Page 4 of Randall
“Of course. You made me memorize forthwith.” Shock rushed through me. “You think… what? One of ‘the three’ made contact?”
She nodded slowly, her gaze panning back to look at me. “‘Shifter pure?’ ‘Midnight Prince?’ Either… Both. I’m thinking wolf and vampire.”
“They would fit the criteria. Have you deduced who among them, though?”
The queen laughed. “That would be nigh on impossible with this mere trinket.” She twisted the pendant’s chain, letting it spin in the air. “I thought, perhaps, you…?”
“I’m not sure, but I can try.”
“You’ll keep me apprised of anything you discover?”
I opened my mouth to reply in the affirmative, but another thought held me back. “Will you try to stop him?”
Her gaze narrowed, eyes piercing me to the quick. “Do you think so low of me?”
“No, but…”
“His Majesty might not approve? I understand, but you needn’t worry. I have his ear and his heart.” Her ferocious grin had me sitting up and paying attention.
How had I missed this side of her? It wasn’t hard to miss her devotion to Valter, and while I wouldn’t go as far as disdain, there was disappointment in the comportment of her older children. Especially, I believed, with her eldest, William, first in line for the throne. At twenty-four, he should have already been married with littles underfoot. Victoria, at twenty-two, should have had suitors lining the halls, hoping to catch her eye, but she was a princess through and through, with nary an original thought in her head. Meanwhile, the twins, Jonathan and Jacalynn, with their run of the castle, enjoyed terrorizing the staff and playing pranks on their teachers and siblings, especially Valter.
Only her youngest—fair of skin and hair, quiet, thoughtful, beautiful, and smart—held her regard. Valter excelled in his studies, although all too often that caused its own problems. Unfortunately, the only area he failed in was learning to control and use his magickal gifts. Since that was my area of expertise, I felt the failure keenly.
“Randall,” she said as she leaned forward in her chair, “I’m putting my trust in you to keep this between us. I’m alsoasking you to put your trust in me regarding my son. If you discover who they are, you must tell me so that I can make the necessary preparations.”
I nodded and sat back in my seat. “I trust you, but, if I may ask, what sort of preparations could you make?”
“You are aware Jarrah Quicksilver has been barred from the castle grounds since the night he gave Valter his blood?”
“I am.”
“I’m lifting that ban.”
I rubbed my chin, mulling over her declaration. “Is that wise?”
“Yes. The Fae’s support will be needed in the days to come.” She stared at me, unblinking, as my heart leapt into my throat.
Struggling to keep the surprise from my voice, I replied, “You know something I do not.”
She laughed lightly, her eyes bright with mirth before again narrowing. “And here I thought you knew everything. My spies have brought word of trouble. Nothing on its own I would have worried about, but in collecting the reports, my spymaster discovered a disturbing pattern.”
“Your spymaster?”
Again, she laughed. With a flick of her fingers, a shadowy figure slipped from a hidden alcove to stand at her back. I rose slowly, peering beneath the hood covering the top half of their face, trying to see who it was.
“Who—?” I cut myself off as they lifted a hand to their head and drew back the hood.
Perhaps I should have been surprised, but I wasn’t. It made complete sense. Artor Angenoir, Master of Midnight Claimed—the only vampire clan who called the High City of Onamond home. Swift and silent, strong, and essentially unkillable. He made the perfect spy, and with his extensive knowledge, a near-perfect spymaster. His fault was not including me and my abilities.
“Master Artor…” I perfunctorily bowed, seething at his dismissal of my magick when it might have helped him.
He held up a hand, forestalling my simmering, angry tirade. “Had I needed your help, I would have reached out, but these occurrences… Their power is impressive; strong enough to have blocked your abilities.”
“Had I known where to look, I would have—”
“Perhaps, but the episodes were fleeting, without pattern. The first coincided with Valter’s birth; the others have been sporadic at best. Recently, there has been an uptick in activity.”
“Do you know why?”
