“I have no reason to kill a child, nor would any Amaskan. As for who—”
King Leon shifted in his seat. “And yet they ordered the death of my daughter, Iliana, did they not?”
The air left the room for a moment. Adelei inhaled deeply through her nose. “I can’t comment on that, having no knowledge as to the why, but I can assure you that I did not kill this child. Your Majesty knows this, just as you know very well who did kill this girl.”
“I’ve explained to my advisors our concerns with Prince Gamun.” King Leon sighed long into his cup as he took another sip. “But Lady Mara feels there is more at work here, as do the others. I’ve done a great disservice to my kingdom by propagating the idea that the Amaskans are no better than Tribor. While I am not comfortable with the idea of assassins, Master Adelei has shown me that they are not all cut from the same cloth. But I cannot discount the possibility of another Amaskan.”
“I promise you all that the Amaskans are not responsible for this. Had this child been the work of the Order, the Amaskan would have slit her throat cleanly or stabbed her in the heart, not played with her corpse like evil beings better left unnamed.” Adelei stood, leaning her frame slightly over the table. “Trust me, this prince is sneaky. He knows things he shouldn’t and plays with people. Toys with their heads, makes them confused. People like that are bad news.”
King Leon asked, “Where were you last night?”
Adelei flinched. He was having her followed. Worse, she hadn’t noticed. So caught up I’ve been in figuring out who I am that I was blind to something right in front of me. Dammit.
“You could have left on horseback for all we know,” said Lady Mara. “Why are we wasting time waiting for excuses? Who else would have done this?”
“My lady, my horse is dead from an assassin’s poison. And as for where I was, I was in the stables getting some air. Which is where Prince Gamun cornered and threatened me.”
A cacophony of protests, laughter, and gasps covered up whatever King Leon said. Despite his skin still bearing the pallor of his coughing fit, King Leon stood and silence swept across the room.
Adelei shook her head. “How do you stand this woman? How in all Thirteen Hells did she gain a seat on your council of advisors?”
The lady gasped, but King Leon shot her a warning glare. “Purely accidental, I assure you. Her husband recently died, and she holds his seat in proxy until I replace her.” Any protest on the Lady Mara’s lips died with King Leon’s reminder.
“And you’ve taken this long to do so because. . .?” Adelei asked.
He smiled, but the emotion didn’t reach his eyes as he waved a hand at her. “Enough. Tell me what happened between you and the prince.”
Prince Gamun Bajit was not the first sexual deviant or psychopath to cross her path, but the things he said—close enough to truth to set her insides aflutter. She told the council what had transpired, editing out his knowledge of her birth name. After she finished, King Leon remained quiet for a time. “So he tried to bribe you and when that failed, he took it out on the girl?” he asked.
“I would assume so, Your Majesty.”
“Why didn’t you come to me immediately with this information?”
“I honestly didn’t think he would go after her. With me here, I thought she’d be safe, at least for the evening. I certainly didn’t think he’d be so obvious about it, and I’d hoped I’d shifted his focus to me.”
“The man knows who you are and all but threatened to turn you in to the Boahim Senate. Or sell you off to the highest bidder. Or take you as his bride, or slave, I’m not sure. I don’t think he fears you at all.”
The words stung.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I’ve failed to protect this victim and gain the information you asked of me, though I’ll certainly continue to try. But I will remind you that my primary job has been and will continue to be the protection of Her Highness, Princess Margaret. I can’t be at her side at all times if I’m sent on other tasks.”
He took the truth as well as she did, which was to say with a wince and a frown. “I’d hoped we’d find a way to stop the wedding, but you are correct to remind me of your duty. Are you sure it was him?”
“I’m not, but so far as we know, this prince has done a very good job of cleaning up any ‛messes’ that may remain behind. It does seem too obvious—too easy. It bears investigating further,” said Adelei. “I’m worried at how he’s gained the information he has.”
King Leon nodded. To his council, he said, “Leave us. I would speak with my sepier alone.”
No one protested, though Lady Mara still scowled at Adelei as she left. Once the door shut behind them, Adelei asked, “Did you really think me capable of killing that girl?”
“No, but my council did. I needed them to hear from you, to understand you weren’t the culprit. However, the idea that another Amaskan could have done it—that is possible. It’s not something I’ve ruled out.”
Already it felt like an old argument between them, and despite Adelei’s confidence that an Amaskan wouldn’t kill the little girl, her brain reminded her of her own kidnapping. I can’t trust anyone.
Her father whispered, “I’m sorry.”
She nodded, but it didn’t change anything. They were empty words. An idea struck her, and she asked, “Who knows my identity?”
“Us. Margaret… and Ida.”
“Ida. Who betrayed us both before.” Adelei grimaced. “I hate to think it, but someone has told this prince
