Sovereign Sieged

by Sarah E. Burr

  George grabbed her by the arm. “No. Let the Ducal Guard handle this.”

  Jax’s gaze nearly lanced the Captain to the nearby wall. “You will not deny me this.”

  Stunned by the cold, lethal fury coating her words, George stepped back. “I know she hurt you, but you have to think of the greater picture here. What if something happens to you?”

  “Vita’s had plenty of chances to kill me before now,” Jax snapped, twisting out of George’s grasp. “I’m going after her and bring her back alive. Remember what happened the last time I issued an order like that, Captain?” She knew it was a low blow, but she would not let a repeat of Aranelda’s betrayal occur on her watch. When Lady Aranelda had fled the Saphire palace after escaping the dungeons, all the Ducal Guard had managed to do was bring back a dead body. “If I want something done right, I must do it myself.”

  Her words hit their mark, and George’s protests died in his throat. She knew it was unfair to bring up the ghosts of the past, but her flawed reasoning would not allow her to remain behind, the waiting damsel in distress.

  With no time to waste, Jax barreled out of the front door of the manor toward the horse stables to collect her mount.

  George arrived at the barn, clutching his side, just as Jax flung herself onto Mortimer’s back, not even bothering to put on a saddle.

  “You are in no shape to ride, Captain.” She flicked the reins, urging Mortimer onward. “Send Wynn and Ansel to assist me. They can pick up my trail.”

  “Wait!” George called, and something in his voice caused her to halt Mortimer’s gait.

  He limped over to her side, lifting his hand in offering. “Just in case,” he said, placing the silver dagger in her outstretched palm.

  Nodding, Jax took off across the meadow, drowning out the Captain’s urgent shouts summoning Wynn and Ansel from the garden.

  It only took Jax a moment to persuade the Ducal Guard posted at the gates to open the massive entrance to the Galensmore estate. Her glittering crown was all that was needed. As soon as the gates had opened far enough, Jax and Mortimer took off at a full gallop down the road that stretched ahead, following the hoofprints carved into the dirt.

  Having learned to ride at a young age, Jax had mastered the skill under the tutelage of a young George Solomon. It had been one of his first solo assignments within the Ducal Guard. During their training, George had also imparted the knowledge of how to track a rider’s trail. Even though she’d often been caught daydreaming about her handsome tutor, Jax had paid close attention to the lessons George taught her and never forgotten them.

  Now, as she rode, she kept a close eye on the trail Vita had left. About half a league away from the estate, Jax noticed the depth of the hoofprints change. “She must have gotten off the horse and continued on foot, sending the horse along the road as a diversion,” Jax murmured, as if Mortimer might speak and agree with her. Pulling the majestic beast to a stop, Jax slid off his bare back and dropped his reins to ground tie the horse. “Stay here.” She rubbed his nose affectionately before retracing the trail. It didn’t take her long to locate a set of human footprints in the kicked up dirt, leading off into the thick Valencrown Forest.

  Gripping the hilt of the dagger, Jax hoped Wynn and Ansel weren’t far behind. The three of them could cover a larger area. Despite her excellent tracking skills, Jax wasn’t sure she could find Vita in the dense, earthy woods.

  Glancing down the road she’d just come from, Jax squinted to see if Wynn and Ansel’s figures were on the horizon but they hadn’t caught up to her yet. As her breathing started to subside and her pounding heart rate returned to normal, the whispers of the forest began to fill her keen ears. Birds chirped in the waning afternoon, a symphony of nature calming her frayed senses. Yet, through the songs of sunlarks and royal sparrows, Jax heard another noise. It was low and quiet under the cacophony of wildlife, but it was there, nonetheless.

  Muffled sobs trickled into Jax’s ears.

  Knowing that voice anywhere, Jax dove into the thickets, following the cries as they got louder and louder.

  “Vita!” Jax called. She pushed back a huge, leafy branch, discovering a small clearing. Vita sat on the ground, her skirts dirtied and sprawled around her. Her shoulders heaved as she howled with despair.

  “Vita.” Jax hesitated for only a moment before running to the woman’s side. Dropping the dagger to the mossy ground, Jax placed a hand on Vita’s forearm, pulling her hands away from her tear-stained face.

  “Oh, Jax.” Vita dissolved into sobs once more, the sound of heartbreak and sorrow clearly evident. What was going on here?

  Vita must have seen the growing confusion in Jax’s face. “I-I’m so sorry. I never—I didn’t want to do it, but…” Her explanation was lost to her cries once more.

  “Vita, what’s going on here?” The anger she’d felt earlier was gone, replaced with concern for her friend. Maybe she and George had gotten it all wrong. “Your room is a mess…your precious shoes are covered in soot—”

  “I killed Olavo.” The confession burst from Vita so unexpectedly that the young woman clamped her own mouth in shock. “I killed him,” she repeated, this time with more control.

  Whatever hope there had been within Jax vanished. “Why?” Her lips trembled. “How could you?”

  Vita’s sobs had subsided to whimpers, but her whole body quivered. “I’m so sorry. I had no choice.”

  The remark stoked the fires of rage within Jax. “We always have a choice, Vita.”

  Vita shook her head as she dug into the travel bag she had at her side. Pulling out two worn, folded pieces of paper, she held them out for Jax. “I didn’t see another way.”

  Jax took the offering and unfolded the first parchment.

  You thought you could leave your life in Savant behind so easily, didn’t you, Lady Bellarose? I’m here to remind you of the loving family you’ve abandoned to kiss the skirts of Duchess Saphire. My men are keeping a close eye on them for me in your absence. It’s amusing to watch them go about their lives, completely unaware of what looms in the shadows. They didn’t even notice the arrival of a crowned falcon in their courier house before my guardsmen did.

  You must be wondering what value you could possibly have to me since abandoning my duchy. Your Duchess Saphire holds a Tandorian prisoner. He is a deceitful man who was very much a part of the conspiracy to kill her, despite what he may say. Kill him for me, or your entire family will be slaughtered. Send proof of his death in two days, or the Bellarose house will be gone forever. I’d hate for your family to meet the executioner’s blade should you not adhere to my simple wish…

  Ever your Duke,

  Savant

  Jax glanced up from the letter, her disbelief reflecting in Vita’s teary eyes. “Why didn’t you come to me with this?”

  “I couldn’t risk their lives, Jax.” Vita’s chin wobbled. “You wanted Olavo alive for the War Council.” Her golden gaze dropped to her lap. “I couldn’t trust that you would put my family above the success of the War Council. I just couldn’t take that chance.” Her sobs returned more violently. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, but I’ve gotten to know you quite well these past months, and I know your heart. You wouldn’t just kill a man in cold blood without evidence or facts.” She shuddered into stillness. “My family didn’t have time for you to deal with your conscience.”

  As much as Jax wanted to protest that Vita was wrong, she had to acknowledge that Vita made a valid point. Jax wasn’t bred like Savant. She didn’t go around issuing orders to kill people who got in her way. If Vita had come to her with this threat, what would she have done? Savant had only given Vita two days to deliver proof she’d carried out his orders—which forced Vita’s hand to act quickly.

  Jax kept her voice soft. “Tell me how this all happened.”

  Vita nodded. “You deserve the truth, Duquessa.” She took a deep breath before beginning her story. “I received this letter only yesterday. It feels like a lif
etime ago.”

  Jax raised an eyebrow. “You said it was follow-up letter from your father.”

  “I lied.” Vita shrugged. “I realized upon reading the note that you had never been the intended target of the servant boy’s attack. Olavo had been right there in the throne room with you. I kept that theory to myself, because if anyone, especially Captain Solomon, got wind that Olavo was the real target and might be in danger, it would be impossible for me to get to him.” She sighed, tugging at loose strands of her long, dark hair. “I knew I had to act quickly before the truth came out, so I decided I would take care of it that night. After dinner, once I helped you take George up to his room, I waited until everyone had gone to bed. Without guards on our floor, it was all surprisingly easy. I knew where the master key was to unlock Olavo’s room. I saw you place it in George’s nightstand.” She looked almost bashful. “It’s become a habit, I guess, as your lady’s maid, for me to keep a close eye on your movements. Anyway, I snuck into George’s suite and grabbed the key, then headed for Olavo’s chamber. Earlier in the afternoon, once I’d learned of its existence, I had gone into the cellar and filled up a carafe of Bellarose wine, in the hopes it would dull Olavo’s senses if I needed to subdue him. A good thing, too, because he was still awake when I arrived.” She shook her head, almost in bemusement. “I ended up telling him that I’d been sent to light the fireplace, since the night air had turned chilly. I poured him some wine in the hopes he would let his guard down, as he was obviously suspicious at my being in his chambers so late.” Vita sounded so aloof and stoic, it was hard to believe she was talking about a murder she’d committed. “It wasn’t until I was stoking the flames that I realized I had no way to actually harm him. I panicked, took the fire poker, and…” She trailed off, her eyes haunted and glassy. “I don’t think I’d even realized what I’d done until I was wiping up the blood.”

  Jax couldn’t believe the vivacious young woman who’d helped her prepare for her wedding was the same as the broken creature before her now. “How did you do it?”

  “I stabbed him by an open window,” Vita began, “so he slumped forward on the window ledge. It was enough to make it relatively easy for me to lift up his feet and toss him over.” She stopped fiddling with her hair. “I burned the sheets I’d used to clean everything up. As I was leaving, I realized I’d ruined my new shoes working around the hearth, so I took them off and ran from the room. I put the key back in George’s suite and stuffed my shoes and clothes at the back of my wardrobe, figuring I would find a way to dispose of them. The next morning, after Olavo’s body was discovered, I waited for Sabine to follow Charles downstairs for the autopsy and burned the dress in her room.” Crimson embarrassment flooded her cheeks. “But I treasured the shoes too much…I thought I could find a way to clean the soot off the soles, so I kept them.”

  Tight sadness gripped Jax’s throat as she pictured Vita, fresh from ending Olavo’s life, struggling with the decision of whether or not to try and salvage her precious slippers.

  “Sabine told me that you did not help her bathe. Why did you lie about that?”

  Vita sighed. “A careless mistake. I needed to send Duke Savant proof Olavo was dead. When I checked on Charles and Sabine and told them you requested that they return to their rooms, Charles mentioned they were preparing Olavo for cremation. I knew I didn’t have much time before the body was destroyed, so I hid in the cellar, waiting for Charles and Sabine to leave. I figured Olavo’s ring finger bearing the signet of the Tandorian court would be irrefutable enough. Using some of the tools Charles left behind, I cut off Olavo’s finger, praying that whoever was tasked with the cremation would think it was a part of the autopsy process.” She cringed at the horrific act. “Once I had my proof, I fled to my room to clean up. I then sent a messenger bird to Savant to let him know the deed was done, under the guise I was responding to my parents. I only realized I still had blood on my dress when I went to help Ellamae in the kitchen. You caught me washing it off when you and George were hiding out in my room, and I blurted out the first stupid excuse that came to my mind.”

  The lengths the young woman had gone to astounded Jax. “So, I assume the letter you received at lunch today was proclaiming a job well done? Who knew the Duke would be so quick to dole out praise?”

  Vita barked a harsh laugh. “You could put it that way.” She pointed to the other folded note in Jax’s hand. “See for yourself.”

  Jax didn’t hesitate.

  Your family will live another day, it seems, Lady Bellarose. Now, since you completed the task I gave you so efficiently, let’s see what else you have up your sleeve. Duchess Saphire and her ideals have run rampant around the realm for long enough. Silence her for good. I’ll give you the time you need. In a fortnight, send proof the Duchess is dead, or your family dies.

  The paper fluttered in Jax’s hands, her fingers trembling. Virtues, no! Her amethyst gaze darted to Vita. She knew I would come for her. She lured me out here! Jax scrambled for the discarded dagger George had given her when silent tears began to stream from Vita’s golden eyes.

  “I didn’t think I could feel any worse, but to see that you think I’m capable of hurting you…” Sorrow tinged her words. “Jax, you are not in danger. I could never do anything to harm you. You are my family as well.”

  Jax’s palm hovered over the hilt of the dagger, and despite George’s voice roaring in her head telling her to pick it up, she withdrew her hand back to her lap.

  A small smile graced Vita’s pretty face. “Thank you for believing me.”

  Jax didn’t return the smile. “Why did you run from the manor?”

  Vita tucked her hair behind her left ear. “When I received Savant’s newest order, I knew I couldn’t do his bidding, but I also couldn’t leave my family to their fate. I figured I could ride home and somehow find a way to sneak them out of our estate. We could go into hiding until the war is over and you emerge the victor.” Vita patted the bulging leather satchel at her side. “I took as many of Lady Carriena’s dresses as I could, thinking I could sell them for gold to buy my family someplace safe to stay.” She tilted her head to the side. “Saying it all out loud makes me realize how foolish I was, thinking I could actually save them from the likes of Duke Savant.” Tears tumbled down her swollen cheeks once more. “But I couldn’t kill you, Duquessa. I couldn’t kill you.”

  Despite the disturbing knowledge that it had been Vita who plunged that hot fire poker through Sir Olavo’s chest, Jax wrapped her arms around the young woman and let her sob. She stroked Vita’s tangled dark hair, trying to find some way to reassure her. “I won’t let your family be harmed by Duke Savant, Vita. I promise you that.”

  Vita sat back, stunned. “But how can you make such a promise? After all I have done?”

  Jax stroked her friend’s cheek. “I cannot overlook the crime you have committed, but I can understand why you did it. Family is everything. Just because my parents are no longer alive doesn’t mean I don’t understand that bond. I’d do anything to help my grandfather, my aunts, even Perry’s family.” She threaded her fingers through Vita’s hands. “I’d do anything to help you, George, and Uma. And to know you consider me part of your family, well, I want to believe your heart is in the right place. Olavo was a devious man, and from the sounds of Savant’s letter, perhaps he was more at fault with the Oasis assassination attempt than he led us to believe. I cannot absolve you of his murder. You could have come to me with your dilemma, and we could have worked together.” Jax paused, longing for a world in which Vita could have trusted her to do the right thing. “But in this instance, I can show you mercy in my search for justice.”

  Vita waited for her sentencing, head bowed in reverence.

  “Once we’ve ensured your family is safe and secure,” Jax said, “I request that you enter a House of Virtue and dedicate your life to the people who seek shelter and food under its roof.”

  Vita gasped. “A House of Virtue?” Her hand flew to her t
hroat. Houses of Virtue, led by the devoted Children of the Virtues, were scattered throughout most of the duchies, offering shelter and food to those less fortunate and to wandering travelers. It wouldn’t be palace living, but it was honest work for a good woman who had gone down a dark path. “Jax, I don’t deserve your compassion.”

  Jax opened her mouth to say more when thunderous footsteps and snapping branches were followed by shouts.

  “Duchess Jacqueline! Duchess!”

  The cavalry finally arrives. Jax smirked, planning to inform George just how long it took his well-trained men to track them down.

  Vita reached for Jax’s arm. “Will you really save my family after all I’ve done?” Her lips trembled.

  In her years as Duchess, Jax had faced many evils in the world head on, but as she’d grown older, she’d also learned that not everything in the realm could simply be labeled good or bad. During her stay at Ogdam Oasis, Jax had turned a blind eye to a crime committed by a victim longing for freedom. In Pettraud, she’d come to terms with the dire circumstances of her father-in-law killing his own son. Now, she faced another instance where shades of evil muddied the waters of a good soul. If Jax had been in the same position as Vita, would she have said no to Savant? If a powerful man had threatened her family and given her an unspeakable option to save them…would she have turned that down?

  Has my sense of right and wrong been so corrupted since assuming the throne? The startling question frightened Jax more than she wanted to admit. No, I know what Vita did was wrong, and she will have to live with the consequences of her actions. I have lost yet another member of my inner court, but it does not mean I have truly lost a friend. She willingly put her life and her family’s life on the line to spare me. That sacrifice counts for something.

  Meeting her friend’s cautious gaze, Jax dipped her chin in solemn vow. “I promise.”

  Chapter Eighteen