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“I was going to see if you could ask the King or Queen for a few moments of their time,” Tanner says, addressing Clarice while looking at me.

Clarice growls - something which surprises me since I’ve never heard her growl at anyone in anger before. “I told you yesterday this wasn’t your issue. Leave it be,” she snaps at him.

“It’s fine, Clarice. What is wrong, Tanner?” I ask.

“My Queen, I will sort it out and speak with Kyson. You don’t need to handle this one,” Clarice insists, trying to usher me out of the kitchen along with Abbie.

“It’s your brother, my Queen,” Tanner blurts out, causing us all to freeze in shock.

“You dare mention him to her after what he has done?” Clarice snarls, turning on her heel and pointing an accusing finger at Tanner, who looks defeated but defends Peter anyway.

“He’s just a boy, Clarice. How can you say that when you've helped raise him with me? You know how useless his grandparents are with him and Ester, well.”

He shakes his head.“I’m sorry, my Queen. I just worry about him.”

I swallow and nod, Tanner turns to leave. Clarice watches him go, and I can see his words upset her deeply.

“Wait, Tanner. What of my brother?” I ask him, and he stops.

“My Queen, you don’t have to deal with this, the King can,” Clarice says, but I shake my head. Kyson has enough going on, and he is my brother.

“His grandparents kicked him out, and he…” Tanner tries to explain.

“He what, Tanner?”

“I have been sneaking him into the stables at night,” Tanner says, while dropping his head in defeat.

“You’ve been what?” Clarice screams at him. Tanner flinches at her anger. I hold up my hand.

“Where is he now?” I ask.

“Hiding down by the river until it gets dark so he can cross the river without being seen, my Queen. I know what he did was wrong, but he is just a boy. He has no one else and nowhere to go.”

“He has Ester,” I tell him, but he shakes his head.

“Ester, that woman is trash. She doesn’t give a shit about him. The moment you kicked them out of here, she left when no one was watching, he has been on his own since,” Tanner tells me, and I swallow.

“Wait, when did Ester leave?”

Tanner pauses to think for a second, counting on his fingers.

“The night Elder Larkin left. Peter came to find me. Ester was fired from the fruit market she worked at, and he asked for food. I asked him why he couldn’t go home. His grandparents tossed him out, and his mother once again abandoned the boy,” he tells me. I sigh, looking at Abbie, who nervously chews her nails as she listens.

Looking back at Tanner, he stands nervously waiting for me to say something. “Take me to my brother,” I tell him, and he nods.

“Clarice is coming and–” I sigh.

“I need to get the King. I am not making any decisions without him,” I tell him.

“Thank you, my Queen. I can bring him to you, I can bring him here if you like while you get the king?” he says.

“I’ll make him something to eat,” Clarice says, grabbing the bread, and I nod to her.

“Okay, I will go find my King,” I tell Tanner before turning on my heel to go searching for Kyson. We have come too far now just to start hiding things from each other again. Looping my arm through Abbie’s, I tug her toward the door, and we head toward his office.

As soon as we step out of the kitchens and move up the corridor, Trey and Dustin come out of the staff lunchroom and trail us. They had left us to sift through the paperwork, knowing the guards in the cellar would watch us, and it felt good giving them some time off. They must get rather bored following me all day, not that they ever say anything. Walking into the room, I hear Kyson’s phone ringing, and we enter silently.

“Crux!” Kyson states, answering the phone and placing it on loudspeaker, so I can hear. Kyson pushes his chair out and pats his knee, wanting me to come sit on his lap. I walk over to him, and he pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arm around my waist and pressing his lips to my shoulder.