Page 33 of My Princeling Brat (Tales from the Tarot #2)

Lord Vasil

“You handled that well,” I told Cedrych regarding his chat with our recalcitrant and painfully young prisoner.

One couldn’t help but pity the lad, if he was telling the truth.

We were now on our way to the study, standing together with two of my guards in what Cedrych called my “flight box.” I could smell his honeyed skin, the sweet tang of orange peel, his scent always teasing at the fringes of my senses and distracting me from the matter at hand.

“I didn’t get a name from him,” Cedrych said, discouraged.

“No, but you earned his trust and gave him an alternative to consider.”

“I feel bad for the boy. He’s clearly been enslaved and abused. There are probably more where he came from.”

“A fae trafficking ring,” I remarked. My spies hadn’t told me anything of the sort, but the alleged crime needed investigating.

I led Cedrych to the chaise he favored and watched him carefully try to sit, sympathetic to his discomfort but a bit aroused by it too.

“Lunch will be brought up. Read a book and try to relax. I’ll be right next door if you need anything. ”

“What will you be doing?” he asked.

“Summoning my spies.”

I left him there in my study, our guards posted right outside the door.

My first order of business was to check in with my contacts in the elvish realm for any leads on the culprit behind this latest attempt on my life.

They were aggravatingly sparse on information, and none seemed to know of any child trafficking ring, fae or otherwise.

When it came to who might have put the lad up to his crime, there were a lot of theories on who might have done it but no proof.

After that disappointment, I summoned Sir Grantham Breckon, my cousin’s guard of honor, to determine if he knew what Sinclair was scheming.

The man appeared to be in the stables, brushing down a lovely white mare that my cousin favored.

They must have gone riding that morning, one of Sinclair’s favorite pastimes.

“He’s not plotting to overthrow you,” Grantham said in answer to my query. “Not to my knowledge anyway.”

“How can you be so sure?”

The large man set down the grooming brush and walked with his handheld summoner into what looked like an enclosed stable.

For privacy, I assumed. “I don’t think he wants to rule your lands, m’lord.

He’s said as much to me in confidence. He’s got proof of some sort, as he said at the tournament, regarding your parents’ and Master Kane’s death.

I overheard him and Lady Kazimir arguing about it. ”

“Arguing?” I asked, intrigued.

“She didn’t want him to tell you. Said it was clan business.”

Clan business. How could any information regarding my parents’ death not include me too? Unless they were the culprits behind it. “Is she worried this evidence will implicate her?”

“No, m’lord, I think…” Grantham shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “I think she’s trying to protect you.”

I nearly laughed out loud. Protect me? From what exactly? That woman had done nothing but try to usurp me from my throne since I’d been a fledgling. Only my talent as a sorcerer and Anika’s defensive prowess had saved my kingdom from becoming an extension of the Kazimir Clan.

And my backing by the fae queen.

“If that’s true,” I said to Grantham, “and she has proof of who killed my parents and Master Kane, why would she hold onto it for so long and let me think she was guilty of the crime?”

“I don’t know, m’lord. You know I’m not one for palace politics.”

That was certainly true, something I appreciated about Sir Grantham. He seldom offered his own interpretation of things, merely reported on what he saw.

“So, I should invite Lord Kazimir for a visit,” I concluded.

“If you want to know what he knows, then yes, m’lord.”

“And as far as you can tell, my cousin isn’t conspiring to assassinate me?”

“No, m’lord. Of that, I’m sure.”

I nodded and said to Grantham, “Then I’ll arrange a meeting.”

“A bit of advice?” the man said and I gestured for him to continue.

“Make it nice for him, m’lord. Lord Kazimir is a bit…

ah, he’s lonely. He’d like for things between you two to be the way they used to be before…

well, you know. Whatever he might say to get under your skin, that’s his way of trying to build a bridge. ”

“You think Sinclair’s affection toward me is sincere?” I asked incredulously.

“I do, sir. He respects you, despite his unusual way of showing it.”

“This couldn’t have anything to do with his upcoming coronation and his need to build allies, not to mention his increasingly unstable mother?” I asked.

“Can’t it be both, m’lord? Everyone needs a friend, after all, even you.”

Did he think I was lonely too? Perhaps before Cedrych came along, but not anymore. Now, I had that incorrigible prince to occupy my days and satisfy my nights. Still, Sir Grantham seldom spoke at length about anything. Clearly this was important to him.

“You’ve given me a lot to ponder, Sir Grantham,” I said at last.

“One more thing, m’lord.” He rubbed the back of his head, highlighting his impressive physique, stalling as if nervous.

“Yes?”

“This arrangement we have between you and me. It’s been going on ten years now.”

“Do you need additional compensation?” I asked.

“No, m’lord. I don’t even need the money you send me. Lord Kazimir is very generous.”

That didn’t surprise me. Despite my acrimony toward my cousin, he surely appreciated the fact that he was safe and well-guarded under Sir Grantham’s careful watch. I wasn’t the only target for assassination.

“I’ll forever be grateful to your father and what he did for me and my family during the war,” Grantham continued. “I’ve enjoyed serving both you and Lord Kazimir over the years, each in your own way.”

“But,” I prodded. It wasn’t like him to be so circumspect.

“My loyalties are divided, m’lord. To be truthful, they have been for a while now.”

I eyed my most faithful spy, having an idea of where this was headed and not liking it at all. “Speak plainly, Sir Grantham.”

“I do not wish to report on the Lord and Lady Kazimir anymore. I’ve observed them closely for the past ten years, and while they are in no way perfect, I don’t think they’re guilty of the crimes against your parents and Master Kane.”

“Would you wager your life on it, Sir Grantham?”

He sighed, staring soberly at me from the summoner’s glass surface. “I would, sir.”

It would be a huge loss to my intel, but he wasn’t my only informant in the Celestial Gorge, and perhaps it was time to turn my attention away from my vampyric relations.

Nor did I wish to compel a man against his will.

Sir Grantham had been a loyal spy. The fact that he was coming to me with his reservations only supported the fact.

“Very well, Sir Grantham. I release you from your oath to the Vasil Clan. I’ll draw up the paperwork and have it delivered.”

“I’ll collect it myself,” he said quickly. “I’d rather Lord Kazimir be none the wiser.”

Interesting that he was more concerned with Sinclair’s opinion than my cousin’s fearsome mother, Lady Catrin, the blood-chilling harpy. “Very well. On behalf of my father and myself, I thank you for your devoted service to the Vasil Clan.”

“Aye, m’lord.”

The summons ended and I sat back in my chair, contemplating this new turn of events.

I’d need to have my scribe draw up both the release papers for Sir Grantham as well as an invite to my cousin for dinner.

No, lunch. I didn’t want him spending the night.

I’d make it nice for him, formal, since Sinclair appreciated the pomp.

His favorite foods with a bottle of fresh blood to impress him.

As I was deciding my next steps, my summoner lit up with an incoming request. I focused intently on the smoky glass until Queen Gwyneth’s heavily powdered visage appeared.

“Vasil,” she said in a voice that conveyed she’d rather be doing anything else.

“Your Majesty.”

“How is my son?”

“Doing well, Your Majesty. Dare I say, thriving.” Perhaps it was bold of me to claim it as such, but Cedrych seemed happy and healthy under my care.

“Despite the attempt on his life?” the queen said, lips puckered with scorn.

“That was distressing,” I admitted.

“And is it true you handcuffed him, a member of the royal fae family, in front of your subjects?”

“A necessary precaution,” I assured her, inwardly cringing at what the daily scrolls might have had to say about that.

“Seems you lack control of your subjects, Lord Vasil. Makes me wonder if you’ve shown the same lassitude with my son.”

I bit back a retort and reminded myself that the fae queen demanded the utmost respect and tact in all things.

“We are investigating the culprit or culprits behind that incident, Your Majesty. It’s my first priority, in fact.

I’ve increased security around the fortress. I can assure you, your son is safe.”

“Not safe from himself, though,” she remarked, clearly understanding my predicament with the headstrong prince.

“We’re working on that too.”

She sniffed and plucked up some fae confection, taking the time to chew and swallow before addressing me again. The queen liked to keep her subjects waiting, and it seemed I was no exception.

“Well, I suppose I should inform you, Lord Vasil, that Cedrych’s time in the elvish realm has come to an end. I’ve found him a suitor here in my lands.”

I nearly choked, the news so wildly unappealing that it took me a moment to gather my wits and respond. “Are you sure that’s wise, Your Majesty?”

“It’s certainly more prudent. The man is a duke, owns property in the highlands where Cedrych can be kept away from palace scandal, head of the Honey Guild. It’s a good match.”

“Duke Holcomb?” I asked.

“That’s the one.”