Page 70 of The Fae Kings' Bargain

By the timethey reached Toren’s study, Mehl was ready to turn back the way they’d come and chase Ria down himself. He couldn’t, of course. This situation with the Centoi had too much potential for disaster, and he and Toren would have to decide what to do fast. If word got back to King Ryenil that his daughter was in their dungeon, he’d have his army at their border in a matter of weeks.

Frowning, Toren leaned his hip against the edge of his desk. “We have to figure out what my brother is planning.”

“Yes.” Mehl dropped into a nearby chair, heedless of his formal robes. “Although it might not be your brother alone. The princess claimed her father believed them to be on their wedding trip, but no one else in the kingdom knows of the marriage? This is either one elaborate ploy or two confounded ones.”

“King Ryenil might be keeping the wedding a secret in hopes of Ber winning his challenge against me,” Toren mused. “It would be a fine thing for him if he could claim to join the two kingdoms through marriage, and that’s doubly guaranteed if they are already wed. But to then send her here? That makes no sense.”

In truth, it went against everything Mehl had ever observed of the other king. The man was beyond protective of his only daughter, so much so that Mehl had barely caught a glimpse of her even during their state visits. He couldn’t fathom any plan that would prompt the king to send his princess to infiltrate a foreign household. But Ber’s involvement brought other possibilities.

“It’s more likely that your brother intended her capture,” Mehl said.

Toren nodded. “My thought, too. It certainly creates complications. Even with witnesses, Ryenil might refuse to believe her crimes, so any action we take might still end in ruin.”

Their army was mighty enough to defeat the Centoi, but the loss of life would be horrendous. It would be a terrible price to pay, especially for a misunderstanding. But how could they avert it? A great deal depended on how they dealt with Ber and Princess Lora. They might have to release her, and that rankled after her treatment of Ria.

Speaking of.

Mehl glanced at the door, but of course, the guard he’d sent after her didn’t appear on cue. What was taking so long? She couldn’t have gone far before the man caught up with her, but she still wasn’t here.

He made mental contact with the guard.“Where is she?”

“I’m consulting with Sir Macoe. I…”A pause.“It seems Lady Ria requested an escort to the dungeon.”

Mehl leapt to his feet as he cut off the mental link. “Feck.”

Toren straightened. “What is it?”

“Ria.” Mehl tugged his formal robe over his head and tossed it over the chair, leaving him in his tunic and pants. He would not be left fumbling for his knife beneath the layers of cloth. “She’s going to find the princess.”

His husband’s low oath matched his own mood perfectly.

Chapter32

Evasions

Ria tried not to look too hard at the doors they passed as she followed one of the guards down the surprisingly well-lit corridor. She’d expected a dim, dirty place with open cells full of wicked-eyed people, but that was far from the case. The entire hallway was plain, smooth stone, nothing like even the servants’ area, yet there was no more sign of dirt here than anywhere else. Even the doors were solid, no barred windows in sight.

Her father was behind one of them.

A muscle in her neck twitched, but the shudder in her soul never made it down her body. He was locked up here, unable to hurt her. Unable to claim her future children no matter what talent they had. Soon, he would be tried by the kings, and she couldn’t imagine Toren and Mehl would go easy on him.

Her eyes wanted to drift toward the closest door, but she kept her gaze resolutely forward. There was every possibility he was along another corridor or on another level. How large was the dungeon, anyway? Perhaps this section was relatively nice because nobles were housed here. It would explain why it wasn’t as large as she’d expected.

Finally, the guard halted at the last door on the left and slipped a chain from beneath his shirt. A large key dangled from the end, and he slipped it into one of two keyholes below the doorknob. The second guard stepped around her with a second key and placed it in the other spot. Together, they turned the keys, and a loudclacksplit the air.

Unsure what she would find, Ria braced herself as the door swung open. Devices of torture? A sumptuous room little worse than a guest chamber? Neither matched what she would expect of either king, but they hadn’t exactly been the ones to establish the dungeon. Although if they had, it might reveal more than she wanted to know about them.

The lead guard stepped aside, allowing her entry, and Ria took a hesitant peek inside before entering. Sparse—that was her first thought. An average-sized bed was situated against the far wall, and there was a small table and a single chair to the right. In the far corner, she spotted a retiring area. Otherwise, the room was more plain stone.

Tes was stretched out on the bed with her eyes closed. Just as Ria wondered if she’d have to wake the woman, Tes’s eyes popped open, and she shoved herself into a sitting position. Metal clanked together, and Ria’s gaze landed on the chain attached to the princess’s ankle. Only then did she notice the thick metal circle embedded in the wall near the foot of the bed where the other end of the chain was connected.

So Tes wasn’t allowed free movement even in the locked room.

One guard snapped to attention against the wall while the other moved to close the door. They were obviously intending to stay, but that would never do. “You may leave us,” Ria said.

“Alone?” the second guard asked, halting with the door half-closed. “Sir Macoe said that you were not to be left unattended.”

Though she felt more than a little foolish, Ria prepared once again to channel one of her haughtiest clients. “I outrank Sir Macoe. Shall I tell Toren that you have disrespected the royal consort and disobeyed the command of a duchess?”

---