Chapter Forty-Nine
Ryker
“Did you see his eyes?”
Riordan’s voice dropped to an urgent whisper, his question lingering as we strode down the corridor away from the throne room.
I couldn’t help but smirk. My brother had always been squeamish, and Mathias’s peculiar eyes unsettled him.
I shrugged, not having any insight. Riordan muttered something under his breath before he sighed.
“What was that performance meant to prove? I know you don’t believe the rubbish our father was spewing.” He gnawed at his fingernail, trying to decipher our father’s plans.
Riordan’s composure was slipping, his features twisting with fear and apprehension. He glanced over his shoulder, his free hand hovering near the hilt of his blade as if expecting an ambush at any moment.
I wasn’t any better.
My fingers twitched with the urge to commit violence, and my skin prickled as if I were being watched. I kept my pace brisk, each step taking us farther away from the throne room before I could act on my savage impulses.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Riordan licked his lips; the color in his cheeks faded, leaving him with the pallor of a man facing his own executioner.
The same unease settled in my chest. My pulse thrummed at the base of my throat as I contemplated the reasons my father might want my wife to attend the feast. Each thought sent a wave of fury crashing through me, followed by an undercurrent of trepidation.
But I had learned long ago that fear was best weaponized, not denied. So, I welcomed it. Let it coil around my spine as I kept my stride deliberate and unwavering.
My shadows unfurled in front of me, extending my senses to check for anyone lingering nearby. When we rounded the corner, I tilted my head, signaling for Riordan to join me in the alcove.
“A Seelie in our court after centuries of hostility? This isn’t about trade agreements,” Riordan said, gripping the back of his neck. “There has been no hint of peace talks between the two kingdoms in our lifetime, our father’s lifetime, or his father’s before him.”
“No, there hasn’t,” I agreed.
Riordan’s fingers drummed a steady rhythm on his forearm. “He’s planning something. And why bring Cadence into this? What game is he playing?” His voice was pitched low, but it carried the weight of his concern for my wife’s safety.
A soft shuffle of footsteps drew our attention to the end of the corridor. A servant was rounding the corner, her arms full of fresh linens. When she saw us, she froze, her eyes widening in panic. Then she seemed to remember herself, dipped into a hasty bow, and scurried away.
Riordan watched her go before shaking his head. “They’re all on edge, the guards, the staff, the council. They’re waiting to see who strikes first. These raids have left everyone scrambling.”
Silence stretched between us. In the distance, I could hear the clang of pots and pans as the kitchens prepared for the evening’s festivities.
“We need to figure out who is feeding the Crimson Enclave their information,” Riordan said, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth.
“I’m not entirely convinced it is the Crimson Enclave.”
“Who else could it be?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “The last raid felt different somehow. The setup was near perfect, and I doubt the councilors are clever enough to coordinate both attacks.”
Riordan murmured his agreement. “Not to mention, they were scared out of their minds when you suggested it could be one of them. I would have bet my life on them letting the rebels fall on their swords, not digging in deeper.”
“Unless their fear made them double down.” I shifted against the stone wall, my shadows dancing between my fingers. “But you’re right. Their terror felt genuine.”
Riordan’s jaw clenched. “We know the Crimson Enclave isn’t acting alone. If it’s not the council, then who’s helping them?”
“Both things can be true at once.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone on the council could be feeding the rebels their information. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have more eyes and ears inside the palace.”
“Maybe someone warned them that their informant would betray them?”
“Exactly,” I said. “That would have allowed them to set an ambush to counter the trap we had planned, while also going after the secret supply route.”
“It has to be someone with access to our intelligence.” Riordan stroked his chin as he turned over everything in his mind.
“Not necessarily.”
“Who else could it be?”
“What if it’s a servant?”
Riordan’s eyes rounded in surprise. “A servant?”
“They’re mostly invisible, moving through each room, hearing every conversation…” I trailed off, letting my words sink in.
“I never thought about it like that.”
“We kept everything under wraps until the day of the supply run to guard against leaks.”
My brother furrowed his brow. “Doesn’t that prove your theory wrong, though?”
“Think about it, Riordan. They could have overheard a council member discussing the matter when they served them meals in their chambers. Or maybe they were eavesdropping when the guards received their orders. They also clean the barracks, and I doubt the men give them a second glance. With a quick way to contact the Crimson Enclave, there’s no telling what information they could pass along. ”
“Fuck,” Riordan said with a groan as he ran his fingers through his cropped hair. “How many servants do we even have? Hundreds?”
“More than that.”
“Any one of them could walk out with our secrets, and nobody would question it.”
“Precisely.”
“So, what do we do about it? With Mathias here in the palace, we can’t leave any loose threads lying about, or his king and queen will seize the opportunity to choke us with them when our father’s plans backfire.”
“Agreed. We need to act quickly.”
“What do you propose?”
“We feed them false information. Various pieces to different groups until we can narrow down the circle they move in.”
“Another trap?” Riordan’s tone did little to conceal his hesitation.
“This trap is one we can monitor ourselves. We’ll watch them closely, and we won’t let anyone else in on what we are doing.”
“What about Eamon and Malesh?” Riordan asked.
“We already know we can trust them, so that’s not an issue.”
My brother considered me for a moment before he grinned. “That’s actually kind of brilliant.”
“You say that as if my plans are ever anything less.”
“I can’t breathe,” he said, his hands flying to his throat as he coughed and wheezed. “Your ego is suffocating me.”
A surprised laugh escaped me, and Riordan’s smile grew. He leaned back against the stone, some of the tension bleeding from his shoulders.
“How long before they strike again?”
“Not long. They’re growing bolder with each attack.” I pushed off the wall, my mind already racing through the logistics. “That’s why I have one more surprise in store for them.”
“And that is?”
“I’m going on the next supply run.”
“Even the Crimson Enclave won’t show their hand if you’re there, Ryker.”
A smirk tilted my lips as a plan formed in my head. “Not if they don’t know it’s me.”
“You’re diabolical, you know that?” Riordan said with a chuckle.
“Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
“I intend to treat it as one.”
My brother rolled his eyes. “First, we need to survive the schemes our father has concocted for this feast.”
Riordan’s words sobered me immediately.
“Whatever his plans, we must protect Cadence at all times. I don’t like his sudden interest in her.”
Riordan nodded in agreement, his earlier lightness replaced by steely determination.
Soon enough, my father would show his hand, and when he did, I would be ready for him.