Page 48 of Rise of the Vicious Princess

She fussed with the blanket covering him, and then finally whispered, “Whoever tried to kill me might try again.”

“They’ll have to go through me, Your Highness.” His voice was fading as the pain medicine and blood loss took their toll.

She scooted farther onto the bed and leaned against the pillows beside him. A crooked little smile tugged at his mouth briefly before he slid into sleep.

Nineteen

IT WAS UNSEASONABLY warm outside later that evening, so Charis arranged to meet Mother in the private courtyard outside the queen’s chambers for dinner. Not only was Charis heartily sick of being in her quiet chambers, where the memory of the awful twang of the archer’s bow could haunt her, but Baust had mentioned that Mother needed more fresh air to aid in her recovery. Dinner outside was a handy solution to both problems.

Mother arrived as a maid began arranging dinner on a small table beside the double doors that led to the queen’s sitting room. Vellis and Gaylle, Charis’s evening security team, were stationed nearby, as were four more guards for the queen. Three additional palace guards stood watch on the ivory stone walls that surrounded the courtyard. Charis felt both smothered and exposed.

The queen waited in silence as the maid set out dishes of vegetable barley soup, roasted quail on a bed of seasoned rice, and apples baked and dipped in spiced sugar. A pitcher of fresh water with lemon curls floating inside and two place settings finished the table.

“Leave us,” the queen said. The maid hastened to obey. Once the door shut behind her, Mother gestured at the courtyard. “We could have eaten in my parlor.”

“I needed to be outside.” And a glance at Mother’s pale cheeks and sunken eyes in the lantern light said that she did, too.

“I would think you’d have had enough of that after today.” Mother glanced at the guards pacing the courtyard walls. “However, I’ve doubled our security presence throughout the palace.”

“Very sensible of you, Mother. That will send the appropriate message of concern to our people.” Charis settled into a chair and began portioning the food onto two dinner plates.

“I was rather hoping my actions would send the appropriate message of concern to my daughter as well.”

Charis hesitated in the act of pouring a glass of water and nearly overfilled the glass. Hastily setting the pitcher down, she said, “Of course.”

Taking the seat beside Charis, the queen pressed her fingers against her forehead for a moment as if staving off a headache. When she spoke, her voice was uncharacteristically gentle. “How is Tal?”

“He’s resting. I got him to eat some soup, but I think the blood loss really took its toll. He can’t stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time. Baust says that will improve greatly in the next few days as long as we keep him eating and drinking.”

Slowly, Mother raised her head. “The city guard caught the shooter.”

Charis set her fork down, a chill raising gooseflesh across her arms. “And?”

“Montevallian.”

“How did King Alaric know I’d be at Merryl’s today?” Charis’s gaze was as hard as the pit that was forming in her stomach.

One person might have the answers. The fury that was always lit in Charis’s heart rose to flood her skin with heat and her thoughts with venom.

“Where is the Montevallian we caught?” Charis’s tone was as uncompromising as the set of her mother’s jaw.

“In the dungeons. We’ll let her sit for a few days. That should be long enough to let her start rethinking her situation. And then we’ll question her.”

“We?”

Mother’s gaze cooled. “You failed to get information from the spies who snuck into the palace and instead allowed Reuben to kill them. We can’t afford any mistakes this time.”

Charis narrowed her eyes. “If you accompany me to the dungeon, you will undo all the work we’ve done to make sure my reputation is as fearsome as yours. One day, I’ll be queen. I can’t afford for anyone to think I’m not capable of doing everything that is required of me.”

“Then be capable of everything that is required of you.”

The words stung, but Charis kept her expression smooth. Above them, the last remnants of the day disintegrated into darkness, and silvery stars pricked the night sky. “I’m capable, Mother. But it would help if Reuben stayed away from the dungeon. I’ll take different guards with me.”

“Whoever you take, we need to get to the bottom of these assassination attempts,” Mother said. “King Alaric obviously has spies with access to the palace and to your schedule. That means you aren’t safe until we discover his network, and if that was an easy job, it would’ve been accomplished years ago.”

An owl hooted mournfully nearby as Charis straightened in her chair. “What do we know?” She raised her hand and began ticking items off on her fingers. “Someone with knowledge of the palace helped a Montevallian man sneak into the ladies’ parlor and hide until he could attack you. On the same night, an unarmed woman was found in my bath chamber. The ball was a well-publicized event, so it stands to reason that Montevallo’s spy network would have known about it.”

She took a sip of water and set her cup down. “Someone with knowledge of my personal schedule helped an assassin know exactly where to be and when today. Only my secretary and the council members had copies of my official schedule for the week, but Merryl could have told any number of people that the princess was coming to her shop for a fitting, which means, again, Montevallo’s spy network could have easily learned the information.”

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