“Growing up on Ahana, I lived in a tropical paradise,” Nola continued. “My father, King Penier, ensured my mother and I wanted for nothing, but I wanted recognition, as did my mother before she passed. My father may have killed Iver’s father and uncle, but that was because they interfered in Milnosian affairs. Iver Galloway had no right to execute my father in return. I will have my revenge.”
Maxwell chuckled. “Come, my dear, you are no stranger to wealth and power.” He stepped closer to her again. “Your reputation on Ahana is what brought you here. The bustling port below your estate filled with travelers: kings and dignitaries—men seeking their fortune or secrets.” He brushed her chin with his fingers.
Nola smiled at the truth behind his words. She had learned the old craft from her mother—potions, hypnotism, magic—and lies and secrets had become her stock-in-trade. “Yes, my lavish lifestyle and spy network attracted them all—King Iver was no exception.” The thought of those early years twisted her nose as if she smelled something foul. “Mariana kept a keen eye on him, never letting him out of her sight. The woman looked down on me. I know it. She thought she was better than me.”
Thoughts of the previous queen curdled Nola’s insides. She hated Mariana with the darkest parts of her soul, and it suited her fine if her son paid the price in her stead. Yes, she would make Kai Galloway suffer if it was the last thing she ever did. Any who wronged her must pay.
Maxwell’s laughter echoed off the stone palace, breaking her contemplation. “And still,” Maxwell applauded her, “you made it your business to get close to the widowed king.”
Her own chuckle tickled her spine, remembering the ease with which she had seduced Iver and became his queen. “A broken man is a weak-minded man.” She gleamed. “Iver was too trusting.”
“I implore you, Nola—leave this city, destroy it or let it falter without leadership, but come home with me to Milnos. I need you. Your brother, Landon, will take care of you. We belong in our homeland; this backwater does not deserve a flower as sweet as you. They do not treat their royals with enough reverence here. You should stand above the people, not shoulder to shoulder.”
She kept her face soft, hiding her distrust. “My father shared your disdain for these people,” she said, then shook her head. “Landon promised you a place by his side, so you do his bidding. You have no more claim to the Milnos throne than I. There we have no power, not real power, but here we control trade routes. Money and power blossom in Diu, we need only take it. You have debts, Maxwell—Bangloo will come to claim them, and Milnos will no longer cover your wasteful ways. Let Diu fund your bad habits.”
Nola knew one thing for certain—she had power as the Queen of Diu, but only while Iver lived. Once Iver died, a man needed to sit on the throne. If Kai did not return, she would see to it that Aaron would be the next king, or she would convince others that Kai, Iver’s eldest, was unfit to rule. “No,” she refused, “as a half-sister to Landon Penier, I would sit in the background. In Milnos, there is no guarantee he will publicly recognize me at court as his sister. He and I have spoken only a handful of times, and there are no guarantees.” No, she had grown fond of the influence—Diu city was under her control. All she needed was Iver and Kai out of the way.
“Diu is no place for you, Nola.”
“We have discussed this.” She held back the sarcastic tone she felt collect in her throat. “Kai has abandoned Diu city for his mother’s beloved Katori people. Painting him as unworthy of the crown will be easy; he has no loyalty to the Diu people. And if he does return, I have a plan to turn the world against him. Mark my words, Iver will be dead and six feet under—one way or another. And I shall place the crown on Aaron’s head while the city mourns, long before anyone can protest.”
“Not good enough,” Maxwell seethed. “I hate this country—their very existence disgusts me. They must be crushed for their audacity against Milnos in the war. I have noticed a change in the skies—the disappearance of dragons. Every year there are fewer and fewer in the sky near the Katori Mountains. In the past month, my men report there were no sightings over Baden Lake. I believe the beasts are dying off.”
Nola nodded in agreement. “Even Iver’s dragon, the one he used to keep traders in line, went missing and is presumed dead. No dragons mean the Katori people will no longer be a threat, and with Diu’s army and Fort Pohaku’s naval fleet under our control, we could conquer Katori next.” The facts were there; Katori was ripe for conquering. She liked the sound of this news.
His greedy eyes swelled with joy. “In time, Katori and Nebea will fall under our boots. We will control it all. Our power may even rival Bangloo.”
She knew Maxwell’s hatred for Diu ran deep, but the Regent’s shortsightedness exasperated her. Clearly, it was a waste of time try convincing Maxwell with logic. He would never allow her to keep even a scrape of control or power. She would need to continue to bend him to her will, or at least convince him it was his idea Diu should be
