“Lady Eona — Imperial
For a moment, his formal announcement held me still. It belonged to the court, not here, in a cave. Ryko was pressing home my rank.
As I entered, five men turned from their examination of a scroll spread across a table — Yuso and Viktor among them— and dropped to their knees in low bows. The sixth man remained bent over the scroll: the emperor.
He had bathed and shaved, although he had left the dark stubble on his head. The long imperial queue had also been washed and re-clubbed, but without the jewels and gold thread strung through it. No doubt they would soon be our army’s food and weapons. His only jewel now was the Imperial Pearl, framed by the open collar of his borrowed red tunic: a very visible symbol of his right to command.
His skin still held the pallor of the shadow world, and his body had the careful bearing of pain, but overall he had recovered well. Slowly, he looked up, and my breath locked in my chest. His dark eyes held no warmth, only wariness.
“Do you no longer bow to your emperor, Lady Eona?” he asked.
I dropped into my own obeisance, hiding my confusion. Had I done something wrong? I stared fiercely at the woven rug on the cave floor, willing back the sharp sting of tears. There could be only one reason for his coldness. My passion had disgusted him.
“Rise,” he said to us all.
I climbed to my feet, hoping the flush had faded from my face. The bank of oil lamps around the walls made the room airless, or perhaps it was my own shame that choked my breath. I pressed my hand against my chest, covering the pale skin above the deep blue cloth.
Ryko edged into the periphery of my vision — a silent reminder. I did not want to step forward, but I had promised.
“Your Majesty,” I said, trying to add some steel to my voice. “Ryko wishes to join a search party and be of use. May he have your leave to do so?”
I was not ready to meet the ice in Kygo’s eyes again. I settled for watching his mouth. All of its tenderness had tightened into a hard line of command.
“No. I have use for him here.”
I bowed, Ryko dropping into his own obeisance beside me, only his clenched hands giving away his frustration.
“Lady Eona, come forward,” Kygo said.
Stiffly, I moved a step toward him.
“We are discussing the black folio,” he said. “Yuso says you claim that Dillon used its power to create the ring of water.”
I glanced around the circle of men. Every face held some recognition of the tension between the emperor and me. Yuso’s eyes met mine, wary.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Dillon called on the folio’s
“How does he call it? He has as little training as you.”
“I don’t know.”
“Can he do it again?”
I lowered my head at his clipped assault. “I don’t think so.” I swallowed, trying to find some moisture in my parched mouth. “I think he would need my power again to use it, but I am not sure, Your Majesty. The black folio is a mystery to me, too.”
“So it was your power as well?”
“Dillon took it. I did not give it, Your Majesty.”
“And this black folio has the secret to the String of Pearls?”
“It is what Lord Ido told me.”
“Lord Ido.” Kygo’s snort of suspicion sent a chill through me. “You are very keen to rescue him.”
I lifted my head, meeting his challenge. “You know why, Your Majesty.”
His dark eyes held no concession. “My priority has changed.
We must find the black folio before my uncle does. Lord Ido can wait.”
I stepped forward. “No, he cannot! He is barely hanging on to life.”
Kygo stiffened. “What did you say?”
Panic had pushed me too far. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. It is true we must find the black folio,” I said, recovering some control. “But getting Lord Ido away from your uncle is, in my humble opinion, more important. Dillon is not in his right mind and, even if we find him, he will not be of any help with the monsoon rains and floods. He has no control over his power or his actions. As you have already seen, he is dangerous.” I glanced around the tense circle of men. “Ido helped me hold off Dillon and the black folio’s power. We need him.”
Kygo leaned on the table. “Ido helped you? Why?”
“He was trying to save his own life as much as help me,” I said. “Dillon was trying to kill him.”
“How did he help you?”
“It is through the same kind of link I have with Ryko. The one made from healing. You saw it in the clearing when I could not control the energy.” Beside me, Ryko flinched as if I had touched him with a whip.
“Did Ido come to you, or did you make him?” There was something strange in Kygo’s tone — anticipation. But reluctance, too.
I stared at him, puzzled. “He just came into my head.” I paused, realizing I did not truly know how it happened. “Maybe I called him,” I added. “I don’t know; it was all too fast. I don’t know enough about the way it all works. It is why I need Lord Ido to train me.”
Kygo turned his back. “I wish to speak to Lady Eona.” He did not raise his voice, but I could feel the threat. “Ryko, Yuso, stay. The rest of you, leave us. Leave the cave.”
The other men could not bow and back away fast enough. As the sounds of their exit receded into the distance, I looked across at Ryko, but the islander was staring at the ground, his body tense. Yuso stood stolidly at the table, his attention fixed on his emperor.
“Tell me, Ryko,” Kygo finally said, his back still to us, “did you feel Lady Eona’s link with Ido as they fought the black folio?”
Ryko shifted. “Yes.” He looked away from my shock. “The link held no sway over my will, but I felt it. As I said before, Your Majesty.”
“Yuso, draw your sword,” Kygo said.
The hiss of steel sent a creeping shiver across my back as if it had been drawn against my skin. “Kygo, what is wrong?” I asked.
He finally turned to me, his face set. “Take Ryko’s will.”
I heard the islander suck in a breath. For a moment I could not form any sound.
“Why?” I finally managed.
“Because it is my command.”
“You saw what happened last time. I could not control it.”
“Do as I say. Now!”
“Kygo, it is too dangerous.”
He slammed his hand on the table. “I said, take it!”
“I promised I would not. Please, I don’t want to hurt Ryko.”
At the corner of my eye I saw Yuso flex his hand around the sword’s hilt.
“Take it!” Kygo repeated.
“Why are you doing this?”
“No. It is wrong!”
My shout echoed over and over in the small cavern — a rolling chorus of defiance.
Kygo gripped the edge of the table. “So stubborn. Why won’t you just do as you’re told?” He nodded at Yuso. “Break Ryko’s shoulder.”
“What?” I stepped back, as if the command had been a blow to my own body.
