Andra gulps down the glass of water and turns to me. “I Saw something.”
Bianca and I exchange a worried glance. I put my arm around Andra and pull her toward me. “What did you See?” My first thought is that something horrible is going to happen to Callum, and it chokes me.
“It’s Harold.” Andra’s eyes meet mine and the worry in my own is reflected. “He’s going to do something and the consequences will be deadly.”
“What is he going to do?” Bianca asks quietly.
“He’s going to kill the king of Scota. To become the nominee for the province.” She looks at me. “It’s the same vision I had before, but sharper, clearer. I don’t think there’s any way it won’t come to pass, Cate.”
I suck in a short breath. The plans are fully in motion, then.Lady M is going to take the information I provide and find a way to make Harold the victor. Harold is going to become the nominee for the Scotan province. It isn’t that part that frightens me but the way he is going to have to go about it that does.
The Harold MacVeigh I know would never dream of committing such violence.
Violence against Callum’s father.
The second realization hits me square in the chest. If Callum and Harold are both set on being the candidate for Scota, if they both have plans to assassinate King James, if Harold has the advantage of knowing what Callum’s plans will be, what are the chances Callum comes out of this unharmed?
Bianca’s eyes meet mine as she also slides the pieces into place.
“This has to be because of Lady M,” I finally breathe into the stilted silence. “Harold would never have come up with this plan on his own.” I stand quickly, knocking Andra off balance. “We need to stop him.”
Bianca steadies Andra before standing next to me. “Do we?”
I gape at her. “Are you serious?”
“Think about it, Cate. Someone must kill the king of Scota and become the representative for their province. Why not Harold? We know where he stands, and he stands with the people, and with the Gifted. For all his faults, Harold is a good man. I’d much rather have him in charge than some arrogant former royal.” She gives me a pointed look.
But the one thing I know that she doesn’t is that Callum Reid is the opposite of arrogant. An arrogant man would not have listened to Amelia the way he did today.
I need to warn him.
I use every argument I can think of to justify telling Callum the whole truth, even though to do so would be betraying a man whohas been like a father to me. Betraying the ideals I’ve held close my entire life. Until a certain blue-eyed prince showed up at my door.
“I need to go lie down for a little bit.” Andra breaks me out of my thoughts, rising from the chaise and handing me her empty glass. Her eyes are so vacant it scares me.
And it’s that look in my sister’s eyes that reminds me what my true purpose is. I’m not here to serve Callum Reid. I’m not even here to serve Harold MacVeigh. I am here to protect my sister, and the best way to do that is by keeping my mouth shut. I can’t tell Callum what I know, even if the thought of keeping this from him makes me physically ill.
I walk with Andra to her room, pulling the covers up under her chin and tucking her in like I did when we were kids.
“Cate,” she calls just as I’m about to leave the room. “There’s one more thing.”
I pause in the doorway, dread pooling in my stomach. What more could there be? “What is it?”
“You’re involved somehow. With the king’s death. I can’t see how exactly, I just know that you’ll be involved. Be careful, please. Bonds aren’t meant to be broken.” She hesitates, her brow scrunching up. “And there’s trees. Use the trees.”
I nod, my throat so tight I can’t offer her a real response, not that I would know what to say. Andra’s final words might be nonsensical, but they don’t erase what came before: I will be involved. I fear I already am. I shut the door softly.
Bianca is watching me with wide eyes. “You can’t tell him.”
“I know.”
“Even if you do like him, even if he does turn out to be a good person, you can’t tell him.”
“I said I know, Bianca.” The words lodge in my throat.
She studies me for a few long seconds before heading to the door. “I’ll let you prepare for your next lesson.”
Callum will be back in my room in a few hours, and if I have any hope of saving my sister, I’ll have to keep this knowledge hidden. I’ll have to look him in the eye, feel his hands on my skin, and know that his life and his legacy are both in danger, and there’s nothing I can do.
