by Erin Beaty
“Hello.”
Sage’s head jerked up. He smiled and blinked lazily, still dazed from drugs they’d given him. All the emotions of yesterday came crashing over her, and her eyes flooded with tears.
He frowned. “You’re crying again. Why are you crying?”
“I thought you were dead, Alex.” She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve, but the tears kept coming. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Well, here I am,” he said, his face relaxing back into a half smile.
“And look at you.” She sniffed. “What did they do to you?”
“Some of it I deserved,” he said, wincing as he stretched his cheeks and mouth. “I thought I was on my way to an execution, so I put up a fight.”
Sage choked back a sob. “You were. They showed me your sword and said a prisoner had it. I thought he’d taken it from you after he—after he—” She stopped, panic threatening to take her at the thought of what she’d almost done.
“And you demanded my execution.” Alex’s shoulders shook in quiet laughter, some of the fog clearing from his eyes. “Promise me you’ll never change, Sage.”
His reaction only made her cry harder. “How can you laugh about that?”
“Because it didn’t happen. Everything is funny when you’ve just cheated death.”
That wasn’t the only thing that hadn’t happened. Sage put her hand over his heart. “I saw the arrow,” she whispered. “It knocked you off your horse. How on earth did you survive that?”
Alex looked puzzled for a moment, then he placed his hand over hers. “I saw the archer and dove down. The arrow hit under my arm, lodged in my jacket. Didn’t even nick me.” He squeezed her hand gently. “I had no idea you saw that. I’m so sorry you suffered all that time.”
“I deserved it,” she said, pulling her hand back. “I lied to you and defied you in front of everyone.”
He shook his head slowly. “You did the right thing when I was wrong. You stopped a war I nearly started.” Alex glanced pointedly around the room. “Apparently you’ve gained the trust of the Casmuni royal family, and you kept Nicholas safe.” He paused, looking guilty. “He is safe, right?”
“Of course.” Sage gripped the bedclothes with tense white fingers. “But none of that makes up for what I did to you. I was too stubborn and wrapped up in myself to see beyond what I wanted.”
“You seem to have forgotten that I was acting like an ass. And that’s putting it mildly.” Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Sage … What I went through back at Tegann, when I thought I’d have to choose between—”
“I know. Cass told me.”
“I should’ve told you.” He exhaled heavily, and when he reopened his eyes, they were bright with tears. “But that’s why I was so afraid to have you with me. If it’s a choice between you and everyone else, it’s you.” Alex’s bandaged arm shook a little as he raised it to touch her cheek. “It’s always you.”
“And I only made it worse,” she insisted, though she leaned into his caress. “I took your worst fear and made it real.”
“Are we going to fight now about who was at fault?” His hand dropped to her neck, and he slipped trembling fingers into her cropped hair. “I’d just as soon never ever argue with you again. You can choose my meals and underclothes for the rest of my life, and I’ll never complain.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Sage laughed as she wiped the last of her tears away, then put her left hand on his chest again, reveling in the strong pulse beneath her fingers. All traces of the pain medicine had left his eyes, leaving them clear and bright.
He was here. He was alive.
He was hers.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“That,” he said, pulling her down to him for a deep kiss, “is the best thing I’ve heard in months.”
94
ALEX COULD’VE KISSED her all day, but at some point the sound of someone clearing his throat made her look away. The Casmuni king stood in the doorway to what looked like a garden, averting his eyes politely.
Sage helped Alex sit up and propped pillows behind him, but just the effort of being upright was exhausting after a few minutes. His mind was clear, though. Before the Casmuni king could ask any questions, Alex thanked him for taking care of Sage and Nicholas. “You saved their lives,” he said in Kimisar. “For that I will be forever in your debt.”
“Perhaps you can repay it by explaining what you said yesterday,” said the king. “But first things first.” He deliberately picked up a chalice from the table by the bed. After drinking from it, he offered it to Alex.
Sage had told him the king would do this, and it was important. His arms trembled from even holding the cup, but Alex took a sip and handed it back.
“Now,” said Banneth. “You must tell us all that has happened.”
Alex started with events the king already knew of, in hopes of establishing himself as honest. When he described his first escape attempt in the prison, Sage sat up straight on the edge of the bed, eyes wide.
“Did you see the man enough to recognize him?” asked Banneth.
“I only saw him that once. After that my eyes were covered,” Alex answered. “But I feel if I saw him again, I would know it.”
The king shook his head as he paced the room. “He might be only a middleman. That could lead nowhere, but we will investigate.” He stopped in a patch of golden sunlight. “What did he want to know from you?”
“He wanted to know about Demora and Sage and Nicholas. I think he wanted to blame them for your assassination.”
Banneth frowned. “That makes little sense. This plot was in the making long before I met Saizsch and Nikkolaz.”
“From what I heard, it was a change of plans—a target of opportunity,” said Alex. “Was there anyone on the council who was hostile to them?”
“Only about three-quarters of them. The most outspoken being the minister of war, but his job is to be suspicious of foreigners.”
Sage had still said nothing, but Alex could tell she was frantically trying to work something out.
“Maybe we can reverse the line of thought,” suggested Alex. “Who could have been the original enemy to blame?”
“Are there any councils without power struggles?” Banneth shook his head. “The minister of roads hates the minister of trade, and the minister of war hates the minister of finance. The chamberlain hates everyone.” The king went back to pacing.
Alex took a deep breath and winced. “All right. Who stands to gain from your death? Who inherits the throne?”
“My son Hasseth, who is nearly eleven.”
Alex felt he was on the right track. “That’s too young. Who would be appointed regent?”
“Traditionally it is the minister of war, who is often the brother of the king, and therefore the heir’s uncle.” Banneth stopped and gazed into the garden thoughtfully. “But my sister also has claim. Lani is of age, and rules when I am gone. She is also popular with the people.”
That was the third time the minister of war had been mentioned. “Who is the war minister’s enemy again?” asked Alex.
“Minister Sinda,” said Sage, her face pale.
Banneth nodded. “Yes, that is a good lead. The finance minister has been supportive of opening talks with Demora. He and General Calodan have been at odds for years.”
“No,” she said. “I mean Minister Sinda is the traitor.”
The king stared at her. “Dev Sinda has been your biggest champion since your arrival.”
Sage looked like she wanted to cry. “I know, but it all makes perfect sense.”
95
SHE HADN’T WANTED to believe it when Alex described hitting the man with his chains as he tried to escape. Dev Sinda had a wound like that, but it could have been from subduing Alex as Lani had bragged. Sage didn’t want to jump to conclusions, especially since Sinda had been openly supportive of the king, Lani, and the Demorans. For Spirit’s sake, he’d gotten Lani into
council meetings and given her more power.
But that had given him tremendous influence over Lani. The princess may have been old enough and have the right relationship to Hasseth to be appointed regent, but if Sinda married her, he had significant claim to both minister of war and regent. Framing General Calodan would make his post vacant and ripe for Sinda to step into as the young king’s uncle. If Lani’s youth and relative inexperience were considered an impediment to being named regent, her husband was an alternative she might not object to. Even if he was somehow excluded from both offices, Sinda could still wield power through his wife.
However, Lani had said Calodan—or General Pig-face, as she called him—was planning to resign. Sinda didn’t need to get the minister of war out of the way anymore, but his retirement would almost certainly be delayed by dealing with the approaching Demoran force. If Sinda “uncovered” Sage’s and Nicholas’s guilt in Banneth’s murder, he could use it to ensure the resignation of the military commander who’d let it happen under his nose—and line himself up to succeed the general. Additionally, the princess would be heartbroken at Sage’s betrayal and depend on Sinda even more.
The third piece had been the absence of the Kimisar dolofan in the prison records. Minister Sinda audited the prison accounts weekly, according to Lani. He had every opportunity to erase their official existence, not to mention access to treasury funds for bribing anyone who saw too much. When he heard about Alex, Sinda saw him as a gold mine of information he could use to undermine and frame the Demorans.
Banneth wasn’t convinced. “You said Kimisara would do this in exchange for passage through the mountains to attack Demora,” he said to Alex. “Only the minister of war or the king could give the order for the garrison at the pass to stand down. That implicates General Calodan.”
“Unless that was also arranged to frame him,” said Sage. “Sinda could forge the order to make it look like Calodan had issued it. If he’s bribing prison guards, he can pay the right people to have it done.”
“If he’s bribing prison guards.” The king sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t decide whether you are trying to grasp at sand or if I am. Everything is circumstantial.”
“I would recognize him if I saw or heard him,” said Alex.
“It doesn’t matter if I believe you; I can’t arrest a high-ranking council member over an assassination that hasn’t been attempted on the word of a foreign prisoner,” said Banneth. “I need proof.”
“We may get some from the dolofan when Darit finds them,” said Sage. “But perhaps we can find some detail Sinda knows but should not.” She looked to Alex. “When you were … questioned, what did you tell him?”
“I told him about Nicholas.” Alex’s face had gone parchment white under his bruises.
Her eyes widened and darted to the king. “I never told anyone who he is.”
“I think you should tell me now,” said Banneth, folding his arms.
Sage held Alex’s gaze for a few heartbeats and took a deep breath. “Nicholas is a prince. He is the youngest son of the king of Demora.”
“I see.” Banneth drew his brows down. “What does that make you?”
“I am a tutor for the royal children. Nothing more.”
The king turned his green eyes on Alex. “Is she speaking the truth?”
“In a strict sense,” Alex admitted. He smiled at her lopsidedly. “But she is everything to me.” Sage rolled her eyes as she blushed.
Banneth sighed. “Very well. If we can get Sinda to admit he knows this, as well as a confession from the dolofan, that will be proof enough.”
“What about Princess Lani?” Sage said. “We can’t let this surprise her.”
“You say she’s in love with Sinda.” Banneth shook his head. “If you had difficulty convincing me—and I am still not fully convinced—imagine how she will react. It will be a shock no matter when she learns.”
Sage wouldn’t budge. “The longer you wait to tell her, the more humiliating this will be, and the more public. If you leave her out, she will never trust you again, but most importantly, she deserves to know.”
Alex didn’t hesitate. “I agree with Sage.”
“You don’t even know my sister,” said Banneth.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Alex. “She deserves to know.”
* * *
Lani didn’t want to hear it. She screamed at Alex and threw vases at the wall.
Banneth was silent, waiting for his sister’s rage to run its course. When Lani finally collapsed on the floor, weeping, the king knelt by her and took her in his arms. “The betrayal is worse for you,” he said. “I know your heart is broken.”
“I don’t believe it,” Lani sobbed. “He could not do this. I don’t care what they say.” She looked up with eyes as green as Banneth’s. “Prove it, Saizsch. If you can.”
Sage glanced to Alex, who’d watched most of the conversation without understanding what was said. “Come here, then,” she said to Lani.
The princess stood and strode to Alex’s bedside as Sage lifted his shirt to expose his chest. She pointed to the lines of three bruises all over his body, and Alex winced as he rolled to his side to show more on his back. “Who wears rings that would do this, Lani?” Sage asked quietly.
Lani spun around and ran for the patio, but Banneth caught her arm. “You will not leave this room, Alaniah.”
“He was going to ask you for my hand tonight, Banna,” Lani cried, fresh tears falling down her red cheeks. “Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life yet.”
“Then nothing has happened that cannot be undone,” he soothed.
Lani looked at Sage then. Banneth was wrong. Sage went to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. Lani had always seemed taller than Sage, so overwhelming was her presence, but now Sage realized they were the same height.
“I thought I had something real,” Lani whispered.
“Someday you will have it, Lani,” Sage whispered back. “I promise.”
After a few minutes, Lani pulled herself together and turned back to Banneth and Alex. “What do we do now to prove this to the council?”
“We bring the dolofan to them,” said Banneth. “In their questioning we try to get Sinda to admit what he knows. If that fails, we will reveal Ah’lecks, but his words could be turned against all the Demorans, so that will be a last resort.”
“Will it be enough?” Lani asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” said a voice. Everyone turned to face Darit, who stood in the doorway to Nicholas’s room. “The dolofan are gone.”
96
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, Alex thought Banneth took the news that two assassins were loose in the palace rather well.
“We know their plan,” the king said, switching back to Kimisar for Alex’s benefit. “That means we are ahead.”
“Yes, but catching them in action only catches them,” said Lani. The princess’s Kimisar wasn’t quite as good as everyone else’s. “I think confession unlikely.”
“Then perhaps we should make Sinda think he has succeeded,” said Sage. “See how he acts and who he blames.” She looked to Banneth. “What would be the first steps after the murder of a king?”
“Besides shutting down the palace and searching for the culprit? The council would be called into session to declare the new ruler.”
“How soon?” she asked.
“As soon as the death is discovered.”
“Even in the middle of the night?”
Banneth nodded. “Even so, but I would think there would be no reason for my body to be discovered until morning.”
Sage bit her lip. “He will be prepared for that timing, so I say you should be found in the middle of the night. It gives us a slight advantage.”
“Agreed, but how do we do that? Have the guards hear a disturbance and investigate?”
Sage gave the king an odd look. “Perhaps I can discover it. That will play right into his hands. It could make him overconf
ident.”
Banneth threw a furtive glance at Alex before replying to her in Casmuni. She nodded, turning pink.
“Just a damn minute, Sage,” interrupted Alex in Demoran. A horrible suspicion was growing in his gut. “Why would you be in the king’s bedroom in the middle of the night?”
“I wouldn’t,” she answered quickly. “But if we tell Sinda at dinner that Banneth proposed to me, then I can legitimately discover the body sooner rather than later.”
A sound idea, but it had been thought of too quickly. “Did the king propose to you?”
Her face was scarlet. Though he wouldn’t have understood what Alex asked, the king answered in Kimisar. “I asked Saizsch to marry me two nights ago.”
Alex looked back and forth between the two of them. “And what was the answer?”
“It was no,” said Banneth.
* * *
After they’d developed a plan for that evening, Alex had to rest again, though he refused the healers’ strong recommendation that he take their formula to sleep better. Wonderful as that fog had felt, a clear mind was more important. He also suspected Sage hadn’t slept in weeks, and Alex convinced her she wouldn’t hurt him by curling up beside him. In truth, it was painful when she bumped or brushed against him, but having her close was worth it.
It was late afternoon when he woke alone. Everything hurt again, and his joints didn’t want to bend. Alex was used to injuries, though the last time he’d been nearly this bruised all over was during his early page days, when a squire had openly questioned Lady Quinn’s faithfulness to Alex’s father. Officially he’d been disciplined and had a talking down from Colonel Quinn himself, but unofficially, he and the boys who’d joined in to help him were given extra rations for a week.
He was stretching and working things loose when Sage came in from the garden, dressed in what looked like riding clothes with a Casmuni sword belted at her waist. She was sweaty and disheveled but cheerful, explaining she’d been learning some kind of fighting with Princess Lani, who’d needed to work off a lot of anger.