Page 40 of The Shadowed Throne (Midlife Fairy Tale #4)

A nyka leaned back, arms crossed, mindful of Galwyn perched on the back of her chair. These men were not listening to her, but Galwyn’s presence helped keep her calm. “No, I don’t like that idea. I told you, nothing that puts me at risk.” She glared at Ishmyel, Wyett, and Hawke.

Nazyr was currently helping Grylan come up with a spell that would allow her to take possession of Merediem, but she was starting to think he might be more useful here. These three had yet to come up with a way for her to kill Sparrow without putting herself in danger.

She sighed. “There has to be a better way.”

“My beloved niece, you are asking a great deal. You want Sparrow dead by your own hand without a scratch on yourself. It is nearly impossible. No matter how much peace Sparrow wants, you cannot imagine she won’t fight back.”

“Then the plan needs to be for me to incapacitate her so she is unable to fight back.”

Wyett’s mouth was set in a hard line. “Let’s say we do that. What then of her guard, the Grym? He is fast and, from all accounts, lethal in a way few are. He might kill you before one of your guards can even notch an arrow.”

She closed her eyes in a vain attempt to quell her temper. She took a few breaths, but they weren’t really helping. “Then your plan needs to include eliminating him, too, doesn’t it?”

Hawke tapped his finger on the table. “The plan really needs to be to take them all out at once.”

Anyka perked up. “I would definitely like to hear that idea.”

“Oh, I, uh, don’t have an idea for that yet,” Hawke said. “I was just kind of thinking out loud.”

Idiot. A shadow passed through her vision. She frowned at him. “You are supposed to be good at strategy.”

A moment of silence stretched out, the tension in the air nearly palpable.

Wyett shifted. “If we could separate them, we would have a better chance at taking them out at the same time.”

“Interesting,” Anyka said. “How would you pair them up?”

“You with Sparrow, obviously,” he said. “I’d think Hawke with Nightborne.”

Hawke grimaced.

She scowled at him. “Do you not think yourself a match for him?”

“My shoulder is not yet fully healed.”

“You just told me yourself it was nearly there.”

“Nearly is not fully ,” he said.

“Can you take him or not?”

Hawke rubbed at his shoulder. “Isn’t he unsycht ?”

“Yes. So he already deserves to die. What of it?”

“What if he disappears in the midst of our battle? He could come around behind me and slit my throat before I can cry for help.”

She was about done with him. “You are the Minister of Defense . Is that truly the best you can come up with? A cry for help? That traitorous Grym is the one who should cry for help, not you, you daft lout.”

She reached up to touch Galwyn’s breast, the softness of his feathers soothing.

That small comfort did nothing to alleviate the lack of ideas from the men before her.

“All of you need to think harder. It solves nothing if Sparrow kills me before she succumbs. You understand that? Or, worse, imagine if she kills me and survives her injuries. I love my daughter too much to wish the burden of the crown upon her head yet.”

Galwyn cawed softly, as if underlining Anyka’s words.

She let the men stew in silence while she tried to think of something herself. In a perfect situation, she’d meet with Sparrow alone, beguile her with kind words and false promises, then, when she wasn’t looking, slip a dagger into her heart.

And if the meeting took place near the prison itself, where the cliffs were high and the drop long, Anyka would yank the dagger out and shove Sparrow over to disappear in the sea. Devoured by the creatures that lived in its dark depths.

Hmm. That wasn’t a bad idea.

“There should be a way that Sparrow and I are allowed to talk in private. Away from the rest of you.”

Wyett shook his head. “I doubt her protector will allow that.”

“I agree,” Ishmyel said. “I’m sure Nightborne is already too suspicious of this meeting. If Sparrow goes anywhere, Nightborne will be at her side.”

Anyka thought about that. “We could both agree to set our weapons down. I could hand off Mourning Hawke to you, uncle, along with my dagger, and she could give hers to Nightborne.”

“Then what would you kill her with?” Hawke asked.

Anyka rolled her eyes at him. “I wouldn’t give up all my blades. But she would think I had.”

Wyett looked unconvinced. “What if her wizard can tell it’s a lie? That would end things right there. Possibly even cause something worse to happen.”

“Then I give up all my weapons, get her out of sight in the right place, and push her over the edge.”

“So she is uninjured and perfectly whole when you push her? What if she grabs hold of you and takes you with her over that edge?” Ishmyel asked.

“We could have a blade hidden somewhere on the island ahead of time,” Anyka countered.

Hawke frowned. “She’ll have her guards sweep the area. I plan on having ours do the same.”

“Nazyr could hold them all in place with magic, then we slit the throat of every single member of her party.” Anyka raised her brows. “Think of how glorious that would be. All of them gone in one fell swoop.” The darkness surged at the thought of so much blood.

Ishmyel sighed. “And you don’t think her wizard would have thought of that and prepared for it? He is more than capable and, quite possibly, more skilled than Nazyr.”

Anyka scowled but couldn’t argue that. Sparrow’s wizard was known to be exceptionally gifted. “Then what do I bloody do? How do I kill her without her killing me?”

Hawke took a deep breath. “In battle, I would tell you to strike fast and make it a killing blow. Through the heart or through the eye and into the brain. That won’t work here because she will have too many around her who will strike back.”

Anyka held her tongue, because it seemed like he had more to say. She was right.

“What we need is a distraction. Something that will take eyes off of her long enough so that you might strike that blow. Long enough so that the rest of us are in place to defend you and put daggers through their hearts.”

“Yes,” Anyka hissed with delight. “Now we are on to something. What kind of a distraction?”

Hawke shook his head and looked at the other men. “I don’t know. What do you think we are capable of?”

“Magic,” Wyett said.

Ishmyel nodded. “We need magic. We need Nazyr and Grylan.”

“Grylan is worthless,” Anyka said. “I doubt he’ll be of any use to me once this sword spell is accomplished. Nazyr will have to do it. I have faith in him. So once the distraction happens, I will take out Sparrow. Who will handle the son? And the Grym?”

“I will take the son,” Wyett said.

Ishmyel glanced at Hawke. “Perhaps together we can take on the Grym, if Nazyr deals with her wizard. He must be occupied, or he will strike us all down.”

“Is there any way we can hide guards there ahead of time?” Anyka asked. “Perhaps secret them away in the closest cell?”

“Again,” Wyett said. “I’m sure her guards will sweep the prison inside and out. Anything unusual will be found out.”

Anyka exhaled a heavy sigh. “I need some advantage. Some way to be sure this will go in my favor.”

“What about Trog?” Ishmyel asked.

“He’ll be guarding Beatryce, although I am having Nazyr make her an amulet of protection. But she must be safe.”

Wyett’s mouth tightened again. “It would be better, your highness, if she did not come. She creates an unnecessary liability.”

“She needs to be there. She needs to understand what it means to be queen. I’ve already asked her to come, and she is eager.”

His brows lifted. “Does she know what you mean to do?”

“Yes,” Anyka said proudly. “And not only does she understand but she’s encouraged me in this endeavor. The betrothal to Dren has been very good for her. He sees the throne as the privilege it is, and he has shown her that the power that comes with it can be a very good thing.”

Anyka thought she caught a hint of a frown on Wyett’s face, as though Beatryce’s new interest in the crown was a bad thing, but it disappeared so quickly Anyka couldn’t be sure.

Ishmyel scrubbed his hands over his face. “This may all be for naught.”

“In what way?” Anyka asked.

“We’ve yet to hear back from Sparrow since your last letter.” Displeasure frosted his gaze. “She may have very well read between the lines and now understands you mean to do her harm at this meeting.”

“You see trouble where there is none. There were no lines to read between, uncle.”

“Of course there were! You told her everyone you’re bringing, including Princess Beatryce, so that she would feel compelled to bring her heir as well.

Just like you mentioned you’ll be wearing Mourning Hawke, again, so she’ll feel compelled to wear Merediem.

Who couldn’t see your intention in that?

And what person with a brain wouldn’t question why those things were so important to you? ”

Anyka sulked, his words picking at the very things she’d been worried about, upsetting the darkness. “Sparrow is not that smart.”

Ishmyel rolled his eyes. “You underestimate her. You’ve done that before, and it did not have good results.” He sighed, his tone softening. “All I’m saying is we might not be going to any meeting. It’s something to consider.”

“And what if there isn’t a meeting? Then what?” Her eyes narrowed. “Then you will have to figure out how to get me what I want. And if you can’t, I will find someone who can .”