But even so, he pushed Ryu away as they reached the front door, pressing him in against the wall so he would be out of sight of whoever opened the door.
Then, heart in his throat, he pressed the doorbell.
The bell chimed inside the house, and for good measure, Kentario pressed it two or three more times. Perhaps Oris was a heavy sleeper? Or perhaps he would be reluctant to open the door at this time of night without adequate incentive.
He waited… and sure enough, a light came on upstairs, behind thick curtains. A minute later, another light came on, visible through the frosted glass panels beside the door, and footsteps tapped lightly on wooden floorboards.
The porch light came on. Kentario stared at the peephole, certain that Oris would be checking who was outside, particularly at this unusual hour. A moment later, the door opened, revealing Oris himself, clad in a dressing gown, hair mussed, eyes bleary with sleep. “Kentari-”
In a split second, Kentario had his gun up and aimed straight at Oris’s head. The man froze. He brought his hands up in surrender, taking a tentative step backwards.
“You know why I’m pointing a gun at you?” Kentario asked, letting all his pent up rage at the attack on the palace come pouring out like acid over his tongue. The way Oris responded to the threat would be telling. If hehadactually had anything to do with it, he might start with a placatory ‘Look, I can explain…’ It was a response that would get him a bullet between the eyes. Or, if he was a little more self-deluded, he might take the tack of ‘But I had to do it…’
But instead, he glanced briefly from Kentario’s face, to the gun and back. Then he stated simply, “I have absolutely no idea.”
Kentario waited. Sometimes, just giving people the space to talk could elicit all sorts of useful information. But Oris said nothing, only attempting a cautious “Kentario?” when the silence dragged on.
“Good answer,” Kentario said, swiftly holstering his gun. He grabbed Ryu from where he was sheltered out of sight and dragged him inside. He closed the front door quickly but quietly behind him. Ryu still had his hood up, and Oris was staring at them both in wide-eyed shock. So Kentario pulled the hood back, revealing Ryu’s face, pale with shock, his eyes dark with exhaustion. “The palace has been attacked,” Kentario said. “The king and queen are both dead. And we’re rapidly running out of allies.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Goddess above, what happened?” Oris slowly took in the sight of them. They were both wet, from sweat and the water from the marsh. Kentario was aware that he probably looked feral, eyes fierce, a snarl on his lips. Ryu, on the other hand, looked half dead, face pale, his eyes bearing dark rings beneath them.
“Can’t say I know,” Kentario told him. “Some mob broke into the palace. I saw Felix. He’d been shot, but he said the king and queen were dead, and frankly, I didn’t stick around to ask questions. So the first thing I want to know is this; do you know anything about a revolution? Stray rumours inside the palace? Anything on social media?”
Oris shook his head. “Come into the kitchen,” he said, switching off the hallway light. “It’s at the back of the house. We’ll be safer there.”
This was one of the reasons Kentario had chosen to come here. Oris was a diplomat, but he’d always had a good head for strategy, and it was a relief to know that he wasn’t going to have to explain everything in minute detail to the man. He was connecting the dots plenty quick enough on his own.
In the kitchen, Oris switched on the light and pulled out a chair, silently offering the seat to Ryu. As an afterthought, he switched on the kettle. “I’ve heard nothing,” he said, answering Kentario’s question. “You seriously think this is a revolution? There’s been no civil unrest, no protests, no riots. Usually things get a lot more heated before people start talkingrevolution.”
“I don’t know. Honestly, I can’t even confirm that Ryu’s parents are…” He stopped himself, seeing the cold despair in Ryu’s eyes. Damn it, he really should just stop talking about that one. “What I do know is that the palace was attacked, the attackers had every intention of killing Ryu, and Felix is dead. Beyond that… I don’t know.”
Oris made a humming noise, then grabbed the television remote from the counter. There was a TV on the far wall, set up for easy viewing over breakfast. The screen came to life, and Oris flicked through the channels until he came to a twenty-four-hour news channel. The report was unremarkable; a recap of the day’s share trading, a riot in one of Galandeen’s prisons, and an update on the civil war in Biermarg. Giving up on the televised news, Oris instead pulled out his phone. He flicked through a couple of social media accounts. “Nothing,” he reported, handing the phone over to show Kentario. “Which makes the thought of revolution a little less likely. Assassination, on the other hand…”
“Someone tried to kidnap me a couple of weeks ago,” Ryu muttered, sitting hunched at the table. He was shivering, and Oris hopped up, quickly filling two mugs with hot water, then dropping two teabags into the cups. Kentario could tell from the scent that it was peppermint tea, and he gratefully accepted the cup. Ryu didn’t move, so Oris simply set his on the table in front of him.
“Is that what that was?” Oris said. “I heard there was quite a kerfuffle from the Royal Guard. Nobody would say what had been going on, but it was clearly something serious. Did they find out who it was?”
“Some pro-democracy group,” Kentario said. “According to Maro, they arrested everyone involved.”
“Yet you don’t sound convinced.”
“Maro’s not on my list of favourite people at the moment,” Kentario told him. “Long story.”
It didn’t take Oris long to connect the next few dots. “You think he’s involved in this?”
“His behaviour in the last few weeks has been a bit odd. Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but…”
“But better safe than sorry.” The pronouncement was grim, and Kentario was once again grateful that he didn’t have to waste time convincing Oris that his concerns were genuine. “Well… I dare say there’s not much more we can do tonight. Probably the best thing for you to do is stay here and try and get some rest. You both look exhausted. In the morning, we can regroup and work out what our next move is.”
“Thank you,” Ryu said, lifting his head tiredly. “This means a lot to us.”
Oris fixed him with a firm stare. “You are the Crown Prince of Galandeen. Your parents are not just royalty. They’re also good friends. They’ve done right by me, over a good many years. This is the least I can do to repay that debt. Now, come upstairs,” he said, standing up. “I’ll show you where you can sleep.”
◊◊◊
Ryu followed Oris up the stairs, his entire body feeling numb. The only thing he was really aware of was Kentario’s hard body behind his, warmth radiating off him as he kept the distance between them short.
