Page 92 of Poisoned Kingdom
Riordan instinctively pulled away.
‘This wasn’t a random attack. Someone wanted me, and I think I know who . . . I’m sorry, Lily, but I was worried they’d go after you next.’
Liliana paled, whispering, ‘Why?’ while Irsha gently stroked her back.
‘Because,’ Roksana said, avoiding my eyes, ‘I think they were sent after me for killing Ignac Tivala.’ Interestingly, Irsha didn’t seem as surprised by this revelation as the rest of us. ‘Jagon knew about it,’ Sana added quietly. ‘He knew it was Lily who had discovered that the heir of the House of Tivala was murdering women. I guess he wasn’t as tight-lipped as he promised.’
A few things clicked into place. I suddenly remembered the way she had questioned me—asking if I was sure the guard who had attacked me had had a choice. The way she had insisted she’d be condemning her family if she told me the full truth when she’d come to warn me.
Anger burned inside me, its fierce heat branding a hatred for Jagon in my heart. He thought to blackmail my Viper? Tivala’s son’s death was incidental; so, it was she who had cleaned out that trash from the streets of Truso.Good.
My eyes shifted to Liliana, perched tensely on Irsha’s knee like a terrified dove. The assassin followed my gaze, and without a word, wrapped an arm firmly around her waist, tugging her closer. His challenging glare made my earlier assumption laughable. The Blade may have had a past with my Sana, but it wasn’t her he pressed to his chest.
‘As soon as we’re done here, I’ll drag him to my dungeons,’ I promised, ready to argue against Sana’s protests. Instead, it was Irsha who shook his head.
‘That’ll be rather difficult. Before our little duel, I was on my way to tell Sana that Jagon had disappeared.’
‘What?’ Sana asked. ‘Are you sure?’ Her eyes widened, knuckles whitening when she grabbed the table.
My instinct reacted faster than my logic, and I grasped her belt, pulling her onto my lap before I locked her in my embrace.
‘Reynard, I’m all right,’ she protested weakly, though she didn’t stand.
All eyes turned to us, but rather than permit them to question why Sana was allowing me to hold her, I gestured to Irsha to continue.
‘Boyan wanted to see him, but when I went to his workshop, the place was empty. Everything seemed to be in order, but his apprentice looked like a happy little rat, and when I pressed, he said he hadn’t seen Jagon for days. It looks like he never returned from one of his journeys.’
‘Why did Boyan want to see him?’ I asked, brow furrowing as Irsha hesitated—glancing towards Sana as if asking for permission.
‘The Brotherhood’s been in chaos since Sana’s arrival. It looks like Boyan got a second wind. He caught a few troublemakers by the bollocks and started cleaning house. Those who thought he was headed for the grave are now second-guessing themselves and pulling away from Jagon and his clique. I think—though this is my own speculation—that Boyan wanted to call for a challenge.’
Lily looked at Irsha with a baffled expression. ‘And who would challenge the master poisoner for his position? Only Sana is at his level— oh gods . . . Boyan wanted her for a chapter master?’
My gaze dropped to the woman in my arms. Her lips twitched into a sad smile just as Irsha gave a slow nod.
She’d known. Maybe it had even beenheridea.
‘I told you I was busy,’ she said quietly, not looking at me. ‘And that some things would never be possible.’
Dread choked me when I realised the implications.
It was already hard enough—she was a commoner and a dark sister. But this . . .
Even if I forced the nobles of Dagome to accept a Brotherhood chapter mistress as my chosen, there’d be an uproar even I might not be able to contain, especially if Sana wanted to remain in her position.
I wanted her. Gods, Iwantedher, but I didn’t want to see my country bleed again.
‘And now you can’t do it because without Jagon, there can’t be a challenge,’ Irsha said with a sigh. ‘So you’ll have to wait for the Solstice Assembly to get their votes.’
I sucked a breath into my lungs. I still had time to change her mind.
‘I . . . maybe it’s a coincidence,’ Liliana said cautiously, ‘but some men from the South were asking my girls odd questions last night.’
‘What kind of questions?’ I asked, knowing the answer wouldn’t be good.
‘Mainly about the Winter Solstice Ball at the palace. Such as who was hiring musicians and entertainers, who was catering . . .’ she said, smiling when I looked at her sceptically. ‘I know that seems normal for someone looking for a job, but right after that, they started asking about sellers of “unusual” herbs and powders. There wasn’t any mention ofwhichherbs, but one of the men described something made from a flower the girls recognised as nivale.’
Riordan’s curse was so colourful that my eyebrows shot up.
