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“And if there is no right answer?”
“Then you make the best decision you can.”
Riona managed a weak smile. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Valerian. I am more grateful to you than I could possibly express.”
He dipped his head in respect. “I feel honored to count you among my friends, my lady. Whatever happens, wherever you go, you may call on me whenever you need. The Kentari court can be a rather grim place. It’ll be nice to see a friendly face from time to time.”
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and two guards entered carrying steaming trays of food. The scent made Riona’s mouth water. Valerian chuckled at the shift in her expression and rose as one of the guards set a tray before her. It was laden with slices of roasted ham, eggs, fresh fruit, and a warm roll slathered in butter.
“I’ll take my breakfast in the sitting room,” Valerian said, already starting toward the door. “Stay as long as you like—my guards and I will make sure you’re safe. Do you want to send a note to your father or Lady Amaris telling them where you are?”
Amaris. After everything that had happened, she hadn’t stopped to consider Amaris’s safety. If the attack had been ordered by the king—which seemed likely, considering they’d only returned from the mines a matter of hours ago—he could have sent men to silence her, too. Bile rose in the back of her throat.
Valerian saw her terror and quickly added, “They’re fine. I sent men to watch over your father’s estate. Prince Auberon seemed to think one or both of them might also have been targeted, but no such attack has occurred. I’ve had my men send an update every hour.”
Relief shot through her, and she accepted the offer of writing to her father and Amaris. What she would say in the letter, she had no idea. Perhaps she would just buy herself time by claiming she’d woken up early and gone straight to the castle. Perhaps she would tell them everything. If the bodies in the Royal Theater hadn’t been discovered yet, they would be once Mistress Rosalie arrived to prepare for the day’s practice. Whatever happened, they had hours until she was promised to Eamon, her future sealed.
Hours until Rivosa lost its last chance for a peaceful end to the war.
ChapterSixty-Four
The Liar
“Lord Farquar will die for what he has done,” Drystan snarled as he paced the width of his bedroom. “Trying to kill you and Riona. What was the snakethinking?Are you certain he did it on the king’s orders?”
“Certain, yes, but lacking proof,” Auberon said, rage churning within him. “This has gone too far, Drystan. We must confront the king now, before he and Farquar orchestrate another attempt on Riona’s life. And we must get her on a ship to Erduria.”
“You said Valerian and his men are watching over her. She should be safe, at least until she’s strong enough for the ride to Crafford. Sending her on a week-long voyage right now would do more harm than good.”
“Not with the aid of Valerian’s blood magic.”
Drystan’s expression darkened. After they returned from Valerian’s house, Auberon had ordered one of the Erdurian guards to tend to Vick’s hand and give him a bed in one of the guest rooms, then awakened Drystan and explained everything. Well, everything except the real reason why he’d invited Riona to the theater the night before.Thatlittle detail he had kept to himself.
“From what you’ve told me, blood magic still doesn’t work miracles. You were confined to a cot for the better part of a week even with the aid of the healing magic. Lady Riona won’t be in any shape to travel for at least a few days, maybe more.”
Auberon threw his hands up in frustration. He was sitting on the bench seat of the large bay window in Drystan’s room, and he turned to stare out at the lightening sky, the castle just beginning to awaken below. “So now what? We simply wait until Riona is strong enough or Lord Farquar sends more men after her? I taught her all I could about self-defense in what little time we had, but she’ll be too weak to take on one skilled swordsman, let alone three. Do you truly think it’s wise to delay?”
Drystan’s expression turned thoughtful, troubled. “Before we decide our next move, we must examine what choices Farquar and the king have before them. They know that you, Riona, and Amaris have been to the mines, and they’ll assume that you’ve told me what you discovered. That leaves them four powerful, influential people to assassinate if they want their secret to remain safe, and that’s too many deaths to explain away. They know you survived the attack in the theater, and that we’re going to demand retribution for the attempt on your life. And most importantly,weknow that they are desperate. They wouldn’t have attempted to assassinate you and Riona if they weren’t panicking. So we let them panic.”
“I still think King Domhnall will say to hell with it all and have you and me killed, just to spite us.”
“No. Kill us, and Father will send every soldier in his command to Rivosa’s shores. Kill us, and they damn themselves,” Drystan said, a spark returning to his eyes. He looked almost…excited.“This is it. They have played their hand, and they have lost. Today, we secure the peace treaty.”
Today, the woman I love will be promised to you, Auberon thought, but he held his tongue. Instead, he looked away, keeping his voice steady and nonchalant as he said, “I told you we would succeed.”
“And I beg your forgiveness for ever doubting you.” Drystan crossed the room and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Now, you ought to rest. You look like you’ve been dragged to the Beyond and back.”
“I feel like it, too,” he said with a grimace, running a hand through his hair. Every nerve ending in his body felt frayed. “But you’re mad if you think I’ll be able to sleep after what happened.”
“Please. I bet you’ll fall asleep in the bath, if you even make it that far. Whatever you do, I want you to stay in this house until you’ve slept and had something to eat. Right now, you are angry, hurt, and exhausted. The last thing we can afford is you behaving rashly in front of the court.”
Auberon nodded again, unable to dredge up the energy to argue. Every instinct urged him to stay with Riona and make sure Farquar’s men didn’t hurt her again, but Drystan was right: she was safe with Valerian and his guards, and in his state, he would be of no use to her in a fight. Now that the adrenaline from the night before had worn off, he was ready to collapse. “Fine.”
“Good. I’ll see you later this afternoon. I’m going to get dressed and see what’s happening in the rest of the castle. Someone must have discovered the bodies at the Royal Theater by now.”
“Be careful.”
“I will. Be sensible.”
