Chapter 1
Fae cannot be ruled.
A map with clearly marked boundaries of the varying kingdoms seemed to contradict this saying, but Lannahi knew that the words held more truth. The shapes painted on the light marble floor were nothing more than a representation of the board, and the names and outlines of the countries, a record of the current state of the game. The kingdoms’ subjects were players like any king and queen. Rulers were simply more determined to win.
Lannahi’s lips curled into an ironic smile as she thought about her father’s words. Once, she would have said that strength, craft, and courage were what distinguished monarchs from the crowd, but growing up in the royal court, she’d quickly understood that these qualities weren’t a differentiator, but the bare minimum needed to survive the high-level games. General Kammau possessed the same dominating strength as King Sarkal and Chancellor Llissal matched the king in cleverness, yet neither of them ever Challenged him. Asirri, Lannahi’s mother, did challenge Sarkal to a duel, but despite it ending in a draw, she’d given up her crown, content with the titles of Knight and Royal Consort. Kammau, Llissal, and Asirri could reach for more power, but they did not want to. The rest of the citizens might not have been strong enough to confront the king directly nor had an army to face him in battle, but they could have left the kingdom to fight on the enemy’s side—and yet they hadn’t done that.
One needs to be determined to win, Sarkal liked to tell his children.
One needs to be lucky to win, Lannahi thought instead.
Her father didn’t win seven cities by sheer determination. He was a powerful enchanter. If not for that, he never would have become king or would have lost his reign long ago.
Lannahi frowned. She wasn’t so lucky. Her magical talent was laughable. If she didn’t do something soon, she’d be forced to follow other people’s orders for the rest of her life.
Her gaze moved over the map.
Plains and coasts were out of question. Most of the cities there were ruled by enchanters and water elementals. Too much risk.
She also dismissed the dry lands that belonged to the fire elementals. The chances of winning were much higher, but of living in peace afterward, almost none. The firebringers had difficulty in abiding by the Rules.
The terrains beyond the wide strip of steppes and deserts tempted not only with an easy victory but also with riches like cocoa and spices. On top of that, the unwarlike flowerspeakers… A dream kingdom to rule. If only encounters with the native insect species didn’t threaten to leave one with memory loss or madness…
The northern part of the Continent… Lannahi shook her head. No, there was no point in pondering that. She was not an adventurer nor did she have the resources to build a city from scratch.
Lannahi sighed and shifted her gaze back to the southern part of the map. Since the plains and coasts were out of question, that left only the high mountains and the nests of air elementals or the deep winter forests and the cities belonging to the landshapers—the lands that bordered the edge of the civilized world.
Since living at heights didn’t appeal to her …
Landshapers, she thought with bleak amusement.That would be a sensation.
No one challenged the landshapers. Not because it wasn’t worthwhile as their land was rich with resources, but out of fear. Fear of repeating the past. It was the magic of the earth elementals that destroyed the part of the Continent now called the Shattered Lands. The fact that it happened hundreds of years ago didn’t matter. The term “landunmakers” never went out of use. Nothing stirred the imagination like the vision of an abyss swallowing cities whole.
Lannahi felt uneasy thinking about the consequences of the landshapers’ wrath, but she didn’t think the grim visions would become reality. She was issuing a Challenge, not starting a war. They might not be thrilled, but it wasn’t a reason to cause a disaster.
They knew the Rules.
Fae cannot be ruled,the thought echoed again in her head.
Lannahi tightened her fingers on the stone balustrade for a moment, then stepped back and moved toward the stairs, remembering the kiss of the man who had betrayed her.
You will look beautiful in a diadem… and a leash.
When she came down from the gallery and stood at the edge of the map, in her heart, fear mixed with determination.
“Fae cannot be ruled” was the first part of the saying. The second was: “but you can convince them to play a game.”
And every game could be won.
***
Even though it was still some time before the evening meal, when Lannahi entered the dining room, a man and a woman were already sitting at the round oak table. They were endowed with similar features, both golden-haired, golden-eyed, and possessing a beauty that made them stand out from the human servants who bustled about the chamber lighting the lightcrystals and preparing the tableware.
“Hello, sister,” Letiri said.
Lannahi stopped but quickly hid her surprise and moved toward her brother and sister. “Hello,” she said cheerfully despite the knot tightening in her stomach.
Despite their similar physical features, her siblings were as different as night and day. Letiri liked wearing bright dresses with bold cuts, and Maal preferred subdued colors and tied-up elegance without loose ends. Her sister spoke with a cutting edge, sharp and quick like a dagger strike; her brother carefully weighed each word and rarely wasted a single breath. Letiri’s natural element was socializing, flitting from party to party; Maal’s main focus was on his duties. With a little effort, one could see the resemblance in their triangular faces, but those were just details.
