave. His grip on Claye’s shoulder wasn’t insistent, but it managed to hold Claye in place all the same. When his mouth pinched into a knot, the goatee around it moved in time. Again, it looked exactly like an expression his son would have made.
“Wait.” Lucian uttered the word under his breath, keeping it too soft for anyone else to hear.
Claye glanced around the room and noticed one other person also hung back.
River.
Her tall stature always stood out in the base. The wildness in her eyes had been growing more intense by the day.
Once they were alone, River moved closer until the three of them stood in a tight circle.
Lucian sent a brief glance toward the woman before tilting his chin higher into the air. “You two will leave soon after Water Festival. I’ll give you the amulet, but you must be careful when you train with the princess.”
Folding her arms over her chest, River flashed a frightening smirk. “You mean carefully murder her and steal her journals? Then we’ll have everything we need to learn about the amulet, and we can get rid of her at the same time.”
Claye could feel the exact moment when sweat broke out onto his neck. Years of practice allowed him to keep his face decidedly indifferent, but that didn’t change how the muscles inside him constricted with horror. “That’s not really the plan, is it?”
A heaving sigh left Lucian’s mouth before he reached for his chin. “Unfortunately, no. The princess has more skill than I realized. As long as she actually trains you, I believe it will be beneficial to learn from her.” He lifted one eyebrow. “For now.”
River let out a huff that sounded as angry as her snarl looked. She spoke through clenched teeth while she glared at the ground. “But we’re still going to kill her before we attack Ridgerock Palace in the spring, right?”
“Of course.” Though Lucian’s tone came out even, it didn’t hide the glance he shot toward Claye.
It took everything inside of Claye to not react to the words. He had already spent so much effort trying to get Kessoku to work with Talise. He never expected them to work with her and still plan to kill her. But it didn’t matter. As long as he could convince her to give up the throne, they would have to give up on killing her. He’d make sure they did.
With the slightest turn, Lucian managed to move his face out of Claye’s eyesight. He moved toward River and lowered his voice a few notches. “While you’re in the Storm…”
Even as Lucian trailed off, River stood straighter and gave a deliberate nod. “I know what to do.”
Claye took a few steps forward, putting both of their faces back into his line of sight. “What? What is she supposed to do?”
Lucian and River exchanged a brief glance before Lucian shrugged. “She is going to train with the princess and learn how to properly use the amulet of course.”
Claye rolled his eyes before speaking again. “I’m not stupid, you know. And I’m adult. I have my own ID card. I just spent months spying for you. I deserve to know whatever plans are in place.”
Now River rolled her eyes. Lucian waved her off. “Go on. I have something important to speak to Claye about.”
She didn’t need another word. Her footsteps trailed out of the room before either of them could blink.
When Lucian turned again, the sinking in Claye’s gut turned into a twist.
Lucian stroked his goatee as a scheming smile appeared. “You still have feelings for the princess, don’t you?”
That twisting in Claye’s gut only tightened. He chose not to answer the question. “Just tell me what you want.”
After a short shrug, Lucian stared off into a corner of the room. “I think you should tell her how you feel.”
Tension crawled through Claye’s forehead as he brought his eyebrows together. “Why? So it will make her trust me, which will then make it easier for you to kill her?”
The slightest flash of surprise passed through Lucian’s eyes. “Uh…” He stared for one second too long before giving an eager nod. “Yes, that’s exactly the reason.”
But it wasn’t, and Claye could tell.
Now the twisting in his gut took on a new quality that made him ready to part with the smoked meat he had just eaten. At his sides, Claye made fists with both hands. “It’s because of Aaden.” Even he was surprised by how low his voice came out. “You think if I can get Talise to fall in love with me, then Aaden will come back home to you.”
The stiffness in Lucian’s jaw increased with every word. He let out a huff before donning a tight glare. “He’s my son. He should be with me. First love is always strong, but he’ll let her go if he has to.”
Claye could only curl his fists tighter. He didn’t want to be a puppet for Lucian, especially when his purpose had nothing to do with Kamdaria. It was Lucian’s own fault for losing the respect of his son.
But now Claye had a dilemma because he did want to win Talise back. And he’d do everything in his power to do it.
TWO
OF ALL KAMDARIAN HOLIDAYS, WATER FESTIVAL HAD always been Talise’s favorite. She tore a strip of fabric from the edge of a battered, old sheet. The stains and worn threads made it unusable, but the strips were perfect for a Water Festival promenade.
After ripping away the strip, she handed it to the young girl in front of her.
Willow grinned as she carefully placed the strip over her nose and then tied it behind her head. When handed a second strip, the girl wrapped it over her chin and also tied it behind her head. The grin on her face grew wider as she used a third strip to obscure her mouth.
“It will take ages for my father to recognize me when I have so much of my face covered.” Dirt caked under Willow’s fingernails. She had continued to spend most of her days inside the glass house that grew vegetables for their town. The dirt on her hands and under her fingernails had only increased now that she could shape earth.
Several people in the town had gotten their shaping abilities back, all because they finally had regular meals with all the nutrients they needed.
Talise ripped another strip from the worn sheet just as Aaden entered the little house. His muscles hung stiff. “I gathered the adults in the clearing by the town well. They are ready for the promenade as soon as the children are ready.”
His eyes narrowed as he glanced through the rest of the room. All around, children used old threadbare sheets, sticks, and even mud to obscure their faces and outfits. Wendy, Cyrus, and Tempest all helped children as they created strange costumes.