Page 44 of A Kingdom of Lies

The thought was only brief, lasting no more than a second before guilt sunk talons into my chest. A vision of Erix filled my mind, and by the time I looked back to Duncan it was with a gaze of dull and muted tones.

“Eat and bathe if you desire. Tomorrow will be our final day in Finstock before a long journey to Lockinge. I cannot promise comfort outside of these walls so enjoy it while it lasts.”

The veiled woman lingered at the door as if waiting for Duncan’s confirmation to leave.

“Is this not your room?” I asked.

“It is, on other nights, but tonight I have no use for it.”

“I cannot work you out, Duncan,” I said, feeling a swell within my chest.

Perhaps my honesty was paying off, making him trust me. If this was what was required of me, to get close to the Hand, then I would keep up this illusion for as long as required.

Duncan moved towards the woman by the door, replying proudly as though his words were meant for all to hear, “I’m not a puzzle to be pieced together.”

I went to reply when I caught a flash of silver and the scratch of metal against flesh. The woman, shadowed behind Duncan’s back, shifted her weight before he had the chance to act.

“I always thought you were fickle, but moving on so quickly, and with a Hunter no less, howscandalous,” the veiled woman hissed.

The knife was held to Duncan’s throat, edge pressed into skin, leaving a trail of red. The veiled figure didn’t shake as she gripped the man, relying on the knife to keep him still and in place.

“Sister, is there a problem?” Duncan asked, far too calm for someone who had a knife held to his throat.

He could’ve broken free from her grasp with ease, until I realised that her other hand, hidden behind his back, also held a knife. Its sharp tip pressed against his spine. One wrong move and he would be left for dead, or immobilised.

“Not at all, sweetie,” she replied.

What caused me fear was not seeing him die before me. I was used to seeing death up close and personal. But it was the voice, the familiar tone that had haunted the dark shadows of night for days after my abduction from Farrador.

“Briar?”

I prayed to whatever god would listen that I’d be proven wrong. But gods cared little about me.

The voice I had wished to never hear again replied. “Hello, Robin. Did you miss me?”

CHAPTER 15

Duncan was control, his face void of emotion as though two knives were not pressed into his skin. He regarded me from the door, forest-green stare intense and unblinking. I wished to share his calmness. My heart thundered in my chest, each beat threatening to snap my ribs in half.

“Is the cutlery truly necessary?” Duncan asked, peering down his sharp nose at the blade.

“You tell me, Hunter. Are you going to behave whilst I complete my hit?”

I almost expected Duncan to refuse her, to fight on my behalf. But it never came. Instead, he retreated into silence as he studied my entire body. “Ah, so you’ve come for the fey. How exciting.”

It was far from exciting, if Duncan actually knew what Briar was and what she’d done.

“How did you find me?” I asked her, watching for any slight movement, my anxiety screaming a symphony within me. I was powerless and clumsy compared to Briar, who was a trained assassin initiated into the guild known as the Children of the Asp. I’d hoped that I had seen the last of her, since her benefactor was dead. Turns out I wasn’t that lucky.

“I have always been watching you, Robin,” Briar replied, veil fluttering with each breathy word she spoke. “It’s what I do. Wait and watch until the time is right. I had a hunch I would be called to this task again. Call it… intuition.”

“Doran sent you, didn’t he?”

Duncan laughed, breaking the tension with his misplaced chortle. “The king sends a single person after you, Robin? Clearly, he doesn’t see you as the same threat you seehimas.”

I scowled, stomach churning as I finally realised I was alone in this room. It was my own form of intuition, but I trusted that Duncan would do little to help me if –when– Briar was ready to strike.

“You laugh freely as though I do not hold a blade at your back and throat,” Briar hissed at Duncan. “I would happily break my code and kill someone separate to my hit, payment or not. Someone would want your head, General Rackley. There would be coin to collect for your life, in fact, I have been hearing some rather disgruntled whispers about you today, Duncan.”

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