Fritz shook his head, and his eyes went back to normal though they were unfocused as he clutched his forehead.
“Is that a yes?” Erich said, hand clenching onto his pommel.These sorts of things would have been better said when they’d first made their agreement.
“My people are angry, after what the humans have done to us.” Fritz clenched his hand into a fist as he stared out the window, which faced the wall of the next building. “I came here and spent nearly a year trying to stop the prophecy, but I fear some of them are growing impatient and have taken more drastic measures.”
Now that he knew what he was up against, there was even more reason to get the sword and get out of town.
“My timing couldn’t be better then.I’ve got news: the sword is being transported from the palace to the temple tonight.”
Fritz didn’t react, just kept staring at the window, standing very still.
“Then we’ll meet outside the palace at sunset?” Erich replied.
Fritz turned to him, piercing him with that unsettling, ageless stare. “Yes, I’ll see you tonight.”
20
Liane tapped her fan on her knee as she consulted her list of potential assassins. Few courtiers fit the killer’s description: lean, agile, yet walking with a limp. According to a priestess she’d questioned, Duke Schatz had a bad case of gout, which caused a limp, but his gut also hung over his belt buckle. Luzie pointed her toward Count Harig, whose war injury left him relying on a cane to walk, but after seeing him snoozing on a bench like a sunning cat, she doubted he could be as agile as her culprit. Besides not matching her killer physically, both suspects lacked the most crucial piece: a connection to Heinrich. Both candidates had supported her mother during the rebellion.
That left one name on her list: Lord Sommerfeld.He was born with a clubbed foot and matched the physical description of her killer: young and hopefully agile. Liane had met him once years ago but didn’t remember much about him apart from his limping gait and that he was one of Heinrich’s hangers-on. Lord Sommerfeld’s father had sided with Heinrich’s during the rebellion and been executed for his treason. Not only did he match the description of her killer, but he also had a motive as well.
After crossing the first two names off her list, Liane had searched the palace for Lord Sommerfeld and found him outdoors enjoying a picnic with a group of courtiers she didn’t recognize. Liane sat down on a nearby bench, fanning herself as she spied, envying her target’s shady spot. To investigate properly, she’d need to get closer, but she couldn’t walk up to them without reason.But when she imagined herself hunting an assassin, she didn’t think the hardest part would be talking to people... If she were Aristea, she would’ve charmed them with her wit, and Mathias would’ve jokingly asked Lord Sommerfeld if he were the killer. But she wasn’t her siblings. No one saw her as herself; they either pitied her illness or wanted to get closer to advance their own political agendas. Some men had even seduced her to that end. Older and wiser now, it was why she refused permanent attachments. You couldn’t be disappointed if you didn’t let people get close to you.
“What are you staring at?” Ludwig whispered in her ear.
Liane spun to see Ludwig’s bemused expression.
“Damned Darkness, Ludwig, you scared the life out of me.”
“You look alive to me,” he said with a wry quirk of his lips.
“Suddenly, you’re a comedian, I see.” Liane struck him lightly with her fan as he chuckled.
She’d missed this; she’d missed him. Proving Heinrich was a traitor was harder without him.She’d never realized how much she relied on him until she tried to do it all herself.
Lord Sommerfeld and his companions glanced in their direction. Great. Now what? Should she approach them and say what…? Hello, I was just wondering if you’ve killed anyone recently? Liane shook her head.
“How would you approach that group?” Liane nodded to the courtiers, who pointedly looked away.
“Are you asking me how to make friends?” Ludwig asked.
“I don’t need friends. There’s something I need to find out...” she trailed off. The truth had nearly spilled out of her unthinking. It was natural for her to conspire with Ludwig. If she told him, he’d want to help, but he should be focused on recovering.
“What lead are you chasing?” Ludwig asked.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. Like you said, I’m trying to make friends, that’s all,” Liane cleared her throat.
With a furrowed brow, Ludwig scanned Lord Sommerfeld’s group. He knew without her telling him what she wanted.
“I don’t recognize most of them, but that’s Lord Sommerfeld. He controls a strategic province across the mountains. Surprising to see him at court again.”
Her heart thumped in her chest. Had her hunch been right?
“What makes you say that?” Liane asked
Ludwig glanced around the garden. Sommerfeld and his companions weren’t watching them anymore, but she could see from the way their heads were tilted in her direction that they were listening. Leaning in close, Ludwig whispered in her ear.
“Heinrich attempted to seduce Sommerfeld’s wife, and when he found out, he confronted him... As you might imagine, Heinrich didn’t like that and sent him into semi-exile to the countryside.”
