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“Call in the entire Arsenal,” he ordered, turning to me. “You’ll meet with them and devise a plan. I wantallthe Shades reassigned to hunt the Shadow. I want to know how big this threat is, and then I want it snuffed out. I expect my Blade to lead them accordingly. Leave us.”
I gave a low bow and exited the room, leaving the princes with their father.
Killian had not only saved me from the king’s wrath, but he had orchestrated the perfect vantage point for me to manipulate events moving forward. Direct access to the Arsenal and the Shades, as commanded by the king.
I would have to give myself time to determine how I would use this against the Crown, but for now I had a singular mission ahead of me—learn what Killian was planning before he took me down with him.
IHEADED STRAIGHT TO MYchambers with my hood covering my face. Thoughts of Killian and his motives filled my mind. I could only come to one conclusion: the Bastard Prince of Elverath wanted the throne.
He’d spent most of his life out of his father’s reach. I’d always thought it was to avoid the whispers of court, his own brother’s taunting. Life was easy for the second prince in the libraries of Volcar, hiring tutors to teach him history and language as he traveled. The luxuries of a prince who knew he would never be king.
But what if that had all been a ruse? Had Killian been buying his time, plotting against his father in hopes of overthrowing the king? I’d heard stories of the Mortal realms; their bloody histories were filled with regicide and rebellion. It was only a matter of time before the same stories were inked into the pages of Elverath’s history.
I would not be used as a pawn for the son to replace the father. My mission wasn’t to move the Crown from one head to the next. I wanted it gone. Destroyed as completely as the Halflings and the Elves had been.
I wouldn’t hesitate to kill Killian if he tried to stop me.
I entered my chambers, hoping for some time to think, but I was crushed against the door the moment I stepped through the threshold.
“Keera!” Gwyn squealed, pulling me into a tight embrace.
“Can’t breathe,” I whispered, but Gwyn only pulled in tighter. “Gwyn, I can’t breathe,” I rasped again.
“What?” She pulled back and saw me wheezing. “Goodness, I’m sorry.” She held a hand up to her head, cheeks pink as she held in her laughter.
“You’re surprisingly strong for a chambermaid,” I said with a laugh of my own.
Gwyn gave me a radiant smile and shrugged, tugging at her skirt while she swayed back and forth. “So how was Aralinth? Did you see any Elves?” Her eyes widened in anticipation.
I plunked down onto the bed and pulled off my boots.
“A few.” I smirked when Gwyn squealed even louder.
“What did they look like? Were they beautiful? Terrifying? Magical? Did you see any Fae?” she rattled on.
I chuckled. “So many questions.”
Gwyn bit her bottom lip to keep more from spilling out. “I’m just a little cooped up, I guess,” she said, her voice no longer light and airy.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my back tensing.
“Nothing really,” she said. I raised a brow and she caved. “Prince Damien had planned for a hunt last week. The king forced him to cancel it when the news of Silstra came. He didn’t want his heir gallivanting in the woods while a resistance was forming only a few hundred miles away.”
“The king was right,” I agreed, but that didn’t have anything to do with Gwyn.
“Damien was upset. He called me to his rooms and kept me there. It wasn’t all bad. He was out most of the day. And grew tired of me after a few... sessions. But I wasn’t allowed to leave his chambers and he doesn’t like having the staff in and out of his rooms, so it’s been a while since I’ve had anyone to speak to.” She rubbed her fingers in her lap.
My teeth clenched against the inside of my cheek. I needed to find a way to get her out of the palace, but that would be impossible until the king was dead.
“So...” Gwyn interrupted my thoughts, eyeing the saddlebags on the bench at the end of my bed. “Did youfindanything of interest while you were away?”
“Is that why you were waiting in my rooms?” I laughed. “I see. You make me feel like you missed me, but really you just want your presents.”
Gwyn looked appalled. “I did miss you! I can’t believe you—wait, did you say presents? As in more than one?” Her mock hurt was completely forgotten as she ran over to the bags, bringing them to me.
“I did visit a few other places along the way,” I said, pulling out a package wrapped in dark blue silk. A dew rose petal was pressed into the wax seal, only a little ruffled from all the travel.
Gwyn sat back down, her feet tapping excitedly from where they dangled off the bed.
