The King's Questioner
Page 23
“Free them,” Kalen said to the attractor. She lifted the sword and used it to start hacking at the rope.
He bent over Ryndel and reached inside the Law’s coat to pull out two amulets.
“Luna.” He raced out of the room to find her and Reign leaning over Cirrus. The prince was curled on his side, his face a sheen of sweat.
“He’s not doing well,” Luna said.
“It’s little more than a scratch,” Cirrus said.
“I’ll bind the wound. You take care of these.” Kalen handed Luna the amulets and pointed to the other empty cell where the door stood open. He reached down to grab his sword off the floor and gave it to her before she walked away.
Kalen squatted and helped Cirrus sit to pull his shirt over his head. The cut looked shallow, a slice along his rib cage. Kalen gripped the garment in both hands and began to tear it into strips. One of the wide ones he folded into a square and pressed against the prince’s side. Cirrus inhaled sharply.
“Hold that for me,” Kalen told Reign. Her hand replaced his to hold the fabric in place.
Kalen knotted two more strips and wrapped them around Cirrus’s chest over the first bandage before he tied the ends together.
The sound of an amulet shattering echoed from the cell.
“No,” Ryndel moaned. “All my work for nothing. You will all pay for this.”
Another sound of crystal breaking.
It was done.
Outside a flash of lightning and then thunder, and then something more.
The sound of footsteps and voices.
* * *
EARLY THE NEXT morning, after everyone had a chance to bathe, eat, and rest, Kalen and his friends gathered in the throne room with the council and the king.
The king sat on his throne, his head buried in his hands. His voice was hardly audible. “Start from the beginning.”
So they did. Kalen recounted finding the memory of Reign as an infant in Cirrus’s mind, and together they told of the journey to find the princess. Luna filled in some of the gaps, but Reign stayed stoic and silent, as if refusing to grant him any of her story. Not her past, not her present. She only kept her pale blue eyes on the king, waiting and watching for reactions.
When they had told of ending the battle and destroying the last pendants, the king appeared stunned, his eyes glassy and his mouth slack-jawed.
The foursome stood facing him. He composed himself and rose from the throne. “I appreciate all that you’ve done for the kingdom. Without you I would probably be dead.” He turned to Ryndel, who had kept his mouth closed ever since Terrack had dumped him on the floor, his arms and feet now bound in a stretch of the same metal rope he’d used to tie the sorciers. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
“The kingdom will still fall.” He spat at the floor. “The prophecy will come true. Look at the amount of power the girl holds. You should kill her now.”
Luna glared down at him. “You used her same power to your own advantage. Someone should kill you.”
The king looked at Terrack. “Throw him in one of the lower dungeon cells. With their magicked wards, nobody should be able to free him.” He glanced at Luna. “Besides that one, but I’m guessing she won’t be inclined to do so. Have your men interview the wounded in the infirmary. I want to know everyone connected to Ryndel. If they joined this movement for personal gain, they will have to answer to me. And if they won’t answer, I’ll have Kalen go inside his head.” He tipped his chin toward Ryndel.
Ryndel snarled at the king. Terrack reached down ungently and hauled Ryndel to his feet. The man kicked, flailed, and tried to bite Terrack, but the guard was undeterred. He lifted him by the collar of his jacket so Ryndel stood nearly on tiptoe before he dragged him off to the exit on the side.
The king then approached Reign. He opened his mouth and closed it again, lips pursing together. He cleared his throat and finally spoke. “You look exactly like the queen.” The words were whisper soft, and his lip trembled. “I can’t presume to know what you’ve been through, and I don’t know what this means for our country. But thank you for everything you’ve done. For freeing my people—our people—from under Ryndel’s control, and for destroying the amulets.”
Reign stared at him, the silence growing increasingly uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry about what I did to the queen,” she said. Her hands twitched against her sides, but then she reached out and gripped Kalen’s hand tight. “However, you had no right to send me away. I was your daughter.”
The words hung in the air, heavier than the weight of the humidity.
“You still are my daughter.”
She stared at him. “I don’t know who I am or what I want, but at this moment, you’re not going to dictate my life. I have some choices to make, and I’m not sure yet where they will lead.”
The king’s hand lifted slightly, and he leaned forward as if he wanted to reach out to her, but he refrained. “I’m not sure that I can allow you the freedom to make those choices. You are still a threat to the kingdom, after all.” He stared off into the distance. “Your power is stronger than any I’ve seen. I may need you to stay close at hand.”
“No, Father.” Cirrus stepped in. “You are done controlling all the sorciers. If there’s anything we’ve learned in this, it’s that they are not weapons to be used at one’s disposal. They are our subjects, not our slaves.”
“And she’s not a threat.” Luna moved closer, her fingers twining with Cirrus’s. The king’s nostrils flared, and he refused to look at her. “The prophecy was if you sent her away. You did that, and she has returned.”
The king stared at Cirrus. “The prophecy is only over when she’s dead.”
“Then that is your fault,” Cirrus said. “You banished her. Everything that comes after is on your head.”
The king waved his hand in dismissal. “Let me speak to the council, and we will make a decision. In the meantime, stay close.”
Reign nodded and turned for the exit. Kalen was quick to do the same, followed by Cirrus and Luna.
“Cirrus, we need to discuss your upcoming training,” the king called after him.
The prince ignored him.
They followed Reign through the double doors and into the courtyard, which had brightened with sunlight as the storm had now completely passed. She picked up her pace, moving out into the bailey and up the stairs to the top of the ramparts, where the wind whipped at her hair. She yanked it free of its braid and stood still, looking out over the town below. Kalen stood beside her, their fingers laced together.
Reign was the first to break the silence. “Is it safe if I stay?”
“If not, we’ll go elsewhere,” Kalen answered.
“You can’t leave,” she said.
Kalen didn’t want to leave. He would have preferred to stay, support Cirrus, and help strengthen the kingdom. But if Reign left, he knew he would go with her. “My parents abandoned me years ago, and the king took me in only so he could keep me close and use me as a questioner. I certainly can’t stay in his employ and continue to delve into people’s minds. It’s slowly killing me; I can feel it.”
“But where would we go?”
“Anywhere. We can board Belrose’s ship and travel south if we want.”
“Great, more time on the open seas,” Luna said from Cirrus’s other side.
“It would be fun, Little Pebble,” Cirrus said.
“You can’t come with us,” Kalen said. “You’re next in line for the throne.”
“Exactly. I can do whatever I want. My father is in good health; I should be traveling and learning about the subjects. Ryndel was able to use the amulets to incite unrest far before the revolt, but perhaps they would have pushed past the anger had they been more aligned with the king.”
“I’m in,” Luna said.
A smile had crept across Reign’s lips while they all talked around her, and Kalen squeezed her fingers tighter. Cirrus threw one arm around Kalen’s
shoulders and gripped Luna’s hand with his other hand. The road hadn’t been the easiest to traverse, but they’d found one another, repaired friendships, made new ones, and helped save the kingdom.
They stood there, the four of them, looking out over the city that would one day be theirs. Not yet. But one day.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE KING’S QUESTIONER is a book that might never have been written if not for a team of people (both personal and professional) who nudged—and sometimes shoved—me forward. Thank goodness they did or it wouldn’t now be in your hands!
A huge and overwhelming thank-you to the team at Swoon Reads and Macmillan. Editor extraordinaire Holly West helped both to nail down the plot and characters at the beginning when I sold the book, as well as polish the manuscript to the very end. Val Otarod got me through the exhausting and daunting editorial process and made me kill some of my darling scenes to get the pacing as perfect as possible. I’m also so appreciative of everyone who touched, edited, read, critiqued, and produced the novel: Mandy Veloso, Kat Brzozowski, Jean Feiwel, Brian Luster, and Erin Siu. To Liz Dresner, my fabulous cover designer, I love the ambience and magical elements that bring Kalen’s story to life.
To my agent Kate Schafer Testerman, thank you for championing this book from the beginning.
To Demetra Brodsky—we did it again, girl! I can’t believe we both have books coming out this year. Thank you for talking me off the ledge and pushing my butt into the chair to write and revise. Love you always.
A special note of appreciation to all the authors in the Swoon Squad for your endless support, answers, virtual hugs, and commiserating! Many tears and endless nights were averted because you guys are always there.
San Diego has an amazing community of local authors, and I’m thankful for the continued friendship of Debra Driza, Shannon Messenger, Mary Pearson, and Cindy Pon.
And if it wasn’t for my original critique partners, Andrea Ortega and Lisa Cannon, none of my books would have been published!
To my friends who pick up the phone … even at 2:00 in the morning Amy, Cathy, Emily, Jayne, Jen, Jim, Kristin, Maria, Robin, and Ryan. Each of you has been instrumental during this particular book’s journey and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To my kiddos, Katelyn, Kendall, and Lincoln. Thank you again for supporting me during this process. I know it’s not easy when I shut the door and type away for hours. I hope I make you proud with each book that I write.
To my mom, Barb, thank you for your unwavering support these last couple of years. I know it hasn’t been easy! To my brother, Kenny, I love you always and I know you have my back no matter what. And to Paul and Brandy, thank you for your encouragement and for being part of my extended family.
To Matt, thank you for loving me unconditionally and for your patience … even months before we met. Thank you for being the first nonindustry person to read this book, and for catching the grammar errors! I love you forever and can’t wait for our fairy-tale ending.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NIKKI KATZ IS a recovering rocket scientist, author, editor, and freelance writer who lives with her three children in the perfection that is San Diego. Favorite activities include chauffeuring her kids around town, reading fantasy and sci-fi, baking unhealthy desserts, watching reality TV, and scrolling social media feeds. Her books include the young adult novels The Midnight Dance and The King’s Questioner, as well as nonfiction books in the puzzle and game arena. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
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
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2020 by Nikki Katz
A Swoon Reads Book
An imprint of Feiwel and Friends and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
fiercereads.com
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018945045
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First hardcover edition, 2020
eBook edition, January 2020
eISBN 9781250195456