Two Wicked Courts

Chapter 8

I continued pretending as though nothing was wrong as daily life returned to normal after the festival died down. There had been grand balls, the air thick with glamour, a thousand colors of dresses, notes of hypnotic music, and I remembered nothing else. I drank the wine. I didn't care if I didn't remember. The hunt had affected me deeply even if I couldn't show it. I still heard the screams at night. I still saw the bodies when I closed my eyes. I still felt Leander smearing their blood up my arms. I, as always, could do nothing.

Leander went to his studies with his tutors and I was free to roam. Ever since that first day, I had avoided the king's wing of the palace, but after everything Leander had revealed before the hunt, I was curious to see if I could witness evidence to his claims. I had no use for the information, but I was terribly curious.

I didn't get very far.

Emrys and Cia turned into the hallway in front of me. I ducked into the library before they noticed me, heart suddenly racing. I knew they didn't always attend Leander's studies but I hadn't thought to check. If I wasn't able to dig through their chambers, hopefully a private conversation could prove just as insightful.

"They're a hindrance, Emrys. Everything we've planned brought to a standstill. You should get rid of them."

"Cia!" He snapped sharply. "You know I can't just..."

"Why ever not? You're the king, aren't you?"

"I'll excuse your tone with me."

Even if I hadn't known of their affair, they spoke far too intimately to be anything other than lifelong friends or lovers. There was hardly enough warmth for it to be friendship, but she was allowed to address him by name and to argue with him, so it was enough.

He continued speaking. "There are rules. I know it seems relatively minor. If I broke them, what's to stop others from the same? One rule disregarded leaves an opening for more, and then eventually everything would collapse around us into ruin. You have no forethought."

There was a long, heavy pause. I could only imagine Cia's expression. Her voice picked up farther down the hall. "I'll be leaving with the twins for the Isles tomorrow. They will be vulnerable and there will never be a better opportunity. Tell me you'll consider it, at least."

"Whatever I decide, you will support it." It was very clearly not a question. "I make no promises."

"Of course, how could I expect anything else?" Her voice had a note of bitterness in it and if she said anything else, I couldn't hear it. They had walked too far for me to continue eavesdropping.

My mind spun with the new information. The mention of Cia and the twins trip, however interesting that may be, was overshadowed. They both had been careful not to specify name or gender, or even say kill, but it must be a political assassination. I wondered if it was one of the council members Leander had mentioned. Perhaps Lys wasn't far off the mark with his guesses.

I imagined the uproar a sudden death at the palace would cause. It would be the first interesting thing to happen since we arrived. The princes and courtiers would talk about it for weeks, gossip about who they suspected, and I would know that it was Emrys and Cia. I tucked the knowledge away in case I could use it later. It could be leverage used for freedom.

When I deemed it safe to leave, too much time had passed for me to be able to go to the kitchens for food, so I scurried back to the room to wait for Leander. Lys was playing a game of cards with Alana when I entered. He didn't seem like he noticed my absence. I watched their game silently, recognizing it from one of the few Leander taught me to play. I would have offered to play to pass the time, but Lys glamoured Alana so she'd always lose, though I'm sure she'd lose anyway given how much wine she was drinking. It seemed boring to me, to always win, but maybe that's because I always seemed to lose.