Queen of Secrets

4

In the beginning Kabel had treated me like one of his own sons, but after my mother died his true colors were revealed. I became a servant again, except here I was beaten regularly for nonexistent failures, which never happened in the castle. Kabel kept his word to my mother and allowed me to join the Ravens, though I had to fight my way through the ranks to earn my place. I proved myself by being better than my stepbrothers, even if I had to work three times as hard. Which only made them hate me even more.

When Kabel was finished, I could barely stand and warm pain pulsed throughout my body. Kabel’s knuckles were bloody and he wiped his sweaty forehead with them, smearing red across his skin. “Take him away.”

The two brothers dragged my weak, broken body down the steps and threw me into the dark, musty prison after taking away my weapons. The cell locked with a loud click and they leered at me, throwing insults that I barely heard before they finally walked away.

Unlike them, I had no interest in money, or power, or the sheer thrill of murder. All I wanted was control over my own destiny and the ability to protect those I loved. The Ravens had once offered that. Until they’d threatened Dahlia.

Now they were going to pay.

Three

Dahlia

I

n the morning I sought out my brother in his study, where I knew he would be poring over his daily correspondence as he always did before midday. Sure enough, King Balsam was seated at his large marble desk with his dark head bowed over some letter he was writing. As I stepped inside, he glanced up, his blue eyes fixing on me. He was a handsome man, though one made up of all sharp lines and hard angles, from his aristocratic face to his perfect posture.

He set down his quill. “To what do I owe the pleasure, dear sister?”

I sank into a high-backed chair and folded my hands in my lap. “Someone tried to kill me last night.”

He blinked. “Pardon?”

“An assassin stole inside my bedroom while I was sleeping, but I managed to fight him off.”

Balsam lurched to his feet. “Who was it? Where is this assassin now? We must inform the palace guard at once.”

I hesitated. I couldn’t tell my brother the truth about Garon. Balsam would want to punish him, even though Garon hadn’t actually hurt me and had stopped attacking the moment he’d realized who I was. It wouldn’t matter that Garon had been his friend once too, or that he was my childhood love. Balsam would only see him as a threat that needed to be snuffed out immediately. There would be no doubt in his mind that Garon should be executed on the spot.

That was how my brother’s mind worked—everything was black and white, rules were there for a reason, and laws were not meant to be broken. Anyone who stepped outside of this strict world view would be dealt with quickly and harshly. It was effective and made him a good king, if a rigid one, but I tended to see the world in shadow. Garon was an assassin, yes, but he deserved a second chance to come out of the darkness and return to the light. Besides, he might be the only one who could find the person who hired him—and when he did, I would exact justice myself. I could be as brutal as my brother when needed. I simply liked to use a small, precise dagger to mete out my justice, not a sharp executioner’s blade.

“The assassin escaped,” I lied. “I didn’t see who it was. And I’ve already informed the palace guard, so you need not worry about that.”

Balsam reluctantly returned to his seat with a frown. “An assassin. After you.” He shook his head. “I’ll see what the Ravens has to say about this.”

“I believe the man was one of them.”

“Impossible. We have a deal. The royal family is off-limits.”

I spread my hands. “Not anymore, it seems. Perhaps they have a new deal with someone else.”

His eyes narrowed. “It has to be Illidan. Queen Casnia is out for my blood.”

“Why would she want to kill me?”

“To destabilize me.” He shrugged. “Everyone knows I rely on your counsel. Especially now that the war is getting worse.”

I sighed. The war between Talador and Ilidan had started before we were born and I was beginning to think it would never end. Our soldiers and wizards fought and died over borders and resources and for what? I didn’t know anymore. And if my brother truly did listen to my counsel then he’d know I would push for peace with Queen Casnia, not more war.

Balsam steepled his fingers on his desk as he considered. “Perhaps they want to prevent your upcoming wedding to Prince Nial in the hopes of breaking our alliance with Andaria.”

“Perhaps,” I said, since I’d wondered the same thing. “It could also be one of the other three kingdoms. Any one of them could want our alliance to fail.”

Balsam nodded. “Especially Rodor. They’re on the brink of war with Mesner as it is. The only one we can likely rule out is Korelan. I doubt the Archwizard would send an assassin to do her dirty work.”

“You’re probably right. She would send a wizard who could make it look like an accident. Unless of course that’s what she wants us to think.” Korelan tried to remain neutral in political alliances and stay out of conflicts—which just meant none of us trusted them.

My head ran through all the possibilities, trying to judge who would gain the most from my death. Though I was second in line to the throne, that would change soon once Fellina had her child, so killing me made little sense in that regard. I was counsel to my brother certainly, but otherwise an unimportant princess, except as a bargaining chip in a marriage alliance.