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It was a stupid thing to feel guilty about, and she forced it out of her mind as she pushed her way through the throng of refugees. Unlike Bern, the capital was in chaos. Not only had the island’s nobility descended upon the city in droves, but so had the remaining denizens of the two port towns that had been sacked thus far. People of all backgrounds flooded the streets, overwhelming the merchants and even forcing themselves into homes. The city guard was stretched thin and Madja kept her head down, trying to look small and insignificant.
The guards, she found, were concentrated in the upper district. Madja was stopped at a checkpoint, but between her fine robes and confident bearing, she was able to convince them that she was one of her cousins.
The upper district reminded her of Bern. The lavish homes appeared abandoned, but as she traversed the streets, she occasionally caught glimpses of people peeking out past curtained windows. Seeing the nobility and wealthy traders sequestered in their homes, she felt much less like a coward than before. Not long ago, she would have been just like them, but now, she may very well be saving them all.
At the highest point in the city was the royal estate. Although nobility, her cousin’s name would not get her through those gates, especially in a time of crisis. And so when she approached the guards, she held her head high and said the only thing that would get their attention.
“I am Madja O’aer. I come to speak with the Prince, on behalf of Sevrrn, Patron of Erda.”
The guards looked between each other with varying expressions of incredulity and disbelief. Madja kept her gaze focused on one guard in particular, a portly man with a bulbous nose. She recognized him as one of the men who had torn her from her bed last autumn, the night she’d been taken away to become Sevrrn’s sacrifice.
The man swallowed hard and waved the guards aside. “I’ll take her.”
He was silent as he led her past the gates and through the lavish estate gardens. Madja glanced up at him once, seeing his face reddened with shame. Then, her focus turned inward as she went over what she would say to the Prince.
Although she had been impatient to get to the estate, she felt herself wishing she’d had more time to prepare. She had never actually met the Prince, only seen him at a distance during social functions. She knew that he was young, and had heard that he was a reasonable man.
But as she rounded a row of hedges and he came into view, she remembered something else she’d heard about him: he was meek. He stood in the center of the gardens, adorned in lavish silver robes and a modest golden crown, conversing with a man Madja recognized to be the captain of the city guard. Over his shoulder, practically breathing down the Prince’s neck, was Chancellor Jerl Kavesh.
She should have known Jerl would be there. After all, the guard that was presently escorting her was one of his very own men. It had been Jerl who had chosen Madja for sacrifice to Sevrrn, just as it had been Jerl who had condemned her father to death, simply for hoarding a few golden spoons.
All three men turned their way when Madja and the guard stepped into the courtyard. Jerl’s eyes instantly narrowed, but the Prince looked at her without the faintest glimmer of recognition. Of course he couldn’t be bothered to remember the i
Madja kept her expression neutral, even as anger flared in her veins. She couldn’t let her own grievances stand in the way of the greater good.
As she approached, Jerl whispered something in the Prince’s ear. The Prince’s eyes widened and he regarded Madja with a newfound astonishment.
The guard gave a low bow and then gave Madja an u
With that realization, she found herself completely at ease.
“My lord,” she said, addressing the Prince. “I’m here on behalf of Sevrrn. I’ve come to—”
Jerl cut her off with a loud snort. “Do you really think we are going to believe that a god sent you on his behalf?”
She pursed her lips. “I don’t care what you believe, but if you don’t listen to what I have to say, a lot of people will die.” She turned back to the Prince. “The Allonan armada has sacked two port cities that I know of. At this rate, they’ll have them all by the end of the month. You need to tell the townspeople to evacuate.”
“Evacuate?” The Prince said, his brows rising. “Evacuate to where? Isn’t Sevrrn coming to stop the armada?”
“He will,” Madja assured him. “But right now, he’s away from the island. It could be a few weeks before he returns and—”
“My Lord,” Jerl interrupted, “you ca
The Prince fidgeted, looking between them with obvious discomfort. “I—”
This time it was Madja who interrupted. “You sacrificed me almost four months ago. Pray tell, where have I been since then?”
“Hiding out in some slum,” Jerl replied. There were flecks of spittle dangling from his moustache.
Madja glared at him. “If I was hiding out, why would I come here trying to help, exposing myself in the process?”
“If I had to wager, I’d say you managed to free yourself, then stole the tributes we left for Sevrrn. You must have pawned them off in town and went into hiding. When your money ran out, you concocted this fable, hoping to come back and be restored to house and title.”
“I don’t need any house or title. In fact, I’ll be leaving as soon as you both come to your senses and—”
Jerl stepped forward and grabbed her by the arm, his hand tightening in a vice grip. “My Lord, this explains everything. We sacrificed her for Sevrrn’s favor and yet she turns up while the Allonans are sacking our island. It is no wonder our god has not come to save us. He believes we are negligent in our worship because she did not die as she was supposed to. I told you we should have slit her throat.”
Madja hissed, trying to jerk her hand free. “You’re an idiot, Jerl Kavesh! Sevrrn isn’t a god, he’s just a temperamental dragon that you’ve all pissed off because you’ve forgotten that he’s the one who keeps you safe and rich.”
“Oh, we’ll pay tribute to him,” Jerl sneered, spittle falling on her face. “By truly sacrificing you.”
“Jerl,” the Prince said, stepping forward. There was alarm on his face, but he hesitated just long enough for Jerl to counter his protest.
“If Sevrrn does not come, we will all be dead anyway. What do we have to lose?”
Madja gasped. “If you kill me, you’ll all die.”
And that, she knew for certain. Yes, perhaps Sevrrn wouldn’t die for her, but he would most definitely kill for her.
“You are full of convenient things to say, aren’t you?” Jerl said. He looked to the captain. “Take her to the dungeon while the Prince and I continue this discussion.”
The Prince remained silent.
I don’t care if I die.
Who would have thought that she’d regret those words so soon?
It wasn’t her impending death that made her realize how inane the statement was. It was the fact that she had said it without any consideration for her child. When she died, so would he. Would Sevrrn ever even know that he would have been a father?
She sat on the floor of a dirty cell, perhaps the same cell her father had been in the night before he’d been executed. There was no window, which gave her no means to gauge the time, but she suspected that it would not be long before morning.