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She didn’t want to remember young Ber—sullen, defiant, and sometimes mocked—because if she recalled the sad but determined look in his eyes when he thought no one was watching, she would be tempted to believe. But her husband lied. Even Toren had once told her that.

“He staged my death to become the Centoi heir,” she said flatly

Toren sighed. “So it seemed. He said that he wanted you safe here. Apparently, your father intended to kill you once the baby was born. The goal was to have Ber rule here while Ryenil raised your child. Ber believes he would have been assassinated as soon as your child was old enough to be placed on the throne.”

Her dinner turned to stone in her stomach. Could it be true?Of course it could be true,she reminded herself. Her father was a terrible man. She might have believed falsely in Ber, but she’d never believed in her father at all. Her earliest memory was being plopped on his mistress’s lap so he could compare the two Loras, and he’d made it clear that Tes was the one lacking. She hadn’t been able to stand her own first name ever since.

“Even if that were true, it doesn’t mean Ber wasn’t part of the plan,” she pointed out.

“I thought so, too. Then he told me to change the laws of inheritance to remove him from the line of succession and provided me with a list of traitors.” Toren’s shoulders slumped with obvious weariness. “I still have my doubts, but…”

That surge of energy she’d sensed, the one Mehl had been alarmed that she’d noticed. Could Toren have altered the laws then? Yet she couldn’t ask. All of Centoi believed her to be dead, so if her father truly did want her gone, he would have no qualms about torturing her. The less she knew, the less there would be to force out of her if she was captured.

“I suppose I’ll have to have a little chat with my husband myself,” Tes said, rising from the table. “Ria promised to look after Speran, and though I’d hoped to wait longer, I’m afraid the time for that is now. I’ll seek passage from the Mages’ Guild in the city tomorrow morning.”

There was so much more she wanted to say, but sudden tears choked off her voice. Before the others could think to stop her,she spun away from the table and hurried out. Despite the extra training she’d done with Mehl, there was every chance she would die attempting to untangle all of this.

She would spend her last night here with her son or no one at all.

Chapter 4

Plotting Deception

Dawn light danced in a wavering line on the floor of the nursery as the thick curtains ruffled in the breeze from the opening door. The soft, floral scent of Ria’s soap preceded the queen into the room, but Tes continued rocking, her hand smoothing circles over Speran’s back. Though it was possible that Ria might have wanted to check on Elna, it was far more likely that she’d come to speak to Tes.

Her friend stopped beside the rocking chair. “Are you sure about this? Things aren’t so dire that you must leave right away. I can’t imagine that the situation will deteriorate so quickly that you couldn’t remain with Speran for a few more months.”

That might be true—at least, it should have been. But there was an uneasy knot in Tes’s stomach that urged her to action. Maybe it was simply experience. Her father kept the nobles under tight control, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t turmoil beneath the surface. With Ber’s intentions being uncertain and some of the nobles questioning his position? That turmoil could explode into chaos with alarming speed.

“I dare not wait,” Tes said softly. “Though I’ll do my best to return quickly. If I can find an amenable and loyal mage, I might be able to gate back more often while I resolve the matter.”

She left it unsaid that she might not be able to return at all.

Ria squeezed Tes’s shoulder. “I wish I had time to commission a teleportation artifact. Though I suppose it would be impossible to complete at the moment, since King Ryenil would hardly give one of our mages permission to bypass the castle’s shielding.”

Tes could have helped a mage with that, but when she’d last been at the palace, she’d also needed most of her energy to hide her pregnancy. Now, it would only cause her trouble to try to slip into the palace with a mage at her side. It would be hard enough to sneak into Ber’s room to kill him.

Confront. You’re supposed to confront him first.

“I’ll be fine,” Tes said. She pressed a soft kiss to her son’s head before she stood, carrying him gently to his cradle. “But more importantly, Speran will be cared for.”

It took careful juggling, but she managed to settle her son into his cradle without waking him. For a moment, she froze, her gaze locked on the baby as he shifted restlessly in his sleep. Her throat could have been seared shut, so deep was her pain, and part of her wanted to wake him just to stare into his eyes one last time. But it was better to go in peace.

As Tes tiptoed across the room, Mey slipped in, no doubt summoned by Ria. The nursemaid smiled and nodded at Tes before taking a seat in the rocking chair to watch over the babies. Of course, the maid had no idea that “Ryssa” was about to fall sick with a mysterious ailment and be confined to her room. Only the royal family, the captain of the guard, and the healer would know that Ryssa wasn’t there at all.

She waited until they’d descended the stairs and turned toward Ria’s workroom just outside the shielded hallway of the family wing before she began their planned drama.“Ready?”Tes sent her friend.

“If you are,”Ria replied.

Tes said nothing else—her reply would be in her actions.

They’d only taken another step or two before Tes stumbled. She shoved her arm out dramatically, leaning against the wall and letting out a low moan. Hunching over slightly, she pressed her free hand against her stomach.

“Ryssa?” Ria asked aloud.

“I don’t feel…”

Tes used the wall to control her calculated slide to the floor, but her yelp of pain wasn’t entirely feigned. Dammit. Her head had hit the stone hard enough to rattle her teeth. Clearly, her acting had gotten rusty.Nothing to be done but take advantage of it.She let her body go limp as though the blow had been much harder.