Page 89 of Crown of Briars
“Your Highness?”
I jolted, then turned in my chair to see Clermont standing at an open door, back rigid and hands clasped in front of him. Ever the waiting servant.
Only the cold detachment of his gaze indicated his displeasure with me.
I sighed. “Yes?”
“The task you requested of me is finished.”
So Murvo’s body was gone. A hollow feeling settled in my chest. “Thank you, Clermont.”
He didn’t move. He just continued to stare at me.
I did not have the energy for this. But my friend deserved an apology. “I’m sorry, Clermont. For putting you in this position. And for overreacting at the revel. I understand if you are irate with me.”
Clermont remained perfectly poised and rigid, unresponsive to my apology. I watched him, waiting, unsure if I had theenergy for anything more than that. But I waited for the inevitable lecture that was to come.
After a long moment, Clermont exhaled loudly, his frame drooping. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Varius, I am more concerned about your behavior and what our enemies can learn from it.”
I frowned. “I do not know what you mean.”
“I know what Warwick said to you. And what he implied about his loyalties.”
I nodded, urging him to go on.
“When you reacted like that to him… it told him all he needed to know about how to manipulate you.”
My head throbbed as I tried to understand what Clermont was insinuating. “Please speak plainly, Clermont.”
He let his arms fall against his thighs in exasperation. “He threatened the human. And you practically skewered him with your claws. That kind of reaction is more telling than anything else. Now heknowshe can use Sybelle to get to you.”
My blood chilled, and a roaring sound filled my ears. Mother of Shade, how had I not considered this? With Murvo’s death and Warwick’s threat ringing in my mind, I hadn’t considered…
“Shit,” I hissed, rising to my feet. My shadows pooled around me, spilling over the carpet.
Clermont only gave me a somber look in response.
Damn it, I had been so foolish. I should have sought out my steward immediately. He was always better at thinking critically in these situations than I was.
And here I was, dreading alecture.
Warwick was in the dungeons, but he hadn’t been acting alone. Murvo had been proof of that.
There could be others.
I lunged for the door. Before I could reach it, a figure appeared on the threshold, gasping for breath. It took me amoment to see through the haze of my panic. Alarm coursed through me when I recognized Enzira. She clutched the doorframe, breathless, as if she had sprinted here. I wondered how many doors she’d had to step through before the castle had brought her here.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice sharp.
“It’s my lady—Sybelle. She—She isn’t in her rooms. I can’t find her anywhere.”
I stepped forward, but Clermont gripped my elbow, his jaw tight. His eyes were fixed on Enzira.
“What else?” Clermont said. “There’s more, isn’t there?”
I glanced at Enzira, noting the terror in her eyes. She nodded, then swallowed. “Her room has been ransacked. I—I don’t know who was in there, but someone tore the place apart, searching for something.”
I sprinted for the door, and this time, no one stopped me. Enzira darted out of the way as I barreled through, my shadows swirling around me like gusts of wind.
