Richelle Mead - Iron Crowned

“It is,” she agreed. “But I just want … I want to get away from all this for a little while. From magic. And castles. And … whatever. I want to watch TV. I maybe want to see Wil. I want to charge my iPod. And my playlist doesn’t suck.”

I couldn’t help a laugh. “I kind of want all those things too. We’ll go soon. We’ll … we’ll cut those chains. I-I’m sorry I don’t have the key with me.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Kiyo’s going to be upset about all this,” I murmured, surprised to be confiding in her.

“You did the right thing,” Jasmine said. “I mean, aside from not killing Katrice and Cassius. But you can still do that.”

Any residual smile left on my lips vanished. “Cassius …”

“They were lying,” she said bluntly. “He didn’t do anything.”

“Jasmine …”

“I’m serious.” She looked at me, her blue-gray gaze level and steady. “He talked a lot of talk when he came to see me … touched me a little. But that was it. I think they just wanted to scare me.”

She didn’t elaborate on the touching. I didn’t ask. I was just relieved she hadn’t gone through what I had. “I’m sorry,” I told her. “I’m sorry I didn’t protect you better.”

Now she smiled. “You did fine. And hey, you ended the war, right? You won.”

I turned away, staring off into space. “I guess I did.”

We didn’t talk much after that. I was tired, exhausted from all the magic. Apparently, using an ancient, powerful artifact wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Neither was proving your dominance over a large piece of land. I’d felt wiped out last time but had gotten out of the Thorn Land as quickly as possible. Now, sitting here, I was stuck in the Rowan Land, still acutely aware of its every sensation. That intensity would fade, just as it had with the Thorn Land, but for now, it was like a hammer banging inside my head, demanding attention.

I practically flew to the gate when Rurik arrived. Once admitted, he and the force behind him paused. Studying the situation, he had a reaction similar to Volusian’s.

“Really?”

“Things happened kind of fast,” I admitted.

“It was well done. Possessing this land was a much better idea than simply defeating Katrice in battle.”

I scowled. “Well, can you possess it for now?”

He grinned. “Gladly.”

Turning from me, he fixed a hard gaze on those gathered. “You’re all now subjects of Queen Eugenie, daughter of Tirigan Storm King,” he barked. “Kneel.”

I looked on imperiously as they obeyed. I knew this was necessary to establish our control. No weakness, no hesitation. We were conquerors. I’d long since taken off the Iron Crown but wished I’d brought my normal one of authority. Oh, well. It wasn’t like I could’ve foreseen this when packing.

Everyone in the keep fell to their knees, heads bowed. We let them stay like that for several seconds while my stomach sank. Finally, they were allowed to rise, and Rurik kicked into full martial law mode, demanding an assessment of all soldiers and issuing rules for servants and refugees. He had a few tasks for me—more actions that made me seem queenly—before finally declaring I could leave.

“I’ll sort out the immediate problems,” he told me in a low voice. My own soldiers were now out and about, establishing order. “We’ll lock this place down, start scouting the immediate area, sifting out those who can be trusted.” He paused eloquently. “I’ll probably have to throw a large part of their military into the dungeon.”

“Do what you have to do,” I said. I had a feeling he’d eventually want to talk executions but was holding back for now. I imagined I looked as tired as I felt.

“And you simply want to imprison the former queen for now?” he asked.

“For now.”

Jasmine scoffed beside me, and Rurik’s expression showed he shared her opinion.

“Well, don’t stay away long,” he said. “You need to make your presence felt. And you need to connect with the land.”

“I know, I know,” I grumbled. I’d avoided the Thorn Land before, but it had kept calling me back. “I know how this works.”

He arched an eyebrow, that sardonic smile of his returning. “Do you? Do you know what’s happened?”

I threw my hands up, gesturing around. “I got stuck with another kingdom.”

“Do you know how many other monarchs control more than one kingdom?”

I shook my head, presuming whoever did must live far from me.

“No one,” said Rurik.

“I … What? No.” Dorian had mentioned conquering more than one land, making me think it must happen now and then. The Iron Crown’s purpose suggested as much. “There must be someone else.”

“No one,” Rurik repeated. “You’re the only one. The only one in ages … well, except for Storm King.”

The world swayed around me again. I once more just wanted to go somewhere and lie down. My reaction brought a bigger smile to Rurik’s face, but I swore there was a little sympathy in his eyes too.

“Congratulations,” he said. “Congratulations, Eugenie—Queen of Rowan and Thorn.”

It took awhile before Kiyo, Jasmine, and I could return to Tucson. We had to go to the Thorn Land, of course, where Shaya and the others asked me all sorts of questions about what had happened and what I wanted to do. Kiyo and even Jasmine provided most of the answers for me because honestly, I wasn’t sure what I wanted now. The only thing I had the real sense to do was demand Jasmine’s key and unlock her chains. She stared at her freed hands wonderingly, stroking her wrists. I nearly left the chains and key in the castle but soon reconsidered and took them with me to the human world.

She’d never seen my house before and regarded it with approval as we entered. All was quiet, and the empty driveway made me confident I wouldn’t find Tim and Lara holed up in his bedroom again. Evidence of their “love,” however, was still obvious.

“Damn them,” I said, gingerly picking a red lace bra off of the couch and tossing it down the hall toward Tim’s room. “I’m going to have to sanitize this thing. Probably every other piece of furniture too.”

“You have Pop-Tarts!” Jasmine hadn’t made it to the living room. She’d stopped in the kitchen, opening every drawer and cupboard she could find. “And Apple Jacks! Peanut butter, ranch dressing, saltines …”

I was surprised that last one excited her so much, but after a couple years eating gentry food, even the most mundane human cuisine was probably exciting.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Can I have one of your Milky Ways?”

“Sure. Have whatever you want.”

Her eyes were wide as she tore into the package, and both Kiyo and I watched her with smiles on our faces, like proud parents on Christmas morning. Although they didn’t sound good to me right now, Milky Ways were normally my candy bar of choice. From the way she was consuming hers, Jasmine appeared to share that family trait. She completed her sugar rush with a can of Coke and then made herself at home on the couch. Watching her reach eagerly for the remote control, I decided it was best not to mention the amorous activities that had likely occurred where she sat.

She flipped through the channels in continued amazement. It was evening—prime time entertainment—and the emotions on her face were transparent as she stumbled across old and new shows alike.

“You want me to see if I can find anything that fits you?” I asked. She might have slipped back easily to human behaviors, but she still wore a long, flowing gentry-style gown.

“Sure,” she said, not looking up from the screen.