Page 34 of Winter Queen
“Yes, Your Highness. We found him in the morning, a raven feather on his chest. There was blood on his lips and the healer later found traces of the poison on his tongue. He says it was in something Fav ate…”
She pauses but then blurts out, “I think it was meant for me. I was late for dinner so he began to eat on his own, and I got myself a snack from the kitchens before going to bed. Maybe he took something from my plate.”
She breaks off and swallows hard.
“Is it more likely that the Morrigan wanted to kill you rather than your husband?” I ask gently. She cringes at the mention of the Morrigan but regains her composure quickly.
“I was given information,” she says slowly. “One of my spies found something by accident… she told me, but she was killed at the same time as my husband. I’m the only one who knows what she found.”
That’s making things a lot more interesting.
“Your husband never knew?”
“No, he didn’t get involved much in business affairs.” She sniffs. “There was no reason for anyone to kill him.”
“What’s the information, if it’s worth killing for?”
“I want protection for me and my family. My soldiers will fight in your war, but the ordinary people of my Realm need to be protected. My home is much closer to the Summer Realm, so it’s likely that Angus will want to take revenge on me once he finds out that I’ve been to see you.”
“Why would Angus want revenge? Surely you’re not the only one thinking about leaving his side?”
“It’s not that.” She pauses, then looks me straight into the eyes, a hint of steel showing in hers. “My spy saw him meet with the Morrigan. And I can tell you where.”
Chapter Eleven
“We don’t have the manpower to protect another Realm!” Magnus shouts over the noise. “Nor do we have the resources.”
“She might be able to give us vital information about where we can find the Morrigan,” Storm counters, not even bothering to raise his voice. “If we know where she’s hiding, we have the advantage. We can attack her before she has gathered all her forces.”
“Who says that Angus met the Morrigan in her hiding place? They could have chosen a random spot in neutral territory! Flora might be bluffing to get our help.”
The treasurer’s face has turned red. As much as I don’t like the man, I have to at least address his doubts.
“Gwain, is what Magnus says true?” I turn to the Master of Arms on my left. “Do we not have enough soldiers to protect her Realm?”
“If she didn’t have an army of her own, then it would be a problem. She has a large number of soldiers herself, though. Nowhere near the size of our own or Angus’s force, but still quite impressive for a Realm her size. I don’t believe that she’s trying to get that kind of protection. What she wants is that you publicly announce her as your ally. That means that if someone was to attack her, you’d defend her – hopefully a good deterrent for anyone to mess with her.”
I nod. “That makes sense. How will Angus react if I ally with Flora?”
Storm snickers. “He won’t be happy.”
“He’ll regret that the first assassination attempt didn’t work,” Tamara says, her lips twitching. “I’m sure he was aware of the attempt on Flora’s life, if it was indeed aimed at her and not at her husband. He’ll likely try again, even once she’s divulged her secret to us. He needs to show both his allies and his enemies that anyone who betrays him will have to suffer the consequences.”
“Does that mean we should keep Flora here, for her protection?”
Gwain nods. “Yes, that would be advisable. Times have shown that the Palace is no longer as impenetrable as we would like, but it’s still the safest place for the Spring Goddess. I can send some of my officers into her Realm to help with the defences.”
“And who’s going to pay for that?” Magnus fumes, still standing while everyone else is seated around the large table.
“You,” I tell him, hiding a smile. “The Royal coffers should be there to help the defence of the Realm, direct and indirect. What’s the problem? Are we running out of money?”
He wrings his hands, obviously annoyed that I’m not taking him seriously.
“No, Princess, we have enough resources.”
“Then what’s the big problem? I’m having trouble understand, Treasurer.”
“We should focus on our own first!” he bursts out. “Let Flora look after herself, we have enough to do protecting our own Realm.”
