Kaelen's POV.
The High Priest stepped over the threshold, his robes sweeping against the blood-stained floor. He held a silver scepter in his hands.
"Prince Linus, the line of succession is clear. In the event of the Emperor's incapacitation or death, the High Council assumes regency. You are a guest. Step aside."
"I am not a guest," I said. I didn't move from the foot of Fenrir's bed. I held my short-sword ready for any of them to make any funny movement. "I am the War Consort. And I told you to leave."
"The Consort has no legal standing without a conscious Emperor to back the claim," the Master of Coin added. He signaled the four guards behind him. "Remove him. If he resists, use the shackles."
The first guard stepped forward and in two seconds, he hit the floor before his sword could even clear its sheath after I drove my blade into his head.
"That was your first warning," I said.
"You dare strike a member of the Imperial Guard?" the High Priest gasped.
"I am the only one in this room currently protecting the Imperial bloodline," I countered. I looked past them to the soldiers in the hallway. "Who is the Captain of the Guard today?"
A tall, scarred man named Torin stepped forward. He looked at the unconscious Emperor, then at me.
"Captain Torin," I said, my voice cutting through the High Priest's spluttering. "Did you see me at the ravine?"
"I did, Highness," Torin replied.
"Did you see me kill the Shadow Wolves?"
"I did."
"Then you know that your Emperor is not dead. He is poisoned by the very men standing in front of you," I said, pointing my blade at the Master of Coin. "They used a double-blind toxin. They knew the antidote would trigger a heart stoppage. They timed it so they could seize the throne before the sun reached its peak."
"Lies!" the Master of Coin shouted. "He's a foreigner trying to spark a coup!"
"Torin," I said, ignoring the noble. "If you let them take this room, Fenrir will be dead within the hour. They will smother him with a silk pillow and call it a peaceful passing. Is that the death your Emperor deserves? Murdered by a man who counts coins for a living?"
Torin looked at the Master of Coin, then back at me. He drew his sword, but he didn't point it at me, he pointed it at the High Priest.
"The Prince is right," Torin said. "The Council was already moving toward the vault before the bells even finished tolling."
"Torin, you are committing treason!" the High Priest shrieked.
"No," I said. "He's following the higher authority."
I walked toward the Master of Coin. He tried to back away, but Torin's men blocked the exit. I grabbed the noble by his velvet collar and shoved him against the wall.
"Where is the second antidote?" I asked.
"There isn't one!" he wheezed.
I pressed the edge of my blade against his earlobe. "Every double-blind poison has a stabilizer. Hecate wouldn't risk her own life being near it without the cure. Where is it?"
"I don't know!"
I cut a little part of his skin off. The Master of Coin screamed, clutching the side of his head.
"The next one is your tongue," I said.
"Where is the stabilizer?"
"In... in the Queen Mother's solar! Behind the vanity!" he sobbed. "Please, don't kill me!"
"Torin, take three men. Fetch the vial. If anyone stops you, kill them," I commanded.
"Yes, Regent," Torin said.
The High Priest looked like he would pass out any moment.
"I am not the Regent yet," I said, looking at the cowering nobles. "But since the Emperor cannot speak, I will. Captain, arrest the Master of Coin, the High Priest, and the Minister of Trade. Publicly. Chain them in the courtyard so the army can see what happens to traitors."
"You can't do this!" the High Priest cried as the guards seized his arms. "The law—"
"I am the law until he wakes up," I said, pointing at Fenrir. "Get them out of my sight."
The room cleared and only two guards remained at the door.
I turned back to Fenrir. He was still pale and his chest barely moving. I sat on the edge of the bed and took his hand, It was cold.
"Don't die," I whispered. "I haven't even finished making you miserable yet."
An hour later, Torin returned with a small black vial.
I didn't even hesitate, I forced the liquid into Fenrir's mouth and massaged his throat until he swallowed.
For ten minutes, nothing happened. Then, his body jerked. He let out a long, shuddering breath and his eyes flickered open.
"Linus?" he rasped.
"The Emperor lives," I said, leaning back.
"The bells..." he whispered.
"Forget them." I said. "The Master of Coin is currently in the stocks, and the High Priest is praying for mercy he won't get. You've been unconscious for two hours."
"And the throne?"
"I'm keeping it warm for you," I said.
Fenrir tried to sit up, but I pushed him back down. "Not yet. You need to recover. I have a court to manage."
"They'll never obey an Omega alone," Fenrir grunted.
"They already are," I said.
I stood up and walked to the door. "Torin, keep the Emperor under heavy guard. No one enters but me. I'm going to the Great Hall."
"Highness, the nobles are gathered. They are demanding an explanation for the arrests," Torin warned.
"I'll give them one," I said.
I walked down the long corridor, and pushed open the doors to the Great Hall. Hundreds of nobles were shouting, arguing, and panicking. When I entered, the room went silent immediately.
I walked into the room and sat directly on the Emperor's high throne.
A collective gasp went up.
"The Emperor is alive," I said, my voice calm and low. "But he is indisposed. I have arrested the Master of Coin and the High Priest for attempted regicide. They have confessed."
"Confessed?" a Duke shouted. "By what means?"
"By the means necessary," I said. "Does anyone else wish to question the legality of my actions?"
No one spoke.
"Good," I said. "Now, here is how the Iron Fang will operate until the Emperor returns to his feet. All trade with the Blue Moon is suspended, all Northern ports are under martial law, and any noble who leaves the capital without my written seal will be hunted down as a deserter."
"You are a Prince of the Blue Moon!" a countess cried out. "How do we know this isn't a takeover?"
"Because if I wanted to take over, you'd all be dead already," I said. "I am protecting the Empire. If you have a problem with that, you can wait until Fenrir wakes up to complain. Until then, you answer to me."
I looked at the royal box. It was empty. "Where is the Queen Mother?"
"She was seen heading toward the East Gate an hour ago, Highness," a guard replied. "She had an escort of twelve Shadow Wolves."
"The East Gate leads to the secret docks," I said, standing up. "She's escaping."
I didn't wait for a response. I ran down the stairs, ignoring the nobles who scrambled to get out of my way. I reached the East Gate just in time to see the sails of a small, fast galley catching the wind, Hecated raised a hand in a mock salute.
"She isn't just fleeing," I muttered as the ship hit the open water. "She's going to the fleet. She's going to bring the whole North down on us."
I looked at Torin, who had followed me. "Get the horses. And tell the Emperor to hurry up and get well. We're going to the sea."
"The crown is mine for now," I said, looking at the receding ship. "But the war is just beginning."