by Skye Malone
“And perhaps those injuries came from the guards getting carried away,” Ren countered. “Which means Liana and her cohorts were doing precisely what it appeared: freeing a fellow spy and sneaking her from captivity in the only way they could… before you interceded, that is.”
Granddad’s face darkened. “The girl said Liana and the others beat her, and from the freshness of those wounds–”
“Her word doesn’t absolve her of anything, Jirral, anymore than a murderer claiming innocence automatically makes them not guilty.” Ren made an exasperated noise. “I have Vetorians slipping past the borders on all sides – which means they have conspirators among our guards, if not our neighboring nations – and more hiding out in every valley and hill from here to the northern wastes. A girl with the most absurd story I’ve ever heard tries to gain access to the palace, and only hours after she arrives, my father dies. We no sooner arrest her than someone breaks her out. Yet the only explanation anyone can provide – besides the one I’ve given – is that a dead cult who’s shown no trace of existing for over a century has not only returned, but suddenly gained enough power to strike at the very heart of Yvaria. You tell me, which is the more plausible theory?”
Ren shook his head in irritation, as if dismissing the topic. “Ina, everything else aside, this cannot be what Zeke said.”
“How do you explain it then?” I asked, sort of hoping he had an answer.
“Vetorians, or whomever they’re working for. Someone is trying to undermine our family, and they’re doing a damnably good job of it. And yes, I think this girl is involved in that. One look at Zeke and you can’t deny it. She has him confused. Caught up in his damn hormones and confused. He’s accusing his own brother because of her, and not questioning a single thing she says.”
Granddad grimaced. “Ren, I spent four days with that girl, and–”
“And you’re lucky I don’t have you in prison for that,” Ren snapped.
Granddad paused. “I’ve met Vetorians,” he continued carefully. “I’ve spent time with the tribes of the Prijoran Zone. Chloe doesn’t talk like them, have a single mannerism like them, any of it. If she grew up there, I’d see it. I’d pick up on something.”
“Unless she was trained for this,” Ren countered. “And besides, didn’t I say that they must have accomplices outside the Zone? Liana most likely poisoned Dad, Niall and me, after all, and that didn’t require her to be obviously Vetorian. For pity’s sake, the woman was born here in Nyciena!”
The words were sharp and Granddad’s mouth tightened at them.
Ren ignored the expression, turning to me. “Ina, I’m just as concerned for Zeke as you. He’s behaving like a moron, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.” He paused. “And I’m not the only one. Niall called. He’s worried too.”
I blinked. “What did he say?”
Ren grimaced. “What I told you. Zeke won’t listen to reason. The girl has him convinced half the ocean is after her, and that he’s the only one who can protect her. And when Niall finally started questioning that…”
He glanced to Granddad. “You wonder that I doubt her claims about Liana, when she got Niall alone and then made it look like he attacked her too. He said he’d never seen anything like it. And when she rushed back to Zeke, bleeding and crying and begging him to rescue her, that damn idiot was so horrified, he barely questioned the situation. Just left the guards and Niall and took off, same as he did from here a few days ago. Niall and the soldiers have been searching for hours, hoping to find a sign of them, but so far, there’s no trace.”
Ren’s mouth tightened. “He’s worried, Ina. After what he saw, he’s concerned Zeke might be in danger if that girl ever thinks he doubts her story.”
I shivered. Chloe hadn’t seemed that crazy. She hadn’t seemed crazy at all, for that matter. Out of place, conservative and shy, yeah. But not psychotic.
And Zeke had seemed scared.
I looked down, remembering the image of his face in the relay connection. Scared. That’d been the word for it. Shaken to the core, intense, and as bloodless as someone who’d just watched a nightmare come to life.
I’d only seen him look like that one other time – in the moments after Dad died.
“Zeke said Niall was behind what happened to Dad, though,” I managed, my voice weak to my own ears.
“And who knows what that girl told him.” Ren grimaced. “This mess is tearing us apart, Ina, which is exactly what our enemies would want. They’d want us suspecting one another, doubting one another, so that the royal family destroys itself without anyone else having to lift a finger. It is vital that we appear undivided right now, so that Yvaria’s strength remains unquestioned in this crisis – and if Zeke wasn’t acting as brainless as a starfish, he’d realize that. He’d put the good of his family – and his trust in his family – above his attraction to some girl who showed up out of nowhere with an insane story and wild claims of conspiracy.”
I looked away again. Zeke wasn’t an idiot. He’d never get so caught up in a girl that he’d choose her over his own family.
Except that sort of seemed like exactly what he’d done.
My stomach twisted. He’d helped her, yes. He’d left here and stayed away from home all for her, and that… okay, sure, it upset me. A lot, even – not that there was anything I could do about it right now. But it also didn’t mean he didn’t love us, or that he’d ever believe Niall was a threat just because a girl said so.
But maybe she’d made it look super convincing. And for Zeke, the idea that his own brother could have done such a thing… it would’ve been horrendous.
Maybe that accounted for how shaken he’d been. Maybe that explained everything.
And it seemed more possible than the idea that Niall had actually conspired to kill our father.
“Do you think this should be investigated, though?” Granddad asked. “Dividing the royal family can’t be the only goal here. Assuming it isn’t actually the Sylphaen, and that Chloe is involved, we might be able to narrow down what these people are after if we learned what proof she used to make Zeke think he couldn’t trust Niall.”
“Oh, I’m fairly certain what she used,” Ren retorted sarcastically.
Granddad made a frustrated noise. “Look, Ren, I don’t believe Niall is guilty for one second, but Zeke’s no fool either. He’s not going to tell Ina that Niall is a Sylphaen, or that his brother killed Torvias, based solely on someone else’s word. There has to be something we’re missing. We need more information.”
Ren gave him an incredulous look. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I’m not coming near this cockamamie story. No, we’re going to bring Zeke home, lock that girl up, and attend to the real threats – none of which involve Niall. They can’t. Every piece of evidence points to Liana and her cohorts being responsible for this, and they poisoned him too.” He scoffed. “I mean, what am I supposed to believe? That he let himself nearly be killed?”
Granddad grimaced. “Of course not.”
“Exactly.” Ren glanced to me, his expression becoming pointed. “We don’t need to worry about this, Ina. There are no Sylphaen, there haven’t been for a hundred years, and Niall certainly would never help anyone hurt our family. Zeke will come to his senses sooner or later, and meanwhile, I have soldiers out everywhere, working to make sure that girl and her allies don’t cause any more trouble. We’re going to find who did this, and we’ll do it without entertaining stories that cannot possibly be true.”
Hesitantly, I bit my lip. I wanted to believe him. I really did. His explanation made sense, after all.
Except that Chloe hadn’t looked crazy. And she’d been mortified at the realization that people thought she was sleeping with Zeke, which didn’t exactly track if she was trying to use sex to manipulate him.
Unless that was all part of the trick, somehow. Unless she’d wanted to make it seem impossible that she was actually behind this.
My brow furrowed. Maybe that was it.
Maybe.
Even if I couldn’t imagine Zeke letting himself be manipulated that way.
“Ina?” Ren pressed. “You believe me, don’t you?”
I nodded, trying to pull my focus back. “Yeah.”
He smiled. “We’ll fix this. I promise.”
Granddad looked away.
Ren caught sight of the motion, and his expression hardened. “I think we’re done here.”
Granddad seemed like he wanted to raise another point in argument, but after a heartbeat, his mouth just tightened and he headed for the door.
I turned to follow.
“Oh, and Ina?”
I glanced back.
“I’ve heard that some of the nobles are holding events around the city to honor our father tonight, including Ambassador Colcoran’s son. If you would, though, could you please stay in? Until these people are caught, I’d rather you keep as close to the palace as possible.”
I hesitated. Now more than ever, a distraction like Tiago had planned felt incredibly welcome. I didn’t want to think about this anymore. I wanted to pretend, even for a little while, that the madness of the past week wasn’t real.
But I couldn’t tell Ren that. For all that he said he would fix this, I could see he was still worried. Zeke and Niall were out there, where Vetorians and who knew what else could hurt them.
I was the only one he could protect right now.
“Yeah. Of course.”
“Thank you.”
I nodded. Still trying to look reassured – for Ren’s sake if nothing else – I swam from the room.
~~~~~
Granddad stayed with me all the way back to my floor.
“Will you be alright here?” he asked as we headed toward my apartment.
I hesitated. There was something strange in the way he was eyeing the guards following us and the ones ahead as well. “Why?”
He glanced to me and then came to a stop a few dozen feet shy of my door. “I’m going to check around,” he said quietly. “See if anyone has more information about what happened out there between Zeke, Niall and Chloe.”
I started to protest.
“I heard Ren,” he assured me, “and I’m not saying he’s wrong. We do need to be careful. But…” He shook his head. “Something’s not right. Those rumors that the Sylphaen are back, Chloe and everything she said when I brought her to the cave… it feels like there’s more to this. I can’t just leave it be. Not if it stands a chance of hurting you or your brothers.”
I looked away. I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t want to talk about this, or even think about this, but I also didn’t want to be alone with this horrible feeling like maybe he was right.
Maybe we were missing something, and it wasn’t just as clean and easy as Ren said.
“I’ll be back soon, poppet,” he told me gently.
I managed a nod. There wasn’t a good reason not to.
He smiled and then glanced to the guards again. I could feel them watching me while he swam for the main hall.
“Is everything okay, highness?” one of the soldiers called.
I couldn’t respond. Turning, I swam toward the door and didn’t look at them as I slipped past the leaves.
The silence of my apartment greeted me. Without looking back, I pressed a hand to the lighter patch of stone by the door. The leaves stilled and pressed together, sealing the doorway like a panel of wood.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with myself. Beyond just Tiago and his friends, if what Ren said was true, everyone would be out in the city tonight. I’d have the palace to myself, except for the servants. I’d be all alone with my thoughts, and with the idea that Niall couldn’t be guilty, but that Zeke wouldn’t be an idiot. Someone had to be wrong in the situation, and I honestly hoped it was Zeke, except that left him with a crazy person, out in the open ocean where the people who murdered our father were roaming around, trying to find someone else to kill…
I’d rather do anything than think about this right now.
A guard slipped past the fejeria leaves blocking my window. “Highness,” the woman said, “Lord Egan is outside. He–”
I made a desperate sound. Anything except deal with that.
“Not now, okay? Tell him–”
Egan came in.
The guard turned, irritation flashing over her face, though she buried it quickly. “Sir, the princess did not–”
“This’ll only take a second.”
The woman’s gaze went from him to me, and when I didn’t speak, she silently slipped past the leaves again.
Egan hovered by the window, watching me. I couldn’t say a word. If I opened my mouth, I was fairly certain I would just scream at him.
He drew his arm out from behind his back. In his hand, he held a thin belt, inlayed with silver and connected to a matching sheath. The hilt of a knife showed from the sheath’s top, and at a glance I could see it was more than just a decorative blade.
“I wanted you to have this,” he said. “I know you have guards, but… still.”
He set the belt down on the windowsill and then hesitated.
I trembled, hoping he would just leave. I didn’t want to be alone right now, but having him here was so much worse.
“I know you don’t want to talk,” he continued, “so I’m not going to ask anymore. Just… be careful. I’ve heard stories. Weird rumors coming in from our western territories. Dad says they’re just nonsense, and maybe they are, but after what happened to King Torvias…” His brow drew down as if he was searching for words and he didn’t look at me. “Please just be careful.”
He turned to go.
“What stories?”
The question slipped from me before I could stop it, and my heart raced when Egan glanced back. He needed to leave. I couldn’t have him here. Not when even now, for reasons I couldn’t hope to define, something in me ached at the sight of him.
I hated that pain. I wanted that pain gone and him with it, because it didn’t make any sense in the world.
But I had to help Zeke and Niall too.
“What stories?” I demanded, my voice tight.
Egan hesitated. “Rumor is someone’s offered enough money to get every Vetorian in the Prijoran Zone to risk coming into Yvaria. No one’s certain who’s behind it or what they’re after, but… I’ve heard a few people mention the Sylphaen.”
He grimaced at my silence, as if he regretted having said anything. “Look, I know it sounds nuts, and Dad thinks it’s just people being sensational because my grandmother’s family was murdered by that cult back in its heyday, but I’ve heard what they did to their enemies. What they were capable of, and now, with what happened to your father…” He shook his head, his grimace deepening. “It doesn’t matter. Whether the Sylphaen are responsible or not, the point is that someone with a lot of connections and money wants to hurt your family, and if they tried to get in here or grab you…” He gestured distractedly to the knife. “I just wanted to do what I could to help you stay safe.”
Looking a bit like he felt like an idiot, Egan turned to go.
“Thank you.”
He paused, and then glanced back. Trembling ran through me again at the look in his dark eyes.
“What?” I protested. “I can’t be polite? Thank you.”
I shrugged defensively and looked away, not quite able to bring myself to meet his gaze.
“You’re welcome.”
For a moment after speaking the words, he didn’t move. I waited, counting the seconds till he’d leave.
“I’m heading back to Teariad in a few days,” he said quietly. “Permanently. Negotiations with Ryaira are going well, but some things at home need handling so I just… It’ll be better if I’m there.”
I didn’t respond. It was a relief. He’d be gone and this stupid drama and all the ways he’d screwed up would be over. One thing in my life could return to normal.
That damned ache throbbed inside my chest.
“So, um…” he finished. “Yeah. Take care.”
He swam from the room.
The ache grew worse. My arms wrapped around my middle, trying to stop it.
Egan was leaving. This was the best news I’d had all day. I wouldn’t have to say anything to Ren because Egan had finally done one thing right and decided to go.
This was great.
The water felt weird on my skin. Hot and uncomfortable and I kicked my tail, propelling myself away from where I’d been hovering.
Sure, Egan leaving didn’t make the rest of the problems disappear. It didn’t mean Zeke was wrong about Niall, or that either of them were home, or that people weren’t after us.
Sylphaen.
I pushed the thought aside. Ren said it wasn’t them. That they were dead and gone and had been for a hundred years. Egan had probably just heard the same rumors as Granddad, and was it my fault he was idiotic enough to believe them?
Granddad wasn’t an idiot, though.
I spun and swam back across the room. That wasn’t the point. Rumors didn’t mean anything. Rumors were the things people made up to pass the time. Ren would find a way to prove them wrong soon.
And meanwhile, Egan would be gone. It was wonderful. I was thrilled, really.
My gaze tracked across the apartment. The empty, boring apartment with walls that couldn’t possibly be moving closer, even if it felt like they were.
I had to stay. I’d promised Ren. I’d assured Granddad that I’d be fine.
And Zeke was out there with a possibly-crazy person. Niall couldn’t be a Sylphaen, because they didn’t exist and he’d never join them besides.
The silence pressed on my ears.
I bolted for the door.
Chapter Four
Voices carried from somewhere in the distance, the muffled noises still managing to sound like foghorns to my ears. Grimacing, I pulled my eyes open. The blur of a window was in front of me, my view of it sideways. A dull throbbing beat on the back of my skull, but beneath my cheek, I could feel a pillow.
An arm was wrapped around my side.
I blinked, fighting the rest of my way to consciousness, and rolled over.
