Kambry backed up further, her hand slidingalong the table, the scabbard catching on a gouge along its edge.She wasn’t unarmed. In fact, she had a knife openly strapped at herwaist along with the queen’s hidden blade. Drew’s curiosity abouther training may have been a stab at finding out how trained shewas. She had only sparred with him at the start of her training, sohe didn’t have a clear appraisal of her skills. Still, she didn’twant to have to fight with him. His size and strength would placeher at a disadvantage. “What are you two planning? You cannot takeover ruling Kavin. Loyalties lie with King Russal and myself.”
“If the king’s ring accepts us, then thepopulace will follow, or we’ll make them,” Sarena said. She gave athroaty chuckle and shared a grin with Drew. “I am no less thanMaizalyn or you, scribe queen.”
“That’s a rather simplified view,” Kambrysaid. “You have conspired on rather thin support.” She judged thedistance to the door. Could she run for it before either could stopher?
Another person stepped into view at the door.The cloaked figure from the passages. Behind her stood a man in theshadows. He was barely taller than the woman.
She drew back the hood, revealing an olderbut still quite striking woman, long red hair lying about hershoulders. Her brown eyes gazed out of a self-satisfiedcountenance. “Hello, Queen Kambry.” She looked about the room. “Ihad thought to meet you in a secluded room of my choice, but thiswill do nicely. People visit it is rarely, and who would expect tofind you here?”
Kambry channeled Lady Laurents’ bestcontempt. “Russal, Dorvea, several guards, in fact.”
“You did well avoiding your guards, so don’texpect any of them.” She moved with deliberate grace into the room.“Dorvea is under the thumb of Lady Laurents. Russal is busy puttingout a fire. You shouldn’t expect either of them.”
Lady Laurents? Would she detain Dorvea if sheknew Maizalyn was making her move? Sybil had said Maizalyn hatedher. “Lady Laurents would not assist you in this grasp forpower.”
The woman’s face darkened. “I’ll deal withher later, but for now her desire to prove she and Lord Laurentsare unharmed keeps the observant elder Veed out of my hair. Infact, most everyone of your tight-knit group of protectors isbusy.” She shifted her attention. “Save one, but he’s not reallyyour protector. Drew, I’d like the king’s ring now. Get it forme.”
ChapterFourteen
Kambry reached for theknife at her waist, but Drew pivoted his hip onto the table and hadher wrist in his grip before she had fully unsheathed it. Mapsfluttered, some drifting onto the floor as he scooted the rest ofthe way to her side and dropped to his feet.
Maizalyn snorted. “Convenient. Use her knifeto pin her hand to the table.”
Before Kambry could do more than yankedagainst his grip, he had disarmed her, flattened her left hand tothe table and spiked it with the knife. The pain shocked her, andKambry stared at her impaled hand, pinned to the table. Bloodseeped over and under, spreading in a small pool. She dared notjerk it free. Kambry gazed out at them, her astonishment attuningher to every word and action.
Drew had her free wrist in his grip andlooked to Maizalyn.
Sarena’s eyes narrowed.
Kambry wondered if the two women were asaligned in their plans as Maizalyn assumed. And which of thesewomen was Drew loyal to? His grip on her wrist tightened.
Fear rose in Kambry’s chest. She had setherself up alone, without protection. She should have gone toRussal and returned to the map room with him and a contingent ofguards. The queen’s blade remained hidden in its scabbard, but shehadn’t a free hand to access it. And what would she do once she hadit?
“Mother,” said the man at Maizalyn’sside.
“You’ve done enough, Arnel. Stay silent.”
Kambry stared at the young man besideMaizalyn. Auburn hair gleamed under his hood. That was Lenar,Sybil’s ward and assistant, the one who received impressions aboutRussal and her. Were they real impressions or just distractions fedby Maizalyn? Felip was telling the truth when he said he had abrother. Arnel, Lenar, A, R, N, E, L. The same letters in Lenar’sname. But he witnessed the death of Queen Mya and was devastated byit.
“You see the depth of my control of thiskingdom,” Maizalyn said. “Who better to keep the sybil directed inless revealing perceptions than a trusted assistant and fosterson?” She touched Lenar’s cheek. He pulled away, and she patted hisface roughly.
Kambry watched. Lenar might have conflictingloyalties. Which mother had his heart? He gazed with wide eyes atthe knife holding her hand to the table.
“The ring, Drew,” Maizalyn growled.
Drew raised Kambry’s hand to her face. “Takeit off, scribe.”
Kambry looked at her aching hand then atDrew. How could she take the ring off? Even if she knew how, sheneeded both hands to do it.
She looked to the ring. It was blazingpurple, but that didn’t hold her attention. He held the back of herhand turned toward her. The embossed tree and proilis flower in theleather glowed as well. Kavin magic was at play. But who was behindit, her fear or Maizalyn’s desire?
He gripped the ring between his thumb andforefinger. “Let it go, and I won’t have to cut it off.”
“Oh, the both of you,” Sarena said. “Just sether hand flat on the table, and I’ll cut the thumb off.”
Kambry jerked back at the viciousness of herwords. Her pinned hand screamed with pain, and she panted, steelingherself to remain still. The puddle of blood pulsed with her racingheart.
Maizalyn strolled along the table oppositeKambry. “Little queen, let him take it and keep your thumb. I don’thave a use for the bit of flesh.”
Drew repeated, “Let it go.”
Kambry swallowed. Felip had said she couldremove the ring if she wanted to. But she didn’t want them to haveit. Maizalyn already had the queen’s ring. It sat on the
