Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
Izzy woke alone in an unfamiliar bed. The sheets were worn smooth and smelled of Luka, and the scent soothed her. Their conversation last night might have seemed like a dream if her beast hadn’t been preening so smugly.
She opened her eyes and blinked. The room was dark, except for the low, red flicker of the fire. She’d slept for a short while, but the sun wasn’t up yet.
A shape came closer, and she recognized Luka’s broad shoulders as he leaned down. “Izzy? Are you awake?”
“Mm-hmm.” She pushed herself onto one arm, trying to see him more clearly.
The last thing she remembered was trying to reassure Luka, to let him know that he was safe with her.
But then she’d felt safe. His warm strength had surrounded her, and her beast had settled—fully, completely settled—for the first time in years.
“I have to go,” he murmured. “I have a meeting with the guards about to start their shift, and then I need to see Ryland and find out if he learned anything before I meet Shane.”
She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to get her brain moving. “Wait. What do you mean, before you meet Shane?”
He stroked a lock of hair off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. “I thought you might want to skip it. Sleep a little. I’ll explain to everyone—”
“What? No!” She flung her legs over the side of the bed and stood too quickly. Dark spots covered her vision, and she put her hand out to stop herself swaying, but Luka didn’t let her fall. He pulled her against his chest and held her, his beast rumbling loudly.
She held him for a moment, wishing it could be longer. Nothing was resolved between them. Were they friends now? Were they more than that? He’d kissed her, but then she’d fallen asleep. They needed to talk, but not now.
More than friends. A lot more.
A tiny bubble of hope lifted through her. Maybe. She straightened and rubbed her eyes. “I’m coming.”
Luka grunted and turned away, concentrating on lacing his vambraces and swinging his cloak over his shoulders.
Eventually, he looked up. “Fine. I’ll meet Ryland while you get up.
I’ll send a guard to walk with you. There’s a key on the desk for you to lock up with.
” His voice dropped to a low rumble. “Be safe, Izzy. Please.” And then he left.
She twisted her hair into a new braid, then splashed cold water from the jug on her face and dried it with the still-damp towel. Luka had already tidied away the remains of their supper, so all that was left was to make the bed.
The bed that only she’d slept in. Where had Luka slept? Had he slept at all? She remembered his words from the night before, the look of vulnerability on his face. He was afraid, and she knew what it took for him to admit that to her.
Izzy dressed, pulled on her boots, and sat at his desk, looking at his room. It was less threatening now that she didn’t imagine beautiful, nameless women on every surface. It was all Luka: controlled, perfectionist, and centered around his work.
She had some time to kill before meeting the others, so she leaned back and considered the map of Hugaeb on his wall.
The Kaylan River twisted and turned, sweeping across the north of the kingdom to spread across the western Hugaeb coast as it emptied into the sea through a vast delta of dense marshes.
She’d lived there, among the long grasses and glittering azurite kingfishers, among the rows of canvas tents, listening to the drums calling the soldiers to training or patrol.
She didn’t want to go back—didn’t want anyone to go back—because they’d failed to save the treaty.
Who benefited from the threat of war? Who would murder the niece of the archthane and point all clues at Shane?
She tapped her fingers on her lips, no longer looking at the maps or the room but looking inward instead.
Remembering. Rayan left the guards so that he could investigate something on his own.
That’s what he’d told her, and she’d believed him.
Because he was her brother. Because she trusted him.
Because she’d lost him so soon afterward, and she’d been too buried in her grief to challenge it.
And because Shane said so.
She stilled. Shane had reassured her. He’d promised her he’d investigate, and she’d let him, because she wanted to run away and leave it all behind.
To leave Luka and his castle women far behind.
But it didn’t make sense. Rayan didn’t join the physiks because it would be easier for him to run an investigation.
He suspected one of them of something.
Exactly. The Kwanam maid had muttered about Narya leaving with a physik. Perhaps the same physik Rayan suspected.
Why was Shane so determined not to involve the castle physiks in investigating Narya’s death?
Her breath caught. There was something more here…
something worse. Rayan hadn’t told Luka his plans to investigate the healers.
For whatever reason, he wanted Luka to stay out of it.
But Rayan was a royal guard. He was devoted to Shane, Danikha, and Iona.
He would have told someone. He would have told his commander.
No, he would have followed orders.
Izzy stood and walked over to the small window, sensing the shape of a truly horrible idea. She was still there when a brisk knock interrupted her thoughts. A guard had arrived to escort her to the meeting.
She grabbed her physik’s bag, locked up, and followed the guard back to Shane’s office. The prince, Aiden, Kai, and Cori were already there, and Luka arrived just as they were greeting each other. Izzy said hello distractedly. Was she right? Could she have been lied to all this time?
Cori steered her toward a tray of soft cheese, honeyed oatcakes, and plump berries beside a gently steaming flask of tea—spiced apple by the scent.
She helped herself to a plate and turned to Luka, but instead of coming to stand beside her as she expected, he turned away.
Gods, she’d really wanted him to stand with her, to face whatever came next together.
Especially if her suspicions were correct.
She watched him as he made his way to the other side of the room and locked his eyes on the carpet.
Izzy stood alone, suddenly lost, holding her plate and feeling like an idiot.
He kissed her last night… but then he’d stopped.
He hadn’t slept beside her. He’d done his best to get away from her this morning.
Now all the progress she thought they’d made was…
not gone. It had never existed at all. Luka had already remembered that he didn’t want her.
Her tiny bubble of hope burst and faded. God of Chaos. She was an idiot.
Her beast twisted and sighed, unsettled. It wanted Luka to step up and claim them, but he wasn’t going to do that, was he?
Izzy sank onto a leather sofa and took a bite of cheese, trying to sort through her thoughts while the others grabbed their own chairs.
Luka seemed to hesitate for a second, but then he sat beside Shane on the other side of the room.
He set his plate on a polished side table and updated them on his meeting with the night guards.
Ryland’s team had searched Narya’s room and spoken to the guards both within the delegation’s apartments and on the walls. They’d checked with the guards at the front entrance to the castle and interviewed all the evening staff, but they’d found nothing new, and no one had seen anything useful.
“How did the assassin get her out of the castle?” Cori wondered. “Did Narya walk out with the person who killed her?”
Luka shook his head. “She couldn’t have. The Kwanam delegates were always allocated city guards when they left the castle. At the very least, the guards at the entrance to the castle would have seen her leave, and no one did.”
“Could someone have carried her out somehow?” Izzy pushed an oatcake around her plate. “Was she already dead?”
Luka’s jaw clenched. “How could she have been killed in the castle, under the nose of all the guards? I personally oversaw Ryland’s rosters last night!”
Izzy held in her rising irritation. “I’m not maligning your guards. I’m suggesting that if we knew how she was taken out, we’d be closer to knowing who took her.”
“Agreed.” Shane stepped in. “We need to add that to the list of things to investigate today.”
Luka looked grim. “I’ve arranged for my first lieutenants to take day-to-day responsibility for the guard over the next few days, freeing me to concentrate on this.
This morning, I’d like Dashiell to take Cori up to the mountain path and show her where he found Narya.
They can look at everything in daylight, see if there’s anything we missed. ”
“Of course,” Cori replied. “Dashiell can talk me through it.” She popped an oatcake into her mouth and chewed. “It’ll be nice to get out of the castle… even if it has to be on the mountain.”
“And can you find out more about Dashiell?” Luka asked. “He wants to join the castle guard, and I’d like your thoughts on whether he would fit.”
Cori nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Thanks,” Luka acknowledged, then turned to the others.
“Aiden and Kai, please go back and take another look at Narya’s room?
Ryland’s good, but there was a lot of pressure last night; maybe he missed something in the dark.
Shane, I think it would be best if you stayed with your mother.
You and Iona should be with her, guarding her, but also at her side if the archthane gets more threatening.
I’ll allocate extra guards, and Aiden and Kai can join you as soon as they’re done.
” He took a sip of his tea before looking over at her.
“Izzy and I can take another look at the body.”
Izzy nodded. She didn’t think she’d missed anything, but it wouldn’t hurt…
and they had to maintain the charade that she hadn’t examined Narya yet.
“I’m happy to take another look.” She dusted her hands on her breeches and let out a breath.
It was time to test her theory. “And then I’d like to spend some time with the physiks. This will give me a good excuse.”
“Why do you want to see the physiks?” Shane asked, sitting straighter, eyes sharp.
“Narya planned to meet with a physik at some point last night,” Izzy explained. “Luka and I heard the maid muttering when we took the body back.”
“She specifically mentioned a physik?” Shane prompted.
“Yes,” Izzy said, watching the expression on Shane’s face harden. Mother of the Weave, she was right.
Gods, I didn’t want this to be true.
Luka pushed his plate away and stood up. “I’ll come with you to the clinic. You can examine Narya, and we can speak to the healers together. And then you can go home.”
Izzy shook her head. “I’m not going home.
I’m going to join the healers for a few days while the Kwanam delegation is here.
They could use the extra hands, especially with the castle so full, and it will give me time to look around a bit.
” She lifted her chin. “And I think it would be better if I went alone.”
A flurry of scales solidified on Luka’s arms and neck. “Absolutely not. There is probably an assassin in the castle. You have a shop to run in the city, and the physiks are perfectly capable without you. Go. Home.”
That hurt. But she ignored it and lifted her chin. “It’s not up to you.”
“I’m the knight commander of the castle. I sign off on duties.” Luka stepped closer to her. “And I don’t sign off on this.”
Izzy stood up too, meeting his angry glare with one of her own. “I don’t report to you.”
Luka gave one clipped nod, as if that was exactly what he’d expected her to say. “True. You report to your prince. Tell her to go home, Shane.”
Shane cleared his throat, but Izzy cut him off.
She was tired of being lied to and manipulated, and she wanted to know the truth for the first time in years.
“Yes, Shane, why don’t you tell me? Because I’ve been thinking about this since last night, and I think I finally understand.
” She scowled at her friend. The prince she would have given her life to protect.
The leader she was now convinced had betrayed her.
“Why don’t you tell us all about how you weren’t at all surprised that the physiks might be involved.
In fact—” She looked him in the eye as her beast roared in her belly.
“—maybe you could tell us about how Rayan joined the healers expressly to investigate them… and you knew all along!”