Her face softened. “I can take care of myself. Henry is a captain in the army. He’s above suspicion?—”
“No one is above suspicion when it comes to Father. That’s why Asher was killed.”
“And I pray that the gods find his soul.” Delysia lifted her chin stubbornly. “But I’m not letting go of Henry. We’re in love. And he’s not being watched as closely now that he’s stationed in Pravara instead of Calimber.”
I stiffened. “He was in Calimber? Why was he moved?”
Delysia shrugged, going to her bathroom and rummaging around. She brought back a mint leaf and a wet, soapy rag. I stuck the mint leaf in my mouth, and after removing my cloak, sat on a sofa to first clean my face, then my boots.
“Orders,” she said. “He told me conditions in the town and the mine were awful, and he was glad to leave.” Her mouth twisted in thought. “He did mention that he was surprised General Dracles ordered him to move because there were moreworkers than ever. They were expanding the town and building something on the beach.”
“What were they building?” Everett and I asked at the same time.
Delysia shook her head. “His letter didn’t say. Even though we have a trusted source smuggling our letters, he never wants to reveal too much in them.”
My head spun. Garyth had said Dracles was keeping him away from the mine. Was this why? Did he not want Garyth to see what Father was building out there?
Did Aiden know about this?
The mere thought of Aiden sent a frisson of worry through me. If my absence were discovered atThe Silk Dancer...
But I had one more question. “Do either of you know how Father became king?” I asked carefully.
Delysia waved her hand. “Of course. King Tristan wrote him in as successor before his early death. They were great friends. No other heirs. You know all this, Kiera.”
I shook my head, watching Everett. He looked deep in thought, as if he were back in his library trying to sort out the problems of the world with books.
In the silence, his serious gaze met mine, and he nodded.
My throat tightened. “What do you know? Who told you?”
“Mother,” he rasped, his throat bobbing. “About a year before she died. She didn’t want me to tell either of you.”
Delysia sent me a sharp look as if this proved her earlier point about hiding things.
I ignored her, desperate for answers. “Please, Ev. I need to know.”
His gaze turned hollow. “She told me I should know so that when I became king, I would have the truth of our past. Father was High Advisor until he murdered King Tristan and Queen Rhea—his pregnant wife.” Delysia gasped again, her handsflying up to cover her mouth. “Mother didn’t see it happen because she was pregnant with me and couldn’t leave her bed, but Father told her what he did.
“He took the throne in a coup so strategic that most of Rellmira didn’t question his succession. The ones who did mysteriously died or disappeared. Three days after his coronation, I was born the official heir of a stolen kingdom,” Everett finished bitterly.
Aiden had been telling the truth. Except he hadn’t mentioned his mother. Or how he survived. How did he find out who he was?
I peered at my brother’s distraught face. Should I tell him that he had supporters outside of the palace, working to put him on the throne?
But even that tiny bit of information might risk his safety, might make him ask questions I couldn’t answer. Whatever Delysia thought, sometimes secretsdidsave a life.
I stared down at the stained rag in my hands. Everything was stained. My family’s legacy, my view of the world, my soul.
Oh Mother, what do I do now?
I rose to spit out the mint leaf and rinse my mouth with a glass of water from Delysia’s refreshment table. “I need to leave.”
Delysia blinked, her face still pale with shock. “You—you can’t leave. I’ve just discovered my whole life has been a lie, begotten by murder.Please... don’t leave.”
The tenuous hold I had on my emotions trembled with the added weight of hers. “I can’t, Lys. If I don’t get back...”
She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. “I can’t take this anymore. Everyone lies to me. Everyone keeps secrets from me. And the one person who doesn’t is a hundred miles away.” She ripped her hands away from her face, angrily dashing away tears. “You know what? Fine! Leave, Kiera! You’reso good at it. But don’t think for one moment that you’re doing any of this for me.”
