Prince's Fire
Page 14
His cock, shoved up against her through several layers of clothing, was like iron. But for now he wasn’t going to do anything about that. He realized now that he’d slept with her too soon. Some women leapt right into bed, and it didn’t matter what kind of relationship you had with them. But Celeste wasn’t that way. What they’d done at the beach had been impulsive, a desperate coupling born of a harrowing experience in the ocean. The pool had been more or less the same thing. But they hadn’t been ready; at least Celeste hadn’t. There was something deeply vulnerable about her. Perhaps it was the fault of Cassian or that mathematician fellow. Or it could be just her nature—tough as she was on the outside, she had a soft inner core.
He’d broken her trust, and he needed to rebuild it, strand by strand. What they had between them was fragile, a weaving too delicate yet to take off the loom. For now, he would help her with the cipher and court her gently.
Celeste had tried all her deciphering techniques, beginning with the assumption that the destination message was in Riorcan. When that hadn’t yielded fruit, she’d tried the same techniques assuming that the message was Kjallan. Then Inyan. No luck with either. Now she was trying Mosari as the destination language.
Rayn couldn’t help her with the mathematical work, but he had some linguistic gifts. He spoke all the languages they’d tried except Riorcan. He spoke Mosari better than Celeste did, and that was potentially helpful.
“Gods.” Celeste flung a piece of paper across the bed. “I’m getting nowhere.”
“The na prefix isn’t working?”
“No. If it’s in there, I can’t isolate it.”
“Try the alhe pronoun,” he suggested. “It’s a common word in Mosari, and the lh combination should be frequent while the reverse hl is not found at all.”
“I’ll try.” With a sigh, she took a fresh sheet of paper and laid it on the bed in front of her. “I’ve got the gods-cursed ciphertext memorized now.”
“You’re not the only one,” said Rayn. “I think I’ll be dreaming about it.”
Celeste stared at the cipher. Her eyes glazed over, as they often did when she was thinking. Then she set the paper aside. “Rayn, what are we doing?”
“Breaking the cipher,” he said.
“No—you and me.”
“I’m courting you,” said Rayn.
She let out a shaky breath. “I thought you weren’t interested in a Kjallan alliance.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Didn’t you say the trade agreement was horrible for Inya?”
He paused. “I’m not wild about sending brimstone to Kjall. But you say it’s for peaceful reasons. Surely if we talk it over, we can work something out.” He ran a hand down her side. “Perhaps I am enchanted by your beauty and no longer care about brimstone.”
She melted into his arms. “Look, the brimstone is because of Sardos.”
“Your brother’s going to war with Sardos?”
“Gods, why would he want that? No, there’s been a series of assassinations within the First Family. They’ve been hushed up, but Lucien thinks someone is maneuvering for the position of First Heir.”
“I know,” he said. “My people are following the situation.”
“Before the current First Heir rose to power, Sardos behaved aggressively toward Kjall. The First Heir is a strong ruler. He’s kept his country peaceful for decades, but if the man is assassinated, there’s no telling what could happen. Lucien has reduced the size of our military, but not by much, because the threat of Sardos looms. That’s why he wants brimstone. An attack could come quickly if the First Heir dies, and we have to be prepared.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you for telling me the reason for the brimstone. It gives me some peace of mind.”
Celeste picked up her quill and began to write.
“You know what we need in Tiasa, our capital city?” Rayn continued. “A mathematical society. You could found one—and open it to women.”
Celeste straightened, obviously intrigued. “I like that idea. You know, I’ve been interested in this marriage from the beginning. But I don’t have the power to negotiate the treaty. That’s between you and Lucien.”
“Are you always this pragmatic?” asked Rayn.
She swallowed. “I have to be. What I do affects my country. My life is not my own, nor will it ever be.”
“I believe you think a great deal about how to please your brother,” said Rayn.
“I owe everything to him and the empress.”
Rayn lowered his head to her shoulder and spoke quietly into her ear. “Do you spend as much time thinking about what pleases you?”
She squirmed within his arms. “I think about that some. But like I said—”
“Your life is your own,” said Rayn, “imperial princess or not. I think you are not quite so pragmatic as you claim. Inside, you want love. You want passion.”
Her cheeks colored. She swallowed hard, picked up her quill with trembling fingers, and began to write.
Too soon. He lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck. He held her as she worked, and gradually she relaxed in his arms.
Suddenly her body stiffened and became electrified. Her quill scratched rapidly on the paper, filling in letters above the ciphertext. “Three gods,” she said. “I think I’ve got something.”
16
Celeste saw it now: the message was written in Mosari. But not very good Mosari. Whoever had written it lacked an understanding of the Mosari pronouns and had used only alhe and its variants, ignoring the other six pronoun forms. Now that she’d figured that out, it was merely a matter of time before she cracked the entire message. She scratched at the paper with her quill, making educated guesses and trying them out, occasionally filling in a letter above the ciphertext when she became certain it was correct.
Rayn sat behind her, watching over her shoulder. He was quiet and didn’t disturb her, but she felt the gentle breath of his warming magic as she worked, the safe harbor of his body cocooning hers. Being able to relax completely helped her to focus.
It took her three hours to finish deciphering the message.
AM SENDING THE REQUESTED SUPPLIES EXPECT A COURIER WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK REGARDING THE MURDERED SCOUT DID YOU FIND HIS BODY WAS IT WOLVES OR ENEMIES HOLD OFF ON SENDING OUT THE NEW RECRUIT WE’RE GOING TO NEED SOME PEOPLE IN RESERVE WE’VE TAKEN LOSSES AND I’VE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL MORE TARGETS COUNTRY FIRST KEEP FAITH BAYARD
“Bayard,” she said flatly. Could it be Vitala’s old trainer? It was not impossible, especially since Justien had told her the breakaway group he’d been tracking had eyes in the Enclave building. A shiver ran through her. Who else might be involved? Asmund? Ista? She couldn’t see why they would be, but then she hadn’t suspected Bayard either. Could anyone in the Enclave building be trusted?
Rayn leaned forward, speaking softly as his stubble grazed her cheek. “It might be a different Bayard.”
“Could be.” She doubted it.
“Why would he sign his own name in a message that could be intercepted?”
“People do it all the time,” she said. “Ciphers instill a false sense of security. The writer believes his code is unbreakable, so he freely spills his secrets.”
“What now?” said Rayn. “Bayard’s an assembly representative. He has more practical authority here than you or I. We can’t report it to Asmund or Ista. Anyone in the building could be involved, for all we know.”
“True.” The only people she knew she could trust, besides Rayn, were Justien’s team. “Let’s talk to Justien. He’ll know what to do.”
She called to Justien, who was guarding her door, and the huge man came into the anteroom.
“Excellent timing, Your Imperial Highness,” he said. “A runner just stopped by with some news.”
“What news?”
Relief flooded her. “The Sweep—that’s Lucien’s ship, is it not?”
“It is,” said Justien.
“The Water Spirit would be the ship I’ve been waiting for, the one bearing a message from home,” said Rayn. “But it’s late. It ought to have arrived ahead of the Kjallans.”
“Well, it’s here now,” said Justien. “Your Imperial Highness, I suggest we head to the docks and meet the emperor.”
• • •
Celeste waited on the pier with Rayn. She couldn’t see much, since the pier was crowded and Justien had surrounded her and the prince with a protective escort. She craned her neck in an attempt to peer into the harbor, her stomach knotting with excitement. The two ships had dispatched boats, which were delivering their passengers to shore. Celeste squinted at the Sweep’s boats, trying to spot Lucien or Vitala. As the first craft neared the dock, a crowd of Riorcan guards pushed their way forward, further blocking her view.
She heard a joyful bark and grabbed Rayn’s hand. “Patricus!”
The prince turned to her in confusion.
“The dog, remember?” She felt a little sheepish at having taken Rayn’s hand, especially in this public place. But he didn’t seem to mind, so she held on to it.
Patricus squeezed through the circle of guards and gamboled about the pier, sniffing the air as he wove through the maze of human legs. He spotted Celeste, barked again, and galloped toward her.
She reached down to receive an ecstatic sea retriever, who wagged his tail frantically as she stroked his ears.
“Patricus, get back here,” called an authoritative voice.
Boots thumped and swords jangled in belts as Legaciatti in full uniform marched up all around them. Celeste rose to receive her brother the emperor. Lucien’s eyes were bright and stern. Celeste, never frightened by her brother but often awed by him, dipped into a curtsy. Lucien seized her arm and pulled her into a hug. “Gods, Celeste,” he said. “Could you possibly have frightened us more? I nearly had apoplexy.” He squeezed her hard enough to choke the breath from her lungs.
When he released her, Celeste turned to Vitala, who stood next to him, and embraced her—gently, since the empress was expecting. “We’ve done some investigation while we waited for you. I’ll tell you more once you’re settled in at the Enclave building.”
In the crowd of Legaciatti surrounding them, Celeste spotted her bodyguard. “Atella! Three gods, I’m happy to see you.” She beckoned the woman forward and embraced her. “I heard you killed every one of those assassins.”
Atella shook her head ruefully. “Not quickly enough.”
“I’m still standing here, aren’t I?” said Celeste. “It was three against one. You were superb.”
Lucien turned to Rayn and clasped wrists. “Prince of Inya, the gods have blessed us twice over that we have lost neither you nor my sister. I apologize that you suffered an attempt on your life while traveling on one of my ships.”
“Your Imperial Majesty.” Rayn inclined his head. “I don’t hold you responsible.”
“We’ll find out who was behind the crime,” said Lucien. “This I promise.”
“Thank you for your courtesy and diligence,” said Rayn.
“On our way over, we came upon your ship Water Spirit,” said Lucien. “It’s the one I’d dispatched to you earlier with a message from home. The ship had been damaged in a storm. We provided assistance with their repairs, and they ended up sailing alongside us the rest of the way. That man over there—” He turned, indicating with the angle of his head an Inyan man just disembarking onto the dock. “He claims to know you.”
“Indeed he does,” said Rayn. “That’s my cousin Tiannon. If you’ll excuse me . . .”
“Of course,” said Lucien.
“Wait,” said Celeste. “Bring him over here, if you would. Stay with the guards.” After two nearly successful attempts on Rayn’s life, she didn’t want him separated from their escort.
Rayn called to his cousin. “Tiannon, over here.”
Tiannon seemed nervous at being in the presence of the Kjallan emperor and empress and so many Legaciatti. He bowed to the imperials and said to Rayn, “I’ve news from home. It’s important.”
“Can you speak of it here?” asked Rayn.
“It’s for your ears only, sir,” said Tiannon.
“Then let’s return to the Enclave building. Did Magister Lornis come with you?” he asked Lucien.
“He did,” said Lucien. “He’ll be on the next boat from the Sweep.”
Celeste looked out into the harbor. The second boat was already plying its way toward them through the smooth waters. “Let’s wait for him, and we can all head back together.”
• • •
The Riorcans wanted to call another assembly now that the imperials were here, but Celeste insisted on meeting with Lucien, Vitala, and Justien alone. She wasn’t ready to face Bayard yet, nor was she certain how to proceed with the information she had uncovered. Lucien and Vitala would know what to do.
The servants were still carrying the emperor’s and empress’s things up to their rooms, so for the sake of privacy, Celeste invited everyone into the anteroom of her own apartment—an awkward fit, especially with enormous Justien. She’d invited Rayn as well, but he’d declined, saying he needed to talk to Tiannon and Lornis first.
“You didn’t bring Prince Jamien?” she asked her brother as they took their seats.
Lucien shook his head. “The heir is safer at home. Let’s begin with the assassination attempt. What happened on the ship?”
“Actually, Justien and I have been investigating a second assassination attempt, and—”
Lucien blinked. “There’s been another?”
“Yes, but in this case only Rayn was attacked. I was not present. I’ll catch you up on those details later—or Justien can do it—but first let me give you the most important piece of information. I know who one of the assassins is.”
Justien straightened, his eyes coming alight. “You do? How?”
“Who is it?” asked Vitala.
“I broke the cipher,” she explained to Justien. “Let me get the translation.” She’d hidden the translated message beneath her mattress. Now she went to the bedroom and retrieved it. Back in the anteroom, she handed it to Lucien. “Bayard is involved.”
Vitala gasped. She leaned over and read the message in Lucien’s hands. Her cheeks colored. When they had finished reading, Lucien passed the message on to an impatient Justien.
“I don’t know for sure it’s that Bayard,” she added. “It could be another man with the same name.”
“I doubt it,” said Vitala.
Lucien frowned. “Who knows about this so far?”
“The people in this room plus Prince Rayn.”
“Why the prince?”
“He helped me decipher the message.”
“We’ve got to move on this right away,” said Lucien. “Before word gets out.”
“Let me handle it,” said Vitala. “I know Bayard well. Justien, I’ll write up an imperial writ for you. Have him arrested, and I’ll be the one to question him.”
Lucien nodded. “Do we arrest anyone else? There might be others in this building who are part of the plot.”
Justien said, “We can’t arrest the whole building.”
“Certainly not,” said Vitala. “Just Bayard for now. If he’s involved with this, my hope is that I can talk him into giving up his fellows.”
“Tread carefully,” said Lucien. “He’s got a deathstone.”
“I know it. And he knows that I know it,” said Vitala. “I don’t think he’ll use it if we just talk.”
“I fear that if he does have allie
s, they may run when Bayard is arrested,” said Justien.
“Can’t be helped,” said Vitala. “If they run, at least we’ll know who they were.”
“What about the assembly meeting?” asked Lucien.
“Make our excuses,” said Vitala. “This is more important.”
“Very well,” said Lucien. “Arrest him, Justien, and Vitala will question him. In the meantime, I want Celeste to tell me everything that’s happened since she left Riat.”
• • •
When Rayn returned to the Enclave building, he learned that the Water Spirit was the second ship dispatched to bring him this message. The first had never arrived. Tiannon had suspected it wouldn’t, so he’d sailed on his own authority to make sure Rayn received the news before it was too late.
Now Rayn had to figure out what to do about it. Wanting some fresh air and the space to collect his thoughts, he grabbed Lornis and headed out to the Riorcan beach. They were trailed by Nalica and a few other guards. Much as he disliked being followed around, he accepted the necessity of it, at least while he was away from home.
Seagulls wheeled overhead. The beach here was not at all like the ones at home. Riorcan beaches were austere, their colors muted. Gray sand, gray oceans, sometimes even a gray sky. The cliffs looked savage, the forests thick and deep, hiding secrets. Nevertheless, the smell of the sea air sent a dizzying wave of homesickness through him.
He dug a shell out of the sand and flung it into the water.
Lornis hung back from the lapping waves. “When do we sail home?”
“I think this evening,” said Rayn. “Or tomorrow on the tide. Certainly no later.” The news from home was a shock: his father had abdicated the throne. Had done so, in fact, less than a week after Rayn’s departure from Inya. Rayn needed to be present at his ratification vote forty days from the date of abdication if he wanted to ascend the throne. Many of those forty days had already passed. Even if he sailed immediately, he’d have little time to convince the people of Inya that he was worthy of being their king.