“Just in the lower circle or—”
“All three circles. Those not ennobled anyway. Unmarried girls are being packed up and sent outKingdom and fast. The majority of people wouldn’t speak at all about him, but the few that did were willing to give me money to get out of Alexander.”
Leon frowned. “I’m glad you didn’t take them up on their offers. Still, how’d you end up injured?” Her hand stilled on her knee, and he pointed. “You’ve been favoring it since you walked in.”
“I was asking too many questions. Several barkeeps and vendors decided they wanted me gone from the city.” Adelei said nothing more on the topic, and while Leon wanted to know the details so he could stick a sword through the men, the look on her face warned him against such action.
“So your questioning was unfruitful.”
“This prince is good, Your Majesty. But one man hinted that the prince was a mystic. Also mentioned that he kept souvenirs. Definitely worth looking into.”
“I can’t risk the treaty by sending you to search his rooms, at least not yet. Dammit.” Leon clenched his fist. “I need more than rumors on the wind.”
“Maybe there’s something we’ve missed in Shad, something Ida will find. Have you heard anything back from the captain?”
He shook his head. Something was wrong. Despite the dread in his stomach, he plastered a half-smile on his face. “I’m sure a messenger will arrive any time now. Or Ida herself.”
Adelei picked up her empty glass and stared at it. He offered her more wine, and when she nodded, he poured a healthy amount for her. Both sipped their second glasses in silence until she apologized. “I’ve failed you.”
“What in the world would make you think that? You haven’t failed me.”
“The wedding’s tomorrow, and there’s nothing I can tell you that gives you power to stop it. The peace treaty will proceed.”
King Leon held up a finger. “Wait, didn’t you say you were taking Margaret’s place in the wedding? In case of an attack?”
“Yes, but I don’t see—”
“Tomorrow, the prince will be marrying you. Not Margaret.”
At first, her brows furrowed in concentration. When she got it, Adelei’s mouth fell open into a wide grin. “You are quite devious, Your Majesty. What the prince doesn’t know, won’t hurt him. I like it.” She smacked a hand across her thigh and laughed. It was the first time he’d seen genuine joy on her face, and the contagion spread to his own as the corners of his mouth lifted.
“We may find a way out of this yet, Adelei. Keep looking for information. Somewhere out there is the truth,” he said.
Adelei finished her wine before she left, but not even their deception held them back from the cliff’s edge. She left the room with a limp and slumped shoulders, though less so than when she sought out the audience with him. Leon bit his tongue as he watched her leave. It’s my treason tomorrow. If Gamun discovers our ruse, he could go before the Boahim Senate. And if he does, this will not touch her.
She’s risked enough.
Leon spoke the words in the chapel when required and celebrated the holy days as expected, but he didn’t hold much faith. Whether the Thirteen existed or not, they certainly hadn’t been here when his Catherine had been killed, nor when Adelei herself had been kidnapped. But as he watched the fire in the fireplace burn down to cinders, he held up a glass of wine.
“Gods be with my kingdom,” he muttered and downed the drink in one swallow.
Gods be with you, Ida, wherever you are.
End of Part I
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bestselling science fiction and fantasy author Raven Oak is best known for Amaskan’s Blood (2016 Ozma Fantasy Award Winner and Epic Award Finalist), Class-M Exile, and the collection Joy to the Worlds: Mysterious Speculative Fiction for the Holidays (Foreword Reviews 2016 Book of the Year Finalist). She also has short stories in several anthologies. She spent most of her K-12 education doodling stories and 500 page monstrosities that are forever locked away in a filing cabinet.
When she’s not writing, she’s getting her game on with tabletop games, indulging in cartography, or staring at the ocean. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband, and their three kitties who enjoy lounging across the keyboard when writing deadlines approach.
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