KINGSLAYER

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"Of course I am moved," he said, throwing his hands higher in innocence. "He has done terrible things to you. These things are unrelated—you killed my sister." His mouth opened, then closed. "I never even got to meet her. The first introduction I had was with her rotting face. I wish you would have..." He trailed off, knowing better than to command her.

What was he planning to do, rat her out to the other Navrikans? They already knew. But no one else did. There was real horror glistening in the brown of his eyes. She had always likened them to those of a dog, adoring and loyal. But now...the loyalty had died out. A spark of dread slid through her core. Adrik was the only buffer between her and Ermalai. If she no longer had any hold over him, he would revert to his father's son.

"I know you like that servant girl," she said. "The one who served you tonight."

"Uh...I suppose?" He searched for the answer she wanted to hear. "If you find someone you want to be with in secret, I have no qualms—"

"No," she interrupted him. "I know you like her. I do not know whether you have been having rendezvous in secret, but I do know that you would be upset if she was hurt." She stepped closer, lifting her chin. "Upset at her dead body. Your father would see it. His son the Czarevich sleeping with a servant? He would be beside himself with disappointment."

She leaned away again. "You will be the whore they think I am. I hope for your sake that you choose wisely."

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Jaylah looked to the sea, calm and blue under an identical sky. She had just sent a letter to Sozen Asaka, Crown Prince of Tilana, cordially inviting him to visit Naxaros on his way home from business in Paragonia. With any luck, his ships would appear on the horizon in a few days.

"This is the one," she called to Antinoch. She pulled her new horse Yanni to the side. "This is Antinoch Zurlide, my High Attendant," Jaylah said as Fotelis greeted them from his front doorstep. "We had business at the naval academy and came straight here as soon as we got your summons."

He waved his hand. "It is no intrusion. Simply another witness to my newest creation." He unlocked a drawer in his desk to pull out something sleek and dark. "Look."

Fotelis plopped it into Jaylah's hands. "Just like the handheld revolver you gave me as inspiration, this is a repeating firearm, meaning it can be fired six times between chargings. However, as you will notice, its barrel is longer and takes two hands to hold. The small explosion that sends the bullet out is more powerful than that of a revolver, meaning it can reach targets of much farther distance." He jerked his chin forward. "This means on a battlefield they will be up with the archers."

"My. That was fast," was all she could manage. It had only taken him little more than a month to build. Every inch of it was smooth and lethal. It was so heavy in her hands, but it felt good. It felt like everything she had asked for.

"The Kalingi are coming," was the only explanation he gave. Then patted it. "I know a place a few kilometers south where we can test it, if you would like."

"I would." Still holding the firearm, Jaylah turned to Antinoch. "If we somehow scrounge up the time and materials to manufacture these, will you be able to figure out the fastest plan to train a special battalion to use them?"

Antinoch's eyes were trained on the weapon's barrel as if imagining how it would look when fired. "Of course, Your Majesty. As soon as we return to the palace, I will begin researching the most knowledge firearm masters."

"Good. We have no time to waste." She nodded to Fotelis. "You may show us the way."

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"Hold it a bit higher to compensate for the bullet's arc," Fotelis instructed from behind. "And bolster your shoulder as the butt shoots back."

Jaylah braced herself and squinted her eye shut. She did not have a target in particular, as the entire area was only covered by thick golden grass that eventually inclined into the mountains in the distance. It just felt right.

"Good. Pull the trigger whenever you feel ready."

She took a deep breath in, steeling the muscles of her stomach. And yanked back the trigger.

Bang. The blowback sent sharp pain instantly to her shoulder, and her ears were ringing, but she hardly noticed her own discomfort. She pulled the firearm from her shoulder, marveling at the power with which it ejected the projectile. It was gone so fast her eyes could not follow where it fell.

Fotelis gave a triumphant laugh into the wind, shocked at his own genius. "Gods," Antinoch said, voice thick with wonder. "That was even more impressive than I imagined. Like magic. The bullet had to have gone five hundred meters."

"Seven hundred, if my calculations are accurate," Fotelis said as he ran a hand through his graying hair, making it stand on end. Under the warm sun, his smile was radiant.

"Here." Jaylah offered the firearm to Antinoch, who immediately shrank back in confusion. "It has five more shots, and I want to watch someone else fire it."

Antinoch hugged her arms to her chest. "Oh, no. I have never shot a revolver before, I would fail miserably."

"Neither had I. But there is no failing when it is an experiment." She dropped it into Antinoch's hands. It immediately looked too large against her small frame, but she hefted it anyway.

Jaylah moved to stand safely behind her just as Fotelis had. "Slide your left hand further down the barrel," he instructed. "Better support...good. Fire at will."

The air was silent for a moment, holding only a soft summer breeze. Then bang. Antinoch staggered back, but held the forearm aloft. The bullet whizzed away into nothingness.

Jaylah watched the place it disappeared as a growing smile found its way onto her lips. The projectile had passed through through her line of vision. She had imagined the head of a Kalingi soldier there, blown to bloody pieces.