Page 35 of Poisoned Kingdom
‘Fine, of course. You’ll have your truthseeker,’ Riordan said. He looked to the side, his gaze sliding over the clothes as he frowned. ‘That reminds me . . . I also had an interesting encounter recently. A woman came to the Court of Aether yesterday—a refugee from Wiosna.’
The bastard smiled as I sat up, wondering if I had heard him right.
‘I see that got your attention, and I must admit, she grabbed mine. A pretty little thing that somehow managed to bring three council membersthisclose to apoplexy,’ he said, pressing his thumb and forefinger together before reaching for his drink, but I grasped his hand, stalling it.
‘And?’
‘And she confirmed what we suspected. Mlot is mining and trading srebrec. If what she said is true, the buyer already has more than enough ore to cause trouble for Dagome’s mages.’
I sighed heavily, unsure of what to do now. Suspecting our former ally was one thing, but knowing it for sure? That was a blow. Even if I’d expected it, I was still taken aback by the sheer audacity.
‘Did she tell you who he’s trading with?’
‘No, she only found out because she was working as a healer and had to treat miners injured by a cave-in and aether flux from the ore,’ he said, lifting the goblet to his mouth when I finally released his hand.
I could barely breathe.
‘You checked her story, yes? I want you to question her again,’ I said, leaning towards him as my mind raced.
Riordan shook his head. ‘I checked as much as I could, but that’s the thing. The reason our council lit up like Svarog’s fire was the fact that our healer can see aether yet isn’t registered as a mage. And . . .’ He paused dramatically and I rolled my eyes at his theatrics. ‘She’s a former member of the Dark Brotherhood.’
All the gears in my head suddenly clicked into place, forming a coherent story. I choked on my mead, wheezing out one last question between my coughs.
‘What’s her name?’
Chapter 14
Roksana
Icouldn’t stop shaking, but I didn’t know whether it was the cold or my fury at being ignored. Not that it mattered. Sat on the floor, nearly naked, I knew the cold would be the end of me.
The meagre straw pile I’d curled up on didn’t stop the chill from seeping into my bones, making my teeth chatter as I realised how much trouble I was in.
‘I maimed the king of Dagome . . . Gods, what a shit show,’ I muttered, rocking back and forth. He hadn’t killed me, and I thanked every deity I could think of for that, but what was I going to do now?
Reynard’s scarred face flashed across my mind. Messy raven hair, cut in a high and tight on one side and grown out to amedium length on the other, fell over the empty eye socket, as if he’d tried to hide the scar my hairpin had left behind. His beautiful grey eye, framed by long eyelashes, burned with anger even after his kiss had left me breathless, and I marvelled at his ruthless allure. I sucked in my lower lip, groaning with embarrassment as I remembered how eagerly I had yielded to his touch.
‘That’s never happening again,’ I promised myself. I’d be a fool not to be afraid of him, yet when he had brushed away my tears, there was a gentleness in him . . . as if he was looking for a reason not to be harsh with me.
‘Just like I’m trying to find some redeeming qualities in him.’ I sighed, rubbing my arms when a draft swept through my cell.
Pushing thoughts of Reynard aside, I counted the days left until Mabon. I had close to two weeks to convince him to release me before the Brotherhood fell apart.
If, of course, I don’t freeze to death in the meantime,I thought, tapping the wall. The cell was old, its stone construction having survived for five centuries, and it looked as though it would last another five. To make matters worse, the cell was located next to the river, and its tiny window was open to the brisk wind, causing me to shudder every time I left my legs exposed.
Worry had me biting my lip, but it didn’t hurt as much as I expected, and I felt a shiver of fear run down my spine.If my body is going numb, how much time do I have left?
‘Fuck you and the horse you rode in on—could’ve at least given me my kirtle back,’ I muttered, promising retribution to the arrogant bastard who locked me in here.
I sighed. I knew I was really just angry at my own lack of planning. ‘Think with your head, Sana. Never let the heart guide the knife.’ Jagon had beaten that mantra into my flesh, and it never rang truer than now.
It had been an impulsive decision to kill the Tivala family’s heir, and thanks to my former master, it had come back to bite me in the arse. Another impulsive decision, and I was breaking into the king’s bedchamber, thinking I could convince him that his life was in danger.
I groaned.
Well, he definitely agrees with that.Unfortunately, he also thoughtIwas that danger.
Now, I was locked in an impenetrable cell, and the king was my only chance at freedom.
