Erzur runs a hand over my shoulder, turning me back towards the table. “Come, I’m absolutely famished.”
I draw out her chair and catch a whiff of her subtle perfume as she sits. Servants bustle into the room with trays of steaming dishes and plates of fruit piled high. I keep a straight face as I’m served, but Erzur watches me as if she can sense my hunger. Her almond shaped eyes are sharp, like a cat’s.
“Your Grace,” I say, sipping fresh-squeezed juice. “Shall we discuss the matter of my visit?”
“Say what you will.” She turns to her food, but I know she’s listening intently.
“The fight against Sadal’s demon army and the Bloodbane witches is a difficult one,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “With King Moritz’s forces and Queen Haru’s navy, we’ve managed to evacuate most of my people. We’ve kept Sadal at bay and inside Alnembra’s borders.”
“And yet you haven’t been able to push him back,” she says lightly, popping a bite of food in her mouth.
I force back the spark of anger. Her spies would have been watching the war carefully, I’m not surprised she knows of my failures. “No,” I confirm. “We haven’t. But we know our forces are capable of defeating the demons and the Bloodbane. The only problem is Sadal.”
“And what would you expect my sun soldiers to do in the face of the dark god?” She asks.
“I’ll take care of Sadal, but our forces are depleted,” I say, trying to sound casual even though my heart is beating too quickly. We need her.
“Ah.” She grins knowingly. “So it is soldiers you’ve come for.”
“The sun soldiers are second to none,” I say.
She sips a glass of wine. “And yet you went to Moritz first.”
“Moritz and my father were close,” I say stiffly. I don’t want to draw her bickering with Moritz into the issue. The war is bigger than that.
“And you knew he would help without question,” she says.
“If Alnembra falls, Canes and Santaya will be next.” I lean forward, eyes flashing. “Last night you said you had little interest in my impending doom, but the doom is not only mine.”
Erzur picks at her nails before sliding her cold eyes towards me. “Why should the dark god bother with Santaya if I don’t pose a threat? Canes and Stellium will certainly face his wrath. You brought this upon yourself, Altair, when you resisted him and his Bloodbane.”
“Resisted?” I bark out a laugh and my cutlery clatters to the porcelain plates. “Would you have surrendered your throne and people to a people as vicious as the Bloodbane?”
She shrugs. “I wouldn’t have started a war with them. There are subtler ways of getting what you want.”
I lean forward, scowling. “Do you want me to beg?” I spit out.
A feral grin splits her lovely lips. “I prefer begging to be done in the bedroom.”
“Enough games, Erzur,” I snap. “This is a threat that faces all of the kingdoms, not only mine. Will you help?”
“What will you give me in return?” She asks coyly.
“What do you want?” I ask through gritted teeth.
She rises as a breeze snaps her silk gown back against her figure. My eyes dart over her lithe shape, lingering on her full breasts. Irritation ebbing in my chest, I drag my gaze back to her face. She smiles at me, like a spider with a fly in its web. Erzur slinks around the table and pauses inches from me. I stare up at her, brows knitted together. I know what she wants.
She traces her pointed fingertips over my jawline. “If I win this war for you,” she whispers. “I want an alliance with you. A promise.”
“I can’t,” I say. “If I do, the curse will never be fully broken.”
“It hasn’t returned yet, has it?” She cocks a brow. “Forget your Bloodbane. She’s lost to the dark god.”
I duck my head, dodging her hands. “It’s impossible,” I snap. “I love her.”
“Love?” She scoffs. “You would sacrifice your kingdom for her? Haven’t you learned your lesson?”
I rise, kicking my chair back. Despite Erzur’s height, I still tower over her. I narrow my eyes, fury and regret washing through me. She ignores the darkness in my eyes and strokes my jaw. I stiffen under her touch, breathing sharply through my nose. “Think on it,” she murmurs. “You said yourself you need my sun soldiers.”
I turn away before she can slip any closer to me. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I stalk from the small room back towards my chambers. With any other ruler, I wouldn’t have dared to walk away without showing any respect, but Erzur knows she’s played me right into the palm of her hands.
The halls blur past, tunnel vision only showing me my door at the end of the hall. I slam it behind him, fists clenched. “Fuck,” I hiss.
I drag my hand over my jaw line, wiping away the touch of her sultry fingers on my skin. Moritz and I have less than half the men we would need to push back the seemingly endless armies of demons and Bloodbane. Sadal is one I’ll take care of personally, with the help of the first Bloodbane. But the armies themselves are another matter. I grit my teeth, anger washing through me like waves of power.
I drop onto a chaise and rest my chin in my hands. I could always turn to another for soldiers. There are the kingdoms to the north that might lend their forces for something cheaper – like gold. But Alnembra has always been closer to the southern lands and the ocean isles. I sigh through gritted teeth, desperation eating at my conscience.
I picture Verity, dressed in those oversized trousers and tunic she would wear around the castle. I snort and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. She had no need for elegant gowns or elaborate make up. She was comfortable in those clothes, beautiful even. I wonder if Erzur reads as
