Page 75 of Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate #1)

Chapter Thirty-Six

The Princess

B y the time we make it back to Asher’s quarters, I’m still trembling from everything that happened, and Asher wraps me up in his arms.

“How did that happen?” I say. “How did they get here? When did he convince Charlotte to do this?”

“Hunters are very skilled,” he says quietly. “And you’ve known Dane to be a snake for years. We should be more surprised that it wasn’t just Draegonis.”

“So you think that’s true?” I say.

He sighs against me. “That your brother would double cross the king of Incendar? Yes.”

“Why go to all this trouble? He could have just killed him when he rode into Astranza.”

Asher draws back to think about that for a moment. “He wouldn’t know that Princess Victoria is...well, as she is. He might have feared retaliation if he were the aggressor. An assassin can be made to look like an accident.”

I stare at him, realization dawning. “Or a spy . That’s why he accused you of working for the Draegs.

” My heart lurches as I begin to put this together.

“No one would be surprised by an assassin sent by Draegonis to kill the king of Incendar. If he made a bargain with the Draegs, he could have killed off Maddox Kyronan and me...and made himself look like a victim!”

Asher gives me a grim look. “He gives Draegonis what they want—and Dane gets left alone.”

Something about that still doesn’t fit quite right, but I’m shaky from the attack, and I can’t puzzle it all out now.

A knock raps at the door. “It’s me,” Ky calls from outside.

Asher moves to open it. When the king enters, there’s soot on his hands. I wonder if he burned the bodies. I think of Charlotte, and I shudder. I don’t want to know.

I thought she was brave. I thought she was loyal .

I suppose she was. But that loyalty wasn’t enough to stand up to my brother. It never is.

I have to clear my throat before emotion chokes away my ability to speak. “You never told me if your sister was all right,” I say to Ky.

He nods. “Sound asleep. So is Norla. I’m lucky I don’t have guards stationed there, because it looks like an empty hallway.” He pauses. His expression is so hard. “They killed the few guards inside the palace. Some of the servants as well.”

“Ky,” I whisper.

He folds his arms and leans back against the door. “Do you believe what Charlotte said?”

“She was afraid for her life,” I say. “I do.”

He nods. “I do, too.” He pauses. “If Astranza has truly made an alliance with Draegonis, Princess, then our positions have become rather complex.”

His voice has grown cold, and I stare back at him. A chill runs up my spine as I consider what he’s saying. “Would you consider Astranza and Incendar to be at war, Your Majesty?”

“If these claims are to be believed, then yes. I would.”

His eyes are so fierce. But underneath all the aggression, I know this scares him.

I know this terrifies him. His people aren’t starving yet, but they will be soon.

My father is dying—but he’s alive right now.

Dane clearly has no intention of keeping up this farce of an alliance, but my father’s borders can still fend off Incendar.

I may have been ready to ride with Ky into Astranza to claim food, but we can’t do that if he means to launch an assault on my country.

If he even trusts that I had nothing to do with this.

I know how ruthless he can be. I know he’s a man who puts his country ahead of everything—even his own desires. A cool wind of fear curls through my chest, and I’m glad I have Asher by my side.

But I remember the king looking down at me when I washed the blood off his face. I remember the way he broke that bread in half so Asher could eat, or the way he blew on my fingers when I burned myself on his fire.

I remember every moment of thoughtful kindness I’ve witnessed since the moment I met him.

And then I remember that before any of this happened, I was a princess preparing for an alliance.

So I square my shoulders and look up at him. “I believe you and I were prepared to be allies against Prince Dane already.”

He regards me for an eternal silent moment, and his expression doesn’t flicker. I’m very aware of Asher at my shoulder, watching this face-off.

“What do you propose?” the king finally says.

“Perhaps the alliance between our countries could continue,” I say. “My father has little time left. I am second in line for the throne, after all.”

His jaw twitches as he considers this. “You would go to war against your brother to claim the throne for yourself?”

I have to take a breath, because I’ve never considered such a thing. Years of being under Dane’s thumb almost makes me falter.

But I think of the way he plotted against both of us.

I think of those blue marks on my wrist.

I think of the way Charlotte cringed—and I realize Dane must have been terrifying, indeed.

I think of the way he had Asher dragged from the palace in chains.

I think of the way Ky protected us both.

“Yes,” I say to him, lifting my chin. “I’m ready to go to war.”

The king regards me...then smiles. “Vicious, Princess.” He puts out a hand. “I will accept your offer of alliance.”

I take his hand in mine. As always, I feel his warmth, the magic that he wields.

But then Asher speaks at my back, his voice like a cool wind.

“If you only need to kill the prince,” he says darkly, “you don’t need to go to war. You don’t even need an army.”

“What do we need?” says Ky.

Asher steps forward, out of the shadows behind me. He looks between us, then puts his hand on top of ours. “You need a Hunter.”