Itโs nearly dawn by the time I crawl into bed, but that doesnโt stop the guards from rapping at my door at an hour past dawn, announcing that Consul Sallister has arrived.
โI believe we were to play chess, were we not?โ Allisander calls. I wish I could orderย hisย execution.
But we play in my quarters, theย re snapping in the hearth, a serving girl bringing us sugared pastries and boiled eggs and pouring cup a๎er cup of black tea. I expect Allisander to be full of demands, seeking promises, but heโs oddly quiet. Tension hangs over the room, and I canโt tell if itโs between me and him, or if itโs all in my head. Every move we make on the chessboard feels like a precursor to battle.
I think of Tessaโs censorious eyes last night, and I have to shake o๏ฌย her judgment. As much as I hate Allisander, I need him. Kandala needs him.
For now.
๎ขe thought makes my heart pound. Harristan canโt undermine his consuls, but if we can stop the attacks andย nd out the source of fundingโif we can ease some of the tensions in the sectorsโthen maybe we can formulate a new way to move forward.
But tensions are higher than ever, and the night patrol is on high alert. If Wes and Tessa return to the Wilds, the risk would be immense.
I look at the self-indulgent man in front of me.ย ๎ขe risk is immense either way.ย ๎ขe Benefactors have to be connected to someone from the Royal SectorโI just donโt know who else would have the silver to spend on revolution. But the consuls are all close to Harristan. I canโt imagine any of them paying citizens to revolt when any of them would have an opportunity to put a knife in my brother themselves. It would be cheaper. Simpler. Faster.
I think of that stack of letters Quint brought to Harristan on the day we were set to execute eight smugglers. Nearly two hundred lettersโa lot of unhappy people crying for change.
Arellaโs was among them. Her feelings about the executions have been made quite clear. She would never attack Harristan.
But sheโs got a so๎ย spot for the people, for those who are su๏ฌering. And sheโs been having secret meetings with Roydan.
๎ขey all ask for money when someone is denied funding. Allisander implicated Jonas Beechingโbut Arella was pretty quick.
Iโve fallen so deep in thought that Iโm startled when Allisander speaks into the silence. โIโm surprised you had time for a game, Corrick.โ
โI made you a promise,โ I say breezily. โYou make a lot of promises.โ
My hand goes still on a chess piece.ย ๎ขereโs a note in his voice I canโt quite
gure out, and it draws my gaze up from the board. โI do my best to keep them all.โ
โIndeed? To whom?โ
He looks . . . smug. Or something close to it. Heโs honestly a terrible chess player, but Iโve been letting him win for the last half an hour simply because I didnโt think it would be a good idea to poke at his pride.
Now feels like a good time to stop.
โI donโt know what you mean.โ I move my rook in position to capture his king. โCheck.โ
He moves his king one square to the right. โIโve looked into this girl of yours.โ
My blood goes cold, but I shrug and study the board. โShe is notย mine.โ
He leans in, his eyes seeking mine with vicious intensity. โShe isnโt an apothecary. She works for a charlatan who peddles cheap skin remedies.โ
Iโm frozen in place. I donโt know what to say. I knew Tessa was her real name, but the shop where she works is outside the Wilds, well away from here. She never worried about anyone we were helping identifying her, surely.
Or maybe she never worried because she wouldnโt have been at risk the way I was.
I move my rook again. โRegardless of her employment, she has brought theories to Harristan.ย ๎ขeories that mayโโ
โ๎ขe woman who owns the shop indicated that Tessa was distraught a๎er the failed execution. She said that the girl told her friend she was pregnant with a smugglerโs baby.โ
Of all the things he could have said, thatโs the most unexpected. I almost burst out laughing. โTruly, Allisander? You believe sheโs pregnant with a smugglerโs baby and she found herself in the palace for . . . what, exactly? Last night in the salon half the courtiers thought she was pregnant withย Harristanโsย baby, so perhaps we should make a wagerโโ
โIโm not a fool, Corrick.โ His voice is level and cold.
I draw myself up and stare back at him. Heโs too close to the truth. If it were about me, Iโd laugh him right out of my quarters. But itโs not about me. Itโs about Tessa.
โArella and Roydan have made it very clear that they do not take issue with these smugglers,โ Allisander says, his tone unchanged. โConsul Cra๎ย overheard them getting into a carriage together.ย ๎ขey clearly believe the Crown has taken too harsh a stance on thievery and illegal dealings.โ
โ๎ขis is idle gossip, Allisander. Consul Cherry has made no secret of how she feels.โ
He pushes his chess piece one space to the le๎, then brings his gaze to meet mine again. โA๎er your behavior in the Hold, I suspect you have begun to think the same.โ
Heโs drawing the wrong conclusions in so many waysโbut the worst part is that I canโt give him the right ones. My heart pounds against my ribs as I remember the way I slit those throats last night. Iโm beginning to wonder if Allisander will never be satisย ed until weโre executing anyone who dares to look at him askance. โYou saw me in the Hold last night.โ
โI did. You looked like you wanted to cry.โ
โYouย looked like you wanted to vomit. Ah, forgive me. Youย didย vomโโ
He slams a hand on the chessboard, and the pieces rattle and topple. My king falls to theย oor. He inhalesย ercely.
But then he stops.
๎ขe anger in his gaze speaks volumes, however, and I hold my breath and wait. Iโm not sure what he was going to say, but I hope itโs something so brutally treasonous that I could call a guard in here to run him through on the spot.
But he doesnโt. And I donโt. We sit there in frozen fury for the longest moment, until the guards rap at my door to announce Harristan.
I want to wither with relief. My brother could ask me to read every single document in the palace while standing on my head, and Iโd do it willingly if it would get me out of this conversation with Consul Sallister.
Harristan doesnโt wait for a response; he just strides into my quarters before the guards haveย nished speaking.
Allisander rises to his feet and smooths his jacket, any hint of anger vanishing. โHarristan.โ
I canโt read his voice. I donโt know if heโs glad my brother is hereโor disappointed. But Harristan looks back at him, and his voice is even. โConsul.โ
For one brief second, I think Allisander is going to needle him the way he was needling me. But he must still hold some respect for my brother, because he takes in Harristanโs curt response and cold demeanor, and he turns wicked eyes my way. โ๎ขank you for the game, Corrick. We will pick it up at another time.โ
I donโt know what to say, and he doesnโt wait for an answer. He exits through the door, and Iโm alone with my brother.
Iโm surprised toย nd the air between us is as prickly as it was with Allisander. It must be on my side: displeasure tinged with disappointment that my brother wasnโt the one toย nd me in the Hold. Itโs ridiculous and foolish for me to have even hoped for such a thingโbut I did, and I canโt seem to let it go.
๎ขen my brother speaks.
โRocco reported that he found you in a destroyed section of the Hold last night, with no guards. What were you doing?โ
๎ขis is startling, and not at all what I expected him to say. I begin gathering the marble chess pieces to place them in their velvet and gold box. โYour guards gossip worse than mine do, Harristan.โ
โYou didnโt answer my question.โ
I donโt know how to answer his question. We canโt a๏ฌord to appear weak now, of all times. Each chess piece clinks into the box until Harristan steps over to the table and snaps the lid closed.
โTalk to me.โย ๎ขereโs a tone of command in his voice, one Iโm used to hearingโbut never directed at me.
Two chess pieces remain in my hand, and I slide them over each other in my palm. I give him a sidelong glance. โAm I speaking to my brother, or am I speaking to the king?โ
โBoth.โ
Maybe I was wrong before. Maybe the tension isnโt all on my side.
I stand and set the chess pieces on the table, then o๏ฌer him aย ourishing bow. โForgive me, Your Majesty. I had no idea this was an o๏ฌcial meeting.โ
โCorrick.โ His tone is unyielding.ย I didnโt want to kill those prisoners.ย I donโt want to do this anymore.
I donโt want you toย needย me to do this anymore.ย ๎ปis canโt be how Father would have wanted us to lead.
I canโt say any of that. โ๎ขere were few guards le๎ย in the Hold a๎er the attacks,โ I say. โ๎ขe few that remained were needed to remove the bodies.โ I pause. โAre your guards to be your spies now?โ
โDo they need to be?โ
I donโt have to pretend to be o๏ฌended at the question. โNo!โ โ๎ขat girl didnโt want you to kill those prisonersโโ
โNeither did Arella and Roydan,โ I snap. โSend your guards to eavesdrop on them.โ
โโand she asked Rocco to take her toย nd you in the Hold. Why?โ
Because she saw through me. Because she knew I was a breath away from shattering. Because her hope hasnโt burned away into nothing.
I canโt say any of that either.
Harristan takes a step closer to me. โI thought this was a simple dalliance,โ he says, his tone low. โAn infatuation, maybe, that got away from you. I was willing to overlook it.โ
I move to the side table and uncork the brandy. I want to pour it straight down my throat, but I have the sense to use a glass. โBut your guard has convinced you otherwise?โ
โYou spend a great deal of time in the Hold, speaking with smugglers. I
nd it an interesting coincidence that when the night patrol caught a small operation, half of them were able to call for rebellion and escape. And when Allisander caught another group, they were able to set the sector onย re while being rescued.โ
My hand goes still on the glass as the impact of these words becomes clear. Even still, I canโt quite believe it. I turn around. โWhat are you asking me, Harristan?โ
โAre you involved with these smugglers somehow? Do you know anything about the thieves whoโve been plaguing the sector?โ
๎ขe world seems to tilt on its axis, just for the barest moment. Iโm destroying myself for the sake of my brother, and heโs all but accusing me of treason.
๎ขe worst part is that heโs not wrong. Not entirely. I drain the glass of brandy and pour another.
He moves close. His voice drops. โTell me, Cory. If youโre doing thisโ whatever theyโve promised youโโ
All of my angerย ares. I whirl, plant my hands on his chest, and shove him as hard as I can. โGet out.โ
He stumbles back a step, surprise plain on his face.ย ๎ขen he coughs. Hard.
He puts a hand to his chest.
For an instant, panic replaces all the anger. He sucks in a breath, and it sounds like heโs breathing through a cupful of water.
โHarristan,โ I whisper.
He grabs hold of the back of a chair andย ghts to breathe.
I did this. I did this. Tessa said he wasย ne, but heโs clearly not. I move to surge past him to shout for a physician.
Harristan seizes my sleeve and draws me up short. โTell me,โ he gasps. His eyes are dark and intent on mine.
And a little desperate.
โIโm not working with the smugglers,โ I say. โI would never betray you. I have never betrayed you. I swear it.โ
He stands thereย ghting to breathe, until his grip on my sleeve feels less like a demand and more like a plea.
โI swear,โ I say again, my voice so๎er. โI swear.โ
For theย rst time in what feels like an hour, he draws a full breath. His grip eases. He nods and straightens.
Heโs not dying. I didnโt kill him. Relief is potent, but some of my rage slips back into my chest, turning my voice rough. โWhy would you think that?โ
โBecause youโre hiding something from me.โ He hesitates. โAnd Allisander expressed concernโโ
โ๎ขat son of a bitch.โ
โYou canโt blame him. Youโve changed these last few weeks.โ
My brotherโs voice is still a bit thin, a bit reedy. I look at him. โI have always worked in your interest, Harristan. Always.โ I pause, remembering the moments I stood in the deserted chamber of the Hold and wished for my brother to appear. How I wished for him to see how this was destroying me as e๏ฌectively as the fever is destroying all of Kandala.
But he didnโt. Heโs not seeing it even now.
I straighten, and I donโt even have to try to tinge my voice with regret. โSic your guards on me if you must. Measure my every movement. Attend every interrogation. Tether your horse to mine if you like. I commit very little treason on the toilet, but if you want to beย absolutely thoroughโโ
โCory.โ He draws a breath, then hesitates.
I stare back at him, and I wonder if he can read the emotion in my eyes. I remember when we were young, how weโd sneak into the Wilds, how heโd lead and Iโd follow, but I always felt an obligation to protect him. Some of it was due to growing up beside a brother whose health was monitored and protected and worried over for so long. Some of it was due to the fact that he would one day be king, and I would not. Itโs an obligation I still feel, and it seeps into every action I take. I thought he knew that.
For theย rst time, I feel as thoughย heย has betrayedย me.
Maybe he can see it, because he lets that breath out slowly. He claps me on the shoulder, giving my arm a gentle squeeze. โForgive me. Please.โ
I nod.
But something has fractured between us.
I think he must feel the same, because he holds on for a moment too long, then steps back and turns for the door.
I should tell him everything about Tessa. About Weston.ย ๎ขe words burn in my throat.
๎ขen again, maybe that would conย rm all his worries.ย I am committing treason, brother, Iโve been committing it for years.
I swallow the words. I swallow my anger. I swallow my disappointment. When the king pauses at the door to glance back, the Kingโs Justice looks back at him.
Once heโs gone, and I go for the door to have a message sent for Quint, I
nd Rocco there guarding my door.
 |
Hours pass. Quint doesnโt arrive.
Iโm not desperate enough to send word to Tessa, because every syllable will be scrutinized and reported back to my brother, and I canโt think of anything to say that wonโt bolster his suspicion. I also donโt want to leave my room with my brotherโs guards trailing behind me, because I know it will generate gossip: either people will think weโre more at risk because of the explosions at the Hold, or theyโll think Harristan is doing exactly what heโs doing.
I donโt like either option.
Iโm also petty enough to like the idea of Rocco having to stand outside my door for hours on end, because itโs interminably boring.
Only slightly more boring than sitting in here by myself. Iโve been spending the time reviewing the documents that Tessa abandoned, and discovering nothing new. Tessa was right: no one will speak to me like this, but theyโll speak to Wes and Tessa.
Iโmย dgety and eager for nightfall.
Quintย nally appears when Iโm debating whether Iโm going to eat dinner in my quarters alone, like a prisoner.
A guard announces him and swings the door wide. โQuint,โ I say. โFinally.โ
โForgive me, Your Highness,โ he says. โ๎ขe king required my services for much of the day.โ
His tone, the formality, draws me up short. I glance behind him at the door thatโs falling closed slowly.
โNo apologies are necessary,โ I tell him. โI wanted to request additional reports on the feversโโ
๎ขe door clicks closed. โWhatโs wrong?โ I whisper.
He doesnโt move from where he stands. โSomeone has suggested to your brother that youโre involved with the smugglers.โ He pauses. โ๎ขat you are working with these Benefactors, if not funding them yourself.ย ๎ขat you deliberately allowed the prisoners to escape on the day of the riots.ย ๎ขat you enabled the attacks last night.โ
I go still. Itโs very di๏ฌerent to hear this from Quint than from my brother. When Harristan spoke of treason, it was between us. Now . . . itโs not. โSomeone.โ I scowl. โItโs Allisander.โ
โIt may not be him alone.โ Quint pauses. โSome have suggested that you may have conย ded in me.โ
I study my friend. For theย rst time, I realize heโs not in disarray. His jacket is buttoned, his hair is combed.
His eyes are tense and uncertain.
โAre you unwell?โ I say. Aย icker of fear ignites in my chest. โIs Tessa unwell?โ
โTessa isย ne.โ He pauses, then steps toward the table, but he stops before reaching it. His voice is very so๎. โCorrickโIโve kept many secrets for you.โ
โFor which you have my gratitude.โ
โFor which I could be executed, if these rumors are true.โ
I stare at him. โQuint.โ If Harristan has gotten to Quint . . . Iโm done for. โQuint, what have you done?โ
โNo, Corrick. What haveย youย done?โ His eyes are intent, piercing mine. We stare at each other across the room, and theย re snaps in the hearth.
Tension holds my heart in a vise grip. I think of every story Iโve ever told Quint, every transgression Iโve ever committed.ย ๎ขe names Iโve given him of families near death.ย ๎ขe times I trulyย haveย allowed prisoners to escape.ย ๎ขe homes Iโve broken into when I steal Moonย ower petals.ย ๎ขe way Iโve evaded the night patrol or the way I get over the wall. All I know about Tessa and every action weโve taken together.
I was angry that Harristan would believe a rumor like this. Itโs a di๏ฌerent feeling that Quint would.
โShall I call for a guard to take my head right now?โ I sayย ippantly, while inside Iโm reeling. โIโm sure Rocco would be willing.โ
He stands there and evaluates me. Itโs not a good feeling, because I know how much he sees. I know how much he knows.
โYou were my conย dant, Quint.โ I pause. โMore than a conย dant. You were my friend.โ
โWere?โ
I tug at my sleeves and donโt look at him. โDid you sell me out to Harristan?โ
For theย rst time, angerย ares in his eyes. โDo you think I would?โ
I take a step toward him, and it requires e๏ฌort to keep my voice down. โDo you think Iโd help rebels and smugglers while pretending to distribute medicine to those who need it?โ
He stares at me. I stare back.
Finally, he sighs. โNo. I donโt.โ He pauses. โAnd I didnโt sell you out to your brother when he asked.โ
I donโt move. โWhat did you say to him?โ
Quint looks back at me squarely and folds his arms. โI said youโve never spoken a word of treason in my presence.ย ๎ขat youโve been loyal to the kingdom in every action Iโve seen you take.โ
I inhale what feels like theย rst deep breath in hours. I press my hands together in front of my face and try not to rattle myself apart.
Quint risks his neck by keeping my secrets. He always has, but Iโve had contingency plans for my morning activities. Iโve never been directly accused by my brother. Iโve never been suspected by any of the consuls.
Now . . . now the risk is very real.
โLeave,โ I say to him, and my voice is not unkind. โI will not speak to you except in public, and only for o๏ฌcial business. I will notโโ
โCorrick.โ He unfolds his arms and moves to the side table to pour a glass of brandy for himself. โHonestly. I know the risks I take.โ
โIโll take your involvement to my grave, Quint,โ I say.
โWell,โ says Quint. He drains the glass, which is very unusual for him. โLetโs hope thatโs more than a day away.โ
โYou trust me, then?โ
โIโve always trusted you.โ He hesitates, then glances at the door, and his voice grows very quiet. โIf you were assisting these smugglers, I know you would have a reason.โ He pauses. โI thought perhaps you no longer trustedย me.โ
โI tell you everything.โ My voice grows rough. Some days he feels like my only friend here, the only person whoโs ever known all sides. โEverything.โ
He pours another glass, and I think heโs going to toss it back as quickly as theย rst, but instead he holds it out to me. โ๎ขen I ask forgiveness for doubting you.โ
โYouโre probably the only person in the palace who doesnโt need to ask forgiveness for anything.โ
He laughs at that. โ๎ขatโs hardly true.โ He pauses and loses the smile. โWeโll have to be careful,โ he says. โTensions are high right now.โ
We.ย Weโllย have to be careful. Itโs more than I deserve. I drain the glass he gave me.
โI have a plan,โ I say huskily. โOf course you do.โ
I hear the tension in his voice, and it makes me hesitate. โDo you want out, Quint?โ I pause. โYou donโt need to risk your neck for me.โ
โItโs not just for you, Corrick.โ His eyes hold mine. โTell me your plan.โ
I tell him about Tessaโs suggestion, that we go into the Wilds as outlaws again to see if people will talk about whatโs going on and whoโs behind the attacks.
When Iโm done, Quint strokes at his jaw, thinking. โYouโll have to convince people that you were being held captive in the Hold, and you escaped during the explosions.ย ๎ขat will explain your absence.โ He pauses. โYou can slip out the window as usual, but Tessaโs rooms are along the side wall, and sheโll be visible.โ
I canโt invite her here either, because my brotherโs guards would deย nitely report it.
โIโll see if I can distract the guards for a moment,โ says Quint. โIs she as quick and sure-footed as you said?โ
My heart pounds. โYes.โ
He pulls his pocket watch free. โBe ready at midnight. Iโll make sure she has a mask.โ
