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“Indeed,” Morrin said grimly.
“I appreciate the update.” I made a move to stand. “If there’s nothing else—”
“Actually, Luad, there is.”
Exhaling a silent breath, I sat back down.
“My spies have seen one of the seelie noble Folk out in the forest often. Usually around the market.”
I frowned. “Who?”
“Abar, my king.”
“The fae who came to your first open court,” Nua murmured to me. “Who complained about his new living conditions.”
“Oh.” I looked at Morrin. “Is that unusual, then? What was he doing?”
“Somewhat. The noble Folk don’t typically visit the forest. They think it’s beneath them.” Morrin somehow managed to convey his disdain despite the lack of emotion in his voice. “He was seen conversing with merchants, but he did slip off. My spy didn’t follow.”
Irritation bloomed. “Why not?”
“Because we have not been tasked with spying on any seelie, my king,” Morrin said blandly. “I’m merely sharing it with you because I’m aware that the noble Folk aren’t best pleased with being removed from the palace.”
“So you think he’s planning something?” I asked immediately.
“I couldn’t comment on that.”
I gritted my teeth. “You’re the chief spy for a reason. Aren’t you supposed to be good at detecting when someone is acting suspiciously?”
“At this stage, the only somewhat suspicious thing is him entering the forest at all. We didn’t see him do anything else that could be deemed nefarious.”
“Because your spy lost sight of him,” I got out between clenched teeth.
“As I said, Luad, we have not been tasked with spying on the seelie.” Morrin’s emotionless face was making me even more annoyed, for some reason. “We can, of course, start monitoring him, if that is what you wish.”
“Of course it fucking is,” I snapped. “He’s obviously up to something.”
“Not necessarily, Ash,” Nua offered hesitantly. “Perhaps he thinks he can get goods cheaper in the forest’s market, if he’s still unwilling to find work.”
I snorted. “Yeah, well, let’s just hope that’s all it is. Watch him,” I told Morrin.
“Yes, Luad.”
What was that noble fae doing? I remembered the utter loathing in his eyes when he’d looked at Lonan that day at the open court. Was he planning to hurt Lonan? Do something to him?
“Get your spies to watch all of the noble Folk,” I said to Morrin. If Abar was planning something, I doubted he would do it alone. And I doubted he would get his own snooty hands dirty. Maybe he was trying to recruit solitary Folk into whatever he was doing.
Or maybe he didn’t even need to. Maybe his visits to the forest were entirely innocent, but he was planning something with the rest of the noble fae. Or other seelie fae. Nua had said they all liked me as king because I’d gotten rid of the Brid, but sentiment only went so far. I’d brought Lonan here. The unseelie assassin prince who had been a different kind of nightmare to the Folk. The wraith sent out to slaughter people in the dead of night. The only unseelie who had been able to get onto seelie land without invitation before I brought him here myself.
My gaze snapped over Morrin’s shoulder to the other end of the throne room as its great doors were heaved open. Two palace staff walked in, one holding a broom and the other a cloth, before they stopped dead at the sight of us. Ducking into bows, they hurried back out. But I kept staring at the door after it had closed.
Jora had told me that the palace staff hadn’t liked the noble Folk, but she didn’t speak for all of them. Maybe they had allies here. Maybe there were some staff they still spoke to.
Maybe the broons who worked in the palace brewery. Fear skittered down my spine, mingling with the guilt that threatened to choke me every time I thought of the broon I’d shot dead for no reason other than saving my own skin in front of the Brid. They didn’t seem to hold it against me, but no one in their right mind would act openly hostile towards their king. And how the fuck could they not? I’d killed one of them. An innocent fae who was just doing his job. I’d killed him right here in this room.
My heart started to pound, sweat beading under my arms. Wanting to escape, I stood up quickly. “If that’s all—”
“One more thing, Luad.”
