Innocent Queen: A Court Intrigue Fantasy (The Forbidden Queen Series Book 2)

by R. J. Vickers

  The sitting-room was lit softly by dozens of Weavers’ lamps, including several in colored glass cases. The space had been set with many small round tables, each circled by three or four cushioned chairs, and Weavers’ crystals stood in the center of each table, some styled to look like motionless candle flames. Harp music drifted from the corner, and the scent of roses hung in the air.

  “Sit wherever you wish,” I said, turning to my guests. “But don’t get too attached to your place. We will be trading tables before long.”

  “You think your little games will win you support?” Olleack asked snidely.

  “Games? Did someone say something about games?” Jassor asked. “This is a delightful treat, Your Majesty. This winter has been utterly dull so far.”

  I gave an unladylike snort. The winter had been entirely too eventful, and I was sure Jassor knew that. “Yes, we will be playing a game, with a prize to win. But we’re waiting on more guests. I’ll explain later.”

  While the guests from the Cheltish wing chose tables, I stood to the side. Baridya and Deance split up and each took a seat at an unoccupied table, while Cal hovered by my side, looking uncertain.

  The other guests began to arrive before long. Ellarie, Pollard, and Morrisse swept into the room together, each wearing their heavy ceremonial crowns, and I suddenly felt naked without my own crown. At least they had shown up. I was not sure if they intended to disregard my invitation. Each guest was allowed to bring a partner, so I guessed the dour-looking older woman who trailed after the holden monarchs was Pollard’s wife. Morrisse came alone, which surprised me. He was at least thirty, well past the usual age of marriage.

  Ellarie’s gaze immediately alit on Cal, and she cut away from the other holden monarchs to approach where he stood by my side, eyes narrowing.

  “Where have you been?” she said in a sharp whisper. “You’ve missed all of your lessons, and I nearly sent guards out searching for you in the streets.”

  “I’ve been staying in the Cheltish wing.” Cal stuck his chin out.

  “You—” Ellarie turned her glare on me. “Are you trying to get my son killed? To stain his reputation as badly as you have your own?”

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with Kalleah,” Cal said softly. “I’m scared of what the Truthbringers are doing. I want to stop them, no matter what it takes, and Kalleah wants the same thing. I’m sorry, Mother, but I’m not going to hide away in the Ruunan wing until people forget about me.”

  “That’s—”

  “Please don’t get mad at me, Mother. You can disinherit me if you want. I don’t care. If we don’t do something now, there might not be a throne left for me to take in thirty years.”

  Ellarie closed her mouth, looking as though she had swallowed something disgusting.

  “You may choose any seat you wish,” I said with a forced smile. “We will bring around delicacies shortly.”

  Ellarie regarded Cal for another minute, a muscle in her jaw twitching, before finally sweeping off to join Morrisse, Pollard, and Pollard’s wife at a table near the back of the room.

  Saniya arrived soon after, one hand on Carrick’s arm; she paused in the doorway, chewing delicately on her lip.

  Seeing her there, so afraid to face me when we had once been friends, I realized I no longer harbored any resentment toward her. Leoth had forced her to vote against me. He had threatened her, and she had not realized my life hung in the balance. After the palace vote, I had been numb from the shock of Leoth’s betrayal, and I had seen enemies everywhere. I was stronger now. I wanted Saniya’s friendship, regardless of who she supported politically.

  Hurrying toward the door, I intercepted Saniya and Carrick before they chose seats.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” I said, clasping Saniya’s hand in both of my own. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

  “No, I feel terrible,” she whispered. “I should never have listened to Leoth.”

  “Well, he doesn’t matter now. He’s on a long, cold ride to King’s Port, and it should be spans before he returns.”

  Saniya smiled shyly.

  “Do you two want to sit with me? I haven’t chosen a table yet, but if you save me a seat, I’ll join you as soon as the last guests arrive.”

  “We would be honored,” Carrick said smoothly.

  Madden, Leoth’s round-faced, curly-haired friend, slipped in soon after Saniya and Carrick. After glancing around the room for a moment, he made a beeline for their table. He was one of Leoth’s closest friends, but he was also friendly to practically everyone. I wanted to know if his good-natured attitude toward me would persist now that Leoth and I were enemies.

  The final guests to join us were a handful of Cal’s friends, the same young courtiers and royals who had voted for me. I knew nothing about them, but hoped they would continue to support me, especially if I showed them favor.

  “Welcome, and thank you so much for joining me. With winter still lying over Baylore, I thought this palace could use a bit of livening up. I invite you to join me now in enjoying some of the best delicacies the palace has to offer.”

  My servers emerged from a side room with platters of towering sugar concoctions. Each table received one—there were palaces of spun sugar, delicate garden scenes, cathedrals, and mountain peaks. They were followed soon after by plates of dainty, colorful pastries and cakes, along with pots of tea and hot chocolate and pitchers of sparkling elderflower wine.

  I threaded my way through the bustling servers to the table where Saniya, Carrick, and Madden sat together. The centerpiece of this table was a miniature town made from sugar, its roofs peaked and buried beneath a layer of sugar-snow.

  “How have you been?” Saniya asked hesitantly, selecting a cherry tart from the plate. “We haven’t heard much since the election. Just rumors and whatever the newspapers print.”

  “You and everyone else.” I grimaced. “I’ve been fighting every step of the way. The holden monarchs won’t vote for anything I propose, and someone is either trying to frame me and Cal for murder or thinks they’re helping my cause by taking out my enemies. I don’t know which would be worse.”

  “Even Pollard?” Saniya asked in surprise. “I thought surely he would vote with you.”

  “I glanced over my shoulder to make sure he was out of earshot. “He’s the most reasonable of the holden monarchs, but I worry he and the others have come to an understanding behind my back. They agreed to the Great Southern Road after Leoth argued for it, and Ellarie consented to pass the anti-discrimination law once she realized Cal wasn’t safe, but that’s it. It’s been more than a span, and that’s all I’ve accomplished.”

  “I’ll see if I can have a word with Pollard,” Saniya said. “I’m surprised he hasn’t voted for any of your proposals. Surely he didn’t find them all unreasonable.”

  A server came around with drinks. I asked for a mug of thick, bitter hot chocolate, while the other three chose sparkling elderflower wine.

  Once the server retreated, Madden turned to me and gave me a lopsided smile. “Why am I here, then? This gathering looks like it’s full of your allies. I don’t remember ever saying I supported you.” He didn’t look upset, just curious.

  “You’ve always been civil to me, even though you’re Leoth’s best friend. Everyone in Baylore is turning against me, and I worry the Truthbringers will try to topple our entire government. I’m not trying to force you to back me—I just want to know where I stand with the courtiers and nobility in the palace. And now that Leoth has no chance at the throne, I thought perhaps I could trust you to be honest with me. Leoth and I are no longer rivals. You won’t be betraying his trust by helping me.”

  Madden chuckled. “I distinctly remember Leoth saying you would never forgive him after the palace vote. Are you sure you’re not still rivals?”

  I gulped at my hot chocolate, trying not to let my anger show. How much of Leoth’s scheme had Madden been in on? I forced a smile. “Time will tell whether we lea
rn to coexist civilly. If not, I can always give him a permanent position in Larkhaven or King’s Port.”

  “She’s right,” Saniya said. “There’s no longer any reason to choose between her and Leoth. I like you, Madden. I hope you’re clever enough to see that Kalleah is merely trying to do the best for our kingdom. It is not easy to rule when you face opposition from all sides.”

  “True, true,” Madden said. He raised his glass. “I concede. I will accept your non-conditional friendship, Your Majesty, and enjoy the indulgences of today without suspecting you of hidden motives.”

  As the party wore on, the laughter grew louder, the elderflower wine flowing freely. I limited myself to just one glass of wine—I needed my wits about me to face Olleack, Nashella, and my holden monarchs when the time came. I distinctly thought I saw Deance deep in whispered conversation with Olleack and Nashella, but when I looked again, all three were sipping at their drinks with a casual air.

  We turned later to a game where we were given a category to write down as many items as we could think of—former rulers of Baylore, towns in Itrea, varieties of wine, types of flowers, Kinship Thrones, and the like—and we switched tables depending on who won and lost. It was a clever ploy to force us to intermingle, and I quickly ended up at the same table as Morrisse.

  “I must say, Your Majesty, this is a welcome diversion,” he said expansively when I took my seat. “I wouldn’t have expected it of you.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” I said with a smile. I still did not understand Morrisse, but I hoped I might be able to win or force his loyalty eventually. This was the real reason for this gathering—the chance to speak with my holden monarchs in an unofficial setting, to probe into their motives and political beliefs.

  “If I might speak frankly, Your Majesty, I’m surprised by the amount of support you have. From what I heard, I thought you were alone.”

  “Rumors do tend to blow things out of proportion,” I said lightly. “Many people believe strongly in what I am trying to accomplish. The city merchants and magic races among them. Not everyone is pleased that I am stymied at every turn.”

  Morrisse raised his eyebrows. He knew I was referring to the Ilkayumsday votes. “I was particularly impressed with your lady-in-waiting. Baridya, I think she said her name was. She’s a beautiful specimen.”

  I felt a surge of protectiveness. “Unfortunately, Baridya supports me wholeheartedly, so she would never consider spending time with anyone who opposed me.”

  Morrisse laughed. “So direct. It’s refreshing.”

  Thankfully, the next round of our game began just then, saving me from replying.

  * * *

  By the time we called an end to the gathering, I was confident I still had the support of all those who had voted for me. I had spoken to all three holden monarchs, and both Pollard and Morrisse seemed willing to listen to me. Ellarie, of course, was still angry over Cal’s decision. She had made biting comments while we scribbled out our guesses for the game, and kept trying to corner Cal at a table. More than once, I saw him abandon his seat when he spotted his mother approaching and instead choose a table with no extra chairs.

  On the way back to the Cheltish wing, I was tempted to break into a run, to burn off the energy buzzing within me. Before I could act on this rash impulse, though, Olleack and Nashella fell into step on either side of me. Ahead, Baridya and Deance had linked elbows and walked with an unsteady gait.

  “What are you playing at?” Olleack asked tightly.

  “Has no other ruler hosted events within the palace before? Is this so unusual?”

  “You’re trying to buy their loyalty,” Nashella said. “And with stale tarts, too. When Leoth returns, he won’t stand for this. I feel the Truthbringers would do a much better job ruling than you. At least they would be able to stop the murders.”

  “What do you mean, Leoth won’t stand for this? Since when does he have any say in what I do?”

  Nashella smiled smugly. “Oh, I don’t know. I doubt you will last long on the throne. He might be the one making the rules around here before long.”

  12

  Unwanted Guests

  W e parted ways at the entrance to the Cheltish wing, and I stalked into my royal suite, closing the door perhaps a bit too loudly behind me. Did Nashella have a hand in the murders? I had not spoken to her much in the past, as Olleack tended to dominate any conversation, but she seemed as hateful as her husband and son.

  Baridya and Deance slipped in after me without knocking. They were both flushed from the wine, giggling over a shared joke. I had never seen this side of Deance—usually she seemed to carry a cloud over her head.

  “Well, that was a great success, wasn’t it?” Baridya said. She sprawled onto the couch, pulling off her slippers. “Did you see the way Holden King Morrisse watched me? I bet you could seduce him to your side, Kalleah. He’s like a cat after a string with women.”

  “What about you?” I asked Deance. “I saw you speaking with Olleack and Nashella. Have you learned anything from them?”

  She laughed. “I told them I was spying on you for the Dellgrain family, and they lapped it right up! They’d believe anyone who claimed to oppose you. I didn’t learn anything yet, but they want in on the deal. They want me reporting to them too.”

  “I said we’d have to come up with some great stories to pass on to them,” Baridya said. “Maybe you’re secretly breeding dragons to take control of Itrea from the air.”

  I snorted. “I wish. That would make our job much easier.”

  “I think you need to pay me more, if I’m holding four positions at once,” Deance said. “Lady-in-waiting, spy for you, spy for my father, and spy for Olleack. I don’t know how I’ll keep the details straight. I’ll probably start telling the Truthbringers how cruel my father was and reporting on the latest Truthbringers’ meeting to Olleack and Nashella.”

  “Don’t be silly, you’re cleverer than that,” Baridya said. “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “Speaking of reporting on people,” Deance added, “I learned a bit about that Mella—Mellicante Alma-something.”

  “Yes?”

  “She’s known for her discretion. Apparently most merchants say she’s the one to turn to if they need a job done quietly. Trading something rare and dangerous, getting things into Baylore without anyone noticing, smuggling illegal goods. That sort of thing. But she keeps up normal trades as well. It sounds like she’s done quite well for herself.”

  “Interesting.” I had thought she was joking when she mentioned smuggling. “Well, she’d probably fit right in at my court.”

  Baridya and Deance both laughed.

  * * *

  The next gathering arrived far too soon. Our preparations were already perfected, so we did not need to worry about the food, the drinks, or the music, but this time I would be surrounded by my enemies. Somehow I had to persuade them to support me.

  It seemed an impossible task.

  Mother, Baridya, and Deance would join me for this gathering, but I hardly knew the guests. Mother had chosen the most influential members of each royal family to join us.

  This time I did wear a crown. I needed to assert my authority. My hands were cold as I pulled on my slippers and headed to the common area to meet Mother.

  “Just charm them as you always do,” Mother said, taking my hands. “You’ll be fine.”

  I didn’t know what she was talking about. Who had I ever charmed, aside from the people who pretended to befriend me on Leoth’s orders? But I didn’t want to worry her, so I forced a smile and started for the elevated passageway to the historic wing.

  This time the room felt empty and cold with just the four of us waiting for our guests to arrive. We each took a different table, and the harpists began their soft tune, easing the silence.

  “What if no one shows up?” Baridya whispered, leaning toward my table.

  “Then we eat everything ourselves,” I said.

  Baridya laughed
under her breath, but I did not smile. If my opponents spurned the invitation of the queen of Itrea, they would essentially be rejecting my power outright. I hoped it did not come to that.

  At last, a murmur of voices drew near.

  “See?” Mother said. “No need to worry.”

  Then the guests flooded into the sitting-room, and I stiffened.

  White-robed Truthbringers moved among them.

  “What is this?” Mother asked coldly, rising from her seat.

  “You indicated we could each bring a partner,” an unfamiliar woman said. “This is my partner.” She took the arm of the Truthbringer beside her, a sandy-haired young man with icy blue eyes.

  I didn’t know what to do. I clambered stiffly to my feet, fear locking my knees. Every previous encounter with the Truthbringers had ended in disaster. But I could not lose face now.

  “Thank you for joining me.” My voice wobbled just a fraction. “Please choose a table, and my servers will bring drinks.”

  The guests filed into the room and took seats around the small tables. I dearly hoped someone had searched them for weapons. Two Truthbringers joined me at my table, along with the same woman who had spoken.

  “Word on the streets says you have been sending assassins to eliminate your enemies,” the blue-eyed Truthbringer said.

  I let out a shallow breath, trying to steady my nerves. Here we were again.

  “People are calling for the dangerous Makhori to be thrown out of the city. They’re afraid they might be the next to die. But you content yourself with a halfhearted investigation into the murders. And at the same time, you publicly give a Flamespinner a position by your side. You can see why people are angry.”

  “The murders have nothing to do with me,” I said tightly. “We are doing everything we can to find the perpetrator and make sure our streets are safe once more.”