Chapter 18 #3
Her cheeks reddened, and she stepped closer—too close. I could smell her scent now, something like oversweet sugar lilies and honeysuckle. "I would be honored," she whispered, her eyes gleaming.
I drew the dagger from the sheath at my side. The ornate black hilt caught the light as I held it up between us. "May I?"
She nodded, practically vibrating with excitement. "Please." She turned her head to present the pale cascade of her hair. "Take all you desire."
I reached up, selecting a small section of hair on the back of her head.
As I positioned the dagger, I deliberately caught my bracer in the strands above where I intended to cut.
With a swift flick of my blade, I cut a lock, then I moved my wrist back with several other strands of blonde hair tangled in the bracer.
Kaylen let out a sharp yelp of surprise and pain, her hands flying up to her head.
"Oh dear.” I gave my wrist another tug without even trying to untangle the hair. “It’s stuck.”
“Agh!” She glared at me and then blanked her expression. “Stop moving!” Catching herself, she swallowed hard. “Please, Your Highness. Let me fix it.”
“Just a moment.” A few strands had already been pulled from her scalp, but I gave another small tug as I batted her hands away. Kaylen grimaced and grunted as if she’d bitten back a curse.
“Oh no, let me help!” A melodic voice called out, and suddenly another pair of hands reached up to help untangle Kaylen’s hair. The woman’s delicate fingers worked swiftly as she pressed more of the hair into my hand to ease the tension. “Here. Hold this carefully, and I’ll help you untangle.”
I glanced down, seeing a woman with wavy blonde hair in a feathery pink dress with darker pink wings tucked against her back.
She was another bridal candidate, an Ignis fae, though I didn’t recall seeing her ever using her fire magic except for the heat blast to move stones in the fight against the crabs and leeches in the collapsing labyrinth.
Her name had had something to do with flowers. Lilian…no, Calla Lily.
She chewed on her lower lip as she worked to untangle Kaylen’s hair, and Kaylen whimpered. “There we are.” Calla Lily darted back as soon as Kaylen was free, her steps light and silent on the marble.
Kaylen sniffed.
Quickly glancing at the strands of hair with the root along with the larger lock, I drew my hand back. Then I removed a handkerchief from inside my surcoat. “Are you all right? That must have been quite painful.”
Blinking rapidly, she straightened her shoulders. “It’s perfectly all right. No attention you could pay me would be unpleasant.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
I should’ve felt guilt for harming a woman, but I couldn’t feel any remorse. I had no doubt Kaylen was part of framing Briar. I wrapped the hairs along with the lock in my handkerchief and tucked them away.
Kaylen lingered, her gaze fixed upon me as she rubbed her head.
Playing this damnable game meant I couldn’t snap at her, so I indicated one of the guards at the end of the hall.
“One more thing, Kaylen. Do you see that guard right there at the intersection of the halls before the Guest Banquet Hall? I want you to go to that guard and have him take you to a private room with one of my scribes and tell the scribe everything you remember about last night. Tell him it is my order, and it is to be strictly confidential.”
“You don’t want me to go to Captain Finbar?” She collected herself and resumed her poised stance, hands folded over her gown.
“Your report will be special. It’s for my eyes only.”
A frown creased her brow, but she took a few tentative steps out of the alcove and into the hall, then glanced back at me.
I gestured toward the guard once more, and she turned to oblige. Hopefully, that would keep her occupied.
Thalen was still fussing over Myantha, holding one of her hands in his as he leaned close. She was hanging on his every word. I cleared my throat loudly, and Thalen’s focus snapped to me as a guilty look stole over his face. Before I could say anything, something light tapped my back.
I spun around to find Calla Lily still there. She placed a hand on my arm, her fingers curling over my wrist.
My skin crawled, and I jerked away and took two large steps back. Her touch had somehow felt even more wrong than Velessa’s, and I wanted her to go away.
Her red-brown eyes widened, and she snatched back her hand as if she’d been burned.
Her cheeks turned pink. I didn’t acknowledge either of our responses as she stammered.
“Forgive me for being so forward. I know that this must be so difficult for you. I cannot imagine how painful it is to lose a leader and a father at once. But…they’re right.
Briar had nothing to do with the king’s assassination. She couldn’t have.”
Some of my body relaxed. She was on Briar’s side… or at least pretending to be. Still, the touch continued to make me want to get away from her. “Do you have proof?” I clasped my hands behind my back and scowled at her.
She shrugged, and her head canted as she bit her lower lip.
“I’m an Ignis, but my father was Terran.
He could feel the heartbeat of anyone standing within twenty feet of him if he focused, and he knew how to read those heartbeats to tell whether they were telling the truth or lying.
I’m not that skilled. But…I’m aware of more than most. Last night.
..it was so odd.” She wrung her hands and glanced over her shoulder.
“I wasn’t feeling social. It’s a little overwhelming for me to be in such large crowds.
So I went back to my room, took a long, hot bath, and then…
I heard footsteps enter Rhielle’s room. Two sets of footsteps, and neither was Rhielle’s. ”
“Two sets?” My eyebrows arched, and I leaned forward, wanting to catch her every word. “Do you mean two? The assassin and then Briar? Or two as well as Briar?”
She nodded to the last one, her eyes wide.
“I…I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but two sets of footsteps went into her room together .
One heavy. One light. They were both so calm.
Deadly calm. Then Briar came. It sounded like someone slipped, and only two sets of footsteps left.
I didn’t know what was going on at the time.
But…the lighter set of footsteps…they went into Kaylen’s room.
They were still calm, not rushed, and I thought perhaps Briar stayed to talk with Rhielle. I know they’ve become good friends.”
My heartbeat quickened. Briar had mentioned only one set of footsteps, and so had Rhielle, but both of them had been focused elsewhere.
Was it possible there’d been a second individual in the room?
It might explain how they’d managed to maneuver the bodies so swiftly. “Have you told Captain Finbar?”
She ducked her head. “I can’t prove any of it, and I don’t want to cause trouble.
Kaylen might be innocent, even if—well, even if she is a horrible person.
I don’t know what she was doing last night.
It’s just…I can’t stand the thought of Briar being blamed for something she didn’t do.
I was considering asking Kaylen about it, but she was so rude when I tried to strike up a conversation with her this morning that I didn’t. ”
I needed more information. “Whose footsteps entered Kaylen’s room? Could you tell?”
Her expression pinched. “They—they sounded like Kaylen’s.
” She pressed a hand to her mouth and shook her head, her long, wavy blond hair sliding over her face.
“Please, tell me what you’d like me to do.
I’ll do whatever would be most helpful. I don’t want to cause problems, but if it weren’t for Briar, I wouldn’t be here. ”
“Report all this to Captain Finbar. Ask one of the guards to escort you. Don’t tell anyone else about what you heard.”
“Of course.” She curtsied, holding her long, full pink skirts in both hands. “I’ll do whatever I can.” She started down the hall at a swift pace, then stopped and turned, looking over her shoulder. “I’m here for you, Your Highness.”
Thalen appeared alongside me with the most innocent expression on his face. “Apologies. Just had to assist the young lady from falling.”
“Yes, she was falling all over you,” I said dryly.
“The woman has exceptional taste.” He grinned crookedly.
His wings fluttered a little as if to underscore his words, but I knew full well he was showing them off in hopes that Myantha was still watching…
which, based on the crack in Thalira's door, she probably was.
“I heard Kaylen squeal like a stuck pig. Everything all right there?”
“We need to stop and see Physician Morlo before we continue.” There was no sense in passing on what Calla Lily had said until we were in a more secure location.
I took two steps toward the end of the hall, then paused.
Calla Lily hadn’t said anything about Briar’s room, but the assassins couldn’t have known that Briar would go to Rhielle’s room.
What if they’d left some clue in Briar’s room?
My blood chilled, and my shadows coiled even tighter as I realized they might have planted evidence.
My own men might have searched the room already, but I wanted to check for myself.
I held up a hand, then scanned the doors for Briar’s name card.
..there. Her name was etched in gold on a black tile.
I strode toward it at once, Thalen following.
“Physician Morlo isn’t this way,” he said, crooking an eyebrow at me.
“No. I—” I stopped short as I reached for the handle. The faint scent of lavender, lilacs, and earthy soil drifted to me, and the rustle of fabric sounded within.
Someone was in Briar’s room.