“No, the ones from town. I won’t be dying like his fiancées, I’ve told you. I’ve seen my future at the castle, but those murdered women are still worrying. There was no talk about them in my premonitions and to have another occur only last night! I’ve barely been inside this town for a week, and the grisliest events are unfolding.”
“Oh, the tea leaves. Right. They only dictate your likelihood of marrying the prince, not of unfolding current events.”
She drilled me with a glare.
“Anyway, did you read it?” I waggled the paper at her.
“I scanned it at breakfast. The prince had it open. I presume that’s where you lifted it from?”
“I’m not a thief, thank you, but yes, I took it when he left. You were too busy describing how wonderful he is in painful detail to notice. I ate a few of those apple pastries at the same time.”
The corridor sloped gently downwards, a rare glimpse of the brackish sky opening above us through an elongated window. How did they live all day trapped between these walls? And Lilyanna had sworn not to ever leave. I’d have to find the gardens and force her to enjoy some fresh air, as much for my sake as hers.
“There wasn’t much in it,” she continued. “Another woman gone, no body. They suspected there were links to magic, that someone is killing women who specifically harbor blood magic, but so far there’s been no clear motive. Or at least, not one widely shared so anybody could be next.”
The murders of the town women and the prince’s fiancées had to be linked. One person with access to the castle doing them all. If they were after blood magic, they could be coming for me next. Or they could just take me out to clear the path to Lilyanna. My skin pebbled as a chill snaked through me. “Are they sure she was murdered?”
“The prince told me at breakfast his guard had gone to investigate and will be bringing back more information. He said I was safe here within these walls.” She glanced again at the ceiling, her eyes tracking back and forth.
“Which guard did he send?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. The sullen one maybe? The one with the beard.”
“His name is Clement.” I flushed. I don’t know why her description of him bothered me, it was surprisingly accurate.
“Yes, that does sound right,” she mused.
The Sheriff could be involved. He was prowling around just last night, skulking through town but murder wasn’t his forte. Ferreting out secrets and using that information for his own gain was much more his style.
He would be far easier to lure than the prince, and he may have useful information about the women and if they were targeted for their magic. Blood magic was the rarest of all, and highly prized by sorcerers and priestesses. But how had they been captured? They should have lived their lives in quiet fear of discovery, keeping their gifts a closely guarded secret. If anyone would know the answer, it would be the Sheriff.
I dropped the paper outside the heavy doors of the fencing room. Sensing we’d arrived, Lilyanna straightened her shoulders and tossed her head into the air. All her twitchiness morphed into a demure, sultry smile. It would have been amusing had her nail marks not been indelibly imprinted onto my arm, tattooing her anxiety onto my flesh. She patted some color into her wan cheeks and strode into the room as I held open the door. I nodded, impressed with her focus.
The acoustics of the room muffled my tread as I headed for Clement. Hunting trophies lined the walls, pelts, antlers, and taxidermized animals speared on diamond hooks. I avoided eye contact, knowing their beady gazes would reappear in my nightmares otherwise.
The sleepless nights had finally caught up with me. I swayed into Clement, standing like a human totem beside me. He glanced at me in surprise but didn’t shrug me off. I leaned in closer, propping my weight against his muscular side.
Did he just flex his bicep? I snorted, disguising the noise with a loud yawn.
“How do you stand so still for so long?” I groaned.
The prince parried with Lilyanna, both wielding long sabers that flashed under the glow from the candelabra. The click, click, click, of blade upon blade was putting me into a trance. He remained silent, maybe he was still irritated about last night?
“Are you ignoring me, Clement? Come on, it was only a little nibble.”
I nestled deeper into his side, letting his body heat envelop me. I yawned again, earning me a tut of disapproval.
“I told you to stay in your room. To never leave her side,” he muttered.
“Yes, I’m sure if the roles were reversed, you’d have no problem sticking to her,” I said, and he frowned down at me. “You’re not very subtle, my friend. Can’t keep your eyes off her.”
“I’m not watching her.” He reddened beneath the dark stubble and resumed focus on the two figures dancing round each other. “Not the way I watch you.” The admission came so quietly I almost missed it.
He couldn’t possibly mean it like it sounded. I studied his closed-off face, the dark circles under his eyes. Just for a moment, I forgot he was a royal guard and realized he was just a man. One with secrets, a hidden truth that encompassed his entire being. And I wasn’t making his life any easier. He did have to keep watching my every move, but thankfully, he didn’t know the real reason why.
I turned with a sigh to watch the couple sparring. Lilyanna was remarkably good. If the prince had any thought about letting her win today, that had gone up in a flaming pile of shit. She was the one who quite obviously kept dropping her defense to allow him the odd point. I loved it.
“And don’t call me friend.” Clement gently pushed me off him, his hand lingering on my arm a beat too long. “I’m doing my job.”
