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I nodded, but my head was spinning. "We need to request an audience with the queen or the royal advisors. They need to know what's happened and help us plan for what comes next."
Steel spoke up. "They will already know what has occurred today, and they will assume that since I accompanied you so obviously, I have told you about the situation. We were instructed to lay low, but never to lie to you. The other two watchers currently on this assignment will have notified the queen and be keeping an eye out for any hints of the attacker's whereabouts or any additional threats within the territory." He grimaced. "You will likely have more protection assigned to you, now that the threat has escalated."
Bach huffed. "She also has four new mates who are more than capable of ensuring she is never alone and unprotected. We did not prove our skills in the tournament for nothing."
I rolled my eyes. As if I was going to cower behind my mates. But he did have a point. They were all highborn, so their magic was much stronger than mine, and each one of them could fight. They had proved that quite nicely in the weapons and hand-to-hand portions of the ridiculous tournament. Still, assassins were potentially a whole other level above the competitors they had faced in the public tournament ring. Hopefully, whoever was trying to eliminate me still preferred to make it look like an accident, rather than sending someone in to take care of me in a more direct manner. I shuddered. "What do we do now?"
Fife's alluring voice was dripping magic and rage when he spoke, and it twisted and weaved through the room like a poisonous caress. "I can cast a net spell large enough to cover the whole of Mistvale and the estate. No one with ill intent will get near you."
I appreciated the sentiment, but I really didn't like that look in his eyes or the manic tone in his voice. Something told me a spell that large would cost Fife more than he had to give. "No. I don't want you to overexert yourself. Besides, we might need you to call on your magic in an emergency, and we can't have you drained when we need you."
He narrowed his eyes at me as if he was about to protest, but I held up a hand before he could speak. "No, Fife. I appreciate the offer, but you've done enough for now. The protection spell you cast on me saved my life today. I took a direct kick from an enraged hippogriff and came away with only a bruise or two. Mirri should have a shattered wing, but he's fine. I'm pretty sure most physical assaults or supposed accidents would bounce right off us. And I don't think whoever is behind this knows that. The only one to witness how indestructible we were today was our attacker, and he was too busy trying to get away to actually notice how I escaped, or that Mirri didn't take as much damage as he should have. It probably just looks like we were incredibly lucky."
Mirri nodded agreement. "He was too focused on surviving. I'm pretty sure our protections are still secret."
Fife looked mutinous, but he didn't comment further.
"Go about your lives as you normally would," Steel suggested. "But keep your eyes and ears alert to what is going on around you. My colleagues and I will gather more information and keep you advised, now that our operations are not a secret to you. And with the queen's permission, of course. Eventually, whoever is behind this will show their hand. We just need to be patient, set some traps and let the guilty party come to us."
That sounded less decisive and immediate than I would have liked. But Steel was the expert on these things. And I had a territory to run and about a million irons in the fire right now. I couldn't afford to lock myself away in my mansion like some eccentric recluse. Larkwood needed me to do my job.
"Okay," I said, on a long exhale. "We go about our lives. But with our eyes open. We wait to hear from the queen. We spend some time brainstorming who might benefit most from getting rid of me." I met Fife's bright green eyes and added more force to my voice. "We do not go off and overtax our magical abilities." Then I looked at Bach, "Or leap into danger trying to be a hero."
There were a couple of stubborn glares, but in the end, everyone muttered their agreement. "You have a roster of the titled nobles living in Larkwood somewhere, don't you?" Mirri asked.
I nodded. "Yes." It was useful to have a list of things like that for tax purposes, and to assign duties, and to make sure I didn't overlook anyone when sending invitations to social events or meetings.
Mirri smiled. "Maybe you can help me review that and chart out connections that might be relevant."
"Sounds like a good place to start," I agreed. Then I turned my attention back to Fife. "If you don't mind, there is some magic you could do for me that doesn't involve frying your magic channels."
He rolled his eyes, but one corner of his perfect lips twitched upward with suppressed amusement. "Yes, yes. I'll heal the spy."
I laughed as Fife moved to the bed to work his healing magic on Steel. The Queen's Hand glanced between us, one eyebrow raised. "You left me partially incapacitated on purpose?" Then he sighed and gave us a shrug. "Of course you did. I can't say I've enjoyed your methods, but I commend your caution."
I shook my head. "Blame him," I said, gesturing at the cleric. "He might be pretty, but don't let that deceive you. He's pure evil."
Bach stayed behind to chat with Steel about his duties as one of the Queen's Hand and the logistics of the position, his curiosity clearly piqued, while Fife worked on healing the man. They were talking about weapons and training when I left the room. Mirri and Adder followed me, Adder off to who knew where, and Mirri waiting for the list of nobles.
I went to the study and retrieved the roster, then handed it over to Mirri. He murmured his thanks distractedly as he skimmed the list, his mind clearly already on the task. When he finally glanced up at me, he gave me a soft, fond smile and gestured at the garden visible through the windows. "I'll get started on this, but you've got a lot on your mind. Take a walk. I'll come find you when I have questions."
I wanted to protest, to say that I wasn't that much of a baby. But the truth was, as the day progressed, I got more and more overwhelmed and keyed up. The attack. Mirri's revelations about his family. The confrontation with the Woodspurs. And now…my stepmother had apparently been murdered, not died in an accident as I had originally thought. And someone was trying to kill me, to boot.
It had been a rather long day.
Chapter 19
I made my way out of the study and through the glass doors at the end of the hall, sighing when I was met with the heady scent of roses, and lavender, and a dozen other flowers. The sun had set, and night was falling, the sky beyond the stone walls of the garden turning a gorgeous dusky purple. I meandered down the stone path, trailing my fingers over leaves and blooms as I let nature take away some of my panic and confusion.
Rounding a curve in the path, I came to an arbor of wisteria with a bench made of gnarled tree branches, artfully woven together and polished to make a delightfully whimsical seat. But before I could sit down, some small sound had me whirling to look behind me. Panic rushed through my veins as a tall figure emerged from the lengthening shadows.
I had just learned that I was being targeted by an assassin. And yet here I was, wandering alone outside where anyone could climb over the walls and murder me.
I let out a shaky sob when the person moved out of the shadows, revealing silky, angular cut silver hair, and eyes so dark blue they looked black. Adder arched his pale brows at me, then his stoic expression melted into a rare smirk. "I apologize for startling you." He gestured around us. "I noticed you heading out here alone and thought maybe I should keep an eye on you."
I sighed. "I know. Stupid. I'm just not used to being cautious. It feels ridiculous to think that someone here would want to harm me here. This is my home. My sanctuary."
He regarded me silently for a beat. When he spoke, his voice was guarded. "It is the times when you feel most comfortable that you are most likely to be in danger," he drawled. "Like in your own home, surrounded by people you trust. Even the most loyal servants can be swayed by money or power."
