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Since the person obviously couldn’t see me in the dark, I hastily exclaimed, “It’s me!”
“Were you followed?” Kya asked, dropping the point of her blade.
I shook my head then realized she couldn’t actually see it. “I don’t think so. I was stopped by some soldiers looking for a foreigner, but they released me once they saw my face.”
“Is that Ash I hear?” Qynn asked from the bedroom.
“It’s me. I’m back.” And feeling discombobulated.
Kya latched the window and pulled the shutters over. The others in the room were already latched. A click of a flint led to a small flame that Kya used to light a few lamps.
Qynn appeared in the bedroom door, tying the sash to her robe. “You’re back sooner than expected. Is everything okay?”
I pulled off the cloak and nodded. “Yes and no. The King found out I was sent there to spy. I left abruptly, but good thing, as my disguise wore off.”
“Where is Jrijori?” Qynn asked.
“Still a guest of the King who claimed ‘Uncle’ would remain safe because of his daughter.”
“And you believed him?”
Oddly, I did. “I think he means it for the moment, but that could change. There are things afoot.”
“To do with the monsters?”
“Yes. While my potions didn’t work on the King, he did spill some of his secrets. Such as the monsters started appearing decades ago and they’ve gotten much worse of late. It’s why he’s recruited so many soldiers and why they’ve disappeared. He’s been using them to keep the monsters away from the city. But he says it won’t be long before they’re here.”
To that, Kya snorted. “If there were monsters close to the city we’d know.”
“Not if he’s handled it before it was noticeable. I wonder if they’re in the tunnels under the city,” Qynn mused aloud.
“More tunnels?” I asked. Just how woefully uninformed was I?
Qynn waved. “Old ones long closed off. What else did he say?”
“He admitted that his method of throwing soldiers at the problem is no longer working well for him.”
“What’s his plan to fix it?” Qynn asked.
“I don’t know. He didn’t say, other than allude to the fact he had one.”
That pursed Qynn’s lips. “And he told you this without the drugs?”
I nodded. “He was immune.”
“Are you sure he was immune? Could be you missed.”
I shook my head. “No, he definitely got a good whiff. It didn’t work. And he claimed he knew from the start I wasn’t Jrijori’s niece.”
“Does he suspect your true identity?”
I shook my head. “No. I escaped before my cover slipped.”
“Jrijori told me you and the King were getting quite close.”
“You were right. He found me intriguing as a foreigner.”
“And what did you think of him? I hear the King is quite handsome,” Qynn said slyly.
