Capture the Crown (Gargoyle Queen #1) -Jennifer Estep Page 0,97

although annoyance kept pinching her face, as though she too was frustrated with his obtuse talk.

Finally, Milo reached the table with the piles of books. He moved several of them aside, clearly searching for something. My hand fisted in my skirt. I knew what he was looking for—the arrow in my pocket.

“You promised to show me an example of your new weapon,” Emperia cooed. “I’m most eager to see it.”

Irritation filled Milo’s face, although his back was to Emperia, so she didn’t see it. “I thought I had left one in here. I must have put it in the old armory with the others.”

He shrugged, as if the arrow’s location was of little importance, but I latched onto his words. Old armory? Was that where he was keeping the tearstone? And just how many arrows had he crafted out of it?

“Perhaps we can go there tomorrow morning, and you can show it to me then,” Emperia said. “I should be able to sneak away from Corvina.”

Milo nodded. “Very well.”

Emperia eyed him, a calculating look on her face. “Maeven will not approve of any of this. Not your new weapon, and especially not us. If she were to find out what we’re planning, well, death would be a blessing, rather than the prolonged torture she would inflict on us.”

Milo huffed. “I am well aware of what my mother is capable of, but I can handle her. I’m almost as strong in my magic as she is.”

“Almost isn’t good enough,” Emperia replied in a sharp tone. “Not where Maeven is concerned.”

For the first time tonight, I agreed with her. Maeven was an extremely powerful lightning magier, which made her a dangerous enemy, but even more impressive was the fact that she had held on to her throne for the last sixteen years, despite all the potential usurpers in Myrkvior. No, as much as I despised the Mortan queen, Maeven was most definitely not to be taken lightly, or worse, underestimated.

Milo rolled his eyes. “My mother is getting older and weaker every single day. You saw her tonight. She left her own birthday dinner early, rather than stay and shore up her support with the nobles. She never would have made such a glaring mistake in years past.”

“Leaving a dinner early doesn’t mean anything,” Emperia replied, her voice even sharper than before.

Milo finally noticed her tone, and he peered down his nose at her. “I told you before—I will handle my mother when the time comes. If you’re having second thoughts, then perhaps I should find another ally. Someone who isn’t so interested in questioning my judgment.”

Emperia’s lips pressed together, as though she didn’t appreciate him making light of her concerns. She was right to be worried. I would have been worried too, if I were plotting against Maeven.

“Besides, my mother won’t be queen for much longer,” Milo continued. “We’ll put our plan into action as scheduled. First, we’ll take the palace. Then, when all my weapons are ready, we’ll turn our sights toward our true enemies.”

So Milo was planning to wrest the throne away from Maeven. No surprise there, but I wondered who he considered his true enemies. Andvari? Bellona? Ryusama? He could be targeting any one of them. Or perhaps he was as ambitious as King Maximus had been and wanted to conquer all the kingdoms.

Emperia’s concern melted into a sly, seductive smile, and she stepped forward and started toying with the gold buttons on Milo’s jacket. “I do have one request regarding your mother.”

“What?”

Her smile took on a toothy edge. “I want to be there when you finally give that arrogant bitch what she so richly deserves.”

“Of course,” Milo replied. “You’ve been so helpful supplying the men and the funds I needed to secure the tearstone and smuggle it out of Andvari. I promise that you’ll be right by my side when I finally tear my mother down off her throne.”

My eyes narrowed. So Emperia was financing Milo’s scheme. Smart of the prince to get the noble to pay for his border raids. Still, the information only increased my worry. Dealing with the Morricones was bad enough, but the Dumonds were equally dangerous. An alliance between the two families could spell disaster for Andvari.

“And what will you do with Maeven afterward?” Emperia’s voice sounded casual, but her long red nails dug into Milo’s jacket, indicating how important his answer was to her.

Milo shrugged again. “I’ll have to kill her. She’s too stupid to realize that she’s already lost, and she’ll