Page 23

23

Merrick

F or good reason, I rarely invited anyone to my suite. For a very good reason and at dusk, I told Talvon to come to my suite for a chat.

He’d told me earlier he had news about what my mother was up to, and I put him off, believing Lorant would want to be involved in this conversation. While I could speak with Talvon anywhere and Lorant could listen in, I didn’t dare risk my body shifting from me to him in a public location. I never knew who might be watching, and if they weren’t ensorcelled by the curse like every other Evergorne citizen, they’d see .

If someone from one of the two rival courts, Halendor and Irridain, witnessed, there was no knowing how they’d handle the information.

“Sit,” I told Talvon when he arrived. The sun hovered a blade’s width above the horizon, and from all the prior times, I knew once Lorant was present in our mind, we would have five minutes and three seconds until the change.

Talvon settled gingerly on the edge of one of the chairs. I leaned my back against the fireplace where I could see myself—and soon, Lorant—in the large mirror on the opposite wall.

Finally, Lorant murmured in my mind, his voice sleepy. I must sound this way to him at dawn.

Talvon has come to our suite to tell us what he discovered about Mother.

Good. His sharp gaze met mine in the mirror. Make him talk.

All business and alert now, are you? I asked.

He’s not speaking.

If you stop chattering, I’ll question him.

I never chatter.

You are now.

He rolled his eyes.

“What have you learned?” I asked Talvon. “Be quick about it. I have an appointment in less than five minutes.”

“It’s as you suspected, my king,” he said, rising. “I cannot sit while you stand. I apologize but it’s just not done.”

“Sit. Stand. Whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Thank you.” He wiped sweat off his brow. “The queen mother is telling the high lords and ladies that you may not be—” His snarl broke through his statement. “I don’t want to say this. It’s a nasty rumor, nothing else.”

“Name it, please.”

“She’s suggesting that you’re not the true heir to the Evergorne throne, that she is.”

“I look very much like my father.” Or I used to, per the image hanging on my sitting area wall. Lorant and I looked similar enough that some speculated he might be a relative, but neither of us looked like we did before. Our appearance had split as well.

“You have your father’s hair color, his eyes, build, and facial structure.” Talvon clenched his fists at his sides. “How dare the queen mother, who should know who the father of her only child is, say such a thing?”

Because she’ll benefit, Lorant said. With you shoved aside, she’ll claim the throne and rule with a stone fist.

Talvon stiffened. “I’m certain you’ve heard the rumor that she dallied with your father’s high advisor, but I’ve never believed it was true. Not only because I’m loyal to the throne and the royal family, but her lying with the high advisor? I cannot believe it. She was as aware as everyone else that any heir she produced had to come from the royal line. I will swear on my grave that she was loyal to King Theon.”

Except she wasn’t.

She actually was, I said.

She wasn’t in every way possible. She hated Father, and she made it obvious. She adored the high advisor and willfully fucked him. His dry laugh rang out. I imagine she may have felt a twinge of guilt here and there while lying beneath him, but she knowingly went to his bed.

If only she’d loved Father like she did him. My throat tightened, a warning that I was sliding too close to the edge of a very steep cliff. If I wasn’t careful, I’d fall. Speaking about the curse directly in our mind choked us off as quickly as speaking aloud.

“You’re the true heir to the throne, and I will defend this until my dying day,” Talvon said. “But the rumors are taking root. One of your high lords in particular is whispering with those who feel sympathetic to your mother. If they can convince enough, we’ll be fighting off a coup.”

Kill her, Lorant said.

We can’t kill Mother .

Why not?

Because she’s…Mother. Despite everything, I still loved her. Some would say I was a fool, but kindness and compassion were my attributes and my curse, not Lorant’s.

Gullible, he said simply. If you can’t do it, leave it to me.

Don’t. Please. I see who she is now, though she wasn’t like this when I was young. You remember.

More or less.

I’ll talk with her. Tell her to stop or else.

You won’t be able to carry out ‘or else,’ but I can. As you’ve said, this is me, not you. I’ll handle it. He paced, his image wavering into the mirror before disappearing, though I’d determined years ago that only I could see him there. At least let me look into this in my own way. Once we eliminate the threat, the rest will back off. Or disappear.

Assassin.

Then we can focus on what’s important, he added.

Reyla. I didn’t even need to speak her name.

Always, he breathed.

The wild passion in his voice made me pause. You love her?

He said nothing, and when I slanted a glance toward the mirror, he was staring at the floor. Four minutes and ten seconds.

“Which high lord is speaking so vocally?” I quickly asked Talvon.

“There are two, actually. Lord Hadrin of Mirkwood, the one accused of stealing Devron Bullipart’s cows.”

No surprise there, Lorant said.

“And?”

Talvon pinched his eyes closed before opening them again. I read sympathy there. “Zeiger.”

The highest lord in my court, next in line for my throne if something should happen to me and my mother. “I’m not worried about Hadrin. ”

“Zeiger’s words will carry the most weight.” Talvon knew exactly what I meant.

Kill them both. Lorant’s sharp gaze met mine in the mirror. His words came out in rapid fire. We cannot allow this to continue. If they rally others to their cause, we’ll find ourselves warring within our own court before our thirtieth birthday. And we know what’ll happen after that. Reyla will be left to deal with your mother and the rest. She’s strong, but she’s new to the court. They will not permit her to rule as she should. Not even if ? —

She was pregnant with our child.

We don’t have time to play with this, he snapped. Kill Zeiger and Hadrin, and anyone else contemplating supporting your mother will back down. Send this message and do it now.

“You’re sure Zeiger’s involved?” I asked Talvon. Hadrin could be handled, but the highest lord in my court?

Damn my mother.

“Heard him myself,” Talvon said. “I followed him after I heard he and Hadrin had been meeting with the queen mother frequently and were trying to rally support among other nobles, though no others have, as of yet, committed to their cause.”

Then I needed to solidify what support I could as soon as possible.

I will speak with Zeiger, Lorant growled.

I doubted he could make things worse.

Talvon grunted. “I’m sorry I have to share this news with you.”

I was sure he was. “How did you overhear them? Surely they didn’t speak of this out in the open?”

“The guard has ways.”

Kill your mother and Zeiger now, Lorant roared.

Fucking shut up!

His gaze blazed into mine in the mirror. Drifting to the night side, are you, my king ?

I can handle this.

I believe that will fall to me. His sardonic smirk rose. Two minutes left.

“Is there anything else I need to know?” I barked.

“That’s all I’ve discovered, but I’ll keep looking into this, of course. I won’t stop until I’m dead.”

Any other questions? I asked Lorant. Tell me quickly before I have to send him from the room.

I repeated them to Talvon, speaking fast and urging him to reply even faster. “Have you identified specific weaknesses in any of the high lords who might be convinced to rally around my mother? Anything we can exploit to divide or discredit them?”

“I’ve noted a few potential flaws among the high lords who could be tempted. Lord Eldred has been embezzling from his own coffers to support his mistress. Since I've gathered the evidence, we can threaten to expose him to his high lady. He'll soon be rallying everyone to support you as king.” Talvon's sly grin rose. “Lord Cedric has a gambling habit that has left him indebted. If we offer to clear his debts, he’ll be screaming out his loyalty.”

Do it, Lorant said.

That already occurred to me. He was not the only one who could be dry on occasion. “See that this is done.”

“Of course, my king.”

What else do you want to know? I asked Lorant, then spoke to Talvon. “What measures have been taken to secure the palace and the city in case of a sudden coup attempt? Are our forces prepared for an internal threat?”

Talvon nodded, his expression serious. “We've increased patrols within the palace and around the city as you suggested. I've also assigned additional guards to key locations and vital personnel spattered here and there to spy. Hiring more for patrols beyond the wall is helping in many ways. Moreover, I've been working with our intelligence network to keep an eye on the high lords' activities. We're as prepared as we can be without alerting them to our knowledge of their plans.”

“Excellent. Can we trust anyone within the court?”

“It's hard to say. Many keep their true loyalties hidden, but I have informants among them who’ve proven reliable, and they're working only for us.”

I patted his back, grateful for his support. “Thank you.”

He jerked out a nod, his gaze sliding to my hand as it dropped to my side.

“Have you discovered any concrete evidence of treason that could be used against the queen mother and her supporters?” I asked. “Something that would hold weight in a council meeting or trial?”

Talvon cleared his throat, well understanding the gravity of the questions. “As of now, my king, the evidence is primarily based on whispered conversations. I've witnessed meetings taking place in secret, seen correspondence passed between your mother and those two specific high lords, but the contents have been carefully guarded. I haven't intercepted anything concrete yet, no signed documents or explicit plans that could be presented to the elders or in a trial. However, the frequency and secrecy of these exchanges suggest they’re closer to acting. It's only a matter of time before we uncover something solid.” He paused, his expression serious. “I assure you, I'm doing everything within my power to gather irrefutable evidence. We need something that will stand against any scrutiny. It’s out there. I won't stop until I find it.”

Fifteen seconds, Lorant growled.

“Time to leave.” I grabbed Talvon’s arm and hustled him to the door, swinging it open and pretty much tossing him out into the hall.

Talvon spun to face me. “Rest assured, Your Majesty, I’ll do everything I can to protect your throne and the stability of our kingdom.”

“Yes, yes. Notify Briscalar of our conversation and your discovery. Ask him to give me his thoughts.”

Color rose into Talvon’s face. I’d already suspected these two were close, and I was happy for them.

“I will.” His smile rose, not appropriate after our conversation, but he was probably thinking of Briscalar already. “I’ll see to it immed?—”

I slammed the panel closed.

My body started shimmering, sliding between darkness and light.