Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

will show you far more honor than you showed when you came in the night for my mother's head."
    She seemed visibly shaken by his words, her hand shaking as it rose. "Pity you shall never get the chance. You will be dead before nightfall."
    "Your queen is afraid. She does not wish for others to know the truth." Chien did not speak to her, but to the soldiers who surrounded the room.
    "Shut up, stupid child!"
    "Empress, does he speak the truth? Are you not truly blessed by the Dragon?" One of the men spoke up at last.
    Mai's head whirled to face him, "You will pay the price for your doubt. Take him to the grounds as well." But none of the soldiers moved to fulfill her orders. He could see the realization settling in, the panic that filled her eyes, "You would follow this child instead of me? He is a drunkard, a wastrel. He is hardly suitable for the throne. What has he done to prove himself? What lives has he taken?"
    "All those responsible for the betrayal thirteen years ago. Your closest servant who spread the word, your handmaiden who carried your messages. The minister who plotted the attack. My mother's handmaiden, who took money to lure the guard away."
    As he named each of her conspirators, he could see the panic rising. The silence weighed heavily and still he spoke, "The three eunuchs who assisted you. The armorer who provided the sword. The shaman who provided the poison you used to make my mother's death as painful as possible. The spineless bastards who killed my little sister."
    That particular death had been as painful as he could make it. He had made sure that the man had enough clues to realize why all those involved in the coup had been dying. Enough to keep him awake at night in fear. And the night before he planned to go to the Empress and blackmail her into giving him protection, Chien had attacked.
    "You," The Empress seemed to be having difficulty finding words. "You will not win this."
    "I challenge you Empress."
    "I refuse!"
    "In front of all these soldiers? In front of your guard you refuse my challenge?" Chien smirked, "Your Empress is weak. She is afraid. And cowardice cannot be abided by the Throne of Swords."
    "Quiet!" Her shriek was deafening, and she took several deep gulps of air before she could at last speak. "I will not fight you because you are not on my level. I do not display my strength by fighting those so obviously beneath me."
    "The words of a coward."
    "And you would know best wouldn't you, dear nephew." She spat the words and took one last deep breath. "I will not fight you, but we shall have a duel this night yet. You will fight the proper heirs for the throne. You will fight my sons."
    "Mother—"
    "Quiet."
    Chien knew why she had decided on such a thing. She could not simply kill him. Moron he might have appeared, but Chien knew he still had supporters. Those willing to raise a coup in his name. If she killed him, she would only serve to give them a cause. If Chien died in combat, however, she would prove that her children were superior. "Spend your last hours wisely nephew."
    She looked around the room, staring each of the guard in the eyes, "And when I have finished with my nephew, know now that each of you will face punishment."
    The soldiers did not respond. "Call in my general. Have him escort my nephew to his rooms."
    It did not take long for General Bao to appear. Seeing him hurt, but Chien swallowed it down. Pride would not allow him to do anything else. The Empress gave orders in a tight, angry voice and Bao gave him a baffled look before escorting him to his rooms. Not a word passed between them as they crossed the bridge. Chien could feel eyes upon him and wondered what they might be thinking.
    When he stepped into his room, Bao followed him inside and closed the door behind him. Before he could do so much as open his mouth to speak a word, Chien rounded on him, his fist connecting solidly with Bao's nose and sending him stumbling back with a startled cry. His hand hurt. Likely his fist would be bruised, but none of that mattered now.
    "You betrayed me." His voice was oddly calm as he stared down at Bao, who hadn't moved, hand prodding tentatively around his nose.
    It seemed to take him a few minutes before he realized what Chien had said. "I what? Betrayed you? There is only one traitor in this room."
    "You gave me your word that you would not speak to the Empress."
    "And I have not." He sounded so sure of that, but there was no other way she could have known.