Page 43 of Queen of War and Ruin

“And the prince?” Zarek continues.

“I barely spoke to him,” Elrick responds. “I only saw him at meals. I don’t really know what to expect from Prince Laurance.”

“If he makes us wait past sunset,” Zarek tells Elrick, under his breath, “we should leave.”

Gerard snorts like that’s the stupidest thing he’s ever heard. Out of all of my brother’s men-at-arms, Gerard seems to hate Zarek the most, and I have no idea why that bothers me. Zarek is being ridiculous. So why do I suddenly want to slap Gerard?

Elrick shakes his head. I could tell he was trying not to limp as the servant led us through the halls of Ethiria’s castle. He’s still not fully healed, and this trip was hard on him.

“Leave Ethiria,” Elrick replies in a whisper, “and go where? We don’t even have our horses right now.”

“We could go out through the window,” Zarek says.

Elrick, Gerard, and Anura all stare at Zarek like he’s lost his mind.

And the door swings open with a bang.

I met Prince Laurance once, when we were both children. It was in the feast hall, surrounded by our families and attendants and probably all the servants in the palace. He was slightly older than me, tall and pale. I remember his stiff bow and the way he looked at me like he wasn’t sure if I was going to bite. Or if he should bite me first.

I don’t exactly recognize the man who walks in the door wearing a crown and a very elegant cape, but there’s something familiar about his expression.

Prince Laurance still looks at me like he’s not sure if I’m something he should crush under the heel of his boot.

“Welcome,” Laurance declares, spreading his arms wide, “to my kingdom.”

Chapter 24

Zarek

WE HAVE AN ARMY

The only thing I’ve ever heard about Prince Laurance of Ethiria is that he’s an idiot. And, after several hours with the man, I have to say that assessment isn’t exactly fair.

Idiot doesn’t begin to cover it.

When Elrick explained what happened to the Kingdom of Marion, Laurance laughed. Actually laughed. Like the death of Elrick’s father was a joke. And when Elrick suggested that Vsenrog could come for Ethiria next, Laurance waved it away.

“They wouldn’t dare,” Laurance said. “We have an army.”

I very much doubt the Kingdom of Ethiria was able to raise an army without Malrik discovering its existence, and I almost opened my mouth to ask Laurance what in the nine hells he thinks the word army means. But I kept my mouth shut and my lips curled into a smile.

When Elrick explained the pretense for the war, the lie that Lilias ran from me and into Laurance’s arms, Laurance looked at Lilias with a gleam in his pale eyes that made me want to punch him.

Coming here was a mistake.

I’m certain of it now. They’re hiding something in this palace, and they’re doing it badly. Those hastily closed doors we walked past, the fact that they’ve put us in a second-tier reception room, and the gleam in Laurance’s eyes whenever Elrick tries to shift the conversation to something of substance, all makes me think we’re not the first visitors to arrive in Ethiria.

No, someone else got here first. And, whoever they are, I think they’re still here. Someone more important than the shattered remains of Marion. Someone Prince Laurance doesn’t want us to notice.

We need to cut our losses and get the fuck out of here.

But that’s not my choice to make. So I stay quiet and smile as Prince Laurance gives us an insufferably long and probably entirely fictitious history of his family and kingdom. By the time we finally sit down to dinner, the sun has already set into the dark, silent sea beyond the gentle green hills.

“And we’ll have to get you out on a tour tomorrow,” Laurance drones, as the servants clean up the plates. “You should see the cliffs! They’re spectacular, totally defensible. No one would dare attack Ethiria from the sea, I can promise you that, Prince Elrick.”

Laurance punches Elrick in the arm, then drains his glass of wine. Elrick smiles politely. I have to admit, my estimation of Lilias’s brother has gone up slightly today. The sheer force of will it must take to keep from punching that stupid son of a bitch is damned impressive.

“The attack won’t come from the sea,” the guard named Gerard growls from the seat next to me.