Page 34 of Poisoned Kingdom
‘The woman from the forest came to pay me a visit,’ I said, grinning as his eyes widened. ‘I caught my Viper, and I’ve locked her in a cage.’
Riordan gasped, spilling the mead as he stared at me in disbelief. ‘How? Why . . .? Are thosehers?’ He moved towards the clothing on the floor and grabbed the shirt I’d held before.
‘Don’t! It’s soaked in an aphrodisiac . . .’ I tried to warn him, but it was too late, and he sniffed it before looking at me curiously.
‘How drunk are you? It’s just lilac perfume. You can find it in any brothel . . . although this oneisof good quality,’ he said, throwing the shirt aside and rummaging through the rest of her clothes while I gaped at his crotch like an idiot.
‘Is she so good that it only works on me?’ I speculated under my breath, but even to myself, that sounded far-fetched.
‘What? Never mind. Look at this! It’s a proper alchemist’s belt. This woman knows her trade.’ Riordan stood up with the leather strip in hand. The vials attached to it glistened, filled with unknown liquids and powders. He placed them on the table before adding two knives to the bizarre collection—one a simple dagger and the other a small paring knife coated in an oily black substance.
‘So, she came armed with poison,’ I said, pushing the belt aside, my doubts about her story solidifying under the weight of the evidence. ‘I want you to examine them. And her. After a night in a cell, she should be sufficiently motivated to talk. I want to know who paid her.’
‘Motivated?’ he responded. ‘If you want her motivated, find a torturer, not a truthseeker.’
Riordan raised the knife, twisting it slowly, letting the oily substance catch the light before he licked his finger and rubbed it on the blade. Some of the coating wore off on his fingertip, and he brought it to his lips.
‘What in Veles’ pit are you doing?’ I reached out to grab his hand, but he stopped me.
‘Hemlock, but . . . Why is the aether doing that . . .? Interesting.’ Riordan studied me, his gaze inscrutable, before he once again picked up my attacker’s shirt off the floor. ‘Rey, the woman who attacked you . . . she might be a mage or, at least, a hedge witch. Did you feel anything strange? Did she try to bewitch you?’
‘No.’ I glanced at the shirt. ‘Maybe? The Brotherhood doesn’t work with mages, though,’ I said, watching him draw a symbol over the fabric. ‘Please don’t tell me there’s another faction out for my blood. Truly, if there were anyone I could trust to lead this country, I’d hand it over faster than I could grab my coat on the way out.’
My comment expressed the emotions that had been building inside me since Annika had proclaimed me king years ago. I couldn’t trust anyone with these sentiments, except here I was letting them out. One look at Ri’s concerned frown, and I was wishing I could take the words back.
‘Rey? What aren’t you telling me?’ he asked softly.
‘I’m just tired. No, exhausted. Every day is a constant struggle, and Duke Tivala is only the latest of my annoyances. Did I tell you that the old bastard sent our entire garrison back? Despite all of the pirate raids decimating the coastline towns, he insists that he has enough men in his service to deal with it. He said, and I quote, that a garrison would only “overburden the locals.’” I scoffed, shaking my head. ‘And of course, that bloody principality law granted by my predecessor forbids me from entering his lands forcefully. I summoned him to explain, butall of a sudden, he is “too old,” and the death of his son has supposedly made leaving the duchy difficult.’
‘His son’s death? That was five years ago, and even then, they’d been estranged for ages after the duchess passed. I’m sure his heir being a nasty piece of work didn’t help matters either,’ Riordan said.
‘Yes, well. He was still his heir.’ I shook my head. ‘Besides, it’s only an excuse. In the same letter as he told me that, he confirmed his attendance for the Winter Solstice Ball, so that he may introduce his daughter to me,’ I said, pouring myself more mead. ‘The duke’s either senile and doesn’t know what he’s doing or so calculating that he’s running laps around us. Either way, we no longer have any soldiers in the Tivalaran province. So, I have a decision to make: wait and see how this plays out or disregard the law and take the province by force.’
‘And?’ Ri prompted.
‘I don’t want to be a king who starts a civil war. It would be easier if his heir were alive. Then I could simply declare the old duke incapable of ruling and push the responsibility onto his son.’
Asking Riordan to join me had been an impulsive decision, but I was glad he’d come. Discussing this was helping me focus on the issues instead of dwelling on my visitor. We sat in a comfortable silence, and I looked at the man sitting opposite me as he stretched out on his chair, already half asleep. His long auburn hair trailed over the edge of the seat as he settled into a more relaxed position, and my thoughts drifted to Orm, my brother.
Orm had found his happiness not only with a woman who had bound their hearts, but also with the dark fae who’d been his friend for years—a friendship that had grown into a love I envied.
After Orm’s departure, Riordan had helped me, stepping into his shoes, and it hadn’t been a small role to fill. However, I knew it would never evolve into the type of relationship my brother had with his mate, Alaric. I liked female company, probably a little too much, but none of the women that had caught my eye ever became anything more than a fling.
Sometimes, I wondered if I was incapable of love.
‘Why do I have the feeling you’re ogling me?’ Riordan’s amused tone cut through my musings, and I shook my head.
‘As if.’ I covered the unscarred side of my face. ‘I’m just wallowing in self-pity. With my face as it is now, it’ll be a miracle if any woman chooses to warm my bed . . . Maybe the royal mage position should come with a few extra duties,’ I quipped, watching his eyebrows shoot up before he started laughing.
‘Good luck with getting me to help in that area. Stop worrying. I bet there’ll be more than a few maidens willing to polish the king’s sceptre,’ Ri said, still laughing before his face turned serious. ‘But shifting focus from yourbeautyand Ignac Tivala’s untimely overdose, have you considered asking the light fae kingdom about how they deal with pirates? They have a fleet,’ he pointed out, propping himself up. ‘If we can convince Prince Iasno’ta to patrol our waters, you could thwart those on Tivala’s coasts without causing a civil war. After all, the light fae are still our allies.’
‘Theywereour allies. Now, they treat us like a poor cousin hoping for a handout. With the defeat of the Lich King, the coalition fell apart like last year’s socks. No one feels the need to honour the old treaty if there’s no threat to their homes.’
I sighed, leaning back and closing my eyes. ‘That’s why I’m sending you to Care’etavos to renegotiate the trade agreement with the dark fae. Somehow, they’ve learned about my condition, and I want to ensure that the empress doesn’t get anyinterestingideas. I’m afraid our only ally now is Ozar, and that’s only because my brother sits on the throne.’
Riordan winced, a deep frown replacing his carefree attitude. ‘That complicates things. Too many coincidences in such a short time.’
‘Yes, and my night visitor might hold some answers. That’s why I need you to interrogate her as soon as you return,’ I said, rubbing the scar on my cheek.When did life become so complicated that I can’t even tell my friend that I don’t fully trust his magic?‘She gave me her story. I want to ensure we’re asking the right questions.’
