Chapter 5 A Desperate Plan

The pale light of dawn streaked the horizon, taunting me through the Concubines' Quarters window. I could not bide my time for another assassin's dagger." Wren was hovering at my side now, eyes wide, and my heart pumped with new urgency. The coded warnings we'd deciphered hours before still echoed in my head: "Remove the queen by the next dawn." That grim line spurred me into action.

"We need to go," I whispered, looking around the corridor. Shadows threw against the walls, cast by the flickering flames of torches almost burnt out. Night had blurred into the morning as we grappled with fear and possible betrayal.

Wren gripped my arm. "If you go tip-toe to the edge, you'll be stepping on a trip wire."

I gulped down the dread, tightening my throat. "Better than waiting for the next ambush." If I can speak to Steve directly or show him I won't be cornered, maybe I can force his hand. "I'm not going to disappear like a wretched pawn."

There was worry on her face, but determination underlay her strain. "Let's run. Allies gather, find safe haven in the city."

And yet part of me wanted to escape, to sneak into hidden passageways, be gone beyond the gates. But for the same reason, that part remembered my people - those who relied on House Valtara's rule. Giving up my claim felt like abandoning them to a tyrant's rule. "No," I said firmly. "If I run, he wins."

A hush stretched between us. Then she nodded, resigned. "How do we get through the guards?"

I gestured to a row of ornately embroidered screens near the back hallway, a spot where concubines often changed behind elaborately embroidered curtains. "There's a servant's passage behind that. We can wear disguises and pretend we're staff bringing linens. Such tasks, the soldiers seldom question."

Wren inhaled unsteadily. "It's a risky gamble."

"We are out of time," I replied. My pulse quickened, urgency rippling through its every thump. "Help me gather a few cloaks. We'll cover our faces until I get to his chamber."

She dug for extra linens, her hands shaking from the tension. I bated my own breath, rehearsing the lie I'd tell ourselves to any guard we passed. If the plan didn't work, we'd probably be dead. But doing nothing ensured the same fate - only postponed.

Just as we were about to sneak out, the distant clang of metal against metal shattered the silence. The palace bells. An alert, perhaps, or a summons? The sharp peal echoed through the hallways, bringing new terror flooding through my veins. I froze, cloak half-pinned over my shoulders. Wren's gaze darted to mine.

"We need to get out now," I gasped, heart racing. So, if the bells called for an all-out search for me, time had run out. It was my last opportunity to confront Steve.

I almost fell into Steve's personal chambers, my breath ragged from the terse trek across the palace. Dawn's dim light lit these rooms only briefly; much of the space remained a sea of warm lamplight. Velvets and silks adorned every surface, lush and cloying. My heart pounded as I glimpsed him near a marble table, rifling through parchments with cold precision. He looked up upon my arrival, surprise fleeting across his face before his poise took over.

I tossed aside my oilcloth plastic disguise - an unremarkable cloak designed to fool any guards who might pass - and stepped forward, waving the letter we had discovered. "You meant to kill me," I accused, voice tight. "You set an assassin on me. Don't deny it."

He sat up, eyes sparkling. "Good morning to you as well. I hope you had no accidents in the night?" His tone oozed with false politeness. Underneath that placid exterior, pressure was building.

Anger coiled in my gut. "Don't pretend innocence. I have evidence." I flailed the crumpled pages, real anger pushing my words. "Your so-called mercenary left a black feather behind when it failed. And this letter refers to your clever scheme."

Steve's eyes turned to the paper in my hand. "You misunderstand." He paced nearer, features chiselled into an inscrutable mask. "Yes, I hired someone, just not to kill you. Protective measures. This palace is filled with signs of danger, Lois. I just had to make sure you weren't getting to any real assassins. A ruse to expose traitors."

I laughed at the absurdity. "You think I'm supposed to believe that story? You saw me fall and be humiliated, and now you're saying this was protection?"

He let out a slow breath, the faintest flash of conflict crossing behind his cool gaze. "You're no fool. You know how fragile your position is. Others want your head. I staged this in order to see who is still on your side in the court. You made it, which is more than a lot of folks could do."

My pulse thundered. Still burned the memory of narrowly avoiding that blade. "You used me as bait."

Steve's voice lowered, intense. "We were bred to rule, but only one of us can sit on the throne. I won't watch Valtara fall to indecision."

Emotion welled in my chest. Betrayal, heartbreak, longing, all knotted beyond sense. He had once been my confidant, an ally - perhaps even a friend. Now, every word from his mouth stung more. "Your explanations count for nothing. If I disappear, so does the kingdom's last rightful Frazer heir."

He winced at that. Then his cool facade came back. "You still stand. Maybe you're tougher than I gave you credit for." His eyes shifted to the letter gripped in my hand, jaw set. "But these accusations certainly are not going to help. People want a stable leader."

Taking a step closer, I allowed a defiant glimmer to enter my eyes. "Hurt me again and get the whole court to know exactly how you seized power."

The anger mixed with something like heartbreak and regret flared behind his reddened eyes. In that gilded chamber, we were a breath apart. The atmosphere was thick, and each breath seemed to bring me closer to a collision I could not escape. I gripped the letter harder until its edges bit into my palm. A single torch sputtered behind Steve, throwing dancing shadows over tapestries that once draped my family's crest.

He spoke low, voice serrated as a blade. "If you threaten my throne, Lois, you damn yourself. I've come too far to let you get in my way.'"

I wanted to snap back, to accuse and to grieve in equal measure. But in one smooth motion, he grabbed a ceremonial dagger that had been placed on the table. The hilt gleamed with garnets, a bright, murderous flourish for a sacred relic. My heart lurched at the thought that he might actually mean to use it.

He twisted the blade in his hand. Candlelight glinted on steel. "One last chance," he said, voice perilously placid. "Pledge your loyalty. Go out and declare I am a king. Or face the consequences."

My heart raced, but I willed my chin upward. "You can't frighten me into submission."

A sardonic half-smile pulled at his lips. "I had hoped we could come to a compromise. You, my ally, with some portion of your father's legacy. But if you continue to defy me-" He was too quick, bringing the dagger's point to rest against the hollow of my throat. My blood pulsed panic and rebellion, a messy drumroll.

Tension wound tight, thickening the silence. My voice quivered, but I didn't pull back. "Is this how you govern now, by intimidation? You claim to be a protector of Valtara?

His hold on the blade steadied, and I noticed the faint quiver of his wrist. Maybe he was grappling with the ghost of our old friendship or some vestige of love. But there was steel in his stare. "I do what I must. The kingdom says they cannot prosper under the divided rule."

My words were intense, and adrenaline raced. "Then end me now, if you can. I won't kneel."

His teeth clenched. For a breath, I believed he was really going to thrust the weapon home. The polished steel tapped at my skin, and a shiver ran through me. A warm droplet traversed my throat. A flash of pain, but my pride was unscathed.

He came closer, voice a low menace in my ear. "Swear loyalty - or die here."

Caught in his grip, my future felt balanced on a razor's edge. Breath trembling, I stared into his eyes, visceral hatred and grief coiling, my destiny hanging on a heartbeat.