Prince and the Throne (Fedosian Wars #2)

27. The Plan

twenty-seven

The Plan

Lev sat on the floor of the ballroom at Raven and whispered with Fedya while a string quartet played in the corner. The musicians were far enough they couldn’t eavesdrop over their instruments, and there was no one else in the ballroom. They thought Lev was eccentric so this wasn’t strange, but the conversation couldn’t be overheard in a city where silver bought information. Lady Guard was missing, and they were searching for her. That was all. It could not be known they’d lost the crown prince. Otherwise, there would be war. Not the game of houses they’d been playing so far, but all out war for the throne.

Word was sent to a Shield commander called Volg to come keep order in Krakova, pretend as though it was affairs as usual. Lev didn’t like his literal name was wolf, but Aleksei trusted him and that would have to do. Pulyazin couldn’t keep the capital, not without holding the prince hostage, and Lev had no misgivings about that. Shield was a house of war with numerous garrisons in the west, and they’d swallowed the Chartorisky in a handful of days.

He’d pressed the prince’s seal directing effort for the rebuilding of Seniya, the train station, giving orders for the Durnov to fix or rebuild their transportation machine, and for Fedya to take with him grain enough to survive the winter. He’d gone through the grain reserves, and they were woefully short. Everything had to move, including the grain trade with Elfur as though Nikolas was at Raven still.

“Yes, Your Grace,” Fedya said to Lev’s request to transfer Raven over peacefully when Volg arrived, and to brief him on the specifics which couldn’t be written down or sent with a messenger.

At the end of an hour long conversation, the lord rose with Lev and bowed. “May the saints watch over you, Your Grace.”

“May the saints watch over us all,” answered Lev and headed for the door.

He was getting the hang of Raven now but would occasionally take a wrong turn and find himself at a dead end. The castle was built by a madman.

Only Dominik was in the soldiers’ quarters, everyone else out searching for Soful though they’d known she wasn’t in the city two days ago. The sentinel sat on a long bench by the fireplace, writing on a dark wooden table.

“Lord Lev,” he said.

Semyon had been right that Dominik was pretty. He looked like a statue from every angle and even the curls of his brown locks fell over his face perfectly, so he could comb them back gracefully as he looked up.

Lev sat down at the table and poured himself wine from the clay pitcher. “Anything?” he asked.

“Vasily Apraksin was seen driving a black coach over the Krakova bridge. Multiple patrolmen saw him but assumed it must be someone else because the lord himself had been driving. They are useless like that, but we haven’t been able to reorganize them since the queen’s passing because of, you know, the war with you. We just don’t have the resources.”

“The bridge?” Lev asked, hopeful that there had been a carriage. Because then, maybe Sofia was still alive. He was afraid the necromancer kidnapped the prince but killed his sister and threw her in the sewer canal. That was still a possibility, but the news of the carriage was better than hearing three male riders left.

“Or it may be a decoy. We don’t know,” said Dominik. “If the church could help spread the word to towns close by it would be helpful.”

“I tried. But the aviary is in disarray,” Lev said. “Apparently, they can’t wipe their ass without my uncle. What are we doing? Where’s Aleksei?”

“Throne room,” he said, then clarified, “Not yours, ours.”

“We have yours and ours?”

“Her Majesty’s throne room. That’s one with fire pits in the floor. I heard you had some trouble there.” He smirked.

Lev imagined Aleksei sitting about on the throne and frowned, and as he got up to go find Aleksei, Dominik asked, “Are you able to find your way, Lord Lev?”

He wanted to say yes but didn’t want to waste time being lost, so he said, “Would you show me?”

“Of course, my lord.” Dominik set the quill aside and rose. Then as they walked through the dim corridors of the Shield side of Raven, he said, “I heard Lord Semyon passed. My condolences. He was a friend.”

“I bet he was,” Lev said.

“Not like that, Lev.” Dominik looked over his shoulder. “Skuratov loved you.”

“You’re very direct,” said Lev.

“Sorry.”

“No, that’s all right.”

One eternity later—Lev would have definitely gotten lost on his own—they reached the black throne room.

Aleksei sat at the foot of the dais, the throne behind him, red, black, and empty. All his alchemy alight, and his eyes burning like coal, Lev found Aleksei menacing but didn’t show it and marched toward him. The half blind sentinel who nearly killed Lev was chained to an iron grate and didn’t look to be doing too well, bleeding all over the place.

The darksteel dagger in Aleksei's hand moved on its own like a small creature wrapping around his wrist, around and around. Red eyes flicked to Lev, stalking him as he crossed the hall. He had no idea how Soful found him attractive. The fucker was temperamental, swung from insane to asshole, brooding always as though he was about to cry or kill, and sounded in pain even when he was just having tea in the sun. Women were strange.

“You need me,” groaned the half blind sentinel.

“I disagree,” Aleksei said.

The chain yanked the sentinel to his feet, many fine hooks burrowed into his skin. He moaned, then breathed blood. As Lev got closer, he realized darksteel snakes slithered everywhere, on the floor and wrapping around the pillars, as though the room was alive. Aleksei’s lash had multiplied.

Lev questioned whether he should be approaching the bastard at all, but did anyway.

“What?” Aleksei asked.

“Although it may be more smoke without the fire, I think Grigori is Elfurian.” Lev got right to it. “I think he’s taking the prince and going home. He’s insane enough to want war, and taking Nikolas to Elfur would certainly start one. Murmia is the closest port. I’m leaving, but I’d like you to give me sentinels.” The port was warm, Pulyazin alchemy would be weak, this wasn’t their neck of the woods, and leaving the city, Lev would run into Shield forces. He didn’t have time for the trouble and it was easier to travel with sentinels.

“Vasily Apraksin was seen crossing the Krakova bridge, driving a black coach, Captain,” said Dominik.

“When?” Aleksei asked.

“We just found out, Captain. But three nights ago, according to the patrol. I’m still verifying…” Seeing Aleksei’s reaction, Dominik wisely took a step back. Lev thought Dominik had been stalling in the soldiers’ quarters, afraid to break the news to his captain. “They don’t report to us, Captain,” he explained.

“It’s a coach, Aleksei,” said Lev. “They have to stay on the road. I can ride them down, but I want men and horses.” Three days was a great lead, but it was doable in Lev’s mind.

“Apraksin is a soulless now, you say.” Aleksei considered the claim. “What happened to your knights, Lev? Light users would be nice. We have no protocol on dealing with dark arts.”

“Jerking off in the east,” said Lev. “Not going to lie, communication has become a major problem since Uncle’s death. I don’t see how because he didn’t use to hand feed the pigeons, and it occurs to me this luminary fucker is doing it purposefully to hinder me.” He grimaced, remembering the fucker gave Sofia forged gold.

“Take me,” breathed the tortured sentinel.

“You don’t obey orders,” said Aleksei. “Niko was at Raven when we arrived. They slipped out during your bullshit. Should the prince perish, it’s your fault. Sit here and revel in that while you rot alive, Eugene.” Aleksei rose. “We leave with a dozen. Make the preparations, Doma.”

“Yes, Captain.” Dominik bolted.

“You should probably stay.” Aleksei gathered his scattered gear from the dais. “So Fedya doesn’t get any ideas about sitting on the throne. It’ll turn to shit if Volg arrives and Fedya doesn’t surrender Raven.

“I trust him,” Lev said.

“Famous last words,” Aleksei said.

“What happens when the prince returns and this Volg doesn’t surrender the power?” Lev challenged.

“I don’t actually care,” was Aleksei’s answer, and they had been walking out together when the chained sentinel called from behind.

“Take me, Aleksei! Take me with you.”

“What do I need old lying dogs for?” Aleksei snapped.

“I know his true name. I know Grigori’s Elfurian name,” yelled the sentinel. “If you can’t catch up to them, you have no way of finding him without me. Take me, Aleksei.”

Aleksei stopped, and Lev turned, unimpressed. “Is it Federik or Sebastian?” Lev asked. “The whole of Elfurian male populace is named so.” He pulled Aleksei’s elbow, then wiped his hand on his cloak when he realized he’d touched him. “You can’t find a man by his name alone, Aleksei. Elfur isn’t a town. It’s an empire. Our time is better spent riding down Vasily rather than watching our backs with him behind us.”

“He won’t betray Niko,” Aleksei said, hesitating and wasting time. “Then give me his name, Eugene.”

“Take me, Aleksei. You will need me,” the sentinel said.

“Let’s go, Aleksei. It won’t matter,” said Lev.

But he didn’t listen. Aleksei turned and marched toward the sentinel. He grabbed him by the chains, tearing at the skin, and said, “Did you think Burkhard was cruel, Eugene? He wasn’t. Should you lose me Sofia, I’ll show you cruelty.”

“No doubt.” The sentinel wheezed. “Now free me, boy. We’re wasting daylight.”

To the half blind sentinel’s credit, he was as tough as Skuratov iron and was mounted already, his pack horse saddled and beside him, when Lev stepped out onto the carriageway. No carriages, though, no time to stop, everyone would be riding with a spare horse. He checked his tack, stepped on his stirrup, and swung a leg over his tall white horse.

Aleksei’s nasty black gelding side eyed Lev’s mount. He recalled the steed from when the queen attacked White Palace.

“He kicks. Also bites,” Dominik warned, gesturing at Aleksei’s horse.

“I’m not surprised,” Lev said. Everyone mounted, dressed in plain so they didn’t immediately announce their arrival in Murmia. They were in front of Raven waiting on Aleksei, and when the captain burst out through the door carrying a saddlebag which he packed on the largest horse, Lev sneered. “Taking a last moment shit, Aleksei?”

“I’m bringing gold for your whiny ass,” Aleksei said, yanking the harness to check the saddlebag. “I thought your alchemy was expensive.”

It was. Lev packed boots, cloaks, change of attires, wine, opium, the skin book, and had also found room for gold cuffs.

“Brought a map of Elfur just in case.” Aleksei jumped on his horse. “You don’t have one, I suppose.”

Lev had never even seen one. His whole plan was to catch Vasily on Fedosian soil, and if they couldn’t… He didn’t know.

“Let’s go. Try not to cheat this time.” Aleksei kicked his mount and the thing bolted.

Lev caught up. They’d trot as much as possible but galloping in this weather, unless they had the carriage in sight, would waste the horses. “You burned down my home, my father is dead, and you want to bring up the fucken steeplechase?”

“I’m sorry about Lord Pyotr,” Aleksei said.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Pyotr Guard killed himself.”

“If you say so.” Aleksei pulled up ahead.

They weren’t trotting was Lev’s guess. All right, he’d play. Let’s race to Murmia, then.