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I couldn’t believe I was considering his proposal.
One life for the good of many. I could help the people that so desperately needed it.
I opened my mouth to speak, but it took far more effort than I thought it would. “Get close to her and kill her?”
“Yes. She has some family members that may…compromisethe mission, but I’ve got a handle on that. And as soon as you are officially crowned King of Widoras, your work can begin.”
And always be brave. My mother’s words echoed through my mind. Was it brave to push aside kindness and honesty for the greater good? Did betraying my morals, Mama’s morals, make me brave?
Always be kind. But how could killing someone be kind? Was it kind to take one life if it meant that every other life could be saved?
Always be honest. I’d have to lie to her to get close to her. I’d have to pretend to be interested in pursuing her, when it wasn’t so.
For the good of the realm.
I stared at the man who had become like a father to me. Whohadalways believed in me. Who’d given me every tool I needed to meet every goal I’d ever set.
The world around us began to grow darker, colder, the low screech of blood magic assaulting my ears again as the room in the castle turned to ash. The shadows returned and the candles of the Bloodsinger’s room flickered to life again. Umbri’s figure came into focus, standing in the same place she’d been before.
“I’ll do it,” I said flatly, my mind far more silent than I was comfortable with.
Lord Castemont stepped forward. “Excellent. And Cal,” he added, “don’t tell your aunt.”
I nodded. I knew she wouldn’t even remotely approve of this. And though the smile on his face was warm, my insides had gone as cold as the marble floors of the castle that awaited me.
Chapter 26
“Don’t you have a cousin who fathered more than a few bastards?” Lord Castemont asked, an ankle crossed over a knee as he leaned leisurely back into the navy velvet chair. His hand was wrapped around a goblet of wine, his easy going demeanor doing nothing to calm my nerves.
Though the furniture was different, we sat in the same room the Bloodsinger had shown us. I sat straight as an arrow. I was afraid to touch or say or do anything wrong in front of the King. I was used to being around Low Royalty — Lord Castemont and his peers were never too formal, never required much of me beyond my basic guard duties. I was terrified I was going to compromise this phase of Castemont’s plan by fucking up some obscure rule of etiquette.
That, and the fact that I was going against every instinct in me by lying to the King.I was going to lie to the fuckingKing. I’d been so terrified, in fact, I hadn’t even been able to introduce myself. Lord Castemont had to do it.
Old King Umfray rubbed at his chin. A thin layer of white stubble dotted his sagging jaw. “A second cousin, actually. Javor. Oddly enough, he’s a priest.” He let out a chuckle and took a sip of his wine then cleared his throat as he thought. “I believe he lives in Araqina now. Leads the cathedral there.” Araqina, the Holy City, where it’s said the Saints first began to build the human realm. “I’ve no idea how or why he’d have been in Taitha.”
Lord Castemont thrummed his fingers on the upholstered arms of the chair. “I’d say that’s the most plausible explanation. The two of you areclearlyrelated.”
I leaned forward and wrapped my hand around my wine goblet, trying to dispel the anxiety that had me in a chokehold. I didn’t take a sip, and I saw King Umfray take notice. “Not a drinker, lad?”
“No, your Majesty.”
He cocked his head. “Not even after a long day of guard duty?”
“Cal had a mishap a few years back,” Lord Castemont interjected in a light tone. I sucked my teeth, trying to quell the frustration I still held toward that day. I swore my leg pulsed with phantom pain. “He’s chosen to abstain. He knows his limits, a very kingly quality. Another sign he must be related to you, your Majesty.”
He was laying it on a bit thick. It had to be obvious to the King what we were trying to do. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, the shame of being dishonest making me sweat. I had grown used to my leathers and armor in the time I’d been in the Royal Guard, but Lord Castemont had fitted me in a surcoat and trousers for today’s meeting. They felt foreign on my body, and though they were custom made, I still felt that one wrong move would pop every stitch. I was suffocating.
The King’s eyes assessed me the same way they had been since we sat down. As if he were trying to make sense of a situation that made no sense at all. “I suppose so.” His tone was incredulous, his gaze narrow as he thought.
Guilt and fear rose in me. He was going to figure us out. He was going to pick up on the lie. He was going to see right through the plan and have us thrown out of the city. Maybe even beheaded.
But I forced myself to play the part. I let myself pretend that this was the moment I dreamed of my entire life, that I was finding out who my father was.
My voice was apprehensive when I spoke, and I had to fight to keep it from wavering. “You think your second cousin Javor could be my father?”
The King inhaled deeply, his wrinkled face contemplative. “Your featuresarestrikingly similar. And your eyes…” He turned to Lord Castemont. “And you don’t think he could be–”
“No,” the Lord cut in. “He has no children.”
