“The king will still lead all the current war efforts, but we will be incorporating my strategy into it,” I say to the room.

I am no fool. I need Montes’s expertise and knowledge. I just want to build my tactics on the foundation he’s laid.

“I don’t know how much you all know about my past,” I say, moving around the table. I can feel the king’s eyes like a brand on my back. “But before I slept, before I even married the king, I was a soldier, just like many of you. I was a soldier—and an emissary.”

The people sitting in on this meeting look alive and attentive, when only minutes ago many wore bored, listless expressions.

“I was taught to fight, but I was groomed to negotiate.”

I throw a glance back at Montes. His eyes burn with his fury and with something brighter, something much more honorable.

“Long ago, I forged a peace treaty with a hostile nation. I will do so again, and I won’t give the representatives of the West a choice.”

“You still haven’t answered how you propose to go about attaining this.” Heinrich says this. The grand marshal looks skeptical, as do many of the other men and women gathered here.

The true brilliance of this plan, and the ultimate irony, is that Montes had handed me the answer on a silver platter.

“I appear to already be a symbol of freedom to the people.” I pace as I speak. “We are going to encourage that belief, and we’re going to win the common people over. I am going to fight for them and speak for them until I become synonymous with victory, regardless of what nation they belong to.”

I watch the officers faces as they mull this possibility over. Many appear unsure, but more appear intrigued.

“Ideology will win us this war,” I say.

The room is quiet. I don’t dare look back at Montes. All I can think is that he is indeed a changed man to have not intervened thus far.

“Whoever is in charge of coordinating the king’s political maneuvers,” I say, “I want you to schedule a series of meetings.” My footfalls echo as I move to the center of the room. “I want to meet with every regional leader—especially those who have a history of disliking the king. Even those that belong to the Western United Nations. And I want to meet with the leaders of every grassroots organization and vigilante group.”

Some people are writing furiously. Others are staring at me with bright eyes, and still others look grim. But no one, no one appears unengaged. That, if nothing else, is one accomplishment of this meeting. This struggle needs to mean something to people. And I bet it hasn’t in quite some time.

“I plan on creating alliances with each and every one of these leaders.”

Someone interrupts. “But what you’re saying—some of these men and women are terrorists, most no better than the leaders of West.”

I seek out the voice. I smile a little when my eyes find the officer. “I don’t plan on catering to their demands. I’m going to convince them to get behind mine.”

This lesson I learned from the king. When to compromise, and when not to. For all of Montes’s terrible decisions, he’s great at getting people to do his bidding without conceding anything himself.

I pause, my gaze sweeping over the men and women in the room. “And finally,” I say, “I want to meet with the WUN’s representatives—either directly or over video.”

Chapter 19

Serenity

“Are you insane?”

I turn to face the king.

The last of the room’s inhabitants have left, leaving me alone with Montes.

He leans against the double doors that lead out. Only a minute ago he’d been swapping some final comments with his officers. Now that everyone’s gone, he’s dropped any pretense that this was a joint decision. Though, technically, it was.

I walk over to him slowly. When I get close I say quite slowly, “Fuck. You.” All my civility is gone.

He rears back just slightly, enough to let me know I surprised him.

Good. Finally I can let the full spectrum of my feelings show.

I’m one raw, savage girl, and he has wronged me.

“You selfish bastard,” I continue. “You really thought I would just jump into bed with you without a damn good reason?”

His jaw tightens.

I’ve learned how to play the king’s games, and now the player is getting played.

“You had something I wanted, and I had something you wanted.” I am treading in very, very dangerous territory.

Montes hasn’t spoken, but that vein in his temple throbs.

I move away from him. The screens have been rolled back up, and I can see all those conquered territories once more. The sight of them still disgusts me.

“You can have your intimacy and I can campaign for peace,” I say, rotating to face him, “or it can all go away—the intimacy, the camaraderie—all of it. I will become the bane of your existence.”

He doesn’t react—not immediately. I feel something like energy gathering behind him.

When he finally begins to stalk towards me, I have to force myself to stay rooted where I am. There’s a reason he’s been the king for this long. His power moves with him, and right now it’s intimidating the hell out of me.

He cocks his head, assessing me like a hunter does prey. “So my little wife decided to try her hand at strategy?” he says, his footsteps echoing through the room. “I am impressed.”

I run my tongue over my teeth. Now it’s my turn to stay quiet.