Page 92 of The Queen's Crown
The man’s eyes narrowed and then he slowly sat on the ground, his hands out on either side of him, revealing he wasn’t armed. “I mean you no harm,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get a meeting with you, but the king refused.”
Twisting her hand so her palm faced down, she gave the silent command for Harta to freeze. The dog immediately stopped advancing. “You should have tried knocking. I would have admitted you.”
“I did try. Your guards turned me away.”
“Sneaking into my room doesn’t foster good relations between our kingdoms.”
“I agree. However, I need to make sure you are not being held here against your will.”
She smiled. “Not unless you are preventing me from leaving?”
“I am not.”
“If someone finds you in here, you’ll be killed.”
“I know.”
She tilted her head to the side, trying to understand this strange man before her.
“Is someone here in the palace holding you here against your will?” the man asked again, as if it really mattered.
“No.” She folded her arms across her chest as if that would protect her. “Why does Avoni care anyway?”
“There is a powerful organization that does not want you and King Rainer to marry.”
“The League of Rulers?” she asked, her interest suddenly piqued.
“You know of the League?”
“A little.” She wished her father had told her about them, so she’d have a better idea of what she was dealing with. “Can you explain why they oppose my marrying the king, but it was okay for my sister?” What she really wanted to know was if the League hadn’t approved of Alina’s wedding either. If that were the case, then they could be behind her death.
There was a long pause before the man answered. “New information has been revealed that changes things.”
“My father only made one small alteration in the contract. That can be easily fixed.”
“That’s not it.”
“Who, exactly, are you?” Sabine asked. “And how do you know all of this?” He could just be trying to scare her.
“I’m from Avoni. We intercepted a letter that gives us reason to believe something devious is in the works. I was sent here simply to make sure you are not being held in Lynk against your will.”
Unable to fathom who in Lynk would be holding her here against her will, she said, “If there’s anyone I need to be afraid of, it’s someone like you. Someone from Avoni. You’re the ones known for being assassins.”
The young man’s eyes narrowed. “Sometimes there are things worse than death. I suggest you consider what role you play here in this pretty little palace. Not all is as it seems.” He slowly stood and moved to his left until he reached the railing, glancing over the side.
“You’re not going to jump, are you?”
He peered at her. “If you’re here of your own free will, then my job here is done.” He climbed up onto the railing and then scaled the wall, going up. He disappeared over the roof.
Sabine rushed over to the wall, feeling it. It wasn’t as smooth as she’d thought it was. Several of the stones jutted out, making climbing it feasible.
Hurrying into her room, she found Harta still sitting where she’d told her to sit. She released her, giving her a big hug. Harta licked her face, making her smile.
“There really should be doors on these archways,” Sabine said to the dog. “Doors that lock.”
She stood and started pacing in her room, trying to decide what to do. The idea of screaming and alerting her guards didn’t seem like the best course of action. She had no idea why, but her gut told her to keep this encounter to herself. The man had meant her no physical harm. Like he’d said, if he had, she’d be dead. Which meant he’d either been there to warn her or to scare her. The question became why he would do either one of those things.
Going over to her desk, she found her mother’s letter and read it again, trying to see if there was anything she’d missed the first time. The part about Rolf discovering conflicting evidence and being fearful of something going on they weren’t aware of concerned her. Especially since the man she’d just encountered had said something eerily similar.
