KINGSLAYER

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Act 1 Chapter 80
ALEXANDER

Two days had passed since Alexander's meeting with Aegeus Imperator, and nothing had happened. He could not imagine why Imperator had not made a single move against Oceana yet, as his cause was supported by two growing groups: those who believed Jaylah might wipe out Navrika in its entirety and wanted her gone, and those who wanted a revolution to overthrow the Czar. Unfortunately, the latter group was smaller. Perhaps that was why Imperator bided his time, to let Ermalai damn himself.

Alexander had to remind himself that Imperator had the locket in his possession. He knew he did, because the whole bunker was filled with a strange vibration in the air, like a steady hum he had to focus on to hear.

The answers to Alexander's questions were answered when revolutionaries gathered for a meeting at sundown. He heard the buzz of their voices all clashing together from the room he was given several stories higher. Rather than sit alone with his thoughts, Alexander opted to head down the several flights of stairs into the meeting hall.

"—heard about the incident regarding the power we captured—the power that is rightfully ours," Imperstor was saying as he stood on a dais above the hundreds of Navrikans. Alexander lingered in the threshold. "The men who died that day died to further our glorious cause. May they be blessed in the afterlife for it. The fact that my own life was not taken despite the circumstances is proof that the gods smile down upon our efforts."

Murmurs of agreement ran through the crowd. It was as Alexander expected: out of all people in the world, Imperator was the most prepared to bring down a god into his mind and yet he still fell short as of now. Alexander could only be grateful he had not incinerated all of Navrika.

"This cannot even be considered a setback," he promised. "Matters within the Oceanic court are unfolding better than we could have hoped. The Queen has returned and has pledged herself to our Czarevich. As we know, she lusts for power within our land. She wants to infiltrate your homes and indoctrinate your children to worship her even as she wipes you out. Will you accept that, comrades?"

The room was a thunderous roar of, "Hell no!"

"Thank the gods that some of us still see sense. It will take some time, but we will corrode her reign from the inside. If we play our cards just right, we may even manipulate her into taking herself out without having to shed a drop of Navrikan blood." With a small smile, he added, "We all know she is unstable. With a small push, she will teeter off the ledge.

"This will buy us the time that is integral to the delicacy of our situation. The Oceanic throne will be empty for us to fill. With the power of the great god Draven himself, the people of Oceana will be forced to bow their heads or suffer the same fate they subjected our people to ten years ago. Finally, Navrika will be the one who steps on the neck of her oppressors."

Liar, Alexander thought. Liar, liar, liar. Imperator knew exactly what they wanted to hear, and would lie straight to their faces in order to buy their loyalty, their hope. And as they gazed up at him with the reverence of sinners to a vengeful god, he knew it was going to work.

"If there are any misgivings, any worries about our victory in this room, squash them. My sleeves are lined with tricks that will give us everything we want. One of them is in our midst." Over his men's heads, Imperator's eyes connected chillingly with Alexander's. "A spy sent directly from the Queen's side. He has given us the key to the Queen's demise. Give a toast to Alexander Khan!"

They were all looking now. Erupting into cheers, the men threw their drinks into the air, bits of foam spilling into the air. Their faces were twisted with joviality as they readied themselves for holy revolution. Their combined shouts of glee morphed into a cacophony of eerie guttural cries in Alexander's ears.

It dimmed when Alexander reveled in how surreal the situation was. He wished Imperator wouldn't throw his name around so carelessly after he'd so recently escaped enslavement, but he knew it. They all knew who he was for his accomplishments, nothing less. They celebrated him.

Of course, the moment was made bittersweet by the same murky black waters closing in from the corners of his mind. They were always so close these days.

Alexander showed no reaction to their cheers, simply staring into the crowd with blank eyes. They likely thought it was just because he was an impenetrable mercenary. But he did welcome their fervent ambition to free Navrika. And their praise. At least someone thought he was worthy of it.

Imperator weaved his way around the hall, speaking to his men. Alexander noticed he had a way of doing that, speaking to his men and not with them. He chalked it up to Imperator's palpable separation from the rest of them. He was just...something more than the rest of them.

From a far distance off, Alexander realized his ultimate destination laid with him. He steeled himself for being within arm's reach of him for the first time. Still, nothing would take away the discomfort he felt by the way Imperator approached him, seizing him up with eyes that seemed desperate not to miss anything. Though they shared similar agendas, Alexander got the overpowering urge to end him right then and there, like chopping the head off a dormant snake to be sure it wouldn't deliver the killing bite.

"Khan," Imperator said, having shed all his layers of charisma. All that existed beneath was a center of stone cold ruthlessness. "The next stage of our plan can commence."