“That sounded an awful lot like you're going to play with me until you're bored.”
His expression went panicked. “I . . . no, that's not—”
I yanked his head down and kissed him. It was quick, but enough to get my point across. Then I pulled away and said, “I love to play. Just remember, you're not the only one who can end the game.”
“I didn't mean to imply that I was.” Cyn ran his hand over my cheek. “Let's just see how far this will take us.”
“Agreed.”
We walked to the door together, hand-in-hand, and then he opened it. In the corridor, Lord Juri waited with four of the King's Dragon knights.
Lord Juri glanced at our entwined hands, blinked, then bowed. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”
“Good morning, Lord Juri,” the King said as he strode down the hallway. “Who caught the assassin?”
“One of the castle guards,” Juri said as he kept pace with us. “A member of the investigation team.”
Behind us, the Dragon knights marched, their stares sharp despite the neutralized threat.
The King let go of my hand as we walked, but when I lagged, he shot me a sharp stare that quickened my pace. I remained at his side as we navigated the maze of corridors, going ever downward until we descended a stairwell to a corridor beneath the castle. There, the light was dimmer and the air colder. The stone walls were rough, not polished like those in the keep above, and the corridor ended in a dungeon. Seeing all those cells made my spine straighten. I'd never been caught before, and even if I had, I wouldn't have wound up down there. I would have been taken to the Talons’ jail. Only criminals caught by the castle guard were imprisoned in the King's dungeon. Or people who tried to kill the King. Still, the place made me nervous.
At first, the dungeon looked abandoned. There was a guard room that served as the entry, furnished with a table and a few chairs, but devoid of people. Evidently, they didn't feel the need to post a guard. When we passed through the guardroom and entered the aisle between the cells, I saw why.
All but one cell was empty. The single occupant huddled on his bunk, wrapped in a thin blanket so that only his four eyes showed. Those big, blue eyes widened when he saw us. Cringing, he whimpered.
Yeah, this guy wasn't going anywhere.
“Is this a joke?” the King spun to face Lord Juri. “There has never been a Chelli murderer.”
“They found the poison in this man's home, Your Majesty,” Lord Juri said. “It took longer for us to find it since he doesn't live in the castle, but a witness came forward and admitted that she saw this man pouring an odd powder over your food.”
“What witness?”
“One of the kitchen staff, Sire. A Shanba woman named Elisa.”
There had been only one Shanba in the kitchen when I'd gone there with Cyn, so I assumed it was the same woman I had frightened. No wonder she had looked scared; she had seen something. She had probably been afraid of getting fired for not reporting it sooner.
As the King and Lord Juri argued, I went closer to the bars and stared at the little Chelli man. “Why did you do it?” I asked.
The man tucked his head down.
“Hey, if you want to get out of here, you need to speak up,” I tried again. “Why did you poison the King?”
King Cynric went quiet as he realized I was interrogating his assassin. He looked over at me and lifted a brow.
I ignored him. My senses were excellent, honed by years of training and observing people. And those excellent senses told me this man was innocent. “Did someone force you to do it?”
The Chelli lifted his head and dropped the blanket. “I don't know, my lord. I swear, I don't remember poisoning the King's food, but I would never do such a thing. Never!”
That was an odd declaration of innocence. Not “I didn't do it,” but “I don't remember doing it.”
“You don'trememberit?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do you remember that day at all?”
“No, my lord. I recall waking up that morning. Then it was the next morning. I went in to work and heard the news that the King was indisposed. We weren't told anything more until yesterday when you came into the kitchen.”
“That's where I've seen you,” I said. “You were working in the kitchen.”
“Yes, my lord.” His wide-eyed stare slid to the King. “I didn't do it, Your Majesty. I couldn't have. I don't know why Elisa said I did, but I would never hurt you. You're a wonderful king.”
