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“I don’t know. That’s all their report said.Fully stocked.They were searching for contraband, not weapons, so I’m sure they didn’t think to make a full accounting.” He pauses. “I inquired when I walked the ship, but the crewman didn’t have a key. There reallyisa storm at our backs. They couldn’t fake that.”
“I’ll have to ask for a tour myself.” I run a hand across my face, and before I can think better of it, I drain the other cup. My voice has already gone a bit husky from the first one. “What are the chances I just walked into a kidnapping, Rocco?”
“The captain’s story seems solid, and he certainly has the proof: his ring, his logs, the flag. If this is a kidnapping, it’s a secret kept from the crew. I don’t feel a sense of malice.”
I don’t either—but one of Rocco’s very first statements was that he doesn’t trust the captain. The crew doesn’t need to know about a kidnapping if they’ll act when Captain Blakemore commands it.
“But …?” I prompt.
“I’m assessing who of the crew is critical to sail, and who’s not. If it comes to it, Kilbourne is set to take out Sablo and Marchon.Silas has a mark on Tagas, while I have one on Blakemore—though Tagas might be our better bet to keep the boat afloat. She’s got a daughter among the crew, so we’d have leverage, and if we take out the captain, we’re going to need leverage against someone with rank.”
His voice is surprisingly ruthless. Practical. I so rarely hear that note in anyone’s voice but my own.
I study him, and for some reason I’m reminded of the way Harristan called him Erik when he wasn’t in palace livery. It’s a level of familiarity that’s unsettling, because I was never reallyawareof it. Rocco and the others must have had conversations like this with my brother all the time. My domain has always been the Hold: The smugglers and their earned punishments. The prisoners, the guards, and the night patrol. Since he’s the king, my brother’s domain has always been … all of Kandala.
I consider Rocco’s tone, and I realize Harristan must have had similar conversations aboutme, in the days after Tessa’s arrival at the palace. I wonder how long it took for him to question what secrets I kept, if it was his conversation with Tessa, or if it was Allisander spreading lies about his own wrongdoings.
“How long was my brother suspicious of me?” I ask Rocco now.
It’s an abrupt shift in the conversation, but he takes it in stride. “Only these last few months.”
He says it so easily, so casually, as if nothing about the time frame should be a surprise. But the words hit me so hard it almost knocks me out of my chair.
“Formonths?” I demand, and now he has the grace to look startled.
“Yes, Your Highness. I thought you knew.”
No. I didn’t know. My brain tries to skim through months of memories, every minute I would sit with my brother, evaluating the consuls, discussing the smugglers we caught, deliberating over the best way to maintain order and control in the streets of Kandala. All the times I sat in his room and listened to his breathing, worrying he was going to fall prey to the fevers. I think of every minute I spent trying not to destroy myself forhissake, and he was busy suspectingme.
I think about this jacket, the way my brother tucked it at the bottom of my chest.
“Did you have conversations like this with him?” I say. “About me?”
Rocco says nothing.
“Answer me,” I say.
“I will not betray the king’s confidence.”
“Which one of you had a mark onme?”
Again, he says nothing.
“Did he have suspicions about this journey, too?” I say sourly. “Did he worry that I might somehow be plotting with Captain Blakemore? Is that why you’re here?”
Rocco’s eyes hold mine, unflinching. “My orders,” he says evenly, “as stated by the king, are to ensure you return to Kandala unharmed.”
That could mean a lot of things. I wish I could stride across the hallway to Tessa. But of course I can’t.
I let out a long breath. My anger, my agitation, is not with Rocco. And if I’m going to survive this journey, I need him on my side.
“Fine,” I say. “Advise.” It’s what my brother always says, whenhe wants his guards to formulate a plan. I don’t know if I’ve ever said it.
Rocco doesn’t hesitate, but then I’m sure he’s heard it a thousand times. “For now, I recommend that you do your best to enjoy the journey. Do not allow our suspicions to come to light. The longer they believe we are willing passengers, the more we can learn. They’ll lower their guard. Let Lochlan be the troublemaker, since he seems so willing. It won’t be a distraction for us, but it will be for them.” He pauses. “I would not share your doubts with Miss Tessa either.”
I frown and imagine Tessa in her own quarters.I don’t deserve to be treated like a secret, Corrick.
It takes everything I have not to wince. I may have fallen in love with Tessa Cade, but as usual, I’m reminded that she didn’t fall in love with Prince Corrick, the King’s Justice.
