In a prison full of vicious murderers, that wasn’t uncanny prognostication, but the way the sentries reacted, she’d stolen the thoughts directly from their minds. The youngest one swallowed hard, his gaze falling to his cards. He clenched his hands in his lap, and Jael realized he needed to focus on him. He switched gears.
“Why did you do it?” he asked the young one. “I just got here, and even I know Queensland is the best place inside Perdition.”
“I didn’t do anything,” the prisoner said shakily.
Jael’s tone became silky. “That’s the problem. You didn’t do anything. Your job is to report territorial incursions and summon reinforcements if your patrol isn’t strong enough to drive them back. Why did you look the other way? What did Priest promise you?”
“Don’t say a word,” the leader warned.
When Dred focused on the kid and closed her eyes, sweat broke out on the kid’s brow. It wouldn’t be long now, Jael guessed. A few seconds later, the boy broke, eyes wild. “It don’t matter. She knows, she always knows. She’s playing with us.”
“She can’t prove anything unless you—”
But the youngest guard didn’t seem to hear his cohort. He babbled to Jael, “We were so sure she’d lose, that she couldn’t stand against Grigor and Priest. It seemed like a good idea to have a backup plan, you know?”
“That makes sense,” he said encouragingly.
It was the sort of thing he’d do, so he couldn’t judge them. But it was his job to get a confession. He’d always been loyal to his employers until he got a better offer. In this place, he wouldn’t trust such a promise. From what he’d seen of Silence and heard of Grigor and Priest, Dred was the only one still clinging to sanity. That was enough to keep him in her court.
“We had no idea there was an alliance with Silence in the works,” the boy went on. “It seemed smart to hedge our bets.”
Bad luck for you. You gambled and lost.
“So what did Priest ask you to do?” he prompted.
“Just look the other way. That’s all, I swear.”
The man sitting beside him slammed a meaty fist into the kid’s temples to shut him up. His head rocked sideways, then dropped to the table, but the damage was done. Dred opened her eyes and studied the remaining three with a gaze so cold even Jael marveled at her detachment. He also wondered if the boy had been telling the truth, but her impervious mien gave no sign.
“I find all four of you guilty,” she whispered.
Before they could react, she vaulted onto the table, leaving her legs vulnerable. They could’ve struck out at her; though Jael would’ve killed them too fast for her to come to harm, she couldn’t know that for certain. It was pure bravado, an absolute statement of sovereignty. Despite himself, he was impressed with her courage.
“Four traitors,” she called in a ringing voice. “They gave aid to Priest’s people. They overlooked the raiding party, which resulted in the death of our own. What’s the payment for those who turn?”
“Death,” the crowd thundered back.
“And so what is your judgment?” she demanded.
“Death!” the men shouted.
Jael dodged out of the way as the convicts stormed the table. Dred dove forward, executed a flip in midair, and landed lightly at his side. He’d never seen people pulled apart before; it was grisly, even by his standards, and he’d fought in some awful campaigns. The Dread Queen looked on with pitiless eyes, content in her ruling. For the first time, he suspected she might belong here.
As I do. But that didn’t mean he’d stay. Jael had been fighting fate his whole life.
13
Shopping Spree
The next day, Dred realized that Wills had said “he” instead of “they” when he’d issued his warning. Maybe the discrepancy was nothing to worry about, but it made her wonder if there was one more traitor to be rooted out. His initial reading had indicated that Jael would be the one who ruined Queensland, yet the new fish had been helpful so far. She wouldn’t say she trusted him fully, but if you offered complete faith to anyone, then you were a fool. Therefore, unless he proved himself disloyal, she would use him.
It was busy in the hall today, just before mealtime. Cook was berating his helpers, a knife in one hand and a pot in the other. She didn’t know what was on the menu, but it smelled decent. Probably some casserole or fricassee created from the hydroponics garden. It had been a while since they’d had protein, as the only working Kitchen-mate in her territory had shorted out a week before, and even Wills couldn’t persuade it back to work. It needed parts, he said, which was part of why she was contemplating this mission.
She strode over to her throne, feeling like an idiot, but it wouldn’t do for her to wait in line like everyone else. They have to believe you’re better than they are, Tam had said. Not so much that they become resentful, but just enough to inspire awe. To her mind, he seemed to know an awful lot about royalty, about controlling a populace and keeping them balanced in the narrow channel between obedience and rebellion. Most days she thought Tam should be running things instead.
In due course, he brought her a bowl of a reddish, lumpy mess. She didn’t ask, just dug in. He sat at the base of her throne, as if she required it of him. None of the other men dared to approach without her signal. Instead, they ate at distant tables, contenting themselves with looks from afar.
It’s all so ridiculous.
“Have you heard from Silence?” she asked, after a few bites.
The spymaster shook his head. “Not so far. You know how she is. She’ll wait until the last moment, then ask us for the impossible.”
That sounded about right. “It’s not as if we have a choice about the alliance.”
“True. And we lost two more last night. They died in their sleep.”
Dred bit off a curse. With the population going down, she couldn’t afford a drawn-out conflict. There were two potential solutions to the problem, and since she couldn’t predict a shipful of new fish arriving conveniently to bolster her numbers, she set her sights elsewhere. This might end up as a risky, pointless run, but in his last report, Tam said he thought it was doable.
“Get Wills and Einar,” she snapped, once they finished their meals.
Tam hurried off, returning within moments. “Do you need me for this?”
She shook her head. “You already charted the course, and we can find our way. Keep an eye on things here, all right?”