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Drystan shook his head in disappointment. “I see that there is nothing I can say to change your mind, Your Majesty. Let us speak plainly, then. You never had any intention of approving a match between Lady Riona and me. Your only reason for inviting me here was to force Valerian and Eamon to offer you more favorable terms. You were playing us against each other,” he said. “I’ve grown tired of playing your games. I rescind my bid for Lady Riona’s hand.”
Auberon whirled toward him. They hadn’t discussed this. A marriage alliance was their key to securing the ore from the mines. Without it, they were almost certain to drag the war out to a bloody end.
“By your leave,” Drystan continued, “I shall remain in Innislee for one more week, Your Majesty. This is your final chance to negotiate for peace. I advise you, do not squander it.”
With that, he bowed and started toward the doors. Auberon hurried after him, still wrestling with the shock of what Drystan had said. As soon as they left the throne room, he tensed, expecting Drystan to explode with anger. But the prince merely continued strolling down the hall, the variegated light from the stained-glass windows playing across his features. The servants they encountered paused and bowed, and he acknowledged them with a nod and a smile as he passed.
“Drystan,” he hissed. “What have you done?”
Drystan glanced back at him. “I’ve done all I can to make him see reason. Whatever happens now, my conscience is clean.”
ChapterForty-Three
The Lady
Riona sat at the table, staring at the documents spread across its worn surface, until the pale light of dawn slipped through the cracks in the shutters. Behind her, Faylen lay curled up in the bed, the blankets tangled around her legs. It hadn’t taken much to convince her to rest; she had been alone and on the run since Cathal’s death, constantly looking over her shoulder. Riona suspected this was the first time she’d allowed herself to enjoy a full night’s rest in weeks. Not that it was trulyrestfulsleep—every time she drifted off, it didn’t take long for her to begin to toss and turn, Cathal’s name on her lips.
When Faylen thrashed again, Riona crossed the room and sat on the mattress beside her. The elf’s face was pale and contorted in terror, a slick layer of sweat coating her skin. “Faylen,” Riona said, setting a hand on her shoulder. “Wake up.”
She murmured something incomprehensible, then jerked upright with a gasp. “He— He was—”
“It was a nightmare. You’re safe. Aeron and I will protect you, remember?”
Slowly, the elf’s breathing calmed, and she leaned back against the headboard. “It’s not enough that I think of his death every day—it has to haunt my sleep, as well.” Faylen paused, her eyes roving over Riona’s face. “Did you sleep at all? I daresay you look worse than I do.”
“No. I couldn’t stop thinking about… about everything.”My own uncle ordered Cathal’s assassination.Her shoulders slumped as she tried to wrap her head around all that she’d learned. Did the council know about the mines? Prince Domhnall? Herfather?“Cathal was only doing his duty as Treasurer. Why would he need to be murdered?”
Faylen’s expression hardened. “I don’t know, but we must set sail for the Isles today. Cathal wanted those documents presented to the Selannic king, and I will find a way to fulfil his wish.”
Riona rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. Exhaustion wore at her; she hadn’t slept in over a day, and her body was sore from riding the four-hour journey from Innislee. And in her heart, she just felt…weary. After all the horror she had witnessed in the Beltharan court and all the heartache she had endured since returning to Innislee, she wanted nothing more than to renounce her royal blood and turn her back on the politics of the court. But she had vowed to bring Cathal’s killer to justice, and that was what she would do—even if continuing down this path meant committing treason.
If it saved her kingdom from ruin, it would be worth it.
The question remained where to go next. They could sail to the Isles and reveal the existence of the mines to her grandfather in the hope of reducing Rivosa’s enormous debt, but eventually, she would have to return to Innislee. Perhaps her grandfather would provide her protection for her return to the castle, when she would confront her king about Cathal’s murder. It was a dangerous path, and one wrong step would mean her death. If she did not play her cards exactly right—if she did not have undeniable proof of what her uncle had done—shewould be the one meeting the executioner’s blade.
Riona wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly wishing Auberon were there. She could picture him lounging on one of the chairs, his legs propped up on the table amidst the spread of parchment. The light would play across the planes of his handsome face as it had so many nights in the Royal Theater, catching on the auburn strands in his hair.Cheer up, aramati,he would say, a cocky grin on his lips.I’ve been telling you all along that your uncle was a bastard. Are you upset because of what we learned, or because you realized that I was right?
Her gaze wandered to the table, where the treasury documents betrayed the true state of her kingdom’s finances. She thought of Innislee—the pitted cobblestone roads, the worn and weathered buildings, the lampposts with their missing panes. She had always thought them part of the charm of her ancient city, but now she saw them for what they really were: the scars of a dying kingdom.
Riona rose, gathering the papers into a pile and slipping them into the canvas bag. “I promise that I will help you find passage to the Isles, but if you want to see Cathal’s murder avenged, we must return to Innislee.”
A shadow passed across the elf’s face, and she set a hand on her round belly. “I will not go back to that city. There is nothing left for me there except ghosts and nightmares.”
“Faylen—”
“No.Every single dayI have spent in that city has been a living hell. A man I thought I could trust sold me into servitude in a brothel. The woman who bought me forced me to give my body to men who beat me for their own pleasure. Cathal was the only source of happiness I ever found there, and the city stole that from me, too.”
Riona’s heart broke at the emotion in Faylen’s voice. “I understand, and I would not be asking this of you if I did not believe it was necessary. You are the only witness to what happened the morning Cathal was murdered. I need your help if we are to bring his killer to justice. After that, I will see you safely out of Rivosa.”
Faylen said nothing for several long moments. Finally, she swept a threadbare cloak around her shoulders and pulled the hood over her head to hide her long, distinctive hair. When she was finished, she turned back to Riona. “I have made the mistake of trusting the wrong people too many times in the past. Do not make me regret trusting you.”
* * *
They found Aeron at a table in the tavern’s main room, his hand hovering over the blade at his waist. He had to feel every bit as exhausted as Riona did, but he was alert, tension corded in every inch of his lithe, muscular body. When he spotted them, he rose and met them at the bottom of the stairs. “I had the owner’s son fetch some food from the market for you,” he said to Faylen, nodding to a bag slung over his shoulder. “It should be more than enough to last the journey to the Isles.”
“Good thinking, Aeron, but she’s not sailing just yet.” Riona handed him the bag with the documents. “I need you to take her back to Innislee and find yourselves somewhere safe and private to stay. You can use my money to hire a carriage back to the city, and whatever remains will buy you any supplies you need.”
Aeron frowned. “…It sounds like you’re asking me to leave you here alone, my lady.”
