“Never mind that,” said Lady Yasmin quickly. “Let’s say that just because Rasad’s authority is legitimate, it doesn’t mean his motivations or intentions are always honest.”
Lucy’s frown deepened. “Why are you telling us this? If you think I’m somehow connected to Rasad, why would you be telling me your suspicions about him?”
Lady Yasmin met her look seriously. “I don’t know what your connection is to Rasad. But I do know that Yosef’s terrible lapse in judgment today was exactly the opportunity Rasad has been waiting for to deal with us and our pesky opposition to his increasing power. You may not realize it, but you thwarted him drastically by refusing to push the complaint. Your determination not to pursue the matter told me that whatever you are or aren’t, you’re not his puppet.”
“I’m not anyone’s puppet,” said Lucy indignantly.
“I’m not taking such a risk by coming here,” Lady Yasmin pushed on, ignoring the interjection. “It’s true that I would be in trouble if you decided to report my visit. But I’m taking the gamble that you won’t, since you didn’t seem to want to punish Yosef. And as for my suspicions regarding Rasad,” she smiled grimly, “I haven’t told you anything he doesn’t know. In fact, I haven’t told you anything I haven’t said to his face, and in front of others.” Her smile disappeared, a look of frustration taking its place. “But no one else seems to see the danger.”
Lucy was silent for a moment, thinking Lady Yasmin’s words over.
“What is the danger?” Cody asked. “In your opinion?”
Lady Yasmin redirected her attention to him. “Rasad is an ambitious man,” she said simply. “That much no one doubts. He is, after all, very young to be appointed to the position of primary advisor. But I’m not sure any of us, not even those of us who’ve known him all our lives, fully understand the nature of his ambition. All I know is that since his appointment, he has put a great deal of effort into building his power and influence in the court. And with enormous success. He has the ear of the king, more so than anyone else I believe. And I wish I could shake the feeling that he has plans for how to use that influence. Plans that no one else is aware of.”
She looked back at Lucy. “Like I said, he’s been our neighbor all our lives, and there are certain…patterns that we’ve seen, both before and after his appointment. There have been incidents. Convenient coincidences that have always been to his advantage.”
“Sounds solid,” said Lucy dryly. “Really convincing evidence that he’s up to something. I can’t imagine why the rest of the court doesn’t believe you.”
Lady Yasmin gave a humorless laugh. “I could be more specific, but forgive me if I choose not to tell you everything I know the first time I speak with you.”
“Oh, does that mean there will be more of these lovely visits?” Lucy asked, with a hint of humor. “Should I start leaving my door unlocked, to make it easier for you?”
“I’ve worn out my welcome,” said Lady Yasmin with a hint of a smile. “I don’t blame you. But let me ask directly what my brother foolishly tried to find out through brute force. Was there an attack on King Giles before his coronation?”
Lucy frowned. “I acknowledge that you don’t have any real reason to trust me with your secrets. Why would you expect me to trust you? How can I possibly know whether I can?”
“You can’t know,” admitted Lady Yasmin bluntly. “You just have to go with your instinct.”
Lucy ran a hand over her face. “That’s a great theory,” she muttered. “But I no longer have any faith in my instinct for who to trust.”
Lady Yasmin gave her a questioning look, but Lucy ignored it. The last thing she intended to do was go into her recent disillusionments with this stranger.
“There was an attack,” she said curtly. “Someone tried to prevent King Giles from being crowned. But it had nothing to do with Rasad, believe me. I was there.”
Lady Yasmin was silent for a moment, drumming her fingernails on the hilt of her dagger.
“Who was behind it?” she asked at last.
Lucy set her lips firmly. There was no way she was compromising Kyona’s relationship with either South Lands kingdom by revealing that it had been one of the crown prince’s own guards who had been behind the assassination attempt.
Lady Yasmin let out a small sigh, but accepted Lucy’s refusal to answer without comment. “Let me guess,” she said. “The identity of the attacker doesn’t really make sense. Someone acted out of character, and those involved are still trying to put the pieces together, without success.”
The three Kyonans exchanged a look, the unease clear on every face. None of them said a word, but they didn’t need to.
Lady Yasmin gave a curt nod, acknowledging the accuracy of her guess. “Convenient coincidences,” she muttered.
Lucy frowned, thinking not only of the unexplained attack by Eamon’s guard, but of the bizarre balcony collapse that had come before it. Her unease grew.
“I just wish I could be sure that the timing of your arrival, during the annual military muster, was simply a coincidence,” the Thoranian was continuing, still talking half to herself. She shook her head slightly, her tone returning abruptly to normal. “I’ll go now.” She gave a slight smile. “Thank you all for not calling down the guards on me. I would be very grateful if you would keep our little discussion to yourselves.” Her eyes softened as they rested on Lucy. “And thank you again for coming to my brother’s rescue. I was worried that this time he’d gotten himself into a scrape I couldn’t pull him out of, and I’m more grateful than I can say that you chose not to be vindictive. I really am sorry that he attacked you. It was inexcusable, and believe me when I tell you that I’m going to punish him in my own way for the next decade or so.”
Lucy shrugged. “Like I said, I have three younger brothers myself.” She thought she saw Matheus roll his eyes in her peripheral vision.
“Yes, well.” Lady Yasmin’s eyes flicked to Matheus as well, looking like she was trying not to smile. “Like I said, I know there’s no excuse. But please believe me that Yosef wouldn’t have done something so drastic if it was a matter of disliking Rasad, or being generally uneasy about his influence. Incidents within Thorania are one thing, but the rumors about certain goings on in Balenol…” Lady Yasmin looked up, encompassing all of them in her glance. “It has been centuries since Thorania saw war, and we have no desire to see that change.”
For a moment there was silence, as her words hung heavily in the air. Lucy didn’t know what to make of the dramatic declaration. But Lady Yasmin didn’t wait for a response, turning to Lucy with another smile.
“From what Yosef told me, you fight well. I usually train in the mornings, in the palace training grounds. I’d love you to join me sometime.” Her smile grew to a grin. “It will be worth your while—I’m a more formidable opponent than my brother. He’s not bad with a sword, and he’s actually quite skilled with a bow. But the dagger isn’t his weapon.”
“Lucy’s no pushover herself,” interjected Cody defensively, the pride of a trainer clear in his voice.
Lady Yasmin didn’t miss it. “Taught her to fight, did you?” she asked, looking him over appraisingly. “I’m glad to hear that women are allowed to train with men in Kyona. It’s frowned upon in Balenol, I believe, but here we’re more relaxed.” She raised an eyebrow at the Kyonan man. “You might find me a worthwhile opponent yourself. Don’t let the title fool you.”
“I’m not impressed by either titles or words,” responded Cody coolly, his arms crossed over his chest.
Lady Yasmin smirked, already edging toward the door to the internal courtyard, pulling something from a fold of her garments as she went. “Well I guess you know where to find me if you want to put my words to the test.”
And with that she slipped out the door, barely a ripple in the colorful hangings betraying her passage. In the silence that followed her departure, Lucy heard a faint metallic scraping sound. She crossed the room curiously
and tried the handle of the door. It was locked.
She glanced back at Cody. His arms were still crossed, and he was staring at the spot where the Thoranian visitor had disappeared.
“A noblewoman who can pick locks,” he said, sounding impressed. “That’s something you don’t see every day.”
Lucy sent him a long-suffering look. “Some guardian you are. You’ve already forgiven her for breaking into my room with a weapon in the dead of night, haven’t you?”
Cody flashed her a sudden grin. “That depends on how well her actions live up to her words. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a decent sparring session.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” said Lucy dryly, thinking of their own day of training in the jungle, which she at least had found grueling.
“She’s certainly not like any noblewoman I’ve ever seen in Kynton,” said Matheus, still looking slightly awestruck.
“Yes, well.” Lucy couldn’t keep the disgruntled tone from her voice. “I think Thorania is quite a different kingdom from Kyona.”
“You should definitely take her up on the offer to train, Lucy,” said Cody briskly. “Even if she’s telling the truth that her brother meant you no harm, the attack is a reminder that we don’t know what we’re dealing with here. It’s more important than ever to be sharp.”
“Mmhmm,” said Lucy absently, her mind turning over all Lady Yasmin’s revelations. She looked up. “So, we’ll keep this to ourselves for now, right?”
“You mean keep it from the royals?” Cody asked, frowning. “You don’t want to tell Jocelyn and Eamon?”
Lucy shrugged. “She asked us not to, didn’t she?”
“Not specifically,” said Cody. He gave her a shrewd look. “Why don’t you want to tell them?”
Matheus rolled his eyes. “She’s still punishing Eamon.”
“It’s not that,” said Lucy quickly. “I just want some time to think it all over. And Eamon at least is already prejudiced against Rasad. I want more evidence before announcing that Lady Yasmin basically just accused him of plotting against Balenol. It’s one thing for Lady Yasmin to speak to us about it, since none of us have titles or official roles here. It’s another thing to announce her suspicions to the royalty of Kyona and Valoria. She’s trying to avoid a diplomatic incident between the kingdoms, not start one.”
Cody frowned at her. He didn’t look entirely convinced by her argument, but he didn’t protest. His gaze flicked briefly to Matheus. “You should go back to bed, Matheus. I’ll meet you in our suite in a minute.”
“No, I’ll wait with you,” said Matheus with unusual firmness.
Cody raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused. “Are you telling me what to do now, Matheus?”
“No, I’m looking out for Lucy,” Matheus retorted, his cheeks slightly pink but his expression determined.
Cody frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You might not care,” said Matheus in the same tone of determination. “But Lucy was upset over what happened in Nohl. About the rumors. If we were unlucky, and a servant or someone saw you coming and going from Lucy’s room in the middle of the night, I want to be sure that they see that I’m with you. No one’s going to think anything suspicious if they know her brother was with her the whole time.”
Cody stared at the younger boy. “Not you, too. Who cares about all this rumor and reputation rubbish when people keep pulling weapons on Lucy as soon as I’m not looking?”
“Lucy cares,” repeated Matheus firmly. “Just because it’s not important to you, doesn’t mean it’s not important.” He gave his sister a curt nod, as if to reassure her that he had her back.
Lucy stared back at him, touched. As embarrassing as it was to realize just how aware her little brother had been of the damage to her reputation in Nohl, she was amazed at how quickly he had grasped the implications. He had had almost as little exposure to court as Cody had. But while it was clearly still a mystery to the older man why he should care about such matters, Matheus had picked up on the dynamics much more quickly.
“Thanks Matheus,” she said quietly. “I’m glad you’re here.” He returned her smile with a mixture of self-consciousness and pride, and she wondered when he had done so much growing up. She turned back to Cody. “You can talk freely in front of Matheus anyway. There’s no need to send him away.”
“Fine,” Cody sighed. He still looked perplexed, but happy to drop the subject. “There’s no great secret. I was just going to ask you—if I hadn’t been watching your room, and hadn’t come in here and found Lady Yasmin, would you have told me about her visit?”
Lucy sent him a cheeky grin. “Who knows? It would probably depend on how nice you were to me the next day.”
Cody scowled. “You have to keep me in the loop, Lucy,” he said sternly. “You can’t shut me out on one of your whims.”
“All right, all right,” said Lucy, stifling a yawn as she waved him away. “Now get out of my room before I call the guards on you.”
“What guards?” asked Cody with asperity. “Last I checked, your non-royalness, you don’t have any guards. I’m it.”
“And you’re doing such an excellent job,” said Lucy. “But I want to sleep.”
Cody shook his head, turning to Matheus. “Come on then, Matheus. You’d better chaperone me back to my room.”
Lucy waited until she heard the outer door of her suite close before sinking back onto her pillows. Whatever she’d said to Cody, she didn’t think she’d ever been further from sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lucy walked briskly through the corridors of the palace, trying to monitor people’s reactions without looking like she was doing it. To her relief, although her training clothes were attracting some curious looks, she couldn’t see any sign of the judgment she’d unleashed in Nohl.
It was still an hour before she was expected at breakfast, but she had a feeling that Lady Yasmin was an early riser. Lucy hadn’t needed Cody’s prompt to decide to meet the noblewoman at the training hall. It wasn’t only that she wanted to spar with the Thoranian, although she did. It also wasn’t lost on her that Lady Yasmin had gone to some effort the night before to speak with Lucy in private, and Cody and Matheus had prevented her from doing so. If there were things the older woman wanted to say to her without an audience, she wanted to hear them.
Before she reached the training hall, the clang of metal confirmed that someone at least liked to train first thing in the morning. She entered the large open space cautiously, still not entirely sure she was supposed to be there.
It was an impressive room. Lucy had been struck by it on the tour the previous afternoon. In the castles of both Kynton and Nohl, the training grounds were outside. But here in Thirl, the palace itself boasted a large open hall for the purpose. Perhaps it was to protect those training from the unforgiving sun.
The floor was the same polished stone as the rest of the palace, and tall paneled windows, stretching from floor to ceiling, covered the eastern wall. The rising sun hadn’t yet crested the mountain range to the east of Thirl, but Lucy could imagine that it wouldn’t be long before the space was flooded with light.
The walls were of smooth white stone, and polished pillars ran around all four edges of the space. The walls were lined with weapons, and the room was split into different sections. A few pairs could be seen sparring with swords in one corner, and a man on the far side of the room was wielding a long wooden staff, spinning it skillfully as he struck a cushioned target.
Lucy’s eyes were drawn to one of the duos of swordsmen fighting near the eastern wall. For a moment she frowned, wondering why the figures looked familiar, silhouetted against the growing light. Then she sighed, rolling her shoulders in irritation. She should have known that Cody would be too quick to let her steal a march on him. He had clearly been suspicious the night before about how much she intended to inform him of her doings.
She moved to an empty space between two of the pilla
rs, hoping not to attract too much notice as she started warming up. Cody and Lady Yasmin were still sparring when she finished her stretches and began some solo exercises with her blade. But the sound of a particularly violent clang followed by Cody’s low chuckle pulled her from her warm up.
She looked up just as Cody glanced over and noticed her.
“Lucy,” he said calmly, as if he’d been expecting her. “There you are.”
Lucy didn’t immediately answer, regarding her mentor with surprise. Cody was panting as he wiped an arm across his forehead. Apparently Lady Yasmin had fought well enough to give him a challenge. Lucy wasn’t surprised.
What was strange was the sparkle in Cody’s eye, which Lucy couldn’t remember ever seeing before. It made his well-known face seem almost unfamiliar. She knew Cody enjoyed sparring, but he didn’t usually show it—he said it was a distraction from the fight, and he was always lecturing Lucy about getting carried away by the thrill of combat. And now here he was, looking like he’d been having the time of his life.
“I see you beat me to it in challenging Lady Yasmin to a bout,” she said at last. She kept her tone light, but her eyes passed furtively between the two of them as she spoke. Lady Yasmin was also breathing heavily, looking as collected and commanding as ever, in spite of the sweat lining her brow.
“He did, but there’s enough of me to go around,” the Thoranian said with an amused smile. She also seemed to be in an excellent mood.
“I’m not complaining,” said Lucy lightly. “It can only work in my favor if Cody tired you out a bit for me.”
Lady Yasmin chuckled. “Not so hasty. I’ve got plenty of energy left in me.”
“Enough talk,” said Cody admonishingly, as Lucy opened her mouth to reply. “You’ve warmed up, Lucy, let’s go.”
Lucy grimaced at Lady Yasmin. “Always the trainer.”
Lady Yasmin just smiled. “Swords or daggers?”
“Daggers,” said Lucy quickly. She had seen enough of Lady Yasmin’s fight with Cody to know she would disgrace herself if she tried to cross swords with the older woman.
Downfall of the Curse Page 24