Page 256 of Onyx Cage: Volume II
“Sometimes I wish I hadn’t sworn to let him live,” I admitted under my breath, and Arès chuckled.
“Well,Ididn’t promise anything,” he said.
I couldn’t tell whether or not he was being serious, but there was no time to clarify before Iiro made a grand, sweeping gesture, effectively ordering everyone to take their seats at the table.
And the game officially began.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWELVE
Ihad given up on sleep several hours after midnight, resigning myself to pacing the room and relentlessly reviewing every detail of what should have been a nearly flawless plan.
But when my entire clan was at stake—when my wife was at stake—nearlywasn’t good enough.
So it took more effort than usual to will my features into a haughty, careless mask as I made my way down the hallways to the throne room. Kirill and Yuriy were at my back, as I was chronically incapable of trusting Iiro.
Arès clearly felt the same way, since he was waiting outside the door for us rather than going in. Danil Uitto, the Duke of Crane, joined us moments later.
He bore a solemn expression as he approached. With the losses he had suffered, Crane had more reason than even Bear to hate Iiro and his rule.
“Danil,” I greeted, with Arès following suit.
He nodded in return, fixing his features into neutrality before we entered the throne room.
The first thing I did was carefully assess the surroundings. Guards lined the room, the allotted ten each clan was allowed to bring, plus the hundreds from Elk and the Palace.
I would have been frustrated by his clear favoritism in allowing his brother to bring an actual regiment if it wasn’t working in our favor.
Iiro perched on his gaudy throne, predictably wearing his oversized crown, ridiculously ornate robes, and that obnoxious, arrogant expression he favored.
Even knowing how this day would end for him, I could still hardly stand to look at his face.
He had a smattering of Elk guards around him, but more than half were his own, which was unfortunate. At least Korhonan had apparently been successful in convincing him Inessa would be better off holding tea this morning, since she was nowhere to be seen.
“My good dukes,” Iiro began, gesturing to the room. “Thank you all for attending our first annual tithing.”
Arès and Danil shifted uncomfortably on their feet, and they weren’t the only ones. The dukes from Bison and even Viper looked just as uneasy about being here. Bear’s taxes might have been the worst, but no one was coming out of this unscathed.
My gaze shifted from them to the window, looking for the telltale sign that Rowan was close, but still, nothing. When I caught Kirill’s gaze, he subtly shook his head to confirm he saw nothing from his vantage point either.
I didn’t look at Korhonan, not wanting to give his brother any cause for suspicion.
Without preamble, Iiro got straight to the point, his gaze locking on me and the dukes at my side.
“Sir Stenvall,” he said in an overly pleasant tone. “Why don’t we begin with you.”
He gestured for me to stand before him, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I nodded, casually sliding my hands into my pockets as I stepped forward.
We had known that he would likely single me out first, to make an example of me. To encourage the others to bow to his whims once he forced me to do the same.
Before Iiro could utter a single word, a dense mist settled over the palace, obscuring the morning sun that had lit up the room only moments ago.
Like the distant beat of a war drum, or the dark skies that beckon a storm, the cloud served as a beacon of her arrival. Relief washed over me in response.
She was here. Alive and here, and soon we could put an end to this charade.
A few of the dukes exchanged startled glances at the abrupt wave of fog uncharacteristically high in the air, but there was no real alarm.
At least, not until a burst of light flashed through the air, followed by a sharp, explosive crack directly over our heads. When the air around us no longer shook with the force of the thunder, Iiro barked a few orders for the guards stationed near him to make sure that no major damage had been done.