The Veil of Trust

by S. Usher Evans

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Map of World

  Map of Forcadel

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Next Book in the Series

  Want More Brynna?

  Also By S. Usher Evans

  Thank You

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 S. Usher Evans

  ASIN: B07TWMS5QZ

  All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Cover Design by Jo Painter

  Line Editing by Danielle Fine, By Definition Editing

  Sun's Golden Ray Publishing

  Pensacola, FL

  www.sgr-pub.com

  For ordering information, please visit

  www.sgr-pub.com/orders

  DEDICATION

  To the girls who reach out

  Chapter 1

  "Hundreds of explosions! Wouldn't stop. Fifty dead in twenty minutes!"

  I turned my head slightly. Two old men were grousing over their tankards in this busy tavern, filled with travelers on their way to and from Forcadel. Being so close to the city was dangerous—sitting out in the open even more so. But I was desperate for information, and my hood covered much of my face.

  "Never seen anything like it, not since the desert-dwellers invaded."

  I straightened, inching closer to hear better.

  One of the old men shook his head. "Whoever did it was a monster, that's all I'm saying. You heard they took out Zuriel's family? He hung himself."

  The mayor of Forcadel. I shifted closer to them, but any further conversation was drowned out by another pair of merchants who sat at a table between us and started a loud conversation on the price of beer.

  Cursing softly, I averted my gaze to the empty bowl of stew. I had gotten wisps of conversation about some attack that had just occurred in Forcadel, but other than the general death and destruction, these patrons had given up nothing more—nor had they shared with me their knowledge of what had occurred upriver.

  "…Neveri…"

  My ears perked up again.

  "Haven't been there myself in an age. Hear that gate is something to see."

  "Yeah, I've only seen it from afar, but my cousin—he's assigned to Neveri's fortresses—he said it's pretty magnificent."

  Something uncomfortable slid down my spine. If this man's cousin was at the fortress, he was probably dead. Along with sixty Severians and forty-two Forcadelians. Some with families—

  I exhaled softly, clearing that train of thought before it got too far down the path. It was done; there was nothing I could do about it now except to keep fighting.

  It had been less than a week since my small army had taken Neveri in the name of Forcadel, though it felt more like a lifetime. The question was—had news of this event come to the capital city yet, or more importantly, to Queen Ilara? If so, it would complicate matters significantly. Hence my precarious position here at this tavern, eavesdropping on half-drunk conversations and trying to piece together contexts.

  I thumbed the two pendants hanging from a chain around my neck. One had belonged to Lieutenant Riya Kellis, one of my most loyal soldiers who'd died in the ensuing battle in Neveri. The other was Captain Felix Llobrega's, who was beyond the city walls in Forcadel, as was Katarine, my sister-in-law, and Beata, her girlfriend. Getting the three of them to safety was my top priority, even before I thought about dislodging Ilara.

  But instead of retrieving them myself, I'd sent along a pair of soldiers—Jorad and Aline. In Neveri, around fifty Forcadelian soldiers had turned against Ilara and sworn fealty to me. Only Jorad and Aline had accompanied me here; the rest I'd asked to camp to the north of the capital and await further instructions. I'd thought the two I'd chosen would be more flexible of my independent ways, but Jorad, looking very much like his cousin Felix, had made a strong case that until we knew how much Ilara knew, it would be better to make myself scarce and let them handle it.

  Still, delegation wasn't something I really had a taste for yet, and I didn't like being idle, especially with the pressure of time sitting on my chest. So to make myself useful, I planted myself in the center of this tavern with the hood over my head, listening and waiting.

  Two old ladies at the table next to me started a lengthy conversation about Mayor Zuriel and his family, ultimately deciding that the traitorous bastard deserved it. I couldn't disagree; he'd been one of the few to betray me during the initial invasion. But his family should've been spared.

  "…Felix Llobrega."

  I turned my head, spying an older man talking with a group of women. He looked slightly familiar to me—perhaps he was a merchant I'd seen in town before.

  "I can't believe he'd betray Her Majesty like that," he continued. "Or that he'd kill innocents."

  "Are you saying he was framed?"

  "Absolutely he was framed. Ilara's been looking for a reason to get rid of him."

  "Surprised she needed one."

  My heart began to thud in my chest. Get rid of him? Betrayal? What in the Mother's name had happened in Forcadel since I'd been gone? Last I knew, Felix had donned The Veil's mask in my absence to make inroads with the rebels causing trouble in the city. Clearly, something had gone very, very wrong.

  The man who'd been speaking rose to his feet, telling his female counterparts that he was off to relieve himself. I followed behind him, keeping a healthy distance as he stumbled into an alley and untied the front of his pants. Once his business had been concluded, I revealed myself.

  "Evening," I said.

  He cursed and jumped backward, splashing into the puddle he'd just made. "Mother above! What do you want? I have no coin."

  "The bartender will be sad to hear that," I said, walking into the alley. "I want information. What happened to Felix?"

  He shook his head slowly. "I don't know."

  "I don't believe you," I said, flapping my cape to reveal my knives.

  "I swear, I don't," he said. "The word from the castle
was Felix was seen wearing a mask and cavorting with a known pirate."

  I swept my tongue over my teeth. Kieran, I swear if you screwed Felix… "And what do you think?"

  "He wouldn't have betrayed his kingdom like that. He's loyal to Forcadel, through and through." He swallowed hard. "As am I, I promise you."

  "Where is he now?" I asked, after a few moments.

  "The dungeons," he replied. "No date has been set for his…his execution. But the conditions down there might just do the job anyway."

  The urge to march into the castle and wring Ilara's neck was strong. The dungeons were in the basement of the castle, and it would take more than just knockout powder to extract him.

  "What else have you heard?" I asked, taking another menacing step forward. "Anything about Neveri? Or Princess Brynna?"

  "P-Princess Brynna? She's dead. Unless…" He squinted in the dark. "That can't be… Is it you?"

  "Shit." I reached into my bag and grabbed a bag of knockout powder, throwing it at his face. After a moment of blinking, he fell to the ground, out cold.

  "You could have at least let him fall away from his piss."

  A shadow moved in the alley behind me. Jax sauntered into the moonlight, wearing a smug grin. He belonged to the feared forest pirate Celia, and she'd loaned him to me as I took the city of Neveri. I wasn't exactly sure why he remained in my employ, but I'd use him as long as I could.

  "Why'd you have to ask him if he knew you were alive?" Jax said, nudging the merchant with his toe.

  "Did you discover anything interesting?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

  "Nothing about Neveri," he said. "Everyone's talking about this attack on Forcadel last week. They say your boyfriend is gonna hang for it."

  "Not if I can help it," I said, looking at the merchant on the ground.

  "What are you gonna do, storm the castle?" Jax asked. "Your army is currently a day's ride to the north."

  "Did you hear anything about this attack that killed Zuriel's family?" I asked.

  "Sounds like it was more an attack on Ilara loyalists than anything," Jax said. "From what I hear, it sounds like they used ond for it."

  "That's impossible," I said with a scoff. "Ariadna only let us take that small bag we used in Neveri. The Severians had something similar they used during the invasion, so maybe that's what did it."

  "The rumors say it was Niemenian," he said.

  "They also say Felix was responsible for it." I crossed my arms over my chest. "What about Katarine? Have you heard anything about her?"

  "As far as I can tell, she's still in Ilara's good graces. For whatever that's worth."

  A whistle echoed through the alley, and a few moments later, Elisha, all of thirteen years old, jumped down from a nearby roof. She was the only other body Celia had provided to take Neveri. Although she was young, she was an effective lookout, and a pretty good shot with a crossbow. I'd sent her along with Jorad and Aline, and seeing her alone scratched at my already raw nerves.

  "Where are they?" I snapped. "You're late."

  "Jorad told me to tell you that things were more complicated than he anticipated and that he was working on it," she said, then began ticking off her fingers. "And to give him until sunup. Also to tell you that Captain Llobrega was arrested." She paused and thought. "And that they aren't sure they can do what you asked, but they'll certainly try."

  "Great," I muttered. The two soldiers were capable, but vigilantes they were not. "This is ridiculous. I shouldn't have sent them by themselves. I should've just gone."

  "Eh, what's the worst that could happen?" Jax said with a devilish grin. "They get captured, give up your location and plan, and everything you've worked toward goes to hell? I mean, you're doing a good enough job of that on your own, what with getting made just now."

  My gaze fell to the man on the ground, and a small voice whispered that Jax was right. I dug into my pocket and found a gold coin, flicking it at Jax. "If they asked me to give them until sunup, that's what we'll do. Go get us a room for the night so we aren't sitting out here in the open."

  "Fine by me. I could use a good night's sleep." He nodded toward the man lying in the street. "What about him?"

  "Leave him," I said. "Maybe he'll just believe he had too much to drink and hallucinated the whole thing."

  "Hope does spring eternal," Jax said, whistling as he walked away. I glared at his retreating back. Perhaps he was just sticking around to watch me fail. He did seem to delight in it.

  "What do you want me to do?" Elisha asked, breaking my attention. "Keep lookout? Find some soldiers to interrogate?" She punched her hand, ready for a fight. "I'm ready to do whatever you need, Your Majesty."

  I winced as her young voice echoed in the alley. "Why don't you follow Jax? Make sure he doesn't get us a room with one bed and we have to sleep on the floor."

  Chapter 2

  Katarine

  I never liked being summoned to the throne room. It reminded me of being called to my father's back in Niemen for some youthful infraction. But at least his temperament was even. With Ilara, I never knew what I was going to get.

  My nerves were especially frayed recently since Felix had been outed as the masked vigilante who'd been patrolling the streets and causing anarchy. The secondary charges were complete nonsense—at least, I hoped he hadn't been involved in spreading ond and killing Forcadelians. Where the rebels had gotten their hands on the Niemenian ore, I had no idea. Access to the mine was tightly controlled. I'd already penned a note to my sister, Queen Ariadna, asking her to look into it.

  But even Ariadna's latest note to me had left my mind with more questions than answers. She'd written about the first snowfall of the season, and included some minor details about her pregnancy, as was normal for our regular correspondence. At the end of the note, though, she had a line that seemed out of place for the rest of it:

  Even though winter is descending, spring may yet be on the horizon.

  If my instincts were to be trusted, and if I knew my sister as well as I hoped, Brynna had made contact with Ariadna, and help would be arriving soon.

  I prayed it came sooner rather than later, as Beata had already received reports of Felix's mistreatment in the dungeons. He was tough, but if Ilara found out Brynna was alive… I shuddered at the thought.

  "Good morning, Katarine," Ilara said, her face a bright, contented mask. One could scarcely believe her city had been viciously attacked a few days before. "I hope you're well. You look a little pale."

  "Merely the stress of the news these past few weeks," I said, forcing myself to smile. "I trust the cleanup is going well?"

  "I suppose. I'm not really interested. Captain Coyle has taken it upon himself to oversee all of it."

  Captain Coyle. That certainly hadn't taken long. "He is very on top of things, it appears."

  She made a face. "Shame to hear that Felix betrayed me so."

  "I don't know what to say," I said softly. "Perhaps he suffered a mental break. He didn't seem right after August died, and with Brynna…" I shook my head. "He never allowed himself to grieve."

  "Perhaps you should've pressed him to," Ilara replied, eyeing me intently. "Because now…now I don't know what to do. Shall I leave him to die in the dungeons like Garwood? Or have him executed?"

  "There are still many in the city who adore him," I replied, as my pulse ticked upward. "It might be better to keep him out of sight."

  She cast me a coy smile. "I know you care for him deeply. You don't have to pretend otherwise."

  I quieted, not trusting that I wouldn't say something to get me in trouble. Finally, I settled on, "I just wish he'd made a different choice."

  "As do I, my dear. As do I." She took my hand. "I'm just grateful you had no part in it. I don't think I could stand it if I lost both of you."

  I had my doubts about that. My position with Ilara had always confused me. I'd obviously been loyal to her predecessor, and Ilara had killed my husband. When Brynna had been deposed, Fe
lix and I had both agreed to stay and serve the kingdom as long as Ilara would let us.

  But while she'd spent months surgically removing all Felix's protections—first, he lost his oversight of the cadets, then she began reassigning his allies to the farthest reaches of the country—she hadn't done the same with me. She still sought my advice on strategic matters in our weekly sessions, I gave it to her, and she ignored it. Perhaps she considered me of more value, as my sister was the queen of a potential ally. Or maybe she was just biding her time.

  Either way, I remained on guard.

  "Did you want to discuss something with me?" I asked, as politely as I could.

  "Oh, yes, of course." She handed me a thick stack of papers. "I reviewed these requests for waivers and none of them seem truly in need. They're all denied."

  I took the stack, a half-smile of disbelief on my face. Within them were shippers who'd been loyal to the Forcadelian crown for generations, and even some who had helped ferry Ilara's own forces into the city.

  "Your Majesty," I began slowly. "There are some excellent cases in here. People whose very livelihood depends on earning an income from what they transport. Surely, we can allow some of them to dock in port and unload their wares?"

  "If they wish to unload, they can do it in the east," she said. "Do the people out there not need to eat as well?"

  It wasn't about feeding Severians; it was about economy. One shipload of food could net a shipper a hundred gold coins—more than enough to pay for the trip. But if they were returning with nothing but Severian glass, worth a fraction of the cost, they would soon run out of money to fund their operations. Already half a dozen shipping companies—some spanning generations—had gone out of business.

  "I worry that we're squeezing the life out of our merchants," I said softly.

  "It's merely a change," Ilara said, rising to her feet. "Soon all will be revealed. I promise you that."

  But I don't trust you. For Felix, however, I would have to pretend otherwise.

  "As you wish, Your Majesty."

  My mind was heavy at the end of every day, weary of watching my tongue and thoughts, filled with anxiety for my best friend and fear for my adopted homeland. Unanswered questions about what the future held echoed incessantly.