“His brother has just died, leaving him with only one younger brother to serve as his heir. One who has no true skill and wouldn’t last a day as king.” He explained, folding his hands together as those creepy red eyes watched me, trying to pick me apart.
“Which means,” he continued, “that should something terrible befall our king, it would be quite easy for another to take over. Especially with the right people in strategic spots.”
“And let me guess?” I asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at him, “You happen to have just the right people?”
Instead of snapping at me, his inspection only sharpened, and I knew I’d done something I shouldn’t. Men like him weren’t used to being spoken to in such a way. Hopefully, he chalked up my impertinence to my being unfamiliar with how to behave in front of my “betters”. Most street rats wouldn’t know the first thing about how to act in court.
“I hope to. Thanks to you.” My eyebrows flew upwards, but I quickly rearranged my face into something more neutral, making him smile slightly.
“Me?” I asked incredulously, my bad feeling about this somehow getting worse. I had no qualms about getting rid of the king; I’d relish it, in fact. But I didn’t really like the idea ofHigh King Carnelianeither.
What was I thinking? That wasn’t my problem. Courtly issues were so far down my list of worries. I only kept track of the gossip to ensure I was safe at the end of the day, not so I could play this game with them.
But…an opportunity for vengeance?ThatI could get behind.
That was wortheverything.
“Yes, you.” The lord nodded once in confirmation. “You’re a beautiful young woman, who—with a little polish,” he sneered slightly, looking me up and down as I grit my teeth in irritation. “Would catch the eye of any man. Even a king. As it so happens, due to their vulnerable position, High King Azurill has called for the traditional Diamond Queen Competition.”
I stifled my gasp, preventing myself from showing a reaction at all. It shouldn’t have been so surprising; it was bound to happen sometime after all. But the king had seemed reticent about marrying by all reports, so I hadn’t been expecting that to change any time soon. He clearly realized that the sharks were circling.
One of said sharks stared back at me from across the dark, stately wooden desk. The other stared right back at him.
“Each court is required to present a lady to compete for the chance to be the next Diamond Queen.” Carnelian smiled fully and truly then, and the image of a shark with its prey suddenly felt very apt. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen such an unsettling sight. “You will go as Ruby Court’s competitor.”
I nearly sputtered from shock at his declaration. That wasnotwhere I was expecting him to take that plan.
“Me?” I managed to choke out.
“Yes, it will be quite perfect. It will get you close enough to him to carry out the true plan,” he told me proudly, sitting back in his chair and tapping his fingers along the edge of its arm for a moment before he continued. “You will win this competition, you understand. Youmust.” His voice took on a threatening undertone now, but I was too shocked still to feel any fear.
“Howam I supposed to do that?Whyam I supposed to do that?” I asked, completely confused. How could he begin to think someone like me could beat the noble ladies of the realm? It was absolutely preposterous.
Carnelian sighed long sufferingly. “You will be my assassin. When you win, you’ll take him out that very night, and I’ll have someone nearby to discover the body and give you time to get away. The timing is crucial; you must not kill him until you have been announced as the winner. I will be providing the king council along with all the other lords, helping him decide who to eliminate at each trial. I will ensure you stay in the running, don’t worry about that. But you must do your part. We will go over everything you need to know to play the part of a distant family member of mine, one withmynoble blood in their veins, and ensure you do not embarrass me in the process.”
His voice hardened as he watched my reaction, my pink eyes wide as I tried not to panic at the thought of entering the competition. “You carry yourself with more dignity, more grace, than any street urchin I’ve ever seen. We’ll be able to polish you up enough to pull this off. Do you understand?”
I understood perfectly. If I didn’t play the part correctly, the high king wasn’t the only one who’d wind up dead. I swallowed hard. Entering back into the world of courts and nobles wasn’t something I ever expected to happen. It was too dangerous. There were too many opportunities for the king to realize who I was. And I wasn’t sure how to play the part of a delicate noble lady anymore, not really. I’d been roughed up around the edges since my childhood, to say the least.
Hence the thievery I was sure had my mother rolling over in her grave.
“How do you expect me to kill him?” I asked, knowing it was all that truly mattered in the end. This chance might be the only one I ever had.
The slow smirk he answered with was a frightening sight. He stood up from his chair and strode over to one of the bookshelves on the wall, pullingout a book for some reason. Or, I thought he was, but the book stopped partway, and the shelf began to move. A hidden door. This castle was just full of them, apparently.
He waved me over, and I reluctantly stood up, following him into the secret room. My jaw nearly dropped as I cleared the doorway. I hadn’t seen a room quite like this since I was little, when I would play at my father’s feet, pretending I was doing magic. The ones at market couldn’t begin to compete with the sight before me.
It was a full Gemlab, with potions bubbling away and bottles full of all sorts of swirling potions in numerous colors sitting on shelves around the large room. Against the far wall was an entire shelving unit containing piles of raw gems, enough to make me incredibly aggravated that I hadn’t known about this room. I would have definitely raided this instead, had I known.
Though I probably would have gotten caught anyway. It seemed like he kept this room quite private. It was odd, considering every lord had their own Gemlab. Why would he hide his?
He walked toward the table in the middle of the room, containing a smoking beaker full of a shimmering white opal, dark black onyx, sparkling green emerald, and a light sheen of purple amethyst. I’d seen similar combinations before, of course, but none that looked quite like this. Depending on how much you use of each gem, and the method of brewing, you could use them to very different effects.
The alchemy of Gemwork was quite a fascinating subject, really, but not one I ever had the opportunity to explore the way I wished.
I slowly followed Carnelian over to the wooden table the potion was set on, and his red eyes took on a sheen I couldn’t quite decipher. His small smirk was no less discomforting, but I locked down my own face to ensure I didn’t let a single emotion flicker across it.
“This,” he announced proudly as he gestured to the potion, “will be what takes down the king.”
