by Lucy Roy
“Tell me that wasn’t a human with a key to our castle,” Freya said, her mouth feeling a bit dry.
Aer’s expression was hard as he stared off in the direction the human had gone. “Let’s go find out.”
Freya tightened her magic around them, silencing their steps and voices as they followed the human’s scent. She was beginning to think the human might be lost, when Aer put a hand on her arm, stopping her at the end of a narrow tunnel that the human had turned down.
“This leads to my mother’s chambers,” he said thickly, concern over what he might find if they continued on this path etched clearly on his face.
Freya was at a loss for words, unsure of what she might say that would dissuade him from thinking the worst. The thought of the queen carrying on with a human… considering where the tunnel led, she couldn’t blame him if that’s where his mind had leapt.
“It may not be what you think,” she finally said, peering down the narrow branching tunnel. “Let’s not jump to conclusions yet.”
He sent her a dubious look. “There’s a door about forty meters down that opens into the rear of her sitting room.”
Freya stared warily down the corridor, hesitant to go any further. The queen was a gifted witch, one who would no doubt hear right through Freya’s spell. So she touched a finger to her lips, then her ear, and closed her eyes, extinguishing her lights once Aer gave her a nod of understanding.
Once they were bathed in darkness, Freya shut off all but her sense of hearing, straining to hear any bit of sound from their position.
She felt Aer touch her hand just as the words reached her ears, so quiet she would’ve missed them had she not been straining to hear.
“She has become a problem for us,” a male voice was saying. “You must trust me on this.”
“Is that so?” The queen’s voice carried softly down the corridor. “Please, tell us. Why should we trust you when your king has made his disdain for us so clear?”
“I may not have several centuries of espionage under my belt, but I know my king! He is not the man today—”
The king’s voice joined the conversation next, and Freya felt Aer’s body relax a bit.
“What are you implying?”
“As I told you last time, it’s worse. I worry for what may happen to Willem—”
“We are aware of what you’re asking of us,” Salazar replied. “We aren’t prepared to commit to anything without seeing what you speak of. With our own eyes.”
“Do you not trust your own commander’s judgement?” the man’s voice rang with shock followed by a low, dark chuckle. “And here my belief was you thought him infallible.”
Freya bristled a bit at the insult to her father.
“I’ve advised them to await further proof before helping you commit what might amount to treason,” Byrric replied cooly.
Freya’s eyes widened at the sound of her father’s voice as she felt Aer’s hand tighten around hers.
“What proof?” the human asked. “You saw—
“I know what I saw!” Byrric shot back. “It was enough to warrant suspicion, I’ll grant you, but nothing more!”
“Nothing has changed,” Salazar snapped. “Our answers remain the same. It was foolish of you to come here tonight. You put us all at risk.”
“Risks are necessary, Salazar!” the human hissed. “This cannot go on much longer! Please, consider our offer. We only want—”
A soft knock sounded in the queen’s chambers, barely audible in the dark tunnel.
“Ah, finally,” the king said.
The words became quieter, telling Freya the monarchs and their guest had moved too far from their location to hear. Taking Aer’s hand, they jogged back to her room, not speaking until they were safely inside, and even then, she didn’t lift her enchantment.
For a moment, they stared at one another, unsure what to say.
Finally, Aer exhaled and rubbed a hand across his chin. “Well, I suppose I should be happy my mother isn’t having an affair.”
She shot him a chastising look. “What do you think he meant by ‘consider our offer’? And what proof?”
Aer dragged a hand through his dark hair and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Willem and Isadora have only been in power in Dystone for three years. Perhaps there’s a bit of unrest and they’d like help in exchange for…” He shook his head. “No, that wouldn’t make sense, not if there’s something wrong with the human king.”
“Jonas said King Willem seemed… odd,” Freya said. “‘A tough nut to crack’” were his exact words. Maybe their king is ill? This man we followed seems to know him.”
“We don’t even know who that man was, Freya,” Aer said.
“Whoever he is, he’s important enough to have unfettered access to the castle,” she pointed out. “My father has taken him seriously enough to bring his concerns to the king and queen. Although how he knows him is beyond me.”
“Your father spends a good deal of time traveling, so it’s not unexpected that he’d have associates abroad,” Aer murmured. “I wish we could’ve heard who joined them.”
“Agreed.” Freya sighed, then bit her lip. “When will the humans be arriving?”
“Next week,” Aer replied. “But Freya, now that we know this man, whoever he might be, seems to have unrestricted access to the tunnels, I think it might be best if we stay out of them.”
Freya huffed out a breath and sat down next to him. She didn’t realize it until now, but this hadn’t been something she truly thought would amount to anything serious. Or, at least, not so serious as a human consorting with the monarchs and having late-night discussions regarding the stability of his own king. Whether King Salazar and her father had been honest in their reasoning or not, didn’t matter; there was clearly something afoot.
“You’re right,” she said after a moment. “Perhaps we should’ve listened to them all along. If that man had seen us…”
“Your enchantments are flawless. He never would’ve seen us.” Aer slid his hand into hers and kissed it. “And I don’t think we were wrong to pursue this. You were right; something was amiss. Maybe we should be privy to it, maybe not. If nothing else, we know to be wary.”
“Wary of what, though? Every human who walks through the palace doors? Lindoroth and Dystone have a strong relationship, last I checked. Am I suddenly to assume the worst?”
“We’re to be king and queen of Lindoroth one day, Freya.” Aer said gently. “You should always assume the worst.”
Her eyes searched his, determined to see the facetiousness in his words hidden there. When she didn’t, she frowned. “That’s a horrifically pessimistic outlook to have, Aer. Do you truly believe that?”
“Do I believe everyone is out to harm us?” He shook his head. “No, certainly not. Lindoroth has always been kind to our neighbors, so they have no true reason to harm us. It doesn’t change the fact that there will always be someone out there who believes they can do our jobs better than we can or want the power we have. Those are the ones to be wary of.”
“And because they don’t have ‘traitor’ scrawled across their foreheads…” Freya leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, then pressed her fingers to her temples. In the span of just a few minutes, the enormity of the life she was about to dive into was laid out for her. Despite knowing they would do all they could to be good monarchs, kings and queens always had to worry about opposition or outsiders who wanted to take what was theirs. Some monarchs had it worse than others, of course. Jotunheim was a prime example—the only reason Lessia never lost her crown was because she was ruthless when it came to dissenters, of which there had been many of over the centuries. Untested monarchs like Willem and Isadora would still be considered weak by many, especially those whose reigns were long, like the Linds and Jotnar.
Freya didn’t want to live out her reign distrusting of everyone. Her mind revolted at the mere thought of carrying that type of burden on her shoulders. She wanted to
say Aer was being overdramatic, that it couldn’t possibly be that bad, but as he ran a calming hand up and down her spine, soothing the tension from her body, she knew that wasn’t the case.
She took a deep breath and sat up, then looked at him. “So what do we do?”
“All we can do right now is wait,” he replied. “The humans will begin arriving next week, and I’d bet my crown that man will be among them. Once he’s here…”
Freya gave him half of a smile. “We baldly ask him why he’s been sneaking around the palace in the middle of the night?”
“I was thinking I could get him roaring drunk and hope he spills his secrets,” Aer suggested. “Or enlist Lea to seduce them out of him.”
“I’m not quite sure which of those ideas is worse,” Freya replied, shaking her head. “And I have a feeling Lea might have a thing or two to say about you offering her up as seductress.”
Aer laughed. “Clearly, you don’t know my cousin all that well. She’d jump at the chance. Truly!” he added when he saw Freya’s dubious look. “Just ask her!”
Chapter 34
Breakfast the following morning was a test of patience and restraint for Freya and, if the tight set of his shoulders was any indication, the prince, as well. Salazar and Ordona both seemed perfectly at ease, neither appearing as though they’d had a late-night rendezvous with a mysterious human. Instead, they were casually buttering toast and cutting into their sausages as though there wasn’t a care to be had.
They’d made it halfway through the meal when Aer sent a cursory glance at his father as he took a bite of egg. Swallowing, he asked, “Have we any word on when guests will begin arriving?”
Not a flinch, not a flicker of emotion was to be seen between the monarchs.
Salazar took a sip of his coffee, then set it down. “Next weekend, so long as no one is delayed.”
Aer nodded, then busied himself portioning fruit onto his, then Freya’s, plates. “Accommodations are nearly ready, then?”
Ordona smiled knowingly. “Don’t worry, we’ve housed all guests in the eastern and northern wings. You’ll have your western wing all to yourself.”
Freya paused, her fork full of egg halfway to her mouth as Aer blinked.
Freya recovered herself before he did and put on a smile for the queen, trying hard to conceal her mild mortification. “It’s kind of you to consider our proximity to the guests on our wedding night, Your Majesty.”
“Of course dear,” the queen replied. She patted Sal’s hand. “We remember how it was.”
Aer cleared his throat and set his fork down. “Right. Well, I believe Freya and I had a few things we wanted to take care of before she leaves this afternoon, so if you’ll excuse us, I think we’ll be on our way.” He dabbed his mouth with his napkin and stood. “Freya?”
Smiling at the king and queen in a way she desperately hoped wasn’t awkward, Freya took Aer’s hand and stood.
Salazar narrowed his eyes shrewdly as he looked back and forth between them. After a moment of tense silence, he nodded. “Alright. Best of luck with your exams this week.”
“Oh, and darling?” Ordona smiled at Freya. “Don’t forget you’ve got your final fitting Sunday morning. You may want to return to the castle with Aerelius Friday afternoon instead of Saturday morning. You’ll want plenty of time to get settled in, because the last week before the wedding will be a busy one. Lea and the boys will be coming then, too.”
“Yes, of course,” Freya replied. “Will they be staying here through Solstice?”
“They will, along with the governors and their families,” Salazar said. “I’ve ordered your guards to organize moving all of your things up here.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she replied.
Aer gave her hand a quick tug, then nodded at his parents as he led Freya out of the dining hall.
When they’d made their way down several corridors and were on their way back to Freya’s chambers, Aer finally broke the silence.
“I’m not quite sure I’ve ever had a more awkward encounter with my parents.”
Freya huffed out a laugh. “Because they’re keeping something from us, or because they’ve taken steps to ensure we aren’t heard on our wedding night?”
Aer frowned, considering. “Both. Now, what shall we do for the rest of the day?”
Freya leaned against the wall outside her door and considered. “I really should study a bit, although I’m not sure how I’ll be able to focus.”
He inclined his head down a hall that led to the library. “Come, I’ll quiz you.” Grinning, he added, “You can repay me with various physical shows of affection.”
She rolled her eyes and smacked his chest, hardly able to contain her amusement at the scandalized look on the faces of the servants who were methodically cleaning the windows nearby.
“Idiot. Let’s go.”
Freya and Aer spent several hours in the palace library that day brushing up on what they thought they’d need to know for their final exams, which would encompass most of the following week. Freya left feeling confident that she’d absorbed the necessary material over the course of the term that she would need to do well in each of her classes.
There would be an exam the first four days of the upcoming week, starting with Civics and ending with Toxins, which was the test she was most wary of. She was confident in her grasp of the content, but Florian’s methods of testing students were something she wouldn’t expect to encounter in any other course. Indeed, her literature, civics, and history courses all consisted of lengthy written exams, but Toxins would be a practical examination that would require a deep and detailed recall of all they’d covered over the course of the term.
Rissen and Cecilia attempted to give her and Lea a pep talk on their way to class, but Freya felt it fell a bit short in terms of motivation.
“He’ll call you in one at a time,” Cecilia explained when they arrived and saw all their classmates milling about in the hall. “There’s less chance of other students getting hurt if something goes wrong.”
Freya grimaced. The mercurial old warlock was brilliant, to be sure, but in the three-and-a-half months since the term began, he’d stoked the inherent skepticism within Freya more than she ever would’ve anticipated from a university professor, former assassin or not. She’d come to the point where, after seeing Lord Sindel suffer burns after failing to check his desk chair for poisons, she’d begun contemplating standing for each class.
You’re good at this, Freya, she told herself.
“Try not to worry, my lady,” Rissen said. “You either, Lady Calliwell,” he added when he saw Lea’s slightly blanched expression.
“Easy for you to say,” Lea muttered. “You’re not at risk of losing your tongue if you go in there.”
He chuckled. “Professor Florian may be unique in his ways, but he would never allow a student to suffer death or permanent disfigurement for failing an exam.”
As one, Lea and Freya gave him incredulous looks.
“Do you realize, Rissen, how utterly absurd that sounds?” Freya asked.
He grinned as he and Cecilia took their places against the wall. “As I said, neither of you have a thing to worry about.”
“Listen to him,” Cecilia added, sliding a smirk at her partner. “On occasion, he can be quite a good judge of things like this.”
Freya and Lea exchanged a wary look, then faced the classroom door. Freya smiled when she saw Gareth standing a few feet away, squinting down at a brown moleskin notebook.
“Getting a bit of last-minute studying in?” she asked him.
Gareth laughed, then dragged his gaze away from his notes and looked at her. “It’s likely pointless, I know, but my eldest brother had Florian for Toxins and still can’t speak his name without shuddering.”
“Goddess, help me,” Lea muttered.
Freya’s eyebrows winged up. “That’s… unfortunate. Would you like some help?”
He smiled gratefully. “It would
be much appreciated, Freya. I can only quiz myself so much.”
With a shrug, she took the proffered notebook and looked down at the page he’d been reading. “It will help Lea and me as well.” Casting a glance behind Gareth, she noticed Myria looking through her own notes and trying not to appear as though she was eavesdropping.
Knowing better than to ask her to join, Freya positioned herself a bit closer and began going through Gareth’s notes.
“This is beyond absurd!” Lea hissed thirty minutes later, after the fifth student had torn out of the classroom, sobbing as she clutched her eye. “We can go through these notes a dozen times but there’s no way—”
“Oh, stop complaining, Lea,” Myria snapped.
“Oh, go back to studying on your own, Myria.”
Freya rolled her eyes. “Will you three stop acting as though this is the first time you’re seeing this? At least one of our classmates has been poisoned on a weekly basis. This is no different.”
With a groan, Myria slumped back against the wall beside Gareth.
“Saithwater,” Freya said, looking at Gareth. “Describe it.”
He sighed and rubbed his fingers against his forehead.
Shaking her head, she closed the book and gave him a disparaging look. “You were poisoned with this not one month ago, Gareth.”
“A fact I’ve worked hard to block out,” he replied sourly. “Saithwater… is clear, but when held to the right light, flecks of silver can be seen floating in it.”
She nodded, then handed the book to Lea as Lord Edmund Raster was called into the room. “My turn.”
They’d gone a few more rounds before Edmund emerged, seemingly in one piece, if the smug grin on his face was any indication.
Myria sent him a smirk. “It went well, I take it?”
He sent her a sly look. “Come visit me later and I’ll tell you all about it,” he crooned.
Myria face contorted with disgust. “Pig.”
Before Edmund could respond, Gareth was called in. Edmund clapped his friend on the back and Freya and Lea wished him luck.
