The Veil of Trust

by S. Usher Evans

  "I'll be more careful," I said.

  He rolled his eyes, as if he couldn't believe he was still doing this. "Look, you wanna be queen, right? That means you have to delegate and trust that people are gonna do what you want. They may not do it the way you wanted, but the job'll still get done. You have to believe that they know what they're doing, so that you can take care of the shit only a queen can take care of. Get it?"

  I wasn't sure I liked this new version of Jax. "Since when did you become so perceptive?" I asked, taking a step back. "And care about what I do?"

  "Celia's orders. She promised me quite a reward if I kept you from making a monumental mistake."

  My jaw fell open. "Celia? Why in the Mother's name would she do that?"

  "You got debts to pay," he said. "Debts you can only pay if you're queen. Ergo, here I am. Saving your ass when you obviously don't want to be saved and telling you things you ought to know already."

  It sounded so believably like Celia. Besides Luard, Jax was the one person whose opinion I begrudgingly listened to. Even if he did insult me while delivering it.

  "Fine," I said, walking toward him. "But that doesn't mean I'm giving up on Felix and Katarine. I will rescue them."

  "Of course you will."

  I didn't like his snide tone, but I let it slide. "In any case, it wasn't a complete waste of time. I know who Felix was speaking with before he was arrested."

  "Yeah? Who?"

  My gaze darkened. "Someone who's about to regret what they've done."

  By the time we were able to sneak out of the castle, it was already dusk, which suited me perfectly. Knowing Ruby was even partially responsible for Felix's predicament set my blood boiling. I wanted to find out what she knew—tonight.

  "If I were you, I'd take things a little more gently," Jax said, crouching beside me on the roof. "She sold out your boyfriend, but she also has information you could use."

  "I know that," I snapped. Like the rest of the town, Ruby's café was closed after dark, but she was inside, cleaning. There didn't seem to be anyone else there. "Doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with her, though. Make her sweat her decision."

  I made my way across the street to the alley behind her shop. With ease, I picked the lock and let myself inside the large kitchen with stone ovens and wooden tables. I padded quietly across the floor, thumbing my knife hilts at my waist, as I walked into the front of the cafe.

  Ruby didn't notice me, humming to herself, so I cleared my throat. She spun, a knife appearing out of nowhere, before clattering from her hand.

  "Holy Mother…"

  "Glad to see you, too," I said softly. "Seems the usual crowd is a lot harder to track down these days."

  "And you've got a copycat running around," she drawled, the shock leaving her face as she returned to wiping the counters. "Captain Llobrega seems to have really missed you, Princess."

  I licked my lips, surprised that I was surprised she knew the truth. "Clearly, he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time," I said, taking a threatening step forward. "Know anything about that?"

  She shrugged. "He came asking questions. I can't help that you didn't tell him how to do things around here."

  I dug my nails into my palm, debating continuing this line of questioning or pivoting to something more productive, as Jax had suggested. If I had a mind to, I could make Ruby regret selling Felix out. Or, if I kept my temper, I could possibly find out what he hadn't been able to. Ruby might trust me more than Felix, and that could be enough to tip the scales.

  "Unfortunate," I began, walking forward toward the bar. "But as it stands, I'm back to reclaim my kingdom."

  "Ah…" She shrugged. "I don't think so."

  "What do you mean?" I blinked, shaking my head. "Ilara needs to go."

  "Well, that's true." she turned back to the counter. "I don't think that we really want you back on the throne. Someone else, perhaps, would be better."

  My heart skipped a beat. "Is that…a prevailing attitude or just yours?"

  "My alliances have shifted," she said with a shrug. "Unfortunately, if you want to reclaim your kingdom, you'll have to do it alone."

  Not the welcome I'd been expecting. Hadn't Felix been trying to make inroads for me? How badly had he screwed things up for them to be so ambivalent about my return?

  There wasn't time to dwell on that. I needed information from Ruby, and I wasn't about to let my pride get the better of me.

  "Just tell me one thing: who set the bombs in the city? And why?"

  "Lots of questions," she said, getting that familiar look on her face. "Do you have coin to pay for the answers?"

  I scowled at her, taking a step forward. "I don't think you understand how things are going to work around here. I ask a question, you answer. No coin, no bribes. Just you getting to keep your fingers."

  She examined her nails, clearly unbothered by my threats. "I could answer your questions, or I could let the person behind all of it answer them for you. Which would you prefer?"

  This is a trap, but I don't know how. "Let me talk to them."

  "Bring me that person's name, and I'll arrange a meeting," she said with a shrug.

  "Bring you their name? How am I supposed to find the name of the person if I…" I chuckled, understanding dawning. "It's a no-win situation. I'll only get a meeting if I know the leader's name, and I'll only know the leader's name if I've met with him." I shook my head. "Clever."

  "Felix figured it out eventually," she said. "Perhaps you'll do it quicker. But until then, I'd make sure to steer clear of Mariner's Row. We've still got plenty of Niemenian ore left and it appears Queen Ilara hasn't gotten the message."

  My levity evaporated. "That stuff kills people."

  "Which is the point, Veil," she said harshly. "Because nothing else seems to be working."

  A whistle echoed in the shop—soldiers were coming. I opened my mouth to tell Ruby so she could escape to safety, but I stopped. She'd helped me in the past, but her betrayal of Felix was unforgivable. So for now, at least, she was on her own.

  "I suppose I'll just have to find someone else to talk to," I said, offering her the ghost of a smirk before disappearing through the door.

  Chapter 8

  I made it out of the kitchen and up the stacked crates just as a pair of royal soldiers came running into the alley to seal the exits.

  "That was close," Elisha said, crouching next to me. "Good thing I was paying attention."

  "See?" I nudged her. "Lookouts are just as important."

  "Were we followed?" Jax asked, looking behind us. "I don't think so."

  "Maybe just bad timing," I said. "I…"

  My lips parted in surprise. Coyle, one of Felix's most trusted lieutenants, stepped out of the shadows, flanked by Severian guards.

  I suppose I should've known. After all, he'd been the one who'd poisoned my brother and father. And now, a shiny captain's badge glinted on his chest.

  "You're under arrest for treason," Coyle called as Ruby came out flanked by two Severian guards.

  "Treason?" She scoffed. "You ain't got no evidence."

  "Felix Llobrega says you were the last person he spoke with before he was taken by the rebel leader," he said. "He won't give us the name of your boss, but perhaps you will."

  Ruby stared daggers at him. "I don't talk to traitors."

  "Put her in the carriage," he said. "Perhaps a few days underground will loosen her tongue."

  The Severians tossed Ruby into an iron-barred carriage with very little ceremony. To her credit, she didn't cry out or show any sign of fear. But she'd always been tough. I just didn't realize how loyal she was to whomever she was working for.

  "Guess that lead was a dead end," Jax said beside me. "What's next?"

  "Maybe not," I replied, eyeing Coyle. He stood in Ruby's shop to oversee the final investigation, leaving no table overturned and no drawer not dumped out. Whatever they were hoping to find, they didn't, so they gathered in the street.
<
br />   "Fan out to see if anyone else is skulking around," Coyle said. "And in the morning, I want every single neighbor and beggar questioned about what and who they saw coming in and out of here."

  Six of the Severians gave him a half-hearted salute and dispersed. Two remained behind to keep watch over him, although they didn't look too enthused with their assignment.

  "What are you thinking?" Jax asked.

  "I'm thinking I want to have a chat with him."

  "Did we not just have a long conversation about…" He exhaled loudly. "You know what? Do what you want. I'm done doling out advice for today."

  And with that, he folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes.

  After failing to break either Katarine or Felix out of prison, then being deprived of the pleasure of taking revenge on Ruby, I desperately wanted to beat someone up. Perhaps I still had some hang-ups about killing people, but I had no issues with maiming and threatening people. Especially ones who so deliciously deserved it.

  "Help! Help!" I cried, knocking over a pile of nearby crates with the tip of my foot.

  "What was that?" Coyle asked. "You two, go check it out."

  "We need to continue our patrol," said one of them.

  "Fine, I'll go myself."

  The other two peeled away from him, and I waited until they were almost to the end of the street before sitting up and making my way toward Coyle. I found him in the alley, lifting the overturned crates with a sour look on his face.

  Gathering my cloak in my hands, I sailed off the building, the air billowing in my cape as it broke my fall. I landed in a crouch, then rose slowly, letting my fury radiate as he took me in.

  "O-oh…" His eyes grew three sizes, fear evident in their depths. "You're alive."

  "Indeed," I said, taking a step toward him. "You, on the other hand, may not be for much longer."

  "The Veil doesn't kill," he said, inching backward.

  I smiled. "She didn't. But that was before her guards betrayed her and she was forced to rethink some strategy."

  In one move, I pulled my knife from its sheath and flung it at his shoulder. It sliced through his shirt, pinning him to the wall. I walked toward him, pulling the other as if to slash his throat.

  "W-wait! I have information that can help you," he stammered, holding up his hands in surrender. "Please, just listen."

  "How original. You're willing to sell your loyalty to save your skin," I said, sheathing my other knife. "Very well, speak."

  "I know who Felix was meeting with," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "The person who's been bombing and destroying the city."

  "Oh?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

  "That's why you're here, right?" He licked his lips. "Trying to pick up where Felix left off?"

  "Suppose I am," I said, tilting my head to the side. "But why not share this tidbit of information with Ilara?"

  "Biding my time," he said, shifting on his feet. "On the off chance that you were alive."

  I quirked a brow. "That's an awfully big assumption."

  "Not really. Felix might've been broken up by your death, but he wouldn't have allied himself against the crown unless he had a good reason." He shifted. "And you, Brynna, are the only thing that makes him lose his mind."

  I couldn't say I believed him. It was far too convenient. "And so you held onto this information on the off chance you'd run into me again?"

  He nodded. "You'll be joining forces with them, right? That's what Felix was trying to accomplish."

  "You seem awfully knowledgeable about what Felix was up to," I said. "I doubt he shared any of this with you."

  "He was taking a lot of meetings in the city," Coyle said. "I'm not the only one who's willing to sell their loyalty. People aren't as noble as you royals. We're all doing what we have to do to survive."

  I didn't feel like arguing that point. "Who is it?"

  "I need assurances that you won't kill me if I tell you," he said.

  "That's rich," I said. "You asking me to show good faith."

  He hesitated. "You won't get what you want otherwise."

  "Here's the thing," I said slowly. "I could tell you that I won't kill you, but slice your throat anyway after you tell me what I want to know. So in the end, all you have is my word." I smiled. "And at this point, it's worth a whole hell of a lot more than yours, considering only one of us has betrayed the other. So you'd better speak before I lose my patience."

  "Fine." He straightened. "Beswick. He was meeting with Beswick."

  My brows knitted together. "Beswick as in…Johann Beswick?"

  "The very same," Coyle said with a small, hesitant smile. "Which probably explains why he was so reluctant to accept Felix's overtures."

  He was a thug, a lowlife. Why in the Mother's name would he be fomenting rebellion in the city?

  "Power vacuums are dangerous things, and the wrong person with the right sway can screw everything up."

  Luard's words rang true in my mind. Beswick certainly had the pull, the intellect, and the muscle to cause trouble in the city. And he had the ego to believe he should be in charge, no matter how ridiculous it sounded to my ears. But as with Ilara, he was more interested in self-enrichment, not the people's wellbeing. My people would be better served by a ruler who had their best interests at heart.

  "If that'll be all…" Coyle said, inching toward the open street and tugging at his uniform.

  "Oh, Coyle, that's far from all," I murmured, catching his gaze. "Because, you see, I won't kill you, but there's nothing stopping me from getting this juicy bit of information to Ilara myself—along with the fact that you also knew and kept it from her."

  He swallowed. "I won't speak a word of meeting with you, I swear. She has no idea you're alive."

  "I don't care if you tell her or not," I said, walking forward and pulling my knife once more. I ran the blade along his cheek, pressing just hard enough to leave a light mark but not break the skin. "What I need you to do, Lieutenant, is make sure that Felix doesn't die in that dungeon."

  "I don't control the Severians—"

  "I didn't ask what you control," I said, leaning in closer. "If he dies, I will dismember you, starting with the most sensitive parts." I ran my knife down his leg. "Am I clear?"

  He nodded.

  "Good boy." I released him from the wall and began walking away.

  "I tried to help him, you know," Coyle called.

  "Did you?" I squinted over my shoulder. "Like you helped me?"

  "I warned him that Ilara was getting annoyed with him, had him trailed to prove he couldn't be The Veil. But he pressed on anyway." He pressed his hand to his shoulder, coming away with a thin strip of blood. "I couldn't hold her off any longer."

  "And you consider that help?" I asked.

  "If Ilara'd had her way, Felix, Riya, and Joella would've been strung up in the town square a week after she invaded," Coyle said. "At least now, Riya and Jo are safe in the border cities."

  I flinched but recovered before he saw. I wouldn't tell him Riya's fate before I told Felix. "And you will see to it that Felix remains safe. Or else."

  He nodded and took a step back. Then, like the coward he was, he scrambled out of the alley and into the dark streets.

  "You look like you enjoyed that," Jax said, jumping down from the rooftop.

  "It served a few purposes," I said. "Coyle's scared, I got a name, and now I get to threaten some other people."

  "I doubt he's going to look after your captain," Jax said. "Sounds like he can't really do a whole lot in the castle. Those guards were making fun of him the moment they left his side. Surprised Ilara gave him the command at all."

  Perhaps she valued loyalty over competence. Even though it was clear Coyle would flip the moment things went sour for him.

  "Do you think he's going to tell his master that you're alive?"

  I shook my head. "He's the sort of rat that keeps information like that to himself until it suits him. And Ilara's not a tyrant who'd
allow him to walk after seeing me and letting me live. So his fear of her will keep his mouth shut."

  "Until it doesn't."

  "She's gonna find out sooner or later," I said with a shrug. "For now, we have bigger things to worry about. If Beswick's behind the ond attacks, then that means we need to find him before he kills more people."

  He laughed a little. "Didn't you try that already? Failed miserably and ended up losing your kingdom in the process?"

  "I'm not going to kill him," I said, my cheeks warming. "I want to talk to him. See if he's willing to work with me."

  "That makes sense," Jax said. "I'm sure Beswick would love to do all this work to overthrow a queen and hand it to someone else. Especially to the little twerp who tried to gut him."

  I ignored him.

  Chapter 9

  "Beswick gains power through favors and alliances. So if we put pressure on the people who owe him favors, we'll get to him."

  We returned to the bell tower, and I wouldn't let either Jax or Elisha get some rest. Not when I had a juicy new lead to investigate. Forward motion was still motion, even if it meant putting Felix and Katarine on hold for now.

  "And how do we find those people? Knock on doors?" Jax said with a yawn.

  "A few years ago, when I first started investigating Beswick, I compiled a list of all his known accomplices and business partners, " I said, walking to the wall and running my fingers along the wood. When they slid over a bump, I stopped and pulled it, revealing yet another secret hideaway—this one containing a notebook. "I'll bet you anything these people are still connected with him."

  "Ilara's flushed a lot of the criminals out of the city," Jax said.

  "Beswick's not one to let people just walk away, even after an invasion," I said, reading through the names and notes. "Besides that, he had as many aboveboard contacts as criminals. Some of them can't uproot their businesses and leave. I bet I can get them to talk."

  "And what if he wants nothing to do with you?" Jax shrugged. "May be something to consider before you go through all this work to find him."