Page 38 of Crown of the Courtesan

Rett turns and gestures to the rickety table and lone chair. “Please sit. We need to discuss important matters.”

I perch on the edge of my seat, unable to relax with so many unanswered questions. “We should hurry.” I try to reposition myself to be more comfortable, but give up. Instead, I clutch the poison dagger tightly in my lap. “Princess Klara is worried about my meeting with you.”

“You told General Metalla’s daughter you were coming here?” Uncertainty creases the diagonal lines between his burgundy eyebrows.

“You think I would meet a stranger without telling someone?”

“Hey—I’m not a stranger. I’m a prince.” He grins. “Sure you can trust her?”

“She’s the only person I trust at the castle.”

A hint of skepticism flares across his face before he turns away to add another small log to the fire, making it a proper blaze. He says nothing, but the silence speaks for itself as he flips an empty crate on its side to sit on.

“Now what is it you wish to discuss?” I ask.

He rakes his fingers through his hair. “It’s hard to articulate this because your late father was of no help, and your uncle bribes everyone to deny it.”

“Deny what?” I stare at him.

He takes a deep breath. “Our womenfolk are disappearing.” Suppressed rage quivers in his voice.

My mind moves slowly, processing what he’s just said. “What do you mean?”

“Village human girls, noble beast ladies, elderly halflings—it doesn’t matter what their rank, age, or breed is. They’re vanishing across both of our realms.”

Vanishing?

A shiver travels up my spine and settles in my heart. What depths of evil is Metalla involved in? “You think my uncle is responsible?” Metalla’s boot on my back is a sharp memory I’m unwilling to forget, but I need to understand every aspect of this. Every detail.

“I know he is.” Rett bangs his fist on the table.

“But how? And why? Did someone witness something?” If Rett has evidence and a motive, perhaps this is what I’ll use to remove Metalla from court. The High Council can’t refute hard proof.

“I don’t know why he’s doing this. I fucking wish I did. All I know is that onlookers described the general’s personal militia insignia and the Alexra cuffs of interlocking circles he wears on his wrists before they rode away with the womenfolk. They named him as the commander who gave the orders.”

Out of reflex, I touch my circlet at the mention of the mysterious metal. My voice is low when I ask, “Can you bring the witnesses to the castle?”

“If I can find them again.” Rett nods and pulls a flask from the sparse shelf above the fireplace. He takes a swig. “For the sake of the missing, please listen and believe me.”

“I am listening, and I do believe you. But I have to be careful—strategic, even.” I place the dagger between us on the table, the firelight glinting off its emerald line. “How long have the women been disappearing?”

“Years now. The disappearances started slow, but now they grow brazen. The numbers are only increasing.”

“Years? What happened when you went to King Xander?”

“He dismissed me every time. His brother knew exactly what to say to assuage his concerns.”

I wince. “I’m sorry. No one should ever ignore the disappearance of women—or anyone else, for that matter.” My mind conjures pictures of the horrible things men could do when left unchecked.

“You have nothing to apologize for—unless you plan to turn a blind eye, just like your father…”

My spine bristles. “I’m not my father. I barely knew the man.”

Rett leans across the table, his determination casting lines across his face. “My apologies. No one should be judged for the transgressions of their parents.”

“As much as I want to take action against him, a civil war could erupt if I unseat my uncle from his position without support from the other members of the High Council. We must act in secrecy until we have proof—and it’s the right time.”

“You’ll learn there’s never a right time for change when you’re a leader.”