TKaK33

## Chapter 33

**Chapter 33** of **To Kill a Kingdom** they finally dock in **Pagos** and meet the pagese royals, reminding **Elian** of his deal with **Yukiko**.

## **About**

### **Location**

* **Pagos**
* **Cloud Mountain**

### **Characters**

* **Lira**
* **Elian Midas**
* **Madrid**
* **Kye**
* **Kolton Torik**
* **Kazue Pagos**
* **Hiroki Pagos**
* **Tetsu Pagos**
* **Koji Pagos**
* **Yukiko Pagos**
* **Tallis Rycroft**

## **Full Version**

THE WATER IS SLUSH by the time the *Saad* makes her berth. Cold has a faithful presence here, and with dusk rapidly approaching, the air seems almost frozen by the impending absence of sun. Regardless, it’s just as bright as if it were morning. The mirror of the frozen sky against the white water, flecked by tufts of ice and snow, makes for a kingdom that is beautifully void of darkness. Even in the dead of night, the sky turns no darker than a mottled blue, and the ground itself acts like a light to guide the way. Snow, reflecting the eternal tinsel of the stars.

Págos.

I feel the beat of the necklace against my heart as we step foot onto the snow. Finally the crystal is within reach. I have the key and the map to navigate the route, and all that’s left is for Lira to tell me the secrets of the ritual.

The air is crisp on my skin, and though my hands are wrapped under thick gloves, I shove my fists into my pockets anyway. The wind penetrates here through every layer, including skin. I’m dressed in fur so thick that walking feels like an exertion. It slows me down more than I would like, and even though I know there’s no imminent threat of attack, I still don’t like being unprepared in case one comes. It shakes me more than the cold ever could.

When I turn to Lira, the ends of her hair are white with frost. “Try not to breathe,” I tell her. “It might get stuck halfway out.”

Lira flicks up her hood. “You should try not to talk then,” she retorts. “Nobody wants your words being preserved for eternity.”

“They’re pearls of wisdom, actually.”

I can barely see Lira’s eyes under the mass of dark fur from her coat, but the mirthless curl of her smile is ever-present. It lingers in calculated amusement as she considers what to say next. Readies to ricochet the next blow.

Lira pulls a line of ice from her hair, artfully indifferent. “If that is what pearls are worth these days, I’ll make sure to invest in diamonds.”

“Or gold,” I tell her smugly. “I hear it’s worth its weight.”

Kye shakes the snow from his sword and scoffs. “Anytime you two want to stop making me feel nauseated, go right ahead.”

“Are you jealous because I’m not flirting with you?” Madrid asks him, warming her finger on the trigger mechanism of her gun.

“I don’t need you to flirt with me,” he says. “I already know you find me irresistible.”

Madrid reholsters her gun. “It’s actually quite easy to resist you when you’re dressed like that.”

Kye looks down at the sleek red coat fitted snugly to his lithe frame. The fur collar cuddles against his jaw and obscures the bottoms of his ears, making it seem as though he has no neck at all. He throws Madrid a smile.

“Is it because you think I look sexier wearing nothing?”

Torik lets out a withering sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. I’m not sure whether it’s from the hours we’ve gone without food or his inability to wear cutoffs in the biting cold, but his patience seems to be wearing thin.

“I could swear that I’m on a life-and-death mission with a bunch of lusty kids,” he says. “Next thing I know, the lot of you will be writing love notes in rum bottles.”

“Okay,” Madrid says. “Now I feel nauseated.”

I laugh, but the sound is lost against the rhythm of nomadic drumbeats that barrel toward us. Up ahead, a line of warriors approach. There’s at least a dozen of them, standing in a perfect military arrow, marching fiercely in our direction. Even with the blizzard, they’re easy to spot. The snow does a poor job of obscuring their imposing statures and impressively systematic formation. They hike seamlessly in step with one another, feet crushing into the snow with the pound of every drumbeat. They look like giants, their uniforms so dark, they ink the empty landscape.

When they reach us, there’s a momentary silence while we consider one another.

Even with the layers of fur and armor, it’s not hard to tell the royals from their soldiers. The four members of the Págese family stand like titans, magnificent hunters’ headdresses swooping down their backs in glorious coats. Their eyes peer through the jaws of their respective animals: polar bear, Arctic fox, wilderness wolf, and in the middle of the warriors and his brothers, the snow lion.

Each animal is a glorious shade of white that melts into the snow by their feet. It’s a stark contrast to their black armor and weaponry – spears and swords that are all the darkest shade of ebony. They gleam in a way that’s almost liquid.

The Págese brothers pull back the animal skins shielding them from the cold. As expected, King Kazue is the snow lion. The most deadly of all creatures. Though it stands taller than some men, the Págese king seems to encompass the creature’s size perfectly. He doesn’t look at all dwarfed by the mammoth carcass.

“Prince Elian,” Kazue greets.

His skin is so white, it’s almost blue. His lips mingle with the rest of his face like a variant shade, and everything about him is as sharp as it is straight. His eyes are severe points that arch to the ends of his brows, and his hair is made from rays of sword-like strands that scrape against his weaponry.

Kazue brings his hand to his stomach and leans forward in a customary bow. His brothers follow suit, while the guardians around them stay firmly upright. In Págos, it’s not customary for soldiers to bow to royalty. It’s a greeting made only from one elite to another, and soldiers must stay still and impartial. Unnoticed until they’re acknowledged.

“Your Royal Highness,” I say, returning the greeting. “I’d like to thank you for receiving us into your kingdom. It’s an honor to be welcomed here.”

I turn to the princes, their headdresses matched according to their age and, so, according to their right to the throne. The second eldest, Prince Hiroki, is the polar bear; Tetsu, the wilderness wolf; and the youngest prince, Koji, is the Arctic fox. I formally greet them and they bow in turn.

I wonder which of them is Rycroft’s naïve little source.

“Of course, it’s not just my brothers who welcome you,” Kazue says, “but our entire family.”

He waves his hand behind him, and a new figure emerges from the soldiers, dressed as gloriously as the royal family. A fifth, standing shorter and with a far less military posture, but a similar sense of indignation. I don’t need the unprecedented addition to pull back the animal skin to know who it is.

Sakura smiles when she sees my face tick, bright blue lips matching the ungodly color of the sky. Her hair is shorter than before, with a fringe cut bluntly to hide the tips of her eyes. A heavy bronze chain sweeps down from her forehead to a white-bone piercing on her left earlobe.

She doesn’t look like a princess; she looks like a queen. A warrior. An adversary.

“Prince Elian,” she says.

“Princess Yukiko.”

She smiles at the use of her real name.

Kye stiffens beside me, his resentment growing. Now that my crew is faced with the very woman who manipulated me into giving up my time on the *Saad* – my time, and theirs – they can hardly be expected to smile.

Swiftly, I nudge Kye before he has a chance to say anything. Who knows how much Princess Yukiko has told her family about her time in Midas? Did she tell them she was the owner of the illustrious Golden Goose? That she traded as much in my royal secrets as she did liquor, gambling her nights away with the wretches of my kingdom? I doubt it. But even if she has, Kye addressing her informally won’t go amiss. He may have been a diplomat’s son once, but his disinheritance is no secret. Besides, she’s a princess. A potential queen. *My* potential queen.

I flinch at the thought, hoping that my bargain with Galina is enough to make my bargain with Yukiko void.

I feel the stares of all one hundred of my crew on my back. But as much as they want to say to me, there’s just as much I want to say to the princess. The deal I want to discuss and the counteroffer I’m desperate to present. Nevertheless, now’s not the time. Not with so many prying eyes and pricked ears.

I bow in greeting.

“Look at you, trying to hide your surprise,” Princess Yukiko says. “There’s no reason for it, you know. The hiding or the surprise. Aren’t we old friends? Isn’t this my home? Where else should I be but with such dear friends and family?”

“Of course,” I say tightly. “I’m just surprised by how quickly you made the journey.”

“Not all ships float,” Yukiko says. “Some prefer to fly.”

Her voice is unduly self-assured, and unlike Lira’s there’s nothing I enjoy about her brand of arrogance. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and settle for a curt nod of understanding.

Págese airships are some of the best in the hundred kingdoms. They vary from the bullets – darting balloons with barely enough room for half a dozen passengers – to lavish ships that are opulent enough to be dubbed floating palaces. They have at least eight separate rotors and span up to three floors, depending on the cargo or, more often than not, the social standing of the passengers.

The Págese have always been on good terms with the Efévresic, who birth the world’s greatest inventions. They’re a kingdom at the forefront of nearly every technological triumph, and there’s rarely an invention today that can’t trace its origin back to Efévresi. Págos has been their ally for so long now that it doesn’t even matter if they exist at opposite ends of the world. There’s seldom anything stronger than two kingdoms drawn together by a decades-old marriage alliance. It means that Págos is privy to many of the technological advancements that Efévresi has, and so they’re one of the few kingdoms with the means to confine most of their travel to air rather than sea. For the rest of the hundred kingdoms, airships tend to be unreliable. Malfunctions are not uncommon, and unless the journey spans longer than a month, it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

“You’re the princess?” Lira asks.

As much as her contempt for everyone around her usually entertains me, I send Lira a pointed look, warning her not to say anything out of line. But she either doesn’t notice or she doesn’t care. I can guess which one is more likely.

Yukiko nods. “I didn’t realize the prince was recruiting new members for the *Saad*.”

“Oh, I’m not a recruit,” Lira says. “I’m just here to kill him.” She stares pointedly at the princess. “And anyone else who gets in my way.”

Kye makes a poor attempt to muffle the sound of his laughter with the back of his hand.

I snap my gaze to Lira and clench my teeth. Has the cold gone to her head, or is she so used to our rapport that she thinks it can be the same with every royal? I try to catch her attention, but she’s fixated on Yukiko.

Her eyes are as cold as the wind.

“She’s joking,” I say, pushing Lira behind me. “And probably drunk.”

Lira scoffs and I squeeze my hand across her waist to silence her.

“Pay no attention to my crew,” I say, giving the king a blithe smile. “When the food runs low, they tend to live off the rum.”

King Kazue dismisses the comment with a laugh, though it’s every bit as precise as his military stance. Beside him, Yukiko eyes my hand on Lira’s waist.

“There are more important things to discuss,” Kazue says. “Come, we must talk at the palace, away from the teeth of our weather. From what my sister has told me, there is a rather interesting bargain to be struck.”

AFTER BEING SHOWN TO our guest chambers and given enough food to put Torik’s mood to rest, I’m escorted to the grand hall. At the request of King Kazue, I’m alone, and yet there are seven guards who walk in step behind me as the royal concierge leads the way. I took it as a compliment when they came to fetch me from my new chambers, armed to the teeth with spears that looked like they may have actually been made from teeth. It’s almost a testament to my reputation that they trust me so little.

The grand hall hides behind a set of iceberg doors that must be rotated via wheel mechanism. The cogs make an unreasonable amount of noise as they heave the great doors open to reveal the chamber inside. It’s not a large space, but everything about it is grand and opulent. Chandeliers drip down in frozen teardrops, and icicles sprout up from the solid ice floor like weeds. I step on it, half-expecting to land with my legs in the air, but the surface is surprisingly dry under my feet.

The five siblings of Págos eye me from their thrones. Each of them is dressed in black finery that seeps from them like oil. From behind their lavish seats, there is a single window clawed with blue frost. It creeps across the pane like a flower, obscuring the last few minutes of sunshine that could penetrate the cavern.

“I trust your rooms are satisfactory,” King Kazue says. “I must admit, I’m glad your crew is a little more downsized. A hundred pirates is enough; I dread to think what having an entire legion in my palace would be like.”

“A lot of fun, I’d wager.”

The young Prince Koji murmurs a laugh. “The stories speak for themselves,” he says. “I’m a little sorry I won’t get to experience them firsthand.”

“Next time,” I tell him, “I’ll bring the whole horde.” I turn back to the king. “Does our deal still stand?”

“I don’t remember ever making a deal with you,” King Kazue says. “But my sister seems to think she has the authority to.” He casts an irate glance at Yukiko, but she waves him off with a flick of her eyes as though he’s the nuisance.

Prince Hiroki leans over to his brother. “She gave him the map,” he says. “I hope that means we got something equal in value.”

“You did,” I say, and pull the necklace from my pocket.

I let it dangle in the air between us, a beautiful drop of blue that dances from the chain. Still specked with Lira’s blood.

King Kazue’s fists tighten around the arms of his throne. “What a thing you present to us so casually,” he says. “Where did you find it?”

“The same place I found that prisoner you’ve got locked away in your dungeons.”

Prince Hiroki shuffles in his seat, and I stop wondering which of the king’s brothers Rycroft was talking about.

“The Xaprár,” King Kazue snarls. “Tallis Rycroft and his band of damned thieves. I should have known that anything lost would find its way into his hands.”

“It’s not in his hands now,” I say, clasping the necklace. “It’s in mine.”

Prince Tetsu leans forward with a growl. “You’ll do well to hand it over.”

“Now, now, brother.” The king chuckles. “I’m sure that’s his plan.”

“Of course,” I say. “As soon as the right offer is made.”

Yukiko’s smile is slow and devious. “You have to admire his courage,” she says.

King Kazue rises to his feet. “You want entry to our mountain so you can find the Crystal of Keto,” he says. “Then what?”

“Then I give you back your priceless necklace and, when I’m done with it, the crystal, too. This is the chance for Págos to make history as the kingdom who helped destroy the sirens once and for all. Your family will be remembered as legends.”

“Legends?” The king’s sharp laughter slices the air. “What’s to stop me from just taking it from you now?”

“Once the Crystal of Keto is freed, the Sea Queen will know it,” I tell him. “And you’re a lot of things, Your Highness, but a siren killer isn’t one of them. If she’s going to die, it’ll have to be by my hand. Let me climb the mountain and we can make history together.”

“It’s a perilous journey,” the king says. “Even with our sacred route. What would your father say if I put his son in danger like that? Even if it was for something as noble as saving the world. Furthermore” – he nods toward his sister – “Yukiko traveled all this way, finally returning home after so many years. It seems curious to me that she would do that just because she believed in your cause.”

Yukiko eyes me with amusement, taking pleasure in the idea that I might just squirm. As though I’d give any of them the satisfaction. I’m not sure if the king is goading me, or if Yukiko really hasn’t told him about our engagement, but I know I won’t be the first to speak of it.

“Of course I didn’t,” Yukiko says to her brother. “I came because I want to be the first one to see it. I want to be there when the Crystal of Keto is finally found.”

My jaw tightens as I clench my teeth together. The last thing I need is a murderous princess following me up the Cloud Mountain.

“I don’t think that would be particularly safe,” I say. “As the king mentioned, it’s a dangerous journey.”

“That she has taken before,” Hiroki cuts in. “That we all have.”

“Not all of us,” Koji amends.

Hiroki casts an endearing look at his youngest brother and then turns his pale eyes to the king. “If she goes with him, then at least we can be certain we won’t be double-crossed.”

I try not to look insulted.

“And that way, one of our own will be there when the crystal is finally freed from the depths of the dome,” Tetsu says.

Yukiko reclines. “I’m glad you’re all so eager to get rid of me after just a couple of days in my company.”

King Kazue casts a sideways glance to his sister and then looks at me with a guarded expression. “If you manage to kill the Sea Queen and the Princes’ Bane,” he says, “you’ll have to tell the world that we had a hand in it.”

It isn’t a request, and so I bow my head in agreement, sensing the fragility of the moment. I’m so close that I can almost feel it in the back of my throat, like a thirst.

“The crystal, the necklace, and the glory.” King Kazue slides back onto his throne with hungry eyes. “I want Págos to have it all.”

“I’ll tell them whatever you want me to,” I say. “As long as the Princes’ Bane is dead, it won’t matter to me.”

The Págese siblings look down at me from their icicle thrones and, one by one, they smile.

WHEN I FINALLY LEAVE the grand hall, Lira is waiting, a foot kicked up against the icicle doors. Her hair is damp from the cold and she’s wearing a thick knitted sweater that dwarfs her spindly wrists. When she sees me, she lets out a breath and pushes herself from the door.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

Lira shrugs. “Just making sure you weren’t dead.”

I shoot her an unconvinced look. “You were eavesdropping.”

“And now I’m done,” she says, and raises her eyebrows, as if daring me to do something about it.

Before she has a chance to walk away, I make a quick grab for her wrist and pull her back toward me. Lira whirls around so quickly that her hair splays across her face. She shakes her head to throw it from her eyes and then looks down at our locked hands, frowning.

“I want to know what you were thinking before,” I say. “Threatening to kill a princess in her own kingdom like that. It’s not your best attempt at humor.”

Lira snatches her hand from mine. “Kye thought it was funny.”

“While I’m glad the two of you are bonding, you should try to remember that Kye is an idiot.”

She smirks. “And so are you if you trust the Págese.”

“I don’t need to trust anyone. I just need for them to trust me.”

“For a pirate, you’re not a very good liar,” she says. “And you’re not very good at bargaining. Everything you’ve given up seems so vast compared to the nothing you’ve received in return.”

“It’s not nothing. It’s to end a war.”

“You really are a child if you believe it’ll be that easy.”

“You think surrendering my kingdom to Princess Yukiko was easy?” I ask. “It’s not just having to marry her, you know. I have to give up every dream I’ve ever had and stay rooted in duties I’ve spent my life trying to escape.”

My hands clench reflexively at my sides as I watch for her reaction. I want Lira to understand that I didn’t just make that deal on a whim and that every day since I’ve regretted it. I know the consequences of my actions, and I’m doing everything I can to find a way out.

Lira looks at me wordlessly and I’m not sure how I expect her to react, or if I have the right to expect anything at all, but her silence is more unnerving than anything I could have anticipated.

The clock in the great hall chimes, marking the beginning of the night winds. Lira waits a moment, until all three bells have cried out, and then, finally, she swallows. The sound is too loud.

“Are you really going to marry her?” she asks, and then shakes her head like she doesn’t want to know the answer. “It’s a smart plan, I suppose,” she says. “You get the Crystal of Keto and an alliance with a powerful kingdom. Even if you have to give up life on the *Saad*, you still come out a winner.” Her forced smile falters a little at the last part, and when she speaks again, her voice is quiet and severe. “You never quite seem to lose, do you, Elian?”

I’m not sure how to respond to that, since I feel like all I’ve been doing lately is losing. And this deal with Yukiko is just one more strike in that column.

I sigh, and when Lira pushes her hair from her face, I feel the need to explain my plan. Everything I’ve orchestrated to escape my deal with Yukiko lingers on the tip of my tongue like an impulse. I know I shouldn’t have to defend myself to Lira, or to anyone, but I feel the compulsion to do just that.

“It won’t matter what bargain I’ve struck when this is over,” I say. “If I survive, then I have a proposition that Yukiko won’t be able to refuse.”

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough proposing?” Lira asks.

There’s nothing endearing about the way she looks at me now.

“You’re putting your entire kingdom in danger by letting yourself be manipulated by a power-hungry princess who—”

She breaks off and looks to the floor with an unreadable expression.

“Lira.”

“Don’t.” She holds her hand up, keeping the distance between us. “You don’t owe me anything, especially if it’s an explanation. Royalty never owes anyone anything.”

Her use of the word *royalty* stings more than it should. I’ve spent so long trying to escape that as my only marker, and for her to say it with such certainty, as though she’s never once seen me as something else, pinches. Always a prince, never just a man.

I exhale carefully and shove my hands into my pockets. “I never said I owed you anything.”

Lira turns. Whether she heard me or not, I can’t be sure, but she walks away without looking back and I don’t follow. There’s part of me that wants to – a part larger than I’d like to admit – but I wouldn’t know what to say if I did.

I run a hand through my hair. This night really can’t end fast enough.

“I’m not blind to it.”

Yukiko steps out from the shadows like a ghost. In the pale torchlight, her eyes look near-white, and when she walks closer to me, the glow of the fire smooths the harsh lines of her face until she looks kind. Gentle.

The light really does play tricks on the mind.

“It just doesn’t matter to me,” she says.

“I’m pretty sure that I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That girl,” Yukiko says. “Lira.”

“I suppose she’s pretty hard to be blind to.”

“Yes.” Yukiko’s smile burns brighter than the fire. “It’s clear you believe that.”

I rub my temples, not up for yet another cryptic conversation. “Say what it is you have to say, Yukiko. I’m not in the mood for games.”

“A change from the usual, then,” she replies. “But I’ll grant the request, since you’re a guest in my home.”

She threads her fingers through her hair and bites down on the corner of her blue lips. The gesture looks far more foreboding than teasing. “You may care about her,” Yukiko says, “but it won’t change anything. Love is not for princes, and it’s most certainly not for kings. You promised me that you would become a king. My king. I want to remind you of that promise.”

The savage look in Lira’s eyes flashes across my mind. She didn’t even give me a second glance before she walked away. The last thing she seemed to want to hear were reasons or explanations. *You’re letting yourself be manipulated*, she said. *Royalty never owes anyone anything*. But that isn’t true. I owe a lot of people a lot of things, and Lira is no exception. Maybe I don’t owe her an explanation, but I do owe her my life, and that seems like the same thing.

I shift, and when I realize that’s exactly the reaction Yukiko wanted, I glare. “I didn’t promise you a king,” I say. “I believe the condition you were sold on was a kingdom. Do you even care which one it is?”

“That sounds an awful lot like you want to break our deal.”

“Not break,” I say. “Renegotiate.”

Yukiko grins and leans over my shoulder, brushing a catlike hand against my chest. Her cold breath presses against my neck, and when I turn my head away, I hear the smile in her voice.

“So many tricks,” she whispers. “You’ll need sturdier sleeves to hold them all.”