Vengeance Throne (The Callistra Chronicles #2)

TWENTY

Chapter Twenty

As soon as the elderly faery finished reciting whatever it was he was reading from the book, the roaring pit of fire behind him turned bright, crimson red, and burst high enough to brush the ceiling.

The nobles surged forward, eager to talk now that the ceremony had finished, while the villagers slowly made their way down the aisle, towards the fire pit.

Pasiphae didn't want to stick around for either group.

"Let's talk," she hissed, snagging Seth's arm. With one tug, they were on the move, side-stepping Juventas and winding around the fire pit before anyone could stop them. A voice somewhere amidst the crowd tried to call, "Wait!" but Pasiphae whipped around so fast with a glare so deadly that the protest died immediately.

"This way," Seth muttered. He led them around the fire, coming into a hidden area of the temple that Pasiphae hadn't noticed: a thin corridor that ended with a thinner door. Seth ducked in and Pasiphae followed suit, finding herself in a tiny room with lines and lines of shelves.

The entire storage space shuddered as Seth suddenly kicked the wall, venting his frustration.

"By Callistra," he hissed, "this is a mess."

Pasiphae folded her arms, leaning back against the protruding shelves. Strangely, the shelves were all empty, save for the extremely thick layers of dust.

"What was the meaning of all that?" she asked quietly.

"The nobles schemed this," Seth spat. "It's no coincidence they decided to voice their objections while the villagers were present. They're trying to gain the upper hand: they're trying to quash whatever it is they think I'm doing."

It wasn't enough to simply showcase their power over Seth; it wasn't enough to prove to him that combined, they had far more authority than he did. The nobility needed his supporters to see it too, they needed to plant doubt in the minds of the villagers, to demoralise the rebel movement from the roots.

"It cancels out the message, doesn't it?" Pasiphae asked. She dragged her teeth along her lower lip, tasting metal. "By allying with me, you're revolting against the society that the nobles enforce. By taking Juventas as a second bride, you're saying never mind, you need the support of the nobles after all—you're not actually going to take all their wealth and re-distribute it among the starving villagers."

Seth only nodded mutely. He kicked the wall again. In one swoop, the nobles had managed to both shove him back into his Court-allocated hole and undermine him to the villagers. Why would a rebellion rally behind someone who wouldn't change a thing?

They had to prove the perception wrong.

"We still haven't found her," Seth muttered then. "I have absolutely no clue where my mother is. I have no clue what she's planning to do, and I have no clue who the Unseelie spy is. Gah!"

"Then we cannot continue standing around anymore," Pasiphae said firmly. "We cannot wait for the villagers to assemble. We need a campaign. We need to lead a march on the throne ourselves."

Seth laughed bitterly.

"How are we to do that? If we march on the throne before my mother comes back, she will simply take it again when she returns."

"No," Pasiphae said. "Not if you overhaul the system entirely. Instead of claiming the throne with your right as the Crown heir, claim it by dissembling the class system and getting rid of those who oppose you. Let's have the villagers march on the nobles."

Seth needed a moment to find his words. "You're suggesting a coup."

"If that's what it comes down to," she replied levelly. "If we defeat the nobles, your mother has no support system when she returns. She cannot simply re-stake her claim. It would turn into a physical brawl for the throne."