The King's Knight (Royal Blood Book 5)

by Kristen Gupton

  Adreth rolled her eyes. “Knights, do you not think it odd for the leader of the church to be accused of such things?”

  “It is, aye,” one of them admitted.

  Mother Thinliss shook her head again and stood up, though she still faced the window. “I will tell you exactly what is happening, but I’m afraid you will not believe me.”

  Sygian tensed his jaw, glancing at his companions. “And what is that?”

  “You know I spent my entire life trying to undo the evil done by Peirte Methaius,” she said.

  “An admirable thing,” someone replied.

  “And a job not yet completed,” Mother Thinliss said.

  “Peirte is dead and gone.” Sygian narrowed his eyes, his spine straightening.

  Adreth turned around, losing her resolve to keep up formality. She scanned over the men present. “Is he?”

  Confused glances were made all around.

  Sygian took a single step forward. “What are you implying?”

  “That Peirte Methaius is not dead.” She rolled her shoulders, clenching her fists at her sides. “Tell me, was his corpse ever found after King Keiran claimed he’d killed him?”

  It hadn’t been, and several of the men shook their heads.

  She gave a curt nod. “That’s right, it wasn’t. It couldn’t have been done far from where our king said he killed him, and in a very well traveled section of forest, yet, nothing? I think not. When I heard of that, I immediately had my fears, and I’m afraid I now know my suspicions were correct. Peirte and Keiran played it off extremely well, and every single one of you were fooled.”

  “Are you suggesting there is some ongoing conspiracy between King Keiran and Peirte Methaius?” Sygian asked. “It is more than a little hard to believe.”

  “Sometimes, the truth is hard to accept. They are both incredibly intelligent, and they knew they needed to make the country believe things were going to be different with King Turis Lee out of the way.” Adreth looked to the side, drawing a long breath. “If Peirte had died that night, why did one of his demons return later to kill Father Beezle? It should come as no surprise that Peirte and Randall had a great deal of animosity between them.”

  The Knights exchanged glances again, Sygian once more speaking up for the group. “The demon was nothing more than a remnant, and it was in pursuit of the queen.”

  “Don’t think that she isn’t in on it. You even said this current accusation his coming from her! As a mere servant, she is very much under Keiran’s control. Without him, she goes back to being nothing. The demon allegedly going after her was just another ploy,” Adreth pitched back. “Father Beezle was on the cusp of discovering the truth, and his death was simply the easiest means of silencing him.”

  “What evidence do you have of this?” Sygian asked, contempt in his voice.

  “The very fact that Peirte is in the castle,” she replied. “A man of his power has the ability to go around unseen.”

  Sygian outright laughed. “This is madness. Keiran would never partake in such a thing!”

  Adreth stepped around the chair and met his gaze. “I know you are close to our king, Sygian.”

  He recoiled to hear her speak his name. Adreth had been in the castle in the past, but it had been decades since they’d exchanged any words, and that had been merely simple greetings in passing through the castle’s corridors.

  She read his reaction easily enough and shook her head. “You are close to Keiran, so was Randall, so was Kanan. The two most likely to stand up and call him out over this collusion are gone. If I were you, Grand Councillor, I would be very nervous about my standing.”

  Sygian dropped his arms to his sides, shaking his head. “Mother Thinliss, your accusations are meaningless.”

  “Peirte is in that castle, Sygian. Just because you haven’t seen him is meaningless. Have you been in his old room?” she asked.

  He averted his gaze. “The contents of it were dragged out and burned. It was locked afterward to be left abandoned.”

  “Convenient,” she replied. “Do me the simple favor of at least looking in that room tonight, Sygian. Take as many of your friends here as you want, and I would suggest doing so prepared to face something horrific.”

  The men all looked at one another again. It was a simple enough request, and if the room was empty, it would be evidence enough for them.

  “Very well, Mother Thinliss,” Sygian said. “We will find a way into that room. If it is empty, however, we will be back, and we will not be coming to simply ask you to leave.”

  “I cannot wait,” she replied.

  * * *

  Corina walked into the dining hall, a few breakfast dishes balanced on her arms. Though she was still officially not working, her continued worry about Keiran’s lingering hunger strike compelled her to oversee his meal preparation at least once a day, hoping he’d give in and start eating properly again.

  When she saw him sitting in his chair, she paused in the doorway for a moment before going forward and setting her burden down. “I can’t recall the last time you didn’t have to be physically dragged here.”

  He immediately pulled one of the plates she’d brought over, already having a simple two-tined fork clutched in his left hand. “Woke up with an appetite this morning.”

  She sat down beside him and watched as he started to dig in, shoveling food into his mouth without further commentary. Her curiosity got the better of her, though she didn’t want to slow his eating. “All right, out with it. What changed?”

  Keiran halted, his arm extended to stab a breakfast pastry from another plate. He turned his head toward her, a blood-like red drip of syrup running from the corner of his mouth from the small fruit tart he’d already forced down.

  Corina simply stared back at him, raising her brows.

  He stabbed the pastry and set it onto the emptied plate before him before picking up his napkin and wiping his face. Keiran didn’t want to admit the truth, but she was already onto him. “Jerris came back last night.”

  The old woman smiled to herself and leaned back in her chair. “I suspected as much the moment I saw you in here.”

  “So, I’m easy to read,” he replied, going back to eating with a vengeance. “Sador Empire fell. Danier is a vampire and took it over.”

  She gasped and leaned forward on the table again. “That is very unwelcome news! What happened to the old emperor? Was he killed?”

  Keiran shook his head, mouth full. “S’here. Arrived with Jerris. Mari and Garhan, too.”

  “The Sadori emperor is here?” Corina’s eyes went wide. “Keir! You should have come and told me that last night! This place is in no shape for foreign royalty!”

  “And you are still off duty,” he replied, wagging his fork at her. “A deposed emperor can’t be too fickle about the living arrangements he’s being granted while his host goes about planning to reinstate him to power.”

  “You intend to do something about Danier yourself?” she asked. “Shouldn’t Sadori matters be handled by the Sadoris?”

  He tapped his fork against his plate for a moment. “Before I ever met Danier or Betram, I would have said yes, however, I am responsible for Danier’s condition. Besides, without Betram in power, our raw materials to make steel are going to be cut off, and I don’t want to rely on Talaus and Athan for that. I caused this, I will fix it.”

  Corina sighed. She wasn’t thrilled with the notion of him returning to the Sador Empire, but it was his decision. “When do you intend to act?”

  “Not immediately. Sadly, I need time to plan how we’ll go about it, and Jerris needs to heal up before going,” Keiran said.

  “Heal up?” she asked. “What happened to him?”

  “I broke my arm,” Jerris said, walking into the room and landing on Keiran’s other side, opposite Corina. He immediately helped himself to the food on the table.

  Corina looked over at him. “You poor boy! How did that happen?”

  Jerris gave a o
ne-sided shrug, throwing his cloak over his left shoulder to show her his arm still in a sling. “Landslide. I got knocked around against some trees and rocks before getting hung up.”

  “Were you on Patrice?” Keiran asked, feeling something on the edge of his senses from the guard.

  He drew in a long breath, struggling to cut the pastry he’d claimed with the edge of a fork. “Unfortunately, aye. She’s gone. The mountain took her with it…”

  Keiran set his fork down and frowned, immediately feeling a burn in his eyes. “Gone? Patrice? Jerris…”

  The redhead shook his head, not wanting to wallow in his sorrow over it again. “She was a good horse, and I’ve cried plenty over it. My Sadori companions weren’t particularly sympathetic about it, either. Better this than some long, lingering illness or the eventual starvation of going toothless in the next few years.”

  “I’m so sorry, Jerris…” Corina pressed her hands to her chest, frowning. “You’ve had that old mare forever.”

  “We learned to ride on that horse,” Keiran said, staring down at his plate.

  “Aye, we did.” Jerris forced up a smile. “She will be missed, and she was much loved. If you wouldn’t mind, Keir, I think I’d like to take my father’s horse from the stable as my own. Drake can’t replace Patrice, but I think it’s what my father would have wanted.”

  Keiran gave a nod, blinking back a few tears. “Aye, of…of course. Drake is all yours, Jerris. A lot longer way to the ground on him, though.”

  The guard nodded in response. He’d only ridden his father’s massive gray warhorse a few times, but he was generally an agreeable animal. “Thank you, and I think I’ll manage. Corina, how have you been?”

  “I’m doing all right. Keir and Thana have kept a close watch on me. Most of my time was occupied worrying over this one, to be honest,” she said, tipping her head toward Keiran.

  The redhead nodded in response. “And you’ve done a fine job in getting him back together, by the looks of it.”

  The vampire wanted to get his mind onto other things before his emotions got the better of him. “So how did Magretha take your return last night?”

  Jerris felt a small flush come to his cheeks and he gave a sly grin. “She greeted me very eagerly.”

  Corina got up from the table, knowing she needed to give the young men some time to themselves. “All right you two, keep the conversation civil.”

  They both looked at her and gave their best smiles as she retreated from the room.

  Once Corina was gone, Jerris reached beneath his cloak and produced a purple glass bottle, setting it onto the table. “I was hoping she’d step out. We have a new favorite drink.”

  Keiran quirked a brow. “What is that?”

  Jerris motioned for Keiran to pull the cork from it. “I got it in Edinau. It’s a Sadori liquor. They usually have a bit of it at night as a dessert of sorts. You are going to love it.”

  He did as asked and opened the bottle, pouring a bit into the empty goblet sitting before him. After offering the bottle back to Jerris, he took a sip of the smooth and very sweet alcohol.

  “That is amazing!” His eyes went wide, and he took another drink, feeling its warm burn run down his throat.

  “And potent. Pace yourself,” Jerris said with a laugh. “You can thank Etras and Betram for introducing me to it. With all the Sadoris in Lodain and Edinau these days, the taverns there have gotten a bit more exotic with their selections.”

  Keiran leaned back in his chair and looked over at his friend, giving a lax smile. “I missed this, you know.”

  Jerris dropped his gaze to the tabletop and nodded. “So did I. I’m honestly sorry for what I did. I know I kicked you when you were down.”

  “Then make it up to me,” Keiran said, fishing beneath his chair and picking up Jerris’ Royal Guard rapier. He reached out and set it on the table before his friend.

  Jerris considered the weapon for a moment before picking it up. “I was wondering what you’d done with it.”

  “Nothing, really.” His eyes narrowed, his head lulling to the side. “Jerris, I do bear the blame for what happened to your father.”

  “No, you don’t. Athan did it, not you,” Jerris countered immediately. “He is the one who must pay for it, and you are the best chance this world has of Athan’s debts being called due.”

  Keiran slowly lifted his gaze back toward Jerris, one corner of his mouth coming up into a lopsided smile. “Oh, they will come due, Jerris. I swear it. However, we have a small issue with Mother Thinliss to deal with first.”

  * * *

  Thana moved down the stairs, finding Etras standing at the bottom of them. She’d not seen him the night before, and she ran the rest of the way down, quickly throwing her arms around the man who’d saved her life.

  “Etras! I’m so happy to see you!” she squealed as she stepped back, looking him over. “Keir said you were here last night, but by the time he told me, you’d already turned in.”

  The Sadori smiled. “Thana! Or should I say Queen Thana, now?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “Thana is fine with me. How is Arin?”

  “Doing well when I left.” He gave a small shrug. “How did you heal up from your misadventure?”

  She lifted up her silver hand between them, making the fingers of her hand move as she bent her elbow. “Thanks to you and Arin, I healed up very well.”

  Etras timidly reached out and touched her metal hand, never having seen anything quite like it. “This is amazing. It is of great use?”

  “Very,” she replied, grinning, lowering her hand again. “I owe you my life, Etras.”

  “It is nothing! Arin did most of the real work, anyway!” he said, shaking his head. “Here comes Emperor Betram.”

  Thana looked around Etras, seeing the short little man shuffling along toward them. Though he’d put the device onto her that took her right hand, she didn’t hold any particular malice toward the aged emperor. He’d done his best to be gracious to her according to their customs while she’d been in the Sadori palace.

  She offered him a curtsey, deciding to use some of the Sadori she’d learned in the previous weeks studying her book. “Good morning, Emperor Betram. I know our home is humble compared to yours, but I hope you find the accommodations acceptable.”

  He brightened up when he heard her addressing him in Sadori, coming over and offering her a bow. “Ah, Thana! You look well, and listen to you speaking your native tongue! And as for your castle here…it…it seems like a very sturdy structure, if nothing else. Now, how have you been?”

  She lifted her right hand again, showing it to Betram as she had Etras, slipping back into Tordanian. “I’ve managed all right.”

  Like Etras, he’d never seen such a thing. He gently took a hold of her left forearm, marveling at the mechanical hand. “This is exquisite! Where did you get such a thing?”

  “It’s Weslanese, I’ve been told,” she replied with a shrug. “I don’t really know anymore about it.”

  “Etras, we need to get your wife one of these!” Betram replied, letting go of her arm and taking a step back. “So, Queen Thana, now that you are wed to Keiran, have you had any children? Does our Aroothi bloodline yet live on?”

  She beamed and placed her arms behind her back, nodding. Thana had gathered in her brief time in the Sador Empire just how important children were to them. “I am very proud to report that I indeed did have a son this past year. Quite a healthy child, too.”

  Betram clasped his hands before his chest and beamed. “This is wonderful! I knew you would be a wellspring of strong children! Let us hope you go on to have many daughters as well! Perhaps, someday, one may even return to the warmth of our empire! We would welcome her, and she would live as a queen in her own right!”

  Keiran came around the corner, hearing the last few remarks. His expression fell for a moment. With the viability of any female children they may ever produce still in question, it struck him hard. Neither he
nor Corina had yet mentioned it to Thana.

  Thana looked over and saw her husband standing a short distance away. “Did you actually sleep last night at all? You got up and left the room before the sun ever came up.”

  Keiran shrugged it off and closed the remaining distance to the group. “With so much going on, I suppose I was restless. So, Etras, were you given the supplies I ordered up for your trip? Are you still certain you don’t want to see if any ships can take you home?”

  “Yes, yes,” he said, nodding. “I am happy to make the trip back by land. Ships, they make my stomach unwell, yes? Besides, the horse has already been prepared.”

  Thana’s expression fell. “You’re leaving already?”

  He looked over at her and gave a nod. “My departure from home was abrupt. Arin and the children will surely be worried, you can understand.”

  Though she was disappointed, she did get it. “Well, give her my sincere gratitude, Etras.”

  “I will. I should get underway,” he replied.

  Thana gave him another brief embrace, though it wasn’t the Sadori custom. Etras gave into it as he had the first time however, knowing it was the way Tordanians were.

  Betram, Keiran, and Etras then moved out into the courtyard to Etras’ awaiting horse.

  “If there is any way for you to get word to my people that I am alive, Etras…” Betram let his words trail off as he stopped beside the horse. “Tell them I will be back, that Danier’s illegitimate reign will only be a temporary matter.”

  Etras nodded and looked at the old man. “I will, and I will work to gather any information I can in the meanwhile. It is the best way for me to help. Since I know most of those you employed in the government, I will be able to take a headcount of those who survived. In them, perhaps I can begin to organize a force to help reclaim power from the Quitam invaders when the time comes.”

  Betram took Etras’ hand and touched it to his forehead before stepping back and pulling something from a pocket. “You have already helped me more than I ever deserved, old friend. When I am back home, things will change. Arin and you will be most welcome back into the empire. The way we enforce our laws will be adjusted. One last thing, I need you to get this to King Marique when you get back home.”