Oath of Deception

by Jennifer Anne Davis

She froze. “What’s wrong with Zare’s office?”

  “He is third in line. He’s insignificant.”

  Of course Lareissa was fourth in line. Hopefully, she didn’t take offense to what he’d said. “It would be like using your office. Do you even have an office?”

  She pursed her lips. That would be a no, then. If he was the king, he wouldn’t have given her an office either. She was a complete disaster. Perhaps if her parents had paid more attention to her and given her a firmer hand, she wouldn’t be so wild. Then again, some people turned out that way regardless of how strict the parents were.

  “I understand why you can’t go into the king’s office,” Savenek said. “You’re not being groomed like Prince Patteon and Princess Conditto are.” Either of their offices would do. He was sure to find something interesting in one of them. “You know what, I should get back to my sister. I didn’t realize you’d be too nervous to go through with this. I’ll head into town tonight and find some entertainment there.” He turned and left.

  Princess Lareissa started laughing. “Are you walking away from me?”

  “I’m looking for some fun. I thought you were the woman for it. I can see now that you’re not. Goodnight.”

  One, two, three…

  “Wait!” she called after him.

  He wiped the smile off his face and turned around.

  “Let’s try my sister’s office,” Lareissa said. “She’ll never know. And she has a nice sofa in there.”

  “A sofa sounds like fun. But what about something to drink?”

  She hesitated.

  He pulled a flask out from his pocket. “Good thing I brought this then.”

  Lareissa smiled and opened the door to Princess Conditto’s office.

  Savenek grabbed a torch off the wall and entered. The room was smaller than he’d expected. A narrow desk, a bookshelf, and a sofa took up the majority of the space. He slid the torch into the holder on the wall and sat on the edge of the desk, uncorking the flask.

  Lareissa went over to the sofa, sprawling on it. “Give that to me when you’re done.”

  He took a swig and then handed it to her. He meandered around the room, pretending to look at the books and trinkets scattered throughout. When he neared the desk, he scanned it for anything of importance. Everything was impeccably organized, and not a single piece of paper was on the desktop. There were three drawers on the right.

  “What are you doing?” Lareissa asked as he pulled out the top drawer.

  “Looking for something,” he mumbled.

  “Those are my sister’s things,” she said, sitting up. “I demand to know what you’re doing.”

  He pulled out a piece of paper and a quill, smiling at her. “Looking for this. I want to draw you.”

  “You draw?” she asked, relaxing once again on the sofa.

  He wished she’d hurry up and pass out. He’d put enough foxpaint in the flask that she should be falling asleep by now. She took another drink.

  Savenek came over and sat next to her. “You’re so beautiful,” he said, touching the side of her cheek. “Don’t move. I want to draw you exactly like this. I want to remember your beauty forever.”

  She smiled, intoxicated by his attentions. He started to sketch her face and body. She still hadn’t passed out. Bloody hell.

  “Here,” she handed him the flask. “Your turn.” Her eyes sparkled.

  He took it and once again, pretended to take a drink. “Hold it while I work,” he said, passing it back to her.

  He broke the quill. “Hang on,” he mumbled. “I need to find another one.” He handed her what he’d drawn so far and then went over to the desk, rummaging around inside of it.

  “This is good,” she said, examining the drawing.

  Since her focus was on the paper and not on him, he started searching for anything of importance. He opened the bottom drawer. There were several letters between Queen Jana of Russek and Princess Conditto.

  Voices came from out in the hallway. He closed the drawer and went around to the other side of the desk. Kneeling before Lareissa, he took the paper from her fingers and tossed it to the floor. Maybe it was a good thing she hadn’t passed out. He leaned down, his lips hovering above hers. “Are we going to have some fun? Or are we going to just sit here?” he whispered.

  She smiled and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him on top of her. His lips crashed down on hers.

  The door flew open. “What the hell?” Prince Zare snarled. “Get off my sister.”

  Breathing heavily, Savenek sat up, Lareissa sitting next to him.

  “Brother,” she said, “what are you doing here?”

  “Mother and Father requested your presence. They sent me to find you.” His eyes scanned the office. “Get up. Now.”

  Lareissa stood and pouted. “You’re ruining all my fun.”

  He grabbed her arm and shoved her out of the room, instructing one of the soldiers to escort her to the throne room. Then he turned to Savenek.

  Savenek stood, straightening his clothes.

  “That is my sister and a princess of Apethaga. You will keep your filthy hands off her. Are we clear?”

  “There’s only one problem,” Savenek said, sliding his hands in his pockets and securing the flask. “Your sister is the one who dragged me here. I’ve continuously told her I’m not interested, but she doesn’t take no for an answer.”

  Zare grabbed Savenek, shoving him roughly against the wall. Savenek stifled every instinct that said to fight back. He needed to appear weak and nonthreatening.

  “I don’t want to see you near my sister again.”

  “Fine.”

  “If I catch you with her, your sister is fair game.”

  Savenek lifted his hands, grabbing onto Zare’s wrists. “Don’t ever threaten my sister.” He wanted to say more but terrorizing a member of the royal family wasn’t the wisest of moves. He released Zare and left the room.

  Needing to make sure Ari was okay, he hurried to her bedchamber where he found her sitting on the sofa, her feet curled up under her as she read a book. She was all right. He could breathe easier.

  “Where have you been?” she demanded. “Everyone has been asking for you.”

  He plopped on the sofa next to her. “It has been a long day.” He rubbed his face. “Did you discover anything important from the prince?”

  She set the book down. “No. He was very careful and reserved around me. He didn’t slip once. Although…”

  “What?” he asked, wondering why she was hesitating.

  “Never mind.” She stood and went to the side table, pouring a glass of water. She turned around, leaning against the table and looking at him. “What’s that on your face?”

  He had no idea what she was talking about.

  She came over to him and grabbed his chin. “Is that face paint?”

  “I hope not.”

  She rubbed below his lips and then examined her fingers. “It is face paint.” Her eyes widened and she looked at him for an explanation.

  “That’s nothing,” he assured her. “It’s just from Lareissa. I got myself into an odd situation and had to kiss her so I wouldn’t be caught snooping.”

  “You kissed her?”

  “I had to. I was in Princess Conditto’s office looking through her drawers when Prince Zare came in.” Why did Ari’s expression look so hurt? “It’s the same as you spending the day riding with Patteon.”

  “I didn’t kiss Patteon.”

  “If you were in my situation and had to kiss him in order to keep your cover, you would have.” As he said it, he pictured her kissing the prince and anger boiled inside of him, making him want to punch something.

  “You have a girlfriend,” she said, disappointment coating her words. “Doesn’t kissing another woman make you ill? That's cheating.”

  “I didn’t want to kiss Lareissa. But I’m on a mission and will do what needs to be done to complete it and save my skin.”

  “Clear
ly,” she snapped.

  “I don’t understand why you’re so mad.”

  “The prince tried to drug me today.”

  The room went deadly silent as he processed what she’d said. He stood and rushed over to her, grabbing her shoulders and looking into her eyes. “Are you okay?” His hands were shaking.

  “Patteon kept wanting me to eat this one particular item. I could tell something was up, so I refused.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “Why did he want to drug you?” Who could possibly want to hurt Ari? Savenek would kill Patteon with his bare hands.

  “He probably just wanted me to lower my guard so he could pump me for information.”

  He closed his eyes, realizing he’d tried to do something similar with Lareissa. “I need to talk to you.” He had to tell her what he’d found in Conditto’s office.

  She pushed him away from her. “I need some space right now.”

  “Okay,” he said, not understanding why she wanted to be by herself. “But I must tell you what I found. It’s important.”

  She wiped her eyes and turned away from him. Was she crying? “Are you certain you’re okay?” he asked.

  She nodded. “We’ll talk first thing tomorrow morning. Right now I’d like to be alone.”

  Reluctantly, he left her room, not understanding her moods. When he closed the door connecting their bedchambers, he leaned against it, wishing she would…what? Let him hold her? Let him comfort her? As she’d pointed out, he did have a woman back home—even if he no longer felt the same for Hana and no longer wanted to be with her. Still, he owed it to Hana to end their relationship—if one could even call it that—before he tried to have one with someone else.

  Did he want a relationship with Ari? Would she even consider having one with him? He was going to be a member of the Brotherhood. She was a member of the noble class. They came from different worlds. And she clearly didn’t approve of him kissing the princess. The kiss hadn’t meant anything to him, and he was certain it hadn’t mean anything to Lareissa. However, it had to have meant something to Ari since it bothered her. But why? Did she have feelings for Savenek? Or did she just not agree with his tactics? Ah, women. They were so freaking confusing it made him want to rip his hair out.

  The next morning, Savenek woke up to someone pounding on his door. When he answered it, a soldier told him Princess Lareissa requested his presence immediately. He quickly dressed and followed the soldier.

  Savenek was led to one of the inner courtyards where the princess sat by herself near a water fountain. Fourteen sentries stood around the perimeter of the courtyard, evenly spaced every fifteen feet. Four exits, including the one he’d entered through.

  He bowed before the princess, a smirk on his face.

  “Are you still looking for entertainment?” Lareissa asked. Her dress was made from a thin silk that clung to her body. The pale purple complimented her dark skin. She peered up at him from under hooded eyes, waiting for his response.

  A dangerous, loaded question. “Actually, I’d love to meet with the prince and finish my work here so I can return home. I find Apethaga has too much entertainment for a simple fellow like me.”

  She chuckled and stood. “I don’t know how some people find it in themselves to work every day. Why do you work?”

  Again, a question with multiple meanings. If he said he worked because his family needed the money, he would be implying he could be bought. If he said he worked for his kingdom out of loyalty, he’d be revealing that he couldn’t be bought. It was a question with no good answer. “Why do you seek entertainment instead of working?”

  She dipped her hand in the water fountain. “Who said I don’t work?” She cocked her head to the side.

  “I assumed as a fourth child there would be little for you to do.”

  She bristled. “I am not a child.”

  “Your family treats you like one.” A bold move meant to spur her into action. He needed to investigate Apethaga’s connection to Russek, not stand there entertaining the princess.

  “Regardless of how they treat me, I do not behave like a child.” She withdrew her hand from the water. “Ah, my brother is here.”

  Patteon and Ari entered the courtyard. Savenek immediately zeroed in on Ari’s fingers delicately holding the prince’s arm.

  “Are you two ready?” Lareissa asked.

  “We are,” Patteon replied.

  Savenek desperately wanted to ask what they were ready for; however, he couldn’t appear overly concerned.

  “Excellent. Then let’s be on our way.” Lareissa smiled at Savenek. “Shall we?”

  “Of course.” He gave her his arm, and she took it. The two of them started walking behind Patteon and Ari as they exited the courtyard.

  “May I ask where we’re going?” Savenek purred, making sure he kept his panic at bay.

  “My brother wants to show you and your sister Golden Lake. It’s about a mile from here.”

  He didn’t believe for one second Patteon wanted to show him or Ari anything. What was the point of this excursion? To further delay the negotiations? To get them out of the palace? Given the correspondence he’d found between Russek and Apethaga, he had to conclude that the man from Russek was here to meet with the royal family. Savenek just had no idea why. The letters he’d found had been vague and he wondered if the women were using some sort of code. Although there was that one reference to Prince Kerdan of Russek marrying Princess Conditto, thus aligning their kingdoms.

  “I don’t particularly want to walk,” Lareissa said, “but Patteon insists it isn’t far enough to bother saddling the horses.”

  “Do you ride?” Savenek asked, not really caring about the answer but wanting to make conversation in order to appear interested in her.

  As Lareissa responded, he watched Ari in front of him. She practically glided as she walked holding Patteon’s arm. The prince laughed at something Ari said, making Savenek’s skin crawl. Why was she bothering to charm the prince? She’d already tried and it hadn’t worked. And Savenek had seen how cold and distant the prince was with Ari before today. So what had changed? And why now?

  Savenek glanced back at the palace, wondering what was going on inside of it today. If the purpose of this excursion was to get him and Ari out of the palace, he would have expected Prince Zare to be the one with Ari, not Patteon. Savenek considered faking an injury so he’d have to return. However, since Patteon was here and he’d tried to drug Ari yesterday, Savenek didn’t want to leave the two of them alone.

  They strolled along the pathway that wound its way through the gardens, past the wall, and to the rolling hills behind the palace. Not a single soldier accompanied them.

  “I’m surprised the princess is allowed to be outside the palace walls without a guard,” Savenek commented.

  “I am with her,” Patteon replied, his words clipped.

  “True,” Savenek responded. He wanted to say something cutting but refrained from doing so.

  “I am certain you are an excellent swordsman,” Ari said.

  Savenek snorted. The prince’s sword had probably never been used in battle. It grated on his nerves that all his weapons had been confiscated. If Patteon was leading them to their doom, he’d have nothing but a dinner knife to defend himself. It was more than enough, but it would require a little more effort on his part to kill with such a dull weapon.

  “While my sister and I have you here,” Savenek said, “maybe we can discuss Emperion purchasing weapons from Apethaga.”

  “My father is still thinking on the matter, and I hardly consider it appropriate to discuss such things in front of a princess. My sister does not need to hear about weapons and war. It will frighten her.”

  Savenek looked at Lareissa. “My apologies, princess.” He smiled the most condescending smile he could muster, and Lareissa fumed. However, she did not disagree with her brother. Interesting. She was exhibiting far more restraint today than he had previously thou
ght possible.

  Ari laughed at something Patteon said, her voice light and carefree. Savenek liked the way her right cheek came up higher than her left when she smiled. Even though he couldn’t see her face since she was walking in front of him, he envisioned her beautiful smile in his mind.

  “Here we are,” Lareissa said, pulling him from his thoughts.

  They crested the rise and stopped. In the valley below, a lake was situated between two green hills. The lake itself wasn’t exceptionally large. It was, however, golden.

  “That’s astonishing,” Ari commented. “What makes it appear that color?”

  “There is an abundance of gold in this valley. The water in the lake is shallow and reflects the gold below the surface.

  “I’m surprised people haven’t mined the area,” Savenek commented.

  “Father won’t allow it,” Lareissa said. “These are considered sacred grounds. Make sure you stay on the pathway.”

  Savenek wasn’t sure what that meant, but he nodded nonetheless. Were there other locations throughout the kingdom brimming with gold like this one? If so, that might help explain some of Apethaga’s wealth.

  “Can we go closer?” Ari asked. A narrow path led to the water.

  “Yes.” Patteon took her down the slope, making sure she didn’t slip in her delicate shoes. The chivalrous gesture nettled Savenek. Instead of commenting, he followed them, not wanting to let Ari out of his sight. Lareissa remained close behind him.

  Near the water, the area was covered with small flowers, unlike anything Savenek had ever seen before. He knelt to examine them in greater detail. The petals were dark red, the center a shiny black, and the vines they grew on were vibrant green.

  “These are beautiful,” he murmured.

  Ari and Patteon had reached the edge of the water. Ari knelt on the bank, looking into the water while Patteon spoke, gesturing with his hands. Lareissa left Savenek and went to join them. The princess clutched her dress as she walked, being careful to remain in the center of the path.

  When Savenek reached out to touch the delicate flowers, Karolena’s words came back to him. She’d told him to beware of the red flower. Was this what she’d been referring to? He examined the area in greater detail. Not a single bee was present. Not even a bunny, squirrel, or bird. Maybe these flowers were the real reason the area wasn’t mined for its valuable gold. And why they didn’t need soldiers accompanying them here today. Lareissa stiffly stood in the middle of the path. Savenek looked at the flowers, committing them to memory in case he ever encountered them again. A flower so deadly he couldn’t even touch it.