Rose nodded. “Just got in a couple nights ago, actually. We heard this was your next stop.”
“I told my parents they’re friends from trade school,” Taryn said. “Figured that was better than two refugee Veridians.”
“Why did you come?” I asked them. “Besides the fact that you missed me so much.”
Leo’s lips melted into a thin line. “Well, that's the not-so-good news. We spent some time in Drakorum right before and heard rumors of Scarven sending a small group of Shifters to Mysthelm. Some sort of undercover operation.”
“We were worried they were going after you,” Rose added. “After your one letter mentioned you thought he was hiring assassins to take you out, the timing was just too suspicious.”
“Wait, who is this Scarven person?” Thorne leaned forward and gripped his knees. His forearms strained beneath his shirt as his neck snapped to me. “And why is he trying to kill you?”
I sighed. “He’s the governor of Drakorum, the Shifter province. He hasn’t exactly been receptive to me taking over the empire and all the changes I’ve been trying to make. I guess he liked the way things were run before. There have been a couple of…incidents.”
“Incidents?” Mother scoffed. “She’s been the target of two assassination attempts in the past two months. Both of which we believe were done on Scarven’s orders. Not to mention, the note.”
“Whatnote?” Thorne growled.
I closed my eyes and squeezed the bridge of my nose. “Thank you, Mother.”
“I’m guessing it wasn’t the fun kind of note,” Taryn said.
My fingers traced the middle of my palm. “One of the assassins shot an arrow into my hand. There was a note attached to it that said‘you can’t run.’” I curled my hand into a ball. “Look, he was just trying to scare me from coming here. I don’t think he wants an alliance with Mysthelm.”
“Well, now it sounds like he’s followed you,” Thorne said. Irritation lined his voice.
“Could this Scarven be behind everything that’s happened?” Galen asked.
Rose and Leo exchanged a confused look. “What do you mean? What’s been going on?”
My mother and Galen took turns telling them about the carriage driver and the fox in the fire. I stayed silent, running my fingers over my lips as I thought through what they’d said.
Had Scarven really sent Shifters here forme? It was an extreme move, even for him. This whole time, I thought it must be someone in this kingdom out to get me. I hadn’t considered that he would go this far to carry out some vendetta against me.
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Rose asked. “If he has Shifters here trying to kill you, maybe you should come back to the empire.”
“What, just for him to keep targeting me at home?” I shook my head. “This doesn’t change anything. Besides, we don’t know if it’s even true. You said it yourself—it was a rumor. Whether it’sactuallyVeridians or someone from here coming after us, I’m not going to walk away.”
“We’ll increase the security detail,” Thorne said firmly. “Make sure all attendants at public events are inspected. Any suspicious activity, and we’ll have them apprehended.”
I rubbed my forehead with the heel of my hand. As if this trip didn’t have enough challenges, nowthisgot added to the mix. It raised so many questions. How was Scarven sending men across the ocean without either one of us noticing? Was this a common occurrence?
I was now facing threats from every front, and it was only a matter of time until someone else was caught in the crossfire. Just like the woman at the Drakin’s Lair.
“All of this can wait till tomorrow,” Mother said. I glanced up to see her eyes trained on me. “It’s been a long few days, and even longer since I’ve had my children under one roof.”
Gratitude washed over me. She always knew what I needed, even if I wouldn’t voice it myself.
I got up and walked with Thorne, Galen, and Taryn to the exit. Taryn and Galen were already deep in conversation. I put my hand on the door to shut it behind them as they exited with Thorne on their heels, but at the last moment, Thorne turned. He looked like he wanted to say more. He planted a palm on the door to stop it from closing, his thumb barely grazing the edge of mine. Those concerned eyes searched me like they were looking for answers to some unspoken question.
Neither of us said anything.
After another heartbeat, he finally moved his hand. “Good night, Empress.”
“Good night, Lord Reaux,” I breathed.
And then he was gone.
35
