Tarak's heart beat wildly, and he put a hand over his chest to keep it inside.
Atton grabbed his arm to steady him. "Sir."
His bodyguard's solid presence brought him back into the moment. He steadied his breathing. "I am fine."
All of this talk about assassins had frayed his already raw nerves.
"We need to get them under control. If we hear the Balar Republic
is under siege, I cannot predict what will happen." Tarak whispered furiously to Kern.
"Maybe everyone will stop playing politician and actually sit down at the table to make this alliance work." Kern grumbled, but Tarak knew he didn't mean it.
King Dresden paced, a dark countenance weighting him down. "Blackhearted fools, the lot of them. Every duke and duchess who refused to attend this alliance mediation will be replaced by a regent from the Ragos house until a full investigation of their estate can be completed."
The king would replace every duke and duchess with a member of his own family. This would spell civil war, and it would doom the alliance from ever being signed.
"That would be my cue." Kern stood on top of the table and activated his strength stone. He clapped, nearly shattering Tarak's eardrums in the process. "We cannot let this new information distract from the reason we have gathered here. This only further highlights the need for this alliance to fortify our front lines."
"How can we trust anything you sign if one of your own has just betrayed a province into the hands of the Animalians?" Sikar Ikeno Fiven asked.
King Dresden raised his hand to silence any Mineralite reply. "You have asked me a fair question, and I must ask you the same: how can our people be sure yours will abide by the alliance?"
"We don't raise a coup against our king every moon!" Sikar Vincente Bascal said.
"No, but you removed your leader from power over a century ago and have yet to fill the vacuum." King Dresden stated.
"We stand divided, like livestock to the beolves." Tarak spoke clearly. "With the Mineralite's advanced technology, weapons, airships, and soldiers to reinforce our borders, we can push the Animalians back to their country. Together, we can end a century of war and put an end to the generations of blood feuds going back into ancient times. We will have full access to all of our trade routes, and our countries will prosper."
"Yes, in ancient times, people understood such things as loyalty and honor." King Dresden spoke up, "So I propose we join our countries as one joins houses; with a marriage exchange."
The silence that descended upon the room was profound.
Tarak's heart sank, the tips of his fingers numbed. "But you have no sons or dottirs."
"No, but I would offer my brother, Count Abram, and Admiral Gunter would offer his daughter, Lady Anna." King Dresden had been planning this from the beginning.
Tarak looked at Kern, desperate for the Lord Ambassador to jump in and explain that Elementi would never agree to such a thing.
Tarak hesitated, "A marriage between our countries. It is..."
"Forbidden!" Sikar Castel Salazar spat.
"Ludicious." Lord Neron hissed, "You would further dilute our blood."
"And yet..." King Dresden stood, gesturing with his hands. "How else will we keep this alliance from breaking the moment things get tough? How will we trust our loyalties? We shall take revenge instantly should one of ours betray another. It will be with blood to make this alliance, not just ink and paper."
Sikar Braeden Holt threw his hands up in the air. “If you cannot pledge your allegiance to our republics without asking us to send you hostages, there is no way I will sign the alliance!”
Lady Greta, the wife of the Mineralite general, stood up and said, “But without these marriages, our houses will not be joined together. There could be no alliance, simply cooperation.”
"Would that have stopped Lord Edmund?" Sikar Devados Sarin shot back.
"I will tolerate no fools in my kingdom." King Dresden said dangerously.
"So your solution is to kill anyone who might betray you before they can betray you." Sikar Diego Jaso scoffed. "You will have no one to rule within a moon."
King Dresden narrowed his eyes. "And what of those who give themselves over to the Animalians in your republics? You like to pretend you are all high and mighty, but I know there are those among your ranks who lay down their arms at first sight of the Animalians."
"We have lost an entire republic to those monsters." Sikar Castel Salazar leapt to his feet and pointed his finger at King Dresden's chest.
"We lost more men in a moon than you lost in three." Kamdar Ikeno Fiven said, "You only hear the stories from the front lines; we live every day and every night unable to sleep because the Animalians might break down your door at any moment. You don't know what that does to a people."
King Dresden hissed, "So if a Mineralite betrays us, it is just in their nature, but if an Elementi betrays his people, you don't blame him."
"No." Tarak stepped out from behind his desk and walked to the podium so his voice could be heard by all. He was sick of his pointless name-calling and petty bickering. "No, I don't blame him. I blame myself."
Kern did a double take.
"I do not blame the Elementi warriors or the Mineralite soldiers." Tarak looked out across the crowd and said, "I blame every single one of us. If it were up to our soldiers, to our people, the alliance would have been signed on the first night of the moon of peace. I am asking you, King Dresden, to give us something that we can agree on, and you will have it signed."
"I have agreed to all of your terms." King Dresden crossed his arms and said, "I have made my terms clear."
"But it is against our highest commandments!" Sikar Devados Sarin said.
Kern shook his head. "After many hours of research, I have found no such commandment that forbids the marriage of Mineralite and Elementi."
"But in the Creator's own words..." Sikar Castel Salazar started.
"The Creator is surprisingly silent on the subject of marriage between our people." Kern interrupted, "All I found was self-proclaimed scholars quoting the holy word to justify their opinions, but if you study the word, there is no law."
"Any child born of the union of an Elementi and a Mineralite will not inherit Elementi abilities."
No one knew who spoke the words, because everyone was thinking it.
You need only look at how the highborn treat my dottir and the Lord Ambassador's children. It would be ten times worse for any child born of that union.
"If we survive long enough to care about such matters as a child born from the union of the alliance marriages, we can discuss the matter of succession and abilities." King Dresden spoke between clenched teeth. “If we are going to join our houses to defeat the Animalians, we must become one family. If we fall, we pick each other as backup. If we bleed, we bind our wounds together.”
"The fact of the matter is the people of Minerale are coming to our aid more than we will be coming to theirs." Sikar Castel said. "They will be providing us relief for our refugees, soldiers, and weapons so we may defeat a common enemy. So yes, if the cost for this alliance, if the cost for our collective culture to survive, is a marriage exchange, then I say we pay the sum."
Tarak nodded at Castel's wise words. "We must seek clarity in the words of the Creator. If the Lord Ambassador says it is not written, we must seek answers."
"No, we cannot compromise the integrity of our people or our morals by entertaining such a twisted idea. Our souls are worth more than our lives." Sikar Braeden Holt said. "If the Creator says it is against his law, then we would be risking his wrath just as the Animalians have done. You have seen the result of going against the word of the Creator."
"You are in the Etanian Republic, the furthest from the war; you can stand on your high horse all you want, but the war will not come to your doorstep until many years from now." Sikar Kanos spat. "Our people will be extinct by the end of five years. We will be under the rule of the unbelievers. How much more would we lose our souls if we allowed the Animalians to overcome us?"
The Balar and Tezino Republic highborn stood against the Vindish and the Etanian Republic highborn, who lived far away from the front lines.
Tarak gestured for the Ambassadorial Hall guards to intervene. "We must break for a brief recess. Guards, please separate those who are fighting with minimal injuries. No charges will be pressed for injuries incurred in separating the highborn."
###
The province of Veersea bordered Jaden's own home province of Calstein. If the Animalians took the capitol, it was only a matter of time before the entire province fell. Minerale would rot from the inside.
The Elementi were fighting a losing battle against the Animalian forces. This alliance needs to be signed today.
The division of the Elementi Republics concerned Jaden. If they could not get the Etanian and Vindish Republics to join, the Mineralite would not be able to provide support to the Balar and Tezino Republics.
Casper appeared at his side and said, "Your father requests your presence."
Pushing through the crowded room, Jaden navigated the rapids of the anxious nobles and highborn.
Jaden walked into his father's study. His whole staff was present, including Jaden's mother, Vivian.
Kern looked up and saw Jaden. He turned to his head of staff. "You have your orders. You are all dismissed. We must move quickly if we are to save the province."
Jaden sat in one of the now empty armchairs. "So what is the plan with this marriage exchange idea? What is the goal exactly?"
Kern groaned, "I warned him not to ask for a marriage exchange; the Elementi will never agree to it. But he is right; a piece of paper is no foundation for trust among our people. Much less our soldiers."
"So this isn't a ploy?" Jaden blew air through his teeth. "He really is demanding a marriage exchange. You said you researched the Word, and it says nothing of marriages between our people being forbidden?"
"No, the Word is quoted out of context to justify our separation." Kern sighed, "I should have just told him it was forbidden; he would have believed me."
Vivian shook her head. "You are a man of truth, however inconvenient that can be at times."
"The Balar and Tezino Republic support us. They are desperate, so they require the most help. We must get the Etanian and Vindish to join the alliance so we may march through their lands and get assistance from their armies. Have you spoken with the Taj? Have we heard from the Balar Republic?
"There has been no message from Balar. Terak is in with the Elementi now, trying to calm them down while they wait for word from the frontline." Kern grumbled, "We cannot sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. I called you in here for an important reason. As you can imagine, the king removing each of the dukes who stayed behind is not endearing him to any of the nobility."
Jaden nodded. "Even if they were loyal before, the fear for the loss of their power will make them jump onto the bandwagon of the next upstart who wants to be king."
"I need you to ask the Scarlet Society to launch their own investigation into each of the duke's loyalty." Kern stated evenly.
The air in the room grew stale. "What would make you think I know how to get in contact with the Scarlet Society?"
Vivan smiled, "Because you are the leader of the Scarlet Society."
Jaden laughed nervously, "What? What would make you think such a ludicrous idea?"
Kern raised an eyebrow, and Vivian's smile grew wider.
Jaden looked between his parents, feeling all for the world the same as he did as a child when he took apart his mechanical toys to figure out how they worked.
"H-how?" Jaden tried to think of when he could have possibly slipped up or given some indication that he knew the Scarlet Society. Had he gotten too comfortable of late?
"My dearest boy, you really think you could run a secret society and your parents wouldn't know?"
"So every time that you scolded me in public, every time you forced me to do community service, you knew." Jaden blinked, indignation rising. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"If I had excused your continual absences, it would have only served to raise suspicions." Kern shrugged. "Now, can you mobilize your forces before the king's enforcers tear our kingdom apart?"
Jaden stood up and said, "Yes, I will call an emergency meeting and reassign my men."
Halfway to the door, he stopped, "How did you figure it out?"
"Think, Jaden. Who hired Casper to look after you?" Kern tried to smother the smug look on his face with a frown, but was only half successful.
"Mother did."
Casper was waiting outside the office. "Sir?"
Jaden shook his head and spoke through gritted teeth, "Not here."
Casper followed him at a discreet distance, somehow sensing his anger. No, not anger, betrayal? How did he feel about his most trusted confidante telling his parents everything?
Probably the same as Sihara felt about finding out her best friend was a spy for her father. Life as the child of a diplomat wasn't easy.
Jaden pulled the key to his office from his sleeves and unlocked the door.
Once they were safely inside, Jaden found he couldn't look Casper in the eye. "My father has requested that the Scarlet Society discreetly look into the loyalty of each of the dukes who stayed behind to mind their province while the alliance mediation took place."
Casper stopped writing in his notebook. "Your.. father?"
"Yes, my father, who we have painstakingly taken steps to prevent his knowledge of my involvement with the Scarlet Society, asked me to give my men new orders." Jaden gripped the edge of a chair until his knuckles turned white. "I understand why they didn't tell me. What I don't understand is why you weren't truthful with me. Have I not earned your trust? Your respect?"
Casper let out a hard exhale; his voice was softer than he had ever heard it before. "Please understand it was not my choice, Jaden."
"It was absolutely your choice; do not give me that excuse." Jaden turned around to face him. "How much do they know? Oh, I cannot afford this weakness, this doubt swirling around in my mind. My heart has been taken out and examined."
Casper held his black book to his heart, pain etched on his face. "I told them only what they needed to know. Your plans, your whereabouts, your injuries, your... loves."
Jaden groaned, falling into his chair. "Oh Creator, they know about Lilith."
"I am so sorry, Jaden." Casper put a shaky hand on the table to steady himself. "I begged her not to put me in such a precarious position. I hated betraying your trust, but my life debt is to her father."
"How can I ever trust you again?" Jaden was sick to his stomach. "And yet, you know everything; you are, for all intensive purposes, the very heart of the Scarlet Society."
Casper bowed his head. "Tell me what to do to make it up to you, and I will do it. I only ask that you remember all that I have done for you. That I have put your life before mine, time and time again."
Jaden stared at this old man. He had been young once. A tutor, mentor, and guardian all at once to a young boy who had lost his place in the world. In all that time, he had also been a spy.
"It will take me time to forgive you, Casper." Jaden said, "But I think someday I will be able to forgive you. I need you to tell the Scarlet Society to investigate the duke's loyalty before the representatives from the Ragos province tear our kingdom apart. Those who are loyal will have no problem proving it. Those who are traitors must be arrested before the investigation starts."
Casper nodded quickly, "It will be done. Where are you going?"
"I am going to show my face in the ballroom and see who I can sway to our side." Jaden changed his jacket and ran a hand through his hair.
###
The servants had thrown together an impromptu feast for the Mineralites and the Elementi women who weren’t welcome in the Meeting Hall while the Elementi highborn discussed the king's "demands.".
The lack of a doorman to announce each of the nobles lent an informal feel to the afternoon. Someone had brought in a record player from their room and played the same songs on repeat.
His new companion, Freida Kasel, was a picture of elegance and everything a good, noble Mineralite woman was expected to be. Casper had worked over the last few days to create a cover story for her that would explain her sudden appearance in the court. If pressed for details, Lord George Kasel would claim she was a distant relative. He was only able to acknowledge her status after her noble parent had died, meaning the shame of an illegitimate child could not hurt his house. Not uncommon in the Mineralite court, but strange enough to explain away any discrepancies.
Jaden didn’t even know her real name, but the other Scarlet’s had assured him it was best he knew as little as possible about her true identity. Unfortunate that Casper didn't feel the same about his identity when it came to his parents.
“You should speak with Josephine.” Freida whispered when she refilled her cup of punch. “She’s been staring at us the whole time.”
Freida stepped away, and Josephine pushed her way through the crowd.
“How dare you!” Josephine slapped him across the face. “Going around with another woman. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Jaden held a hand to his reddening face, completely blindsided by her actions. “You asked to be let out of our arrangement.”
Josephine laughed, an edge of panic to her voice. “I asked for your help!”
“No, you-” Jaden’s heart leapt out of his chest. Oh, Eshe, have mercy; she wanted me to marry her.
There were tears in Josephine’s eyes. “I am not another one of your toys to be played with and discarded. We grew up together! I thought that would mean something to you.”
“I’m sorry.” Jaden swallowed the lump in his throat. “Creator, you have no idea how sorry I am, but I can’t marry you. Things in my life are complicated.”
Josephine stared at him with a look of utter betrayal. “You should have never asked me to the soiree.”
As she walked away, Jaden realized the Scarlet Society had cost him something valuable this time. She cared about him. If and when he was ready to get married, no amount of apologies would repair the damage he had done to their relationship.
Jaden picked up what was left of his pride and decided it was time to get something to eat. He filled his place with small appetizers.
Sihara appeared at his elbow and hissed, “What was that about?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.” Jaden filled his mouth with tasteless crackers and tried not to let losing Josephine get to him. The first Mineralite province could fall to the Animalians in a matter of days. His most trusted confidante had betrayed his trust from the beginning.
Sihara sighed, “Fine. Who is your new beau?”
Jaden offered a tight smile. “Lady Freida Kasel.”
Sihara’s eyes narrowed. “I have not heard of her.”
“I’m not surprised; Lord Kasel recently acknowledged her.” Jaden hated how easy it was to lie to her. To Josephine. To his parents. To everyone except the people whose salaries he paid.
Jaden tried to shake off the morose thoughts, but they clung to him like pond scum. He found a place to sit, and Sihara didn’t even ask before joining him.
Has she always been this impertinent?
A servant brought Sihara a teapot and two tea cups. “Why didn’t he introduce her sooner?”
Jaden sighed, “Her noble parent was still living, and Lord Kasel did not want to bring shame on the family.”
“I would be careful about her, Jaden.” Sihara stirred a lump of sugar into her tea. “There is something about her that does not seem right.”
“What do you think about my king's proposal?” Jaden changed the subject and hoped she would drop it. The last thing he needed right now was for her to keep digging.
Sihara blew out a breath. "Do you have any idea how mad my fathko is?"
"I didn't ask what your fathko thought; I want to know what you think."
"Oh." Sihara sat up and blinked a few times as if no one had ever asked for her opinion. "I think the king was wise to ask for ‘hostages’ as Sikar Braeden Holt so delicately put it. By putting the lives of his brothko and the general's dottir on the line, they are proving their loyalty beyond any measure. They both will have a vested interest in keeping every single one of his nobles and soldiers in line."
"It is common practice in Minerale." Jaden pointed out, "I'm honestly surprised that marriage exchanges aren't more common in Elementi."
"But at the same time, I pity those who will be chosen for these roles. They will live at the whim of the decisions of a hundred different soldiers and nobles." Sihara shook her head. "To be completely honest, without blood to tie our countries together, I truly believe the highborn Elementi would have no problem turning on the kingdom of Minerale the moment the war is over.”
"People accuse you of the very things they do." Jaden arched an eyebrow. He poured himself a cup of tea and savored the spicy warmth.
“You know how the Mineralite court is violent and the Elementi courts are considered peaceful?” Sihara traced the rim of her teacup in a contemplative motion. “Well, that is because Mineralites execute all of their violence and betrayals publicly. It is inappropriate for an Elementi to be caught betraying his family, bribing, or killing someone to gain power. They still do all of the same treacherous things, just in secret.”
Sihara leaned back in her seat. “Add to that the fact that no one would consider marrying one of their precious bargaining pieces to a Mineralite when they could marry their sons and dottirs off to their fellow highborns for more influence and power in the courts. Not to mention that any child born of such a union will end up like me.”
"Or me." Jaden smiled bitterly. "Yes, do not envy those who will be chosen."
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