Page 86 of To Kill a King
She chewed the inside of her cheek and glanced at him through her eyelashes. “I hope you’re not angry. Your form is the only one here I’m familiar enough with to replicate.”
His laugh startled a pair of birds from a nearby tree. “If it will ever help you in any way, you can impersonate me whenever you need.”
Chapter 17
Aliya
Later that night, Aliya glanced around Malkov’s throne room. Not again. The black marble chilled her bare feet. White wedding banners still hung from the deserted balconies overhead. She spun to face the dais.
He perched in the oversized obsidian chair, staring down at her.
“How is this happening?” Her voice sounded whiny. She didn’t care.
“Magic,” he said. “Think of it as scrying, but instead of opening a mirror channel to speak, I bring you here.”
Would El come back home to find her missing?
“Oh, no. I wouldn’t worry. As far as anyone in Filathas is concerned, you’re in a deep sleep.”
He was reading her mind. She pinched her bicep. Ouch.
Malkov laughed. It echoed through the empty chamber. “Oh, you’re still here physically.” He raised his fingers. Sparks danced up his forearm. “Magecraft can do some amazing things.”
Her stomach trembled. Even if she studied with Cressida for decades, she’d be unlikely to develop that kind of control. “Why are you doing this? Let me go, please.”
He leered at her.
A shiver ran up her arms as the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She fought the urge to back up or run, a deer caught in the hunter’s sights. No matter what she did, she wouldn’t get far.
“You know I can’t do that. Not only are you the most magically gifted person I’ve ever encountered, but I also can’t allow the insult of my wife running away on our wedding day go unanswered. It would give the impression I’m weak and encourage others to take advantage.”
Her heart thumped against her breastbone as her stomach iced over. This was it. Everything she’d done had been in vain.
He clicked his tongue. “I regret to inform you I’ve run out of your father’s people to torture. And you’re currently beyond the reach of my bounty.”
Aliya tensed. Had he tortured everyone? He wouldn’t.
“So, I’ve sent a specialized team of assassins into Filathas. They’ll kill until they find you and haul you back home.”
She frowned to bite back a laugh. The elven forests would never allow a bunch of foreign hitmen into Filathas. They’d wander the woods until a patrol found the group and disposed of them.
Malkov shook his head. “They’re already in place, thanks to a few magical protections my artificers have developed for them. I believe Lady Cressida is first on their list.”
Her gut contracted in a violent spasm, threatening to upend her dinner right there on the throne room floor. No!
He sighed. “It’s a shame. All her lovely magic, going to waste. Oh, well. Next up is the mountain elf, followed by the sun elf princess. Her death will lure her father out from behind his walls so we can pick him off, too. I’m rather disappointed I didn’t think of sending hitmen before. We could have ended the war decades ago.”
Aliya laughed, but it sounded brittle, even to her own ears. “You think your mercenaries can kill Cressida Brightleaf? I think you overestimate their ability.” Cressida was one of the top two elven mages in the realm. Elessan had said so. Surely, she could stand up to a few human assassins.
Malkov’s lips stretched into a thin cruel smile, showing his teeth. “I think you misjudge the elves. My team won’t stop until they capture you, even if they have to bathe Filathas in blood.”
He was so confident. Aliya glanced around the room as she chewed the inside of her cheek. She’d already misjudged Elessan once today, could she be making the same mistake with Cressida? No—Malkov must be lying.
He leaned back into the throne. “Why would I lie? Doing so erodes my credibility. And a monarch without that, well…they’re no ruler at all, are they?” He tsked.
Valek. If he was serious, then everyone’s deaths would be on her hands.
He gestured toward her as though brushing away something undesirable. “Best run along, now, before you’re too late.” He winked at her. The room blinked out of sight.