War (The True Reign Series) (21 page)

She turned to Trell, who stood smiling at her with an expression of awe and pride.
“Do you have anything you want to say to the crowd?” she asked, raising her head high.

Facing the people, he said,
“Tell everyone that Emperor Hamen is dead, and the true heir now reigns. Notices will be posted. Dismissed.” The old man turned and knelt before her. “I am yours to command.”

“
As am I.” Nathenek knelt next to Trell.

The crowd seemed unsure
what to do, and many still lingered in the courtyard.

“
Both of you have a lot of explaining to do. Rise.”

“
For now,” Trell said, “we need to get you to a secure location.”

“Am I not safe here, with you?” Rema inquired
.

Trell
’s eyes darkened, and he didn’t respond. Nathenek stepped in front of her, claiming her attention. “You are safe with me, I promise. However, until news of your ascension to the throne is well known, it is best to be cautious.”

Rema stared into Nathenek
’s eyes, sensing something honest and sincere in them.

“
Notices must go out to the commander and army immediately,” Trell ordered.

Rema saw the soldiers
on the platform staring at her with uncertainty. She made sure the key necklace was clearly visible, although she didn’t understand its significance. Nathenek and Trell quickly ushered her back into the Execution Tower, where Trell started barking orders to the soldiers. The enormity of what had just taken place slowly sunk in. She was alive, Darmik was here, and she was the leader of Emperion.

“
Where’s Darmik?” she asked, eager to be reunited with him.

“
He’s here with a small group of people from your rebel army,” Nathenek informed her.

“
I want to see them. Now.”

“
Yes, Your Majesty,” he said. “We’ll take you to another location and have them brought there.”

“
Let’s go,” Trell urged them, gingerly taking Rema’s arm and leading her to a locked door. A soldier opened it, revealing a long flight of stairs. Trell grabbed a torch and began descending into the cold darkness. Rema hurried after him, Nathenek right behind her. They started walking through a tunnel carved out of the earth.

Rema used the opportunity to examine the events from the last few weeks.
She thought of Nathenek’s behavior toward her on the voyage there, him training her, and his attitude since arriving at Emperion. When others were around, he had been hostile toward her, but when alone, he was kind. Had it been an act the entire time? He told her he swore an oath to the true line—he never said Emperor Hamen.

What was Trell
’s involvement in all of this? She wasn’t sure how Trell and Nathenek were connected, but one thing was certain—she felt both men were trustworthy and had her best interests in mind.

After traveling through the dark tunnel for several minutes, th
ey climbed a steep set of stairs, and entered a small, barren room. A soldier standing guard unlocked the door, and Rema stepped into a luxurious sitting room filled with plush velvet sofas and chairs.

“
Where are we?” she asked.

“
One of the emperor’s safe houses. He has several throughout the city and empire that are used for secret meetings or when under attack.

“
Who do we fear will harm me?”

“
We’re not sure,” Trell admitted. “This is simply a precaution until we see where things stand.”

“
And Darmik and my friends?”

“
Are being escorted here as we speak.” He patted her shoulder.

Guard
s stood at the room’s two visible doors. Someone knocked and a soldier was admitted, going directly to Trell, whispering in his ear. Rema didn’t like the idea of allowing Trell to have control over the situation, but she didn’t see any alternative right now. The army knew, trusted, and respected their former battle strategist. For now, he was the bridge between her and Emperion.

“
How are you holding up?” Nathenek asked, standing at her side.

Honestly, she felt like she was dangling at the end of a very thin string and
it was about to snap, but she couldn’t let anyone know that. “I’m fine,” she lied.

He was about to respond when c
ommotion sounded from the other side of the door. Nathenek stood in front of her, shielding her with his own body. The door flew open, and Darmik burst inside.

Rema shoved Nathenek aside and ran, jumping into Darmik
’s arms. He held her tight. She breathed in his familiar scent, felt his strong hands on her back, and for the first time, felt truly safe and knew everything would turn out well.

Trell cleared his throat
, and Darmik released her. The rest of her friends all stood behind Darmik, smiling. “Sorry to interrupt your reunion,” Trell said, “but we need to move out. Word has reached us of civil unrest. People don’t understand what’s happening, and they’re afraid.”

Darmik grabbed her hand,
brought it to his lips, and kissed it.

“It
’s good to see you alive and well.” He smiled.

“You too,” she said. Her cheeks hurt from smiling. She glanced at her dear friends, glad everyone was unharmed.

Darmik turned to face Trell. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“Rema
, you should go to one of the palaces outside the city. We will invite all the military leaders in and explain the situation. From there, they can tell those under their command. Announcements will be made to the civilians.”

Rema tore her focus away from Darmik, and put it to the task at hand.

“Forgive me, Trell,” she said, “but I need you to explain the
entire
situation to me, and I want you to start at the beginning. I’m not asking.”

Trell removed
his cloak and sat on one of the sofas, rubbing his face.

“
Sir,” Nathenek said, “we really should get Rema to another location in case anyone followed Darmik here.”

“
No,” Darmik said with authority. “I want a quick explanation, and then
Rema
will decide how to proceed.” He squeezed her hand, giving her strength, and letting her know he was on her side.

Trell stared at Darmik, pride radiating from him. Rema suddenly remembered that Trell was Darmik
’s grandfather. She wanted to reveal their connection, but now was not the time.

“
As you are aware,” Trell said, “when crown Prince Nero left with Atta for Greenwood Island a hundred years ago, the line shifted. The true bloodline has always been Nero’s first-born descendants. When Nero left Emperion, he wore the heir’s necklace—a key with a ruby stone. The symbol can be seen everywhere around here. Just look at statues, paintings, or even buildings. Nero continued to pass the necklace down through the generations, as it had always been done in his family. He also carried on with the tradition of the secret royal tattoos. Our history and record books reveal both the key and the mark as the true line. Should anyone from the true line wish to ascend to the throne, they could, thus returning the line to where it truly belongs.

“
When the line shifted, so did the colors, symbols, and marks in order to reflect that change and remind everyone that there had been a shift. When Hamen, a prince from a neighboring kingdom, married Empress Eliza and ascended to the throne, he was furious to learn he married into a false line. He was painstakingly aware that even his descendants wouldn’t carry the true line. He saw symbols every day that reminded him of this fact.

“
After Empress Eliza’s brother, Barjon, claimed he destroyed the line, Hamen thought he finally carried the bloodline. He sent out a royal decree stating Nero’s descendants were dead, and he was now the true heir.”

Silence hung in the air as Rema mulled over everything Trell
revealed. “I want an explanation of your involvement,” Rema said.

“
I’m getting there.” Trell leaned back on the sofa. “We Emperion people are all about rules. We adhere to them without question. Hamen told me to plan an invasion of a small, remote island and kill the ruling monarchy. So I did. It wasn’t until after that I realized what I’d done, and who I killed. I swore I would protect the line in any way that I could. I demanded all artifacts and artwork, and searched through everything looking for the key necklace. When I couldn’t find it, I knew someone had to be alive. Ever since I realized you are the heir, Rema, I have done everything in my power to keep you safe and bring you home, to Emperion.”

“
What he says is true,” Nathenek added. “I’ve been aiding him for the past two seasons. Although, I wasn’t aware of your identity until I saw the necklace.”

All of this was overwhelming. Rema sat on the sofa
, pulling Darmik down with her, trying to wrap her brain around all that was revealed. “What is the plan now that Hamen is dead?” she asked.

“
We need to sort through those loyal to Hamen, and eliminate them. We must establish your identity as the sovereign ruler and meet with the neighboring kingdoms to declare peace.”

“
What about Hamen’s wife and children?”

“
His daughter has been bedridden for months. Empress Eliza lives with Princess Jana at the palace in Verek. They are rarely seen in public. We can either execute them, or have them sent to the dungeon for the remainder of their lives.”

Neither option sounded appealing.
“I want them exiled, not killed or imprisoned.”

Darmik stiffened beside her. “I would recommend against that,” he said.

Rema glanced at Trell, who was nodding. “Why?” She couldn’t fathom killing two women because of the blood running through their veins. After all, that was what Barjon and Hamen did to her family. She would not stoop to their level.

“If they go to another kingdom,” Darmik said, “they could be used as political leverage. It
’s simply too dangerous to allow them out of Emperion.”

“
In that case, let’s exile them here, in Emperion. Find a suitable cottage in an unpopulated area. Have them guarded at all times.”

“
Very well,” Trell said, nodding in approval.

“
What about his son?” she asked. Perhaps he was here in the city, training to be a captain in the army.

“
The emperor’s wife only gave birth to a daughter,” Trell revealed.

That didn
’t make any sense. “He told me he has a son.”

“Excuse me,” Nathenek said, stepping forward. “If you
’ll recall, he said he didn’t have a son with the empress. Therefore, that implies he had a son with someone else.”

“
Where is the line entailed to go?” Rema asked.

Trell answered, “To Princess
Jana. If she dies before she has children, then the line goes to the next living relative of the empress. That would be her younger brother, Barjon. Since he’s the crown king, it would bypass him and go to his son, Lennek. However, since Lennek is in line to the Greenwood Island throne, it would go to Darmik.” Rema felt Darmik stiffen. This was the first time any of them were hearing this news.

“
Could anyone else lay claim to the Emperion throne?” Darmik asked.

“
Not that I’m aware of,” Trell said. “Nonetheless, right now, Rema’s safety is our top priority. Until we learn where everyone’s loyalties lie, I want every precaution taken.”

“
What about his son?” Rema asked. Could he claim the throne? Did he have any rights?

“That won
’t be an issue,” Trell said.

“How do you know?” Darmik countered.

“Even if his son holds no rights to the throne, he could seek retribution for the death of his father,” Nathenek added. “We must be cautious.”

Trell shook his head.
“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“
Can we at least acknowledge the possibility?” Darmik asked. Trell reluctantly agreed. “There is one other issue I’d like to address,” he continued. “What about Greenwood Island?”

No one said a word.

“Darmik is right,” Rema said. “I have to help all my people.”

“
Your duty is here now,” Trell said.

“
Yes,” Rema acknowledged. “But the people of Greenwood Island also fall under my jurisdiction.”

Savenek
cleared his throat. Rema had forgotten her friends were still in the room. “If I may,” he said. “I’d like to offer a solution. What if, while you’re waiting for the dust to settle here in Emperion, Rema returns to Greenwood Island?”

Trell shook his head.

“It’s a great idea,” Darmik agreed. “We need to get her to safety. What better way than on a ship to an island far away from here?”