Page 135 of Shadows and Roses

The guard hesitated, then nodded. "As you wish, Escort."

Castien shut the door behind him. A spark of guilt at intruding upon his friend’s space vanished as quickly as it appeared; Castien needed to do something. He set the book on a table and searched for paper to write a note. Damon should show this to Anais himself if he thought it important.

Scattered dirt crunched beneath his boots. A trail led to the back door—the gardens. Curious, he followed the trail.

Castien shook his head. Damon’s new hobby was good for him, but he was not good for his garden.What a mess. This was something he knew how to fix. Weeding was simple and familiar. Castien soon lost himself to his task.

When he began squinting due to lack of light, he sighed and slammed the trowel into the dirt.

Thump.

Strange.

That didn’t sound like dirt. Perhaps there was a rock hindering the garden’s growth. Castien scooped aside the earth. Wood, not rock. And not natural wood—a flat panel lay a few inches below the ground, beneath a few wilting flowers. He dug it out, sliding the panel away. Dirt clattered into a small, dark hole.

A box and a stack of letters lay within. His sense of intrusion weighed on him. This was his friend’s privacy he was invading. A man he wasn’t completely certain he understood—or was he simply jealous? Castien shook his head and moved to slide the panel back into place.

Gold letters caughthis eye.

King Damon.

He frowned.

—

Less than an hour later, a dozen captains sat before him, some just awakened from their beds.

Castien stood on the other side. He turned toward Jerrl. "You told me Damon was talking about kings."

"Yes?"

"Read this." He slid the papers over.

We've had enough of Queens. Long live King Damon.

End her and you have our support, Emperor.

No to the claws. We don’t want a butcher King. All else, yes.

And several more similar notes. Castien had found them after a short search.

Jerrl stopped reading. "This is ridiculous. Is this a joke?"

"No. I found them in his room."

The other captains murmured noises of surprise.

Jerrl shook his head and leaned back as if physically distancing himself from the letters. "What were you— It doesn’t matter. They must have been planted. Or some other perfectly good reason. He wants—we all want—to remove the nobility, not become one of them. And what's this about claws?"

Castien said softly, "A noble’s child was found dead today, her claws removed."

"He wouldneverdo such a thing," Jerrl nearly shouted. A few of the others shared glances.

Pelios scowled. "Could be he's doing your Queen a favor and rooting out traitors in her court."

Castien disagreed. "We don't trust them anyway. Is it ridiculous to believe that he'd work with anyone to achieve what he desires?"

Jerrl snapped, "Impossible. He's talked about what he wants for years—you were there when he started. He still wantsthe same thing, not to be king or emperor or whatever nonsense."

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