The Alcazar (The Cerulean Duology #2) - Amy Ewing Page 0,105
winged armchair, Hektor skulking by one of the glass panels as Matthias sank onto the sofa. There was a low bench opposite him, across the coffee table, and Leo and Agnes perched there in unison.
“So,” Ambrosine said without preamble. “You have brought the traitor and the thief. Murderer too, though he’ll answer for that in due time.”
Agnes and Leo looked at each other, confused.
“Your father killed your mother,” Ambrosine said, as casually as if it were nothing. Leo felt the room begin to spin. Hektor flinched but Matthias sighed.
“Please don’t say it like that, Mother, they’re his children,” he said. He turned to Agnes and Leo. “He didn’t kill her.”
“He should not have brought her here so late,” Ambrosine snarled. “What was he thinking, waiting that long. She was almost at her due date and in no condition for a long sea voyage.”
“She was fine when she arrived,” Matthias said wearily, as if they’d had this conversation before. “The doctor said twins presented more danger than a typical pregnancy.”
“The question is, what do we do with him now?” Hektor asked.
“He must be punished,” Ambrosine said. “Both of them must be punished. A night in the wailing caverns should be a good start.”
“Please,” Agnes said. “He was never a good father to us, but we don’t want him hurt.” She glanced at Leo as if to confirm this.
“We don’t,” Leo said, and his sister looked relieved.
“He should not have said what he said to you,” she whispered.
“Yeah. But was it really all that surprising?” Leo muttered back.
“He stays in the wailing caves tonight,” Ambrosine said. “How did you find him?” she asked Matthias.
“I heard he was in Ithilia,” he said. “I figured he was staying at the same inn he stayed at when he met Alethea. Didn’t realize Ezra was with him.”
“Now we know who stole the Arboreal and the mertag,” Hektor growled.
Ambrosine rolled her eyes. “Please, Hektor, I suspected that ever since Ezra disappeared.” She turned back to her youngest son. “Why bring Xavier here, if you have no taste for revenge?”
Matthias gestured to Agnes and Leo. “He’s their father. I was unable to convince the Lekke to vote against war with Kaolin. The streets were getting dangerous. I didn’t want Xavier to end up murdered or locked away in Banrissa. He’s a Kaolin and was married to a Byrne to boot.”
“How did you get him on the ship?” Hektor asked.
“The Lekke graced me with a small crew as well,” Matthias said. “They aren’t Misarros but they are still a force to be reckoned with. Besides, Ezra didn’t put up much of a fight.”
Hektor snorted. “No, I wouldn’t expect him to.”
“Mother, please,” Matthias said. “I beg you, don’t do this thing. Don’t challenge the Triumvirate. I know the Renalt is after you. Her warships could be here any day now. Culinnon is well guarded, but can the mertags take on an entire fleet? Have they ever been tested that way?”
“You think it is only mertags I have protecting us?” Ambrosine said. “You’re supposed to be the smart one, Matthias. The northern islands have joined our cause now that Agnes has arrived. We can finally break away from Triumvirate rule. With Agnes by my side, we will start a new nation, one that is loyal to us.”
For a second, Matthias just stared at her. Then he gripped the couch cushions as if needing them to anchor him.
“She’s only just come to Pelago,” he said. “You can’t expect her to acquiesce happily to your plans. She barely knows the country at all!”
“Agnes can make her own decisions,” Ambrosine snapped.
“And what about Leo?” Matthias demanded. “What are your plans for him?”
“You saw the silver girl, didn’t you?” Hektor said. “She and Leo are . . . very close.”
Matthias was on his feet in an instant. “They’re children,” he hissed at his mother. “Goddesses be damned, you haven’t changed one bit since she died, have you?”
Ambrosine sneered. “It is my duty to preserve this family for—”
“Yes, the family, the family, all my life I’ve heard about how important this family is,” Matthias said, his jaw tight. “As if that’s all we are, Byrnes and no more. Alethea couldn’t stand it—you suffocated her with your talk of continuing the line, of changing the world. What’s so wrong with the world the way it is, Mother?”
“For someone so well learned, Matthias, you can be blindingly stupid,” Ambrosine said. “So obsessed with your individual life when there is history to consider.”