Page 35

Chapter

Thirty-Four

A s they walked down the stairs to the sitting room, Lessia turned to Merrick.

“Did you hear anything about what happened?”

The Fae shook his head, his eyes fixed on the stone stairway. “I arrived back in time to hear you in that room, but I didn’t see any of the guards that breached the castle.”

She lowered her voice. “Where were you?”

Not that she particularly cared what Merrick did with his free time, but if he had been out on orders from his king, she wanted to know why.

And he seemed more talkative than usual today.

Merrick rushed his gait, taking the stairs three steps at a time with his long legs. “I had business to take care of.”

Sighing, Lessia forced her tired legs to follow him.

Apparently, he wasn’t that talkative.

Dozens of guards, some dusty and bloodied, stood outside the arched doors to the room they were to gather in .

Lessia eyed them as she passed, but the men kept their gazes straight ahead.

At least those she could see the faces of.

Ten of Loche’s men stood on either side of Ellow’s guards, their masks glowing in the firelight.

One of the men turned his head when Loche passed him, and goose bumps raced across her skin when the mask snapped to her next. The long beak pointed directly at her as the man inside it sized her up.

She slipped past him, letting out a breath of relief as she walked into the room. Only Ellow’s guards were posted here, standing every few feet of the curved walls.

Before the fireplace sat a tired Craven and Venko, and opposite them, Frayson rested in a plush chair, a long nightshirt haphazardly tucked into his dark breeches.

Their eyes lifted when Loche threw himself down in a chair to Frayson’s right, Zaddock taking a place right behind it.

Sitting down in the only free chair, Lessia cautiously observed the men around her, very aware of Merrick’s brooding presence behind the backrest.

Gods, even when he didn’t wield his magic, she could feel it thrumming from him, a constant reminder the Death Whisperer was her companion.

If she’d only known when her father told her and Frelina stories of him growing up…

Her hand flew to her chest as her sister’s name slammed into her mind, followed by her squeals of excitement—and fear—as she begged their father to tell them more about the man who’d fought so many wars for the Fae, won against so many enemies.

When Merrick’s hand landed on her shoulder, she snapped out of it, realizing all men in the room stared at her: Craven with a look of disgust, Venko blankly, and Loche with that curious expression again.

As if he needed to figure out every thought passing through her mind.

Merrick removed the hand when Frayson cleared his throat.

“As you’re all aware, the castle was attacked today.

A few of the men got away, and those who weren’t killed seem to have brought poison to ensure we couldn’t make them speak.

” Shaking his head, the graying man stared into the orange flames.

“But they all bore Stellia’s emblem on their chests. ”

Craven slammed his hands against his knees, his eyes bloodshot. “Well, then she needs to be captured and executed. She clearly had an agenda from the beginning—taking out her competition. They came straight for me when they entered the castle.”

Frayson eyed him for a moment, then turned to Venko. “Did you see anything else? Did they say anything when they stormed in?”

Venko shook his head, his eyes meeting Lessia’s for a moment before he turned them to the fire.

“They didn’t say anything, but they clearly came for me—again!” Craven’s cheeks burned as he glared at them. “They know who will win this election. They didn’t even bother with Venko; one even pushed him aside.”

“I fought him off, Craven.” Venko rose from his chair, taking a step toward him. “I didn’t run like you, coward.”

Frayson raised his hands. “Settle down, gentlemen. There is no point in arguing. We need to figure out who did this and how to stop it from happening again.”

Loche turned his head when Zaddock bent down to whisper something, then stalked out of the room after the exchange .

“You’re unusually quiet, Loche.” Craven waved a finger in his direction. “Anything you’d like to share?”

Loche didn’t bother glancing in the man’s direction. “Not really.”

Frowning, Lessia sliced her gaze between the men.

Loche was unusually quiet.

Some of his men had died tonight, and while she’d seen him affected by it, she was surprised he didn’t offer more opinions.

They all turned to the door when a guard walked through it, and Lessia tensed when he bore the dark blue uniform signaling his captain’s position in the navy. But the pin on his chest was of two crossed swords, not the sail of Stellia’s company.

“You may speak freely, Captain.” Frayson eyed them, his gaze lingering on Merrick behind her for a moment before he continued. “There are only friends in the room.”

Nodding, the captain straightened, heels slamming together.

“Stellia and two of her battleships have gone missing. They were seen close to the borders of Vastala two days ago, but it’s like they’ve disappeared from this realm.

We spoke to one of the Fae captains, and they haven’t crossed their waters.

We will continue searching, but it seems she had this planned for a while. ”

Lessia’s mouth fell open when Loche stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

“I guess Loche is informing his own guards to keep an eye out.” Frayson tried to smile at them.

“As he should. He is still regent,” Craven scoffed.

Lessia rolled her eyes, briefly locking her gaze with that of a scowling Venko.

“Well.” Frayson rose on shaky legs, glancing down at his nightshirt.

“The council is still coming tomorrow. There will be a debate at noon and a ball in the evening. We cannot postpone it, but we’re bringing in twice the number of guards and will keep a close eye on who enters the castle.

I suggest you go to bed. We’ll ensure your rooms are well guarded. ”

Muttering under his breath, Craven left the room with his massive guard, who’d been posted by the door. Venko followed soon after, still without a personal guard by his side, but two of Loche’s men fell in step behind him as he disappeared around the corner.

As Lessia walked through the doors, closely followed by Merrick, a hand landed on her back. “May I speak with you?”

When she turned around, Zaddock gestured toward a small alcove beneath the stairway. “In private?”

Stepping in between them, Merrick growled, “If you think I’m letting her out of my sight, you’re very wrong.”

Lessia fought a smile when Zaddock nodded gravely.

Merrick wasn’t concerned for her safety out of the goodness of his heart. He was only concerned because of his duty to his king—because they needed her alive.

For now, at least.

“Of course. I wasn’t implying you weren’t welcome to join.” Zaddock waved toward the dim spot by the stairs again. “Could we speak over there?”

“Yes.” Lessia glared in Merrick’s direction when a low sound rumbled in his chest.

When the Fae reached out for her arm, she slipped away, following Zaddock.

She was curious whether he’d be able to tell them more about why Stellia would attack, and she wouldn’t have the grumpy Fae warrior stop her.

As they huddled together, Merrick’s large frame towering over them, Zaddock waited until two guards marched past to take up their positions at the castle entrance .

Lessia’s pulse quickened in the thick silence.

What could he want to tell them that he couldn’t even tell the guards of Ellow?

After casting a swift glance around, Zaddock spoke in a hushed voice. “I don’t know what’s going on with you and Loche, and usually I would say it’s none of my business, but election times are dangerous as it is…”

Her brows flew up.

He wanted to speak about Loche?

Glaring at him, she responded quietly, “Nothing is going on with us, and you don’t need to worry about him. He seems to be able to take care of himself.”

A frown formed across Zaddock’s forehead. “I am not worried about him, Lessia. I came to warn you from getting too involved—”

“Or what? You’re threatening her?” Merrick snarled. “I don’t take easy to threats.”

She was glad Merrick couldn’t see her roll her eyes, but Zaddock caught it, the corners of his mouth quirking slightly. “I am not threatening her, I am just looking out for her. I’ve seen you spend a lot of time with him, and I just…”

Merrick snarled again, his magic thrumming in the air, and Zaddock’s face blanched.

Pinching his arm, Lessia tried to snap Merrick out of it before he exposed them both.

Even if Zaddock was human, he must feel the air shifting.

And it wasn’t a natural tension filling it.

Slowly the air stilled, no longer sparking from electricity, and Zaddock glanced between them, shaking his head. “I see I am not explaining myself well. I shall leave you to it, but just… remember what I said.”

With that, he cast a final look at them, uncertainty flitting across his features before he scaled the stairs.

Lessia took a step closer to Merrick, trying to ignore the deadly magic still vibrating softly around them. “You need to stop doing that. He could sense your magic. They’ll know something is up if it happens again, and I’d prefer to get out of this alive.”

His jaw ticked, but finally, he flexed his hands, his tense posture relaxing slightly. “You need to go to bed. We’re training early tomorrow.”

Turning around, he started up the stairs but stilled when Lessia didn’t immediately follow.

Sighing, she fell into step with him.

What was his problem?

Everyone was on edge because of the election and the attack, but Zaddock’s, Merrick’s, and even Loche’s reactions confused her.

When she went to bed, her thoughts still swirled, but she was no closer to understanding what was going on as sleep crept in.