Page 64 of Eyes of Kings

“How,” Calla says slowly, “did you get your hands on a god?”

“Most of them remain stubborn about playing mortal. It is easier than you would think.” Galipei shrugs. “I needed a distraction, didn’t I?”

What a fool he is. He has been released from duty. If he wanted to sneak back into the twin cities, he could disappear indefinitely. Find a dingy apartment with enough canned goods in the cupboard. He is smart enough to evade capture. Calla would know.

“Did you think controlling Anton would be enough to win the war?”

“No, Your Majesty,” Galipei says. “I thought maybe he could take your head off and hand the crown over.”

Calla narrows her eyes. Galipei grunts immediately, throwing himself toward the cell wall. His left arm lifts, protecting his injured right arm as he swivels to meet his opponent… only there is no one there.

Calla cut him from the other side of the bars. She has swallowed so muchpower in her bed. When she blinks, she cuts another wound, on his other arm this time. Galipei sucks air between his teeth. Now he sees that Calla is doing it.

“You’re not blocked,” he remarks.

“No,” Calla says.

There’s a pecking order. Common sigils and rare sigils. Different gods to pray to, to summon. Different qi to call on, even when the gods are dead. So where does Calla sit? How can the divine crown defy this order, yet do little against an assailant entering her capital?

Unless it’s not the crown resisting the block.

“The Crescent Societies won’t like that. They’ll want to get you under control.” Galipei glances down, to his dead victim. The pool of blood; his handprint on Anton’s ankle, attempting to mark him. “I wonder what would happen if I gave the Crescents a new sigil in exchange for my freedom. One that enacts control.”

Calla sets her lamp down. “Don’t make false threats, Galipei. If you valued your life enough to work with the Crescent Societies, we would not be here right now. There is no world where you’re abandoning August.”

Galipei’s jaw tightens. His mouth opens, as though he wants to argue, but seconds pass, and he says nothing.

Truth be told, Calla walked into these cells prepared to kill him. He is another extension of August’s authority in the kingdom. He will continue to cause havoc. But…

“You wouldn’t gain anything by offering your collusion to the Crescent Societies,” Calla says. “You would, however, if you defect to fight for me.”

His eyes are the color of San-Er under its rainstorm, lacking any warmth for miles out. He spits at her feet.

“Fuck you.”

“I can already predict his exact plan, Galipei,” Calla says. “August willoccupy the north in an effort to starve the capital. He wants to wait me out, but he cannot wait out a place like San-Er.No oneinvades San-Er.” She pauses. “You must have told him this too.”

Galipei has always been the silent presence looming over August’s shoulder, the shadow haunting San-Er at August’s instruction. He is the one sent to do dirty work, who chased Calla down when she was sighted after years hiding, uncaring who he mowed down in the process. August would hate to learn about Galipei being held captive. August is too proud. He would rather fight and die than let the enemy pull together his scraps.

“You do not need me,” Galipei spits. “You are on course toward winning anyway. Palace soldiers have abandoned their barracks in the provinces. Each yamen is a power vacuum, following usurpers who claim to be gods. When the Weisannas all die in battle with you, August haslost. That’sit.”

Calla considers the landscape he has drawn. The wind of victory, blowing behind her.

“It seems you have quite some faith behindmypower.”

“I watched the broadcasts that your parents used to do.”

The pivot turns her blood to ice. Galipei is not so afraid after all, because she could torture him to ribbons only for this topic.

“Call it a bout of research,” he goes on. “When August started looking for you, we had to cover all possible leads. I grew curious whether there might be anything of use spoken by the king and queen of Er.”

“I imagine you did not find much.”

Her fondness for her parents starts and ends at their lineage passed on to this body of hers. When she thinks back to her years in the palace, there are moments where the king and queen of Er hardly feel like real people to her. It is more drastic now, knowing about Sinoa Tuoleimi. They hadn’t birthed an innocent child into the world. They had birthed destruction.

“I found that they killed a lot of people who disagreed with them,” Galipeisays. “That was not surprising. But San-Er hated them less than they hated Kasa. If you asked me, I’d say they were better at justifying it. Near the end of his reign, Kasa laughed in his people’s misery. Your parents had the decency to pretend.”

Calla waits. Galipei shakes his head.