“Drop her.”
“Thank the Mother,” he said stiffly, the expression sticking to his tongue in his odd accent. “I’m glad you saw us. Who knows what could’ve happened to the crown princess if you hadn’t? I was merely trying to shield her from the rabble.”
The lines on Jayme’s face only deepened as Fallor let Vi down with sudden delicacy.
“You would do well never to manhandle—”
“Thank you, Fallor,” Vi interrupted. Whatever threat Jayme was about to lob at Fallor would have been justifiable but ill-placed. The tattoo was still seared in her vision and she was eager to get away from the man, the sooner the better. “Let’s go, Jayme.”
Jayme gave a small nod and then hooked her arm with Vi’s, before rushing through openings to get to the Imperial hotel. Luckily, the crowd was beginning to disperse, and the worst of the violence seemed to have ended.
“What—”
“I’ll tell you later,” Vi whispered hastily. There wasn’t time to discuss now—they were already ascending the stairs. “Just know that I was right about him.”
“Well this is a mess,” Elecia muttered. The mob had been short-lived and not too bloody. Vi saw only one body lying face-down in a puddle of blood, and she hoped it was the archer who had tried to shoot down her mother. “You should get inside.”
“Moth—”
“Her and Romulin are ahead of you, Jax and I are behind,” Elecia answered before she could ask.
With that, Vi and Jayme stepped inside the lobby of the stately hotel, the whole staff standing at uncomfortable attention. As Elecia had said, her mother and brother were together in the far corner, by the stairs, talking with a silver haired man. Thankfully neither had visible wounds.
“… most regretful, forgive them, your highness,” the man was saying. “They don’t fully understand their actions. It is not the crown they hate, but this miserable plague.”
“They will see mercy,” Vhalla assured him. “It is a difficult time for all of us, Lord Etton. The crown understands that as much as any.”
Vi stepped off to the side, pulling Jayme with her before she could unlink their arms. They faced the wall, rather than the group.
“Fallor is a pirate,” Vi said hastily. There may not be another chance to tell her.
Jayme blinked at her. “What?”
“I saw a trident tattoo on his wrist when he tried to kidnap me.” At least, she was pretty sure it was a trident tattoo. She hadn’t seen all of it.
“You’re right, it didn’t look like he was merely trying to protect you…” Jayme murmured. The words had Vi’s heart soaring that her friend finally believed her suspicions.
“He wasn’t,” Vi hissed. “Have you found out anything about him?”
“Not yet. I’m working on it…”
“Be diligent. I want you to find a reason to get him ousted from the army, for Romulin’s safety. I don’t know what he’s up to, or why a pirate is so far from the sea, but I want none of it near my family.”
“Romulin’s safety? Your family’s? What about yours?”
“I’ll be—”
“Your highness,” a maid interrupted. She was dressed from toe to chin, bound in tightly tailored fashions of the West that left so little to the imagination, it seemed slightly scandalous. “I am to show you to your room.”
“Thank you.” Vi started behind her.
Jayme took a hasty step to Vi’s side. “You’ll be what?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Vi said softly.
“You’d better. Remember, you promised to tell me everything. All I want is to do my job and protect you.”
“I will tell you, the first chance I get,” Vi whispered hastily and then started up the stairs behind the maid. She just didn’t know if she’d ever have the chance… so it wasn’t technically a lie.
