Lord Sten Armenil, the red-haired, plodding Lord of the North, was not among them.
“Where is your liege lord?” King Magnus barked before the knights serving the great, noble house of the far north reached the dais.
The soldiers exchanged glances, their faces masks. However, the tightness in their shoulders told a differentstory. Something had happened. Had Sten Armenil stopped the ship at his castle on the peninsula and told them to continue on?
King Magnus’s jaw tightened.May Odan help Sten if he did. I will not stand for him leaving court without my permission.
“My king.” One soldier came to a stop below the king’s throne. “Lord Armenil is not with us.”
He glared, and did not miss when many in the crowd took a half-step back. “Return to your ship and retrieve him.”
“I did not speak clearly, Your Grace.” The soldier unhooked the latch on the box. He lifted the lid, and the king drew back.
Lord Armenil’s head, eyes flat, stared at Magnus.
“What happened?” Magnus growled, his gaze flicking briefly to the crowd and landing on the Armenil clan. The pale family of redheads shoulder-to-shoulder with those of House Balik, all brown of skin and hair—a contrast if there ever was one. So far, none in the crowd had spotted the head in the box.
Things were about to go very wrong, and the king wished that he’d not called so many witnesses.
These were people he’d wanted to be present when Lord Armenil relayed word from the Blood Court. He’d been so sure that the king and queen of all vampires would demand Neve’s head on a platter, to which he’d simply have to give in, or risk all-out war. Then he could proceed with his plan to dismiss the murderous Lord Triam from Frostveil with his soon-to-be-bride, Marit Armenil. She’d be a cautionary tale, and no one would dare go behind the king’sback again.
“We reached the Vampire Court and attained an audience with Queen Narcissa.” The soldier’s face paled at the mere mention of the queen in the neighboring kingdom. “Lord Armenil stated the facts, as you wished for him to. He told them that their prince died at the hands of a fae. That it had been a matter of self-defense.”
The soldier inhaled before continuing. “The queen was angry but allowed Lord Armenil to continue. That changed when a vampire ship captain arrived. He told her the one who killed him was a member of your house. Then she demanded immediate retribution because, well, the vampire queen’s temper might have been thinner than normal.”
“How so?”
“She was in mourning.”
He arched an eyebrow. “For Prince Gervais?”
Prince Gervais had been of Narcissa’s bloodline, but vampires did not typically mourn. Not unless their mate or maker died, and only the former was a prolonged period.
“No, Majesty. King Vladistrica was killed shortly after Prince Gervais sailed west. Many other nobles too. By vampire tradition, the queen is in mourning for six moons, but I think she was bloodthirsty, hence she accepted us. Upon hearing what he had to say, she claimed she wanted revenge, and that Lord Armenil was close enough to the throne for her—for now. She took his head then and there, Majesty.” He gave a single nod to the box, the implication now clear for all those who could not see what was in it before.
The king caught the moment Lady Orla Armenil fell to the ground, Marit and another red-haired brat he could notbe bothered to recall the name of, moved to help the Lady of the North. The king looked at his hands, as if sorry for the loss.
But he did not see Sten Armenil’s death as a loss. Rather, an opportunity to further his own power, which he needed to do for this act on the part of the vampires also brought new threats.
“You saidfor now,” the king said, returning his attention to the soldier. Neve was one thing, but did the queen mean his children? His queen?
“As the assassins have not done the job she required of them, she seeks Princess Neve’s blood next. Personally wanted to drink from the princess..”
If only Narcissa had come here, I’d have offered the female’s blood up from the vein.
“Will she call back the Red Assassins still lurking in Avaldenn and the surrounding areas?” the king asked.
The guard looked away briefly before shaking his head.
So the queen would keep her hired killers here just to terrorize the fae of Winter. To make King Magnus’s life more difficult. His jaw worked from side to side. The Queen of Vampires left him no choice. He would have to increase the presence of soldiers in the city and incentivize them to find the bloodsuckers and kill them.
Everyone leaned forward to hear the king’s next words, the mark of unflinching power. “I see that Lord Armenil was not effective in protecting my family. Nor my people.” The words were true, even if he did not like to think of that silver-haired female as his family. “I understandthat we now sit on the brink of war with the vampires due to his inaptitude.”
The direwolf-loving soldier blinked. “My king, he?—”
“I do not remember telling you that you may speak again.” Magnus stood. “Take that box to Lady Armenil.”
He stomped down the stairs. The crowd parted a bit more for him, allowing him a wide passage. The Lady of House Armenil was still wailing. His lips curled in disgust. She was a weak female who only furthered his belief that their house needed to be replaced with a stronger family.
