by Jodi Meadows
FOURTEEN
AFTER MEETING WITH the seamstresses for our coronation gowns, Theresa and I made our way to the Ospreys’ suite, Sergeant Ferris following at a respectful distance.
“It’s going to rain tonight.” Theresa’s announcement came out of nowhere. “I saw clouds when I looked out the window. Dark clouds.”
“The coronation is inside. Rain won’t matter.”
She lowered her voice. “Do you think it means anything? A big storm on coronation night?”
I shook my head and smiled. “You sound like Connor, all signs and superstitions. Are you keeping a mirror in your pocket, too?”
“The mirror thing turned out to be real.”
She had a point.
In the Ospreys’ suite, Kevin was pacing again. “We should be preparing for your coronation, Wil.”
I gave him a sharp look. “Don’t say anything like that tonight. Show respect to Prince Tobiah.”
“But you hate him.”
“After tonight, he’ll be the king granting us sanctuary. It doesn’t matter how I feel about him; he’s taking care of the people I care about, and that earns my respect.”
“Fine.” Kevin slumped onto the sofa between Carl and Connor. His limbs splayed out everywhere, forcing the younger boys to dodge flying elbows. “This is boring. When can we go into the city again?”
“Never.” That came out too harshly. I softened my tone. “Not for a while. It’s not safe.”
“The city is never safe.”
Theresa flicked her little finger at him. “Oh, stop your whining. There are so many worse problems out there than your boredom.” She stomped toward the balcony door and vanished outside. A ribbon of cold wind cut through the room, and was sliced off by the slamming door.
Carl crossed his arms. “What’s her problem?”
“Maybe you should ask her yourself.” Not that I was sure what was bothering her, either. “Do you like your new tutor?” I perched on the corner of the table.
“She’s fine,” said Connor.
“Fine.” Carl shrugged.
“Really pretty.” Kevin shot a rueful grin. “Smart, I mean. She knows a lot about the Indigo Kingdom. Even Aecor. This morning we went over how to behave at the coronation.”
“Do you think you can manage?” I asked.
“Give us some credit. We managed the memorial last night. You were the troublemaker.”
I scratched my chin with my little finger.
“We had a vote.” Carl leaned forward. “We don’t like your wraith friend. We think he’s a bad influence. And messy.”
“He is messy. And definitely has worse behavior than any of you.” My smile was faint. “What about the Wraith Alliance? Have you made any progress on that?”
“We’re still working on it,” Kevin said. “You only asked us to look at it the other day.”
I pushed a note of impatience out of my tone. “All right. Be quick, but thorough. The sooner I sign it, the better leverage we have getting Aecor from Prince Colin.”
“If Patrick doesn’t get it first.” Connor folded his hands in his lap. “What if the Indigo Army finds him? He should be in trouble, but what about Melanie and Paige? Ronald and Oscar?”
“Melanie is on our side, and the other three didn’t kill King Terrell. They didn’t try to kill Prince Tobiah. The Indigo Kingdom wants them, but not as badly as they want Patrick. That will be taken into account.”
Connor nodded thoughtfully. “And what about us? Do we get to punish him, too, when he’s caught?” His tone was careful and even, betrayed only by the white of his knuckles and tightness of his jaw.
“When Patrick is caught, he’ll be tried for all his crimes, including sending Quinn and Ezra on the mission that killed them. And all those who came before them. We’ll build memorials in their honor, right?”
All three boys agreed, solemn now.
I stood and smoothed my dress. “I’m going to check on Rees. Make yourselves useful. And be nice to her when she gets back in.”
On my way out, I grabbed a blanket to ward off the cold.
Theresa was leaning on the rail, staring east over the woods. Gold and red leaves of late autumn rained like drops of colored ink, breathtakingly beautiful in the gloaming.
“Is it possible to be homesick for a place you can’t remember?” Her voice was soft, caught up and carried away by a gust of icy wind.
“I think so.” Next to her, I put the blanket around both of us, and she rested her cheek on my shoulder. “We’ll go back home one day. Soon. And we’ll make new memories there.”
“I wonder what Patrick and the others are doing now—if they’re thinking about your coronation, too. He always intended for you to take it back on the anniversary. That’s only a few months off.” The clock tower chimed fifteen, and a cloud-shrouded full moon started to rise over the horizon. The early moon, the storm-darkened sky, and the frigid wind made the afternoon feel like evening.
The acrid scent of wraith rode on the air, but it was faint. For now.
“I don’t want to talk about Patrick and the others.” I pulled her toward the door again. “Come on.”
Just as we started to move, voices below caught me.
“Let’s speak out here, Your Grace.” Prince Colin strode into the garden below our balcony, just beyond the rail.
I crouched, waving Theresa to follow so he wouldn’t look up and see us. We crept forward and watched the pair from between the balcony rails.
“I’m in a hurry, Your Highness.” Annoyance colored Lady Meredith’s tone, but she appeared in the garden, cloaked and hooded.
“Certainly.” Prince Colin spoke too sweetly. “I only wanted to say how glad I am that Tobiah recovered so quickly from his injury. It’s such a relief he’ll be able to take his place as Sovereign of the Indigo Kingdom, at last.”
Meredith dipped into a slight curtsy. “Indeed. I am grateful for his recovery, too.”
“Just like his cousin, James Rayner.”
I imagined Meredith’s thin smile at that; her tone reflected one. “Yes. They do have access to the best physicians, though.”
“I think it’s more than luck or physicians.” Prince Colin began to circle her. “What could have happened? How is Francesca’s side of the family so blessed, I wonder?”
Theresa adjusted the blanket over us, making the wool rustle, but the pair below was too engaged to hear.
“I’m sure you know better than I do, Your Highness, though given how many terrible things have happened to them lately, I’d hesitate to say they are blessed.”
“Hmm. I do have a hypothesis.” Prince Colin pressed his hands behind his back, his chest puffed out.
Part of me wanted to rescue her, but if she needed it, she didn’t show it at all. Meredith hadn’t moved, her cloak spread out around her like a shadow. She was a statue.
“I think it’s that foreign princess. Wilhelmina. She and he are so close. Always sharing some secret. Don’t you think?”
Meredith tilted her head, just a shift in the shadow of her sculpted regality. “I was under the impression they weren’t fond of each other.”
Beneath the blanket, Theresa nudged me, but I didn’t tear my gaze from the two below.
Prince Colin strode deeper into the gardens. “I simply do not trust the princess.” He said it as an announcement. As though anyone would be shocked. “She paraded around in another woman’s identity for months.”
Meredith remained silent.
“She’s lived on the streets for years. What does that do to a young lady? Let alone a princess.” He allowed that to sink in a moment. “It was her man who killed King Terrell. She was responsible for the Inundation, leading the wraith here. And now she keeps that creature she created—with her magic—as a pet. Tell me, why hasn’t she sent it away? Why does she insist on keeping it in the palace?”
“I cannot tell you.” Meredith’s tone was mild, and vaguely annoyed. “And while those things may be true, and
those questions are important to ask, none of it signals a dangerous closeness between Princess Wilhelmina and Crown Prince Tobiah. Why would you think they have any kind of relationship?”
There it was. A shred of uncertainty edged the last question.
Prince Colin heard it, too, because he turned and appeared to study her. “This morning. Did you see the looks they exchanged?”
Again, silence from the duchess.
“It’s worth noting, too, that her response to his injury was rather . . . dramatic. Wasn’t it?”
Was it? I closed my eyes for a heartbeat, remembering the attack. Remembering the way I’d felt everything inside of me burst when Tobiah dropped with that bolt inside him.
I shuddered, and Theresa touched my hand.
“I wasn’t there to witness it,” Meredith said. “I saw a commotion too quick to immediately understand, and then the guards were dragging me inside, along with Her Majesty.”
“I see. Then you’ll have to take my word for it.”
Meredith could probably count on one hand the times someone said she’d have to do something.
If I were her, I’d be remembering the morning of Tobiah’s awakening, when she and the queen had walked in to find me already there. And the look Tobiah and I had shared as I descended the steps in the cathedral. And, if she’d seen it, the way he stood close last night, holding me upright after I’d put the building back to sleep.
“More importantly, don’t you think it’s interesting that the same man responsible for the king’s assassination is also responsible for two attempts on your fiancé’s life? And that the assassin works for Wilhelmina?”
He made such compelling arguments. I wouldn’t trust me, either.
“I worry,” Prince Colin continued, “what her influence on Tobiah will be. The grief of losing his father, the near loss of his closest friend and bodyguard, the attack on him, and now the collapse of the cathedral on top of everything?” Prince Colin shook his head, as though honestly uncertain, and honestly concerned.
“Your points are all valid, certainly, but I am not worried about Tobiah’s faithfulness. He is honorable.”
“But she may not be. I can only pray Tobiah resists her, but if he changes at all—if the stress of what he’s been through begins to affect his duties as a king—please know that I want only what is best for the Indigo Kingdom. That, above all, is my priority, as I’m sure it is yours as well.”
He was telling her to spy for him. To keep watch over Tobiah’s activities and report to him. He’d already planted the seeds of doubt in her mind, though they must have been there already. She knew what I was. What I’d done. But still she’d made overtures of friendship. She’d shown me support and kindness in spite of the way I’d hurt her best friend.
Meredith had trusted Tobiah all these months, and he had betrayed her. In the breezeway. With me. He was honorable, but he wasn’t infallible.
We’d both betrayed her.
“The Indigo Kingdom is in a state of flux,” added Prince Colin. “I worry constantly for my nephew’s life, and his ability to rule the kingdom when those to whom he gives his trust are not trustworthy. I pray that he recovers from all of these traumatic events and proves himself a strong sovereign.”
“Crown Prince Tobiah is strong.”
“I agree. As proven by his swift recovery.” He paused. “And now it’s being said the injury wasn’t as great as we first thought, but saints, I saw the wound myself. It’s a miracle he lived. Truly a miracle.”
Meredith regarded him with a steady gaze.
“Though I certainly want my nephew to be king, more than anything else in this world, I hope no one else questions this miracle. Or . . . whatever it might have been. The law is clear, though. About magic. If someone were to contest his ascension to the throne—”
“Who would do that?” Meredith lifted her chin.
“No one, I’m sure. But I am so aware that I am next in the line of succession. When Tobiah becomes king this evening, I will become the crown prince. Heir to the throne.”
The duchess remained motionless, but it was a different kind of stillness, now. One filled with doubt and contemplation and unease. For a thundering heartbeat, I wondered if she’d give in and accept his not-so-subtle threats.
She could spy for him and be cared for when Colin made some kind of move against Tobiah.
Or she could go down with him.
Instead, she simply curtsied and said, “Excuse me, Your Highness. I must prepare for my fiancé’s coronation.”
“Of course. I’m sorry to have detained you. Please remember what we’ve discussed.”
“I don’t see how I could forget.” Before he could reply, Meredith turned and vanished from my sight. A door slammed, and Prince Colin glared after her for a breath. But then he clasped his hands behind his back, making a small noise of satisfaction.
Only after he went inside did I allow myself to move. My limbs groaned in protest, having stiffened from the cold. Theresa used the rail to help herself up. “I—”
The balcony door opened and Connor peeked out. “Wil? Rees?”
Theresa and I scrambled to our feet, the wool blanket falling to the balcony floor. Streaks of dirt smeared across the fronts of our dresses, and a few drops of rain dotted our faces.
“Oh.” His eyes widened. “What were you doing on the ground?”
“Eavesdropping. And it’s very rude, so you shouldn’t ever do it.” I bent to seize the fallen blanket. “Get ready for the coronation, Connor. We have to prepare as well.”
We waved to the boys on our way out.
Sergeant Ferris waited in the hall, as always. The pair of guards looking over the Ospreys stood with him. “Back to your quarters, Your Highness?”
“Yes. And I need Captain Rayner to meet us there.”
“I’m afraid he’s very busy today.”
I pulled myself tall and regal, like Meredith in the courtyard. “Send for him, Sergeant.”
Ferris’s gaze was long and steady, but at last he nodded to one of the other guards. “You. Fetch the captain to Her Highness’s sitting room. Be quick.”
James was already there when we returned, clad in his finest Indigo Order uniform. His sword hung at his side and he perched on the arm of the sofa, gloved hands on his knees.
“Pretty dress.” He inclined his head toward tonight’s gown hanging from a peg.
“Thank you.” The gown was a glorious creation of lavender silk and wool, with flowers and vines embroidered across the shoulders and down the sleeves. A thick sash of white crossed the ribs, and the front split revealed a layer of cream fabric. “I didn’t ask you here to discuss ladies’ fashion.”
“Maybe next time. You have so many more options and I admit I’m jealous.” He grinned and picked invisible lint off his sleeve. “How can I help you, Wil?”
“Prince Colin wants to keep Tobiah from becoming king.”
Every muscle in him tensed, and his eyes grew hard. “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”
With Theresa’s help, I recounted the conversation between Prince Colin and Meredith, even the accusations against me.
James’s expression grew darker as I finished the story. “But he didn’t say when he was going to do anything?”
“No, but the threat was clear. He’ll reveal the use of magic when it suits him.”
James nodded. “I believe you. I doubt anything will happen today. It’s too late for him to take any kind of action against the coronation—”
And I doubted that.
“—but I will post extra guards and ensure Prince Colin is being monitored at all times. Would that help alleviate your worry?”
“Some.” But not enough.
James pushed himself up, straightening his jacket. “Wil, Tobiah and I were taking care of each other long before you arrived. I don’t say that to diminish anything that you’ve done for him, because I know your entire future is riding on his taking the throne tonight.
”
There was a pause that seemed to last eternity, but the clock ticked only a few times and I added nothing to his reasoning. It wasn’t my place.
“Believe me,” James said. “It’s important to us all that Tobiah take the throne. The last thing I want is for someone like Prince Colin to have control over the Indigo Kingdom—and it must kill you that he has control over your kingdom. But I cannot simply arrest him, no matter the pleasure that would bring me. He’s done nothing besides talk, and unless Lady Meredith speaks up, it’s your word against his. And your word isn’t the best, all things considered.”
I closed my eyes and dragged in a heavy breath. “Very well.”
He stepped forward and held out his hands, and when I took them, he squeezed. “Thank you, though. For telling me. For trusting me. I understand that you’d rather do things on your own.”
“Don’t imagine I was asking for help.” I pulled away and strode toward the door. “It’s only that I want to be able to brag I’d warned you after Prince Colin does something awful.”
James smirked, but gave a small, respectful bow. “I’ll see you at the coronation.” Then he was gone.
“That’s it?” Theresa pulled a tie from her braid and began untangling her wind-mussed hair.
“That’s all we can do.” I glared at the door for a moment before peeling off my day dress. The maid would come soon, and she didn’t need to see what I’d done to it.
Theresa sighed. “I don’t like that man. Colin.”
“No one likes him.”
“Is what he said true? Any of it about you and Tobiah?”
“We’ve learned to overcome our differences, more or less.”
More when he’d dressed as Black Knife and I hadn’t known his true identity. Less when he resembled a prince.
She frowned. “You have a look. Your feelings toward him really have changed, haven’t they?”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s getting married and I can continue to be a terrible influence without compromising his honor.” Further compromising, that was. “There’s only one thing you should have taken from that conversation, Rees, and if you think my feelings have anything to do with it, you’re wrong.
