Chapter 5
Lilias
THE KING’S SPY
My eyes snap open. I sit up in the bed, my heart hammering against the inside of my ribs. It’s so dark I might as well be inside a tomb. Gods, I might still be trapped in the same old nightmare, wandering dark halls as something terrible scrapes and spits behind me.
But, no. As my eyes adjust, I see the flicker of firelight shining weakly through the canvas wall of a tent while wind makes the flaps huff and swell.
Right. I’m traveling to Vsenrog, for my wedding, with their royal guards. Not in the palace of Marion. Not trapped in a nightmare.
I hear the rumble of low, hushed voices outside. I pull the blanket to my chest and hold my breath, listening.
“—simply cannot allow anyone in to see the lady,” a man’s gruff voice says in a harsh, threatening whisper.
“I’m her fucking brother,” Elrick growls.
“And she is asleep!” the man replies, as if that was the answer to everything. “Whatever you have to say, it can wait until sunrise.”
“No!” I cry. I let my feet drop to the cold ground beneath my cot. “Elrick, come in!” I call.
The tent flap pulls back, and torchlight spills across the ground. One of the Vsenrog royal guards sent to escort me to my wedding stands behind my brother, an expression of disgust on his face.
I ignore him completely and throw my arms around Elrick. My brother gives me a crushing hug, then pulls back and brings a lantern into the tent. Anura, my handmaiden, sits up in the cot next to mine. Elrick smiles at her, and her cheeks turn so dark they’re almost the same shade as her blanket.
“You found me,” I announce, but something about the look on Elrick’s face makes me drop my voice to a whisper. “What is it?” I ask.
Elrick shakes his head. “I don’t like it,” he replies in a low voice.
Anura comes to her feet and pulls the tent flaps closed, tying the laces and making a tremendous amount of rustling to cover the sound of our conversation. Gods bless that woman. Elrick leans closer.
“This doesn’t feel right,” he whispers.
“Because I’m supposed to marry Prince Laurance and go to Ethiria?” I ask.
And now I’m marrying a murderer, I think, but can’t quite bring myself to say.
“Yes.” Elrick frowns. “But not just because we broke the contract with Ethiria. The timing is wrong. Why are they in such a damn rush? If this is about the mine, why not wait until the damn thing is functional? And—”
He pauses, then glances at the door. Anura catches his eye and begins to cough loudly enough to hide our words from any outside listeners.
“I’ve heard from the Council of Mayors,” Elrick whispers. “They’re seeing a lot of visitors. Armed visitors. From Vsenrog. They’re nervous, and this marriage between you and Vsenrog’s damned assassin isn’t going to reassure them.”
He leans back and nods at Anura. Her coughing fit is miraculously cured; Elrick gives her another smile that makes her cheeks light up like a feast day bonfire.
I think about what Blayne said, that Vsenrog once controlled Marion. That marrying into Vsenrog will be like coming home.
Was he trying to prepare me for something? To warn me? Blayne isn’t a fighter, and sometimes he talks in circles. Maybe he was trying to warn me that King Malrik wants something more than access to the new mine. I catch Elrick’s eyes.
“What can I do?” I whisper.
“Be careful,” he says. He reaches forward, then tips my chin up. “Keep your eyes open. I don’t have a clue what Vsenrog wants from us, but you’ll be there—”
His voice fades, and he gives me a sad little smile. My chest feels tight.
“I’ll find out,” I whisper.
He nods. “If anyone can do it, it’s you.”
I smile, even though I feel like I’m about to cry. Elrick hugs me again.
“When you find something,” Elrick whispers, “tell Anura. She’ll get a message to me.”
I ignore the little pang in my chest. Of course my brother has worked out a secret way to communicate with Anura once we’re in Vsenrog. They’ve always been close, ever since the three of us were children.
“And, for the love of the gods,” he whispers, “stay safe.”
I nod.
“The snake shouldn’t hurt you,” Elrick continues. “You’ll be his wife, not one of his targets. But—”
His voice fades as he meets my gaze, and for a heartbeat, I have the terrible feeling that he’s about to cry. Whatever he thinks Vsenrog is after, whatever reason they might have for taking me, it must be terrible.
I look away before I start crying, then clear my throat.
“I’m so glad you found me,” I declare, speaking loudly for the benefit of the Vsenrog guards outside the tent. “I’ll feel better now that you’re traveling with us.”
Elrick shakes his head. “I can’t stay,” he says.
His voice is flat and even, and it makes something inside my chest crack open. I hadn’t realized how much I was looking forward to his company until this moment, when it’s taken away. I open my mouth, but I can’t even find the words to protest.
“Father,” Elrick says, spitting the word out, “requires my services. I’m to continue my diplomatic tour and then pay a visit to Ethiria to appease their king after Father dissolved your marriage contract to Prince Laurance.”
“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath.
Elrick smiles weakly at my unladylike vulgarity. Gods, I love him so much it makes my heart ache. For the first time, I wonder what my new husband will think of my foul mouth. The thought makes me feel cold; I try to swallow it.
“You’ll make a wonderful king,” I whisper to my brother.
He frowns. He doesn’t like to talk about his ascension to the throne, one of many topics that infuriates our father.
But it’s true. I don’t think our father has ever spoken to the mayors outside of the castle.
He probably couldn’t recognize the different villages of his kingdom.
Elrick knows them all. He knows their worries, their fears.
Hells, he even knows the mayors’ wives’ names.
Elrick will be a spectacular king. And, apparently, I’m going to be his spy.
“I’ll visit Vsenrog as soon as I can,” Elrick says, glancing at Anura with a forced smile that only makes him look more miserable. My chest aches as I realize how close those words are to what Blayne said the last time I saw him.
“Congratulations, Lilias,” Elrick continues, speaking loudly so the guards won’t miss a single word. “I hope you and Prince Zarek are very happy together.”
He steps closer, then pulls me into his arms. His voice is low and soft in my ear.
“Whatever you do,” he whispers to me, “don’t trust the snake.”