Page 81 of An Archer's Redemption

“Well? No advice? Everyone else around here seems to have plenty. All day, every day. Nothing but ‘You should do this, Your Majesty,’ or ‘Oh, no, don’t do that, Majesty.’ They never stop. Surely you have some counsel, too?”

I didn’t budge.

She took another sip, eyeing me.

“I’m sorry, Jess. I didn’t know.”

She looked up, and her icy glare thawed.

I turned to the servant standing watch behind my chair and asked, “Would you ask the staff to give us a moment?”

The woman bobbed, looking relieved. Within seconds, Jess and I were alone. I stood and kneeled beside her chair.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

A tear threatened to flee the corner of her eye, and her lip quivered.

She didn’t turn to look at me, but one hand reached down and gripped mine.

I felt her anger and pain through that simple touch. Warmth also flooded up my arm and into my chest at the feeling of her skin pressed against my own. I didn’t know what to make of all the emotions competing for my attention.

I’d never felt comfortable dealing with one feeling at a time. A swirling host of emotions was overwhelming—and confusing.

“I loved him,” she said in a small voice I strained to hear. “Ireallyloved him. I never thought I’d see him again after . . . everything happened. And today, I was so happy, and then he appeared. He just showed up.”

I had seen the glassy-eyed stare of survivors before, heard the monotone of their recollections, watched as they relived their terror again and again. Usually, their memories and emotions came in waves. Shock, pain, anger, grief, disbelief, belief, acceptance. Sometimes the waves respected the order, but mostly they came when wounded hearts and minds allowed, disjointed and unpredictable. I saw how Jess’s mind and soul were under assault by more than a few of those feelings, and ached to help her cope, but I knew her own strength was required to survive such a journey.

I stood, lifting my hand, suggesting she stand, and held her in my arms for so long that the servants began returning before I released her to sit again. By then her tears were dry, though the redness of her eyes told of their passing.

The servants spoke with a gentle kindness I hadn’t heard in the Palace before. It was the sharing of a burden only foundwithin a special bond, within a family. I realized, in that moment, how unique those who served the royal household must be, and how critical they would be to her future success. I made a mental note to learn more about each servant and guard, especially those who worked within the private residence.

As plates from the main course were cleared, Jess broke the silence that dominated the meal. “Are you tired of me yet?”

I wasn’t often surprised, but the look of utter shock that flooded my face made her smile for the first time that evening.

“Never. Jess, I—”

“Good. Me either.” She reached across the table and gripped my hand again. “I need to ask you to do something for me.”

Her tone had changed, and her back had stiffened just enough for me to notice.

“Is this Jess or the Queen asking?”

Her eyes widened. “Am I that obvious? Sometimes I forget you are a trained investigator.”

When I didn’t reply, she continued. “There have been a series of deaths scattered in towns and villages across the country, seemingly at random. They appear to be the work of wild animals.”

“But you don’t believe that, do you?”

“No. They aretoorandom, if that makes any sense.”

I nodded. “All right, what do you want me to do? Your Sheriff made it clear he didn’t want me involved in Kingdom matters.”

“Not to worry. I spoke with him, and he agreed.” She took a sip. “I would like you to go to Oliver and see what you can learn. Our investigators have done their best but failed to uncover anything beyond the obvious.”

“The obvious may be the truth.”

“I would still like your eyes on this. Somethingfeelswrong. It is . . . hard to explain.”

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