“Don’t say that.” Silas pointed at his friend as they slowed to a stop. “You see? That’s why I need her. While everyone else is wallowing in fear of the curse, Gwennore refuses to believe in it. And I know she’s brave. She proved that today.”
Aleksi gave him a sheepish look. “I know the rumor can’t be true, since you just met her, but you should know that people are saying the two of you are lovers.”
Silas shrugged. “It’ll make a convenient excuse to explain why we’re spending time together.”
“Then you don’t mind that people are saying you’re sleeping with the enemy? I heard some of the courtiers are wagering how long it will take before the elf stabs you to death in your sleep. The most popular bet has her killing you three nights from now.”
Silas gritted his teeth. “If you hear anyone making a disparaging remark about her, tell him he will be receiving a visit from me.”
Aleksi’s eyes widened. “Dimitri’s right. You’re attracted to her.”
Silas looked away. There was no point in denying it. Not when he kept envisioning the woman in his bed. He resumed his walk toward the stairwell. “She’s an intelligent, brave, and beautiful woman. But it doesn’t matter. Nothing will come of it.”
“She calls you General Gorgeous. Doesn’t that mean she’s attracted to you, too?”
Silas shook his head, then smiled as he recalled her physical assessment of him. Constipation. “She thinks I’m full of shit.”
Aleksi snorted. “You’re right. She is intelligent.”
Silas cuffed him on the shoulder once again. “She’ll be here for only a month. Then she’s going back to her sisters where she belongs.” To live with my sister, Sorcha.
“We’ll have to hope she’s not too clever,” Aleksi mumbled. “If she figures out too much…”
Silas winced. His young friend was right. If Gwennore uncovered Norveshka’s biggest secret, she would never be allowed to return to her sisters, especially when two of those sisters were the queens of potentially dangerous countries.
He reached the top of the stairs and spotted the king trudging up the steps, followed by two of his personal guard. Behind them, the secretary, Lord Romak, shot Silas an annoyed look.
“Aleksi,” he whispered. “When I talk to His Majesty, make sure Romak isn’t close enough to hear us.”
“Understood,” Aleksi replied.
While they waited at the top of the stairs, Silas took the opportunity to observe his older brother. In the last two years, the king’s black hair had acquired some gray at the temples. New wrinkles on his brow and dark circles beneath his eyes made him look both tired and stressed.
Silas grew tense, recalling the rumors that Petras might also be succumbing to madness. It couldn’t be true, though. He refused to believe it, just like he refused to believe in the curse.
“Your Majesty.” Silas bowed as the king reached the landing.
Petras regarded him with an expression that was both affectionate and annoyed. “Come with me.” He glanced back at Romak. “You may retire for the evening.”
A hint of anger flickered over the secretary’s face before he pasted a smile on his face and bowed. “Your Majesty is most gracious.”
While Silas accompanied Petras down the hallway, he glanced back to make sure Aleksi was herding the secretary down the stairs. Then he leaned in close and whispered, “I don’t trust Romak. You should get rid of him.”
Petras shook his head. “He hasn’t done anything to give me cause.”
“That you know of. Have you noticed the number of rings he’s wearing? Are you paying him that well?”
Petras’s mouth thinned with irritation. “I am aware of what’s going on around me. I’ve asked Karlan to keep an eye on Romak. We haven’t found him taking any bribes or dipping into the royal treasury.”
“Then where is his wealth coming from?”
“I’ll figure it out.” Petras heaved a sigh as he opened the door to his private sitting room. “This is the way it is here. The courtiers are constantly jockeying for more wealth and power. The only one I can really trust is Karlan.”
“And me.” Silas entered the dark room, lit only by a fire in the hearth. “I will always have your back.”
“I know that.” Petras closed the door, leaving his two guards in the hallway. “But frankly, you’re not supposed to be here. Romak has been trying to convince me that you’ve abandoned your post for the sole purpose of interfering with my business.”
“The damned weasel.”
“He has a point.” Petras lit a long stick of kindling in the fireplace, then used it to light the candles on the mantel. “You are interfering.”
Silas scoffed. “How could I not? Do I have to tell you the danger you put the country in today?”
With an angry flick of his wrist, Petras tossed the stick into the fire. “Do I have to tell you the danger of going against my wishes?”
Silas gave him an exasperated look. “Do you seriously want a war with Eberon and Tourin? You put me in charge of protecting our country, and that’s what I’m doing. We can’t afford to fight three countries at once. Our army is depleted enough.”
Petras added another log to the fire. “We have plenty of money. Hire more soldiers.”
“From where?” Silas gritted his teeth. “We’ve already taken women into the army. Do you want to risk the children next?”
Petras straightened with a worried look. “Surely, it’s not that bad.”
“It is bad,” Silas ground out. “We’ve been officially at war with Woodwyn for two years now. Unofficially, we have a long history of skirmishes with all of our neighbors. We can’t afford to lose any more people. That’s why we need peace with Eberon and Tourin. And to do that, I have to return the princess tomorrow.”
Petras hissed in a breath. “The queen requested a princess.”
“Dammit.” Silas walked away a few steps while he attempted to tamp down his frustration. “Taking the girl was wrong, Petras. You can’t traumatize children and families like that.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Petras yelled. “But what am I supposed to do when
