“The council has already threatened to dethrone our family,” I say slowly, holding his gaze. “They suspectmeof doing something treasonous in the Shifter Kingdom.”
“Theywhat?” My father’s brows lower, the shadows cast from the spelled flames cutting sharp angles over his cheeks. “Did they say this today at your debriefing?”
I nod, joining my father in standing. “A letter was sent by King Kai’s sister, and Kallin intercepted it. He’s taken what he’s read as evidence of me sharing our secrets with the shifter king. Which, just to be clear, I did not.”
My mother sighs, shaking her head as she tucks pieces of her hair that have escaped back into the pile of curls on the top of her head. “We do not doubt your integrity, Bahira, and the council should know better than to do that as well.”
“None of this has any bearing on me getting Rhea,” Nox growls, bending a knee to rest his arm on it.
“Brother, I know you want to get to her. I do too. I may not have known her in the tower, but I got to know her the past few months. She is important to me, both as a friend and as my future queen.” Cass’s words soften Nox’s exterior, and he clasps Nox on the shoulder before he continues. “But I think waiting until you’re feeling your strongest, until we can figure out who the mole in our kingdom isandappease the council long enough to not retaliate when wedoleave will be our best option.”
“You cannot expect me to stay here while she isthere, with him, being forced to do gods knows what.” Nox’s voice carries in the room, and he sags beneath the sound of it.
A sad smile tugs on the corners of Cass’s mouth. “I expect you to help us make this place safe for Rhea to come back to.”
“It is safe—”
“Nox, think this through. We have someone—perhapsmanysomeones—who actively worked against you and your family to lure Rhea and Daje into a trap. To return her to King Dolian. Why would they do that? And who’s to say they aren’t planning something much worse? That they aren’t counting on you acting brashly?”
“Then let them come for me! It won’t stop me.”
“Won’t it?” I jump in, forcing my brother’s gaze to mine. “When it comes to you versus other mages, it’s nearly fair play right now. And yes, before you get snarky, I saidnearly.You’re still an amazing warrior, Nox, no one is doubting that part. But you’re weakened, and while you could likely sneak out of here, do you think the mortal king will be dumb enough to leave Rhea in a vulnerable position? Do you think, now that she’s once more in his grasp, that he will make it easy for her to escape again?”
“Bahira, I don’t think this is helping,” Cass drawls, gesturing to Nox, whose expression is entirelymurderous.
I wave my hand idly in front of me. “I’m not wrong, and you know it. Is Rhea so weak that she cannot survive without you?”
“Watch it,” he snarls.
My stomach twists in on itself at the anguish on his face, but I persist. “Is she truly a damsel that needs you—even weakened and powerless as you are—to rescue her?”
“Of course she isn’t.”
“Then besmart, Nox. Think this through. Because barreling out of here might get you to her sooner, but it will cause a destructive chain reaction in your wake.”
He is quiet in response, and eventually, my father guides our conversation to trying to figure out who lured Daje and Rhea out of the room. “Daje didn’t recognize him, but there are so many members in our guard that it isn’t strange he didn’t,” Cass muses from where he’s now laying at the foot of the bed, throwing a dagger hilt over tip above him and impressively catching at the hilt every time.
“No, it isn’t. Whatisstrange is that Barron is missing.”
“He has been a guard close to our family since Nox was a child,” my mother says softly, running her fingers through our father’s hair where he sits in a chair in front of her, his eyes closed while he listens. “Can we believe he is capable of betraying us?”
“No one should be ruled out,” Nox chimes in, his first words spoken since the shift in conversation. “No one.”
“We’ve already got men out looking for Barron. His partner raised the red flag on the second night that he didn’t return home,” my father says, his eyes opening. “He’s never abandoned a post before.”
I purse my lips as an insidious thought takes root. If Barron wasn’t a participant in Rhea’s abduction, was he a victim of it? Someone who happened to be in the way of those who wanted to harm her?
“I can ask around, talk with the guards who were present in the palace the night of the ball. See if they had anyone noticeably missing for a time,” Cass says, catching his dagger and holding it above him.
“We have to be careful how we phrase our questions and who we ask. Prying too deeply might make its way back to the council before we have solid evidence to bring them.”
Cass looks at my father. “You would think it would be in their best interest to help us. A mole in the kingdom is the same as a leak in a ship. They will sink both.”
“But they believe Rhea left of her own accord,” I counter, leaning my elbows on my knees. “Us questioning that outwardly only feeds into their fears that perhaps we don’t have the kingdom’s best interests at heart.” Which is a conclusion I still don’t understand the basis for. In any case, the process of weeding out just who all was involved is likely going to be a slow one. I glance in Nox’s direction, watching as he methodically runs his thumb over the band of Rhea’s engagement ring.
“What if we leave Rhea out of it, then?” Cass suggests, sitting up and sheathing his weapon. “We pose the question as if we are investigating the truth of Daje’s story. Everyone in that council room saw his injuries. Even if they are likely to believe Rhea caused them, it would not be out of the norm for the king to put an inquiry out for those who might have seen or heard anything. To question the guards that were working.”
My father gives Cass a firm nod. “Excellent idea. We can start there.”
