Page 2 of Enchanted Crown
Owen examined the dagger, the light of the lantern reflecting off it. “Not rushing a throne room without more weapons this time.”
“I was to send for Whit when you arrived and I did,” Emric offered calmly. “Esta has been holed up in her rooms since theattack, so there will not be any throne room rushing required, I’m afraid. Whit will take you there.”
“I’m still going to tag along with Keir,” Owen told him. “There are some odd happenings going down in this castle.”
“That’s for sure,” Emric agreed. “We might have all taken part in a rebellion, but this seems to run deeper. Civil wars are quite volatile, as it turns out.”
Owen shot me a look while taking in Emric’s words.
John poked his head in the room and interrupted with, “Oh good, you’re back.”
“Only to grab weapons,” Owen declared. “Next stop, see the queen of Dra Skor so Keir’s magic can stop flaring every three-point-two seconds.”
It was my turn to send him a glare.
Owen gave me an innocent shrug. “You’re a wreck. Let’s go see your woman, and you’ll feel better. Trust me.”
“About the weapons,” John began.
My temper was about two seconds from snapping entirely. I hissed, “There was an attack in this castle! The weapons are obviously needed.”
John held up a hand to stop me. “You would be correct, it might just be helpful for you to understand that we, as Wylan’s representatives, were all questioned in regard to the attack.” A pause. “It would likely be best to keep all weapons sheathed until needed. That’s all I’m trying to say, Keir.”
“What?”I snapped.
John gave me a little shrug. “There are those among the queen’s advisors who believe that none of this began happening until after we arrived in Dra Skor. Can we really blame them for wanting to vet us?”
I squinted, unconvinced. Zaire stood on rocky ground with Esta, a failed engagement between them. He would stop at nothing to be rid of us, it seemed. “Why would we help to get their shiftershealed, their queen healed, if we wanted to destroy them from the inside out?” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Also, I was not even here when the attack occurred.”
“Exactly,” Owen agreed.
John continued, “The attack happened in the dining room Malachi and the queen prefer.” I knew the exact one he was referring to. I had been in it myself. “Three shifters and one human broke in through the windows. Malachi and the queen were outnumbered and had to shift to protect themselves. All perpetrators have been dealt with.”
He meant dead. Dammit. I had rather been looking forward to that part. I clenched my jaw. “Any leads?”
“None. One shifter got away,” John said before looking to Emric.
Emric added, “Yet was found impaled on a broken tree trunk the next morning.”
I let out a deep sigh. “So yet again, no one to question?”
John shook his head. “Afraid not.”
I opened my jacket and handed John a roll of parchment. We’d been in a hurry to leave Wylan for Dra Skor, but I hadn’t forgotten the entire reason I had left Esta to begin with. To buy her more time. “Look over this while I’m gone. I will be presenting it soon. As soon as possible.”
John perched his glasses on his nose and unrolled the scroll. His eyes went wide a moment as he read the title and the first few lines while I put the floorboard back. “You—this is brilliant, Keir. I will look it over yet tonight.”
“Esta needs more time, so that is exactly what I got her.” My magic burned under my skin and I allowed it to, if only for something else to focus on. “I just never thought that in fighting for her to have more time, someone would try to attack her in my absence.”
John looked up and cocked his head, as if trying to decide whatto say to me or what not to. As if I was a gauge of sorts he was reading.
I thought the fact that I was two seconds away from becoming rage itself was more than apparent enough. “What?”
John’s eyes moved to Emric, Owen, and then back to me. “This assassination attempt at least told us more than the last one. A clue of sorts. The last one it was unclear if the culprit was after you or her.” He swallowed as he considered his next words. “This one happened while you were gone. They are not after you, Keir. They know you are vital in getting a healthy Dra Skor back. Whoever is doing this, whether that is a group or a person, they do not want Esta on the throne.”
Whit arrived as I wrestled my magic beneath my skin, Dex letting him in.
Ready?
