Page 76 of Unrivaled
“He’s formally recognizing Kaelson’s position,” she continud.“Ettie as housekeeper, and mine as Head Steward of La’Angi.Bernadette, your position remains unchanged.Brian…”
Before Brian could respond, Daniel rounded on her.“He clearly thinks me lost to the plague,” he said, color high.
Audrey shrugged.“I explained what happened to him, master.Mayhap he thinks you dead.Mayhap he thinks you deserted.Mayhap he thinks you unworthy of the title.”The words were delivered with little inflection, and I saw each strike go home, his eyes widening.“I don’t pretend to know the workings of the Duke’s mind.I’m simply recounting the information.”
“Let me see that,” he demanded.
Audrey offered the roll of parchment.My muscles tensed as he strode over.While destroying that document could hurt her in the short term, in the long term?—
He tore it out of her hands.I stepped forward.
“This isn’t his official seal,” the steward crowed gleefully, then ripped it in half and threw it at her.
Fury beat in my chest.I didn’t let myself move.If I had?—
Around the table, the council watched Audrey.Brian kept on chewing, and so did she, moving the pieces aside delicately and waiting until her mouth was empty before she said, without looking, “Of course it isn’t the official seal.Inker Allision has made copies to distribute.Theofficialnote is stored safely.”
“The Duke has no idea what you’ve done,” he said, the words vibrating with rage.“He might’ve said he approves, but he only approves due to the limited informationyou’vegiven him.When he hears what you’ve done to the upstanding families of our city—filling our coffers with their hard-won gold?—”
“He told me to hold the city,” she said, pinning him with her eyes.“He asked only for a list of executions and the crimes attributed to the people.”
I felt the weight she was carrying for a moment.With the rage in my veins, it was easy to shoulder, but that rage would fade.
She was left carrying this, alone.
“Kaelson,” she said, without dropping Daniel’s gaze.“Desertion during a crisis is a crime we punish with death in La’Angi, is it not?”
“Desertion is always punished by death, my lady,” he said, without infliction.
“Thanking you for the confirmation.”She turned back to her bread.“See Steward Daniel out, Sir Chay.I’ll meet with him on the morrow, after he’s rested from hisunplanned journey.”
I imagined the man fighting back, struggling, arguing.He did none of those things, storming out furiously before I could have the pleasure of laying a hand on him.
Silence descended in his wake, broken by the crackle of the fire and the sound of a few people enjoying a bite to eat.
After chewing thoughtfully for a moment, Brian said, “I’m guessing we don’t get our wheat back.”
“The wheat was a deserter, so they turned it into dessert,” Bernadette muttered.Brian grinned.
Kaelson didn’t.“By tomorrow, he’ll have a dozen birds in the air,” he told Audrey.“If you want to kill him, do it now.”
“I can’t,” she said.“My father told me to state he was doing reconnaissance.He’s being given a second chance.If he hadn’t lost his temper, he’d’ve seen I can’t touch him.”
My belly sank.If only he’d lost his temper in a more serious fashion, I could’ve ended the problem then and there.Justifiable execution.
“He’ll undermine everything we’re doing,” Brian said, no trace of mirth on his face.“He’s a bigger threat than any other, my lady.”
“I’m aware of that.”She shoved the two pieces of ripped parchment toward him.“We have him scared for now.It’s the best I could do.Meanwhile, we need to get his people away from him.He’ll do less harm as a lone operative than as the head of a group.And I’ll figure out what to do with him.”
With the loss of the fury, I felt the weight of that statement for her.No matter how I braced, the strain made me want to stoop.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
AUDREY
H.S.D has returned and is reporting misdemeanors to D.V.Intercepting where possible.Rumors there are violent plans to take back control.Advise.—E to Man in the Mountain
21stDay of Spring’s One Moon,
