AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They were only three words, but they had me sucking in a breath and squeezing Hayk’s hand. Zendaya had heard of Magnus. Again, it could have just been a coincidence. Good Port had known about the Wolf River and the settlements along it for years. Its citizens likely knew about the emergence of the Wolf River Kingdom in the last few months, and maybe even about Magnus’s coronation.
But the degree of alarm in Zendaya’s eyes—alarm she managed to hide quickly—had me back to feeling like Lefric again.
“Lady Zendaya, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Magnus said, stepping forward. “I’ve heard so much about you from your father and your brothers.”
My mouth twitched into a smile. Magnus was a consummate professional when it came to diplomacy, and perhaps subterfuge as well. He’d had all of half a minute to adjust to the idea that Lord Vikhrov’s daughter could be a spy, but already he seemed to be working to charm the woman, perhaps into letting her guard down.
Zendaya, in turn, seemed hesitant to take his hand. She glanced to her father as Magnus waited for her gesture to be returned and said, “Why was I not informed a king has come to visit you, Father? Why was the Council not informed?”
Billie made a tiny, tight squealing sound on Lefric’s other side. She wasn’t the only one who watched the introduction as though we were watching a drama play out on a stage.
“King Magnus and his entourage have only just returned from a meeting with King Sai in Hedeon,” Lord Vikhrov explained. “He was here for a very short visit just over a week ago, and the Councilwasinformed. In fact, King Magnus met most of the Council personally.”
That seemed to upset Zendaya even more. “Why was I told none of this?”
I let out a breath, some of the fun of the conspiracy evaporating. If Zendaya hadn’t known about Magnus’s visit before he traveled on to Hedeon, the likelihood of her being one of King Julius’s spies was small.
Unless she was lying.
The whole thing was doing my head in. That and making me impatient to get on with my own business. Like figuring out where Dmitri was hiding and how to get him away from the Hakobyan estate so that I could tell Magnus that every bit of the spy game he was playing now would be rendered pointless if General Rufus destroyed the mountain pass.
“Perhaps some afternoon coffee would be in order,” Olympus said, glancing between his sister, Magnus, and Lord Vikhrov. “Then we can explain a little more about why King Magnus is here.”
“Yes,” Zendaya said. “I would like an explanation.”
She still hadn’t taken Magnus’s hand, so Magnus withdrew it. “I should like very much to know more about your charming daughter, Lord Vikhrov,” he said instead, still smiling graciously at Zendaya.
That was the answer to that, as far as I was concerned. Magnus wanted to “get to know” Zendaya, meaning he had his suspicions and wanted to ask the right questions to either confirm them or reconsider. I found it vaguely comforting. Magnus had this situation in hand, which meant he wouldn’t have time to worry about Dmitri, which also meant there was still no rush to reveal what was going on in the eastern mountains.
“Coffee it is, then,” Lord Vikhrov said with a tight smile. “Though supper is not that far off. You will stay and dine with us, of course, my dear,” he told his daughter.
Zendaya shook her head. “I am only here because I heard that Eneko has been murdered.”
Another ripple of excitement passed through those of us who were watching the scene. As far as I knew, the information about Eneko hadn’t spread beyond the estate. Which had me wondering all over again whether Zendaya was a spy after all. Or if she had something to do with the murder.
“Yes, well,” Lord Vikhrov said, clearing his throat. He extended a hand to his daughter, resting it on her back, and almost pushing her on toward his house. “Let’s send for some coffee and I can explain the whole thing.”
“Peter, Neil, my darlings, would you care to join us?” Magnus asked, gesturing for Peter and Neil to take his hands.
Olympus sent Lefric a look as well. Lefric pinched his face briefly, then reluctantly peeled away from Billie to walk with Olympus across the garden.
Somewhat awkwardly, that left the rest of us floundering on our own. I glanced around to the others, but none of us looked like we knew what we should be doing now. We were guests, but our hosts had more or less abandoned us. We couldn’t leave until Eneko’s murder was resolve and spies were caught, but we didn’t exactly have anything to do.
A muffled cry of, “Is there a reason this thing is locked?” sounded from the other side of the gate just as things really started to get awkward with the rest of us. I recognized Ox’s voice, though.
“The Hakobyan family estate is under lockdown until further notice,” the guard said, returning to his position, and looking relieved about it, at least to my eyes. “No one is to come in or go out.”
“But we’re part of King Magnus’s entourage,” Ox argued.
“I’m sorry,” the guard said, “but the lockdown has been extended to absolutely everyone, no exceptions.”
“Fair enough,” Ox said. “But I can see my friends standing right there. Has anyone discovered anything new?” she asked us.
I glanced to Jace and Gennadi. So did Sebald and Avenel.
That tiny show of confidence was just what Jace needed to take the role of leader for the moment.
“Not exactly,” he said, marching over to the gate, the rest of us following him. He then had the audacity to look the guard straight in the eye and say, “Would you mind giving some privacy? This is a private matter of the Wolf River Kingdom.”
