Her Reputation (The Empire: Book 1)

by Laura R Cole

  *

  Rhys drummed his fingers on Levi’s table. Who would gain the most from Phoenix’s discredit? If people believed the rumors and Phoenix’s coronation was put off, it would further the reign of Queen Layna, but that line of reasoning was a moot point. There was no way that her mother or father would do such a thing. He mulled this thought around. But would others benefit from Layna remaining Queen? It might be ridiculous to accuse the King and Queen of being behind the attacks, but not that someone might gain from their reign being furthered.

  So who would gain from the furthering of Layna’s reign? There was the Council and the Triumvirate. Though the Council itself would remain in place to advise Phoenix, the current Triumvirate would simply be reabsorbed into the Council as a whole. Lady Aria, Lord Frolkon, and Master Banys certainly could lose a lot of power when the coronation took place unless Phoenix reappointed them as something else.

  “Do you know anything about Lady Aria?” Rhys asked Levi, who was currently stirring something over his fire.

  “You mean besides that she’s First Advisor, I assume?” He thought a moment. “There was an incident involving her and Queen Layna back before she was Queen. Something about a poisoning.”

  “A what now?”

  “Lady Aria gave Layna poison under the misguided belief that she had had something to do with the Lady’s father’s murder. Though she was cleared of charges, claiming she thought it was simply a truth serum, some remained doubtful,” Levi supplied. “I don’t think anyone doubts her loyalty now, however.”

  “Lady Aria certainly stands to lose quite a bit when Phoenix takes power,” Rhys commented. Under the current arrangement, because Lady Aria was the First Advisor of the Triumvirate, she was the highest representative of old Treymayne. Therefore, she was currently almost equal to Layna in status. And she was a woman who had chosen the power of leadership over her own son, sending him away to the farthest reaches of the Treymayne south to live with his father’s relatives. Rhys had known Aria for as long as he had known the Princess, though all interactions with her had been formal. She didn’t seem like the type who would do such a thing, but she did covet her position; that much was clear.

  Levi looked skeptical. “With all the suspicion in the castle after all that business with the Order, I’m not sure that she would have remained in her position if she was going to do something like this.”

  “What if she wasn’t planning on it before, but only now that her power is in danger of coming to an end do we see what she’s capable of?”

  Levi still looked doubtful. “What about the other two in the Triumvirate? They don’t have quite as much to lose, but Phoenix’s rule will definitely be a decline in status.”

  “Yeah, I’ll look into them too.” He thought for a moment. “And Gavin? Aria’s son? What if she wants him to take the throne instead? Didn’t she suddenly decide that she wanted him here?”

  “It wouldn’t matter,” Levi shook his head. “Gavin is the First Advisor’s son, yes, but the Council isn’t chosen by bloodlines; they are elected. Only Phoenix has royal blood, and more importantly, she is a mixture of old Gelendan and old Treymayne blood. Gavin’s best bet at becoming King would be to marry the Princess. From what I’ve heard, he’s making a go at that. Why discredit the one who’s your ticket to power?”

  Rhys bit his lip. “Alright, thanks, Levi.” He rapped his knuckles on the table and rose, preparing to head back towards the city. He had a few other things he wanted to research as well.

  Slipping into an alleyway back in the heart of Naoham, he looked around carefully before knocking on a door there. The noise and light that that emerged from the open door was a bold contrast from the bland alley. A scantily clad woman with gaudy jewelry and heavy make-up answered the door.

  “Rhys!” she exclaimed with happy surprise, drawing him inside. “You can use the front door, you know, silly.”

  “But then someone might see me,” he pointed out. The woman laughed as though it was a joke, though he was being completely serious. He greeted each of the girls by name, looking for the one he’d come to see. Megan poked her head out from the office and he waved to her. She stepped farther out, and Carolyn appeared beside her. The two were rarely seen apart.

  “We haven’t seen you in a while,” Carolyn commented. “Good to have you back.” He greeted both and cringed a bit peeking into the office. He had more than once seen Wren’s mother, Katrina, here. Though he was aware that she was here for the girls’ same talents that he was, it was still awkward. As the coordinator of the information network for Queen Layna, visiting the Golden Girls every now and again was extremely advantageous for Katrina. Brothels were infamous for loose lips. He was in luck today as Wren’s mother was nowhere to be seen.

  He made small talk with the two owners for a bit until he spotted the girl he was after coming down the stairs. She met his eyes and hers lit up. The girls all liked a little break from their usual. He only ever talked to them. He motioned to her, and she flowed over to him. It was the only word that described the sensuous way that she walked.

  “Can we talk?” he asked as she approached.

  “Anytime,” she whispered seductively and he swallowed. She led the way to a back room and drew him into a sitting position on the bed. “What are you interested in these days?”

  “Heard anything about daggers that have black handles and red blades?”

  She suddenly looked petrified, her eyes darting around the room. She lowered her voice so far that Rhys could barely hear her. He had to move in so close that he could smell the sweet smell of strawberries on her breath.

  “It’s dangerous even to speak of them. It’s said that they listen in the shadows and strike down those who would dare speak of them.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The Shadow Sisters. A group of deadly assassins. It’s said that if you are marked by one, there is nothing that will prevent your death.”

  Rhys swore. “The Shadow Sisters are assassins?” When he’d asked Michael to look into the gangs in the most powerful positions in the city, he hadn’t realized just what he’d gotten into. There was no helping it now; he’d already earned their respect, he may as well use their support, if only to leverage the others into going along with his plan.

  “Do you know anything about them using snakes?” he asked after a moment’s contemplation.

  She looked around again and shuddered visibly. Clearly, she believed what she had said about them marking you if you talked about them, and Rhys felt bad pushing her. But he had to know.

  “I’ve heard,” she began, “that there was once an assassin who worked with a snake. She was so powerful that all those now inducted into the damned group idolized her. But I don’t think she was actually in the Sisterhood. That’s all I know,” she said pleadingly.

  Rhys thanked her, and she skittered out of the room, plainly frightened. Someone who could scare a Golden Girl that much was impressive indeed.