Orla shrugged. “He says it will be better for Kalshana and her people to have a council ruling, but everyone else is sure he has more reasons he isn’t telling us.” Her eyes lit up. “You should ask him!”
“Oh, yes,” Sadina added, her eyes lighting up too. “You should join us for Tea every day, and bring us all the details you can. He’s so laser-focused in his meetings that nobody is getting anything out of him.”
I forced a chuckle and a smile. “You want me to spy on my husband?”
Orla waved across the table. “Well Brielle hasn’t got us anything good, and they’ve supposedly been friends for most of their lives.”
Brielle folded her arms. “Don’t think of it as spying. We don’t want you to tell us anything that would hurt him or Kalshana. Honestly, our houses are some of his greatest allies. But others are having a hard time openly agreeing with him because nobody trusts each other. Everyone thinks he’s hiding something, but all he wants to talk about are details to make his plan work. People are listening because the alternatives are worse, but it would get him more support if we knew what his true motivation is.”
I ran my finger along the handle of my teacup. “Does your brother know? Dearan?”
Brielle shrugged. “Maybe. His friendship with Bylur is unshakeable. But I don’t know if that makes our houses allies because Dearan trusts him or because Dearan knows his secrets too.”
All three ladies stared at me expectantly. I had to tell them something, but I refused to spy on the fae who had saved my life and given me an alternative to the streets.
Besides, I hadn’t even seen him since we’d parted last night.
I sighed. “I’ll try to help, but I can’t make you any promises. I won’t share Bylur’s secrets without his permission.”
* * *
I tried waiting up for Bylur. My list of questions was getting too long for me to keep track of, but by the time midnight approached, exhaustion threatened my memory. I dragged myself over to the desk in the office on the far end of the sitting room and found loose parchment and an ink set in the main drawer. I jotted down a quick list so I could let my mind move on.
1- Curse details
2- Did he sleep in the same bed as me last night?
3- Did the 1-year timeline start?
4- Spy suspects?
5- Suspicious nobles?
6- Courting & marriage story?
7- Fae marriage?
8- Same language?
I chewed on my lip. The last two I thought of weren’t really my problem, but we were married now. It wouldn’t hurt me to know. So I added…
9- Why a council instead of a king?
10- Why not rule personally?
I left that on top of the desk and collapsed on the bed.
Chapter 12: Bylur
Istood in the silent blackness where my own form melded with shadow and watched Auria write something on the desk. She shuffled toward the bed, and I turned my attention to the hall. Yes, we were married. But it didn’t seem right to watch her change without her knowing.
A loud sound—like something large collapsing—drew me rushing back to Auria. Had she fallen? Or had something fallen on her?
No. She had simply plopped on the bed.
I waited in the shadows for her breathing to even out. I did not want to create any more stress for her by appearing while she was still conscious. It only took a minute, but I waited longer to be sure. If she startled and saw me, all of this would be for nothing.
I pointed my shadows at the candles she left glowing around the bedroom and snuffed them out. Her breathing didn’t change. I extended my shadows to the sitting room and study, dousing all the lights. Either she was obsessed with candles or she hated darkness—I didn’t even know I had eighteen candles in the three rooms. Once they were all out, I stepped out of the shadows and into the bedroom.
