I blinked again, suddenly sobered. The blood pounded in my ears as I thought about the only witch I knew.
But that wasn’t possible. There were wards keeping her out of Solvardunn. She’d called them a trap.“A trap that only a fool would fall victim to,”she had said. Unless she’d been lying.
My breathy voice betrayed my unease as I spoke. “Are there any witches living in this kingdom?”
She shuffled uncomfortably on her feet. “None that I’ve heard of, but…”
“But what?” My tone was sharp, and my heart felt like it was going to drum its way out of my chest.
“Security around the castle was reinforced last night because of the ball. Not a soul could get in or out, without the guards knowing about it. Unless...”
“Unless it was with magic,” I finished, knowing it would be all too easy for a witch to use magic to breach the castle walls.
“That or the murderer is amongst us. Either way, it means nobody here is safe.” Wearing a look of unease, she wrapped her arms around herself.
A shiver tiptoed across my spine as my eyes fell on my gown, lying crumpled on the floor at the foot of my bed. “Did anyone see anything?”
She shook her head. “The Royal Guard is investigating but, from what I’ve heard, no one saw anything unusual.”
I swallowed hard, still reeling from the news. “I only met him last night. He was half seas over.”
“It’s true, Lord Hywell was…” she paused, choosing her words carefully. “Spirited. But he was well-liked amongst the nobility. I can’t imagine who would do this to him. Or why.”
I nodded absentmindedly. My head was spinning, and I needed to lie down. Badly.
“Are you alright? You look a bit green.” Her eyes clouded with concern.
“I don’t feel well. I’m going back to bed,” I said, rubbing my temples.
“I’ll bring you your breakfast, food will help. And water.”
Food was the last thing I wanted right now, but Runa had already left. I slipped back into the comfort of my bed, swimming in my own thoughts.
Did the Crow have something to do with this murder?Had she lied about the wards, or convinced someone else to do her bidding? The witch had sworn she would not harm me or my subjects, but she’d made no promises about anyone else. She was dangerous, it would be naïve to think otherwise. But was she capable of murder?
Maybe Hywell had failed to fulfill his end of a bargain with the Crow? She obviously didn’t take kindly to that sort of thing. But if I were to speculate on motive, wasn’t it as plausible for the killer to be a mortal with a vendetta against him?
Regardless of who the murderer was, they had killed something for me too. The sense of safety and well-being I had felt since I’d been at the castle. In their place, I was left with an inkling. A gut feeling. Something that whispered this was only the beginning.
***
I spent a miserable morning in bed, recoiling from the news of Lord Hywell’s murder and paying for my late night with far too much wine. My stomach felt like lead so, when my breakfast arrived, I couldn’t manage more than a lackluster nibble on a slice of toast.
I drifted in and out of a light, dreamless sleep, plagued by all that Runa had said, until, finally, I hauled myself out of bed in search of fresh air.
It was a tremendous struggle, but I managed to pull on a simple woolen dress and my cloak. Ignoring the dull ache in my head, I slogged through the busy corridors and out the doors that led to the gardens.
I shuddered in the frigid air. Today felt significantly colder, with a dreary sky washed in gray. Dark clouds hinted at an impending downpour.
Feeling a prickle on the back of my neck, I turned and scanned the area. Once again, I had the distinct feeling that someone was watching me, but, when I looked around, I appeared to be completely alone. Chest tightening with unease, I continued on my trek to the cove with a little more speed.
There was a way to get to the postern gate that didn’t involve going through the maze, but it meant taking the secret underground tunnels Tarben had told me about. Faced with that option, I would rather brave the maze.
Navigating the hedge maze alone was no easy feat, but, by some stroke of luck, I remembered most of the way. I found myself disoriented a handful of times, but I kept going until, at last, I caught sight of the stone walls peeking through the thinning hedges.
I neared the gate, once again guarded by sentries. The lasttime, I had been with Tarben, and it just occurred to me that I might not be allowed down there alone.
Fortunately, the sentries simply greeted me, and said, “You’ll want to be careful on the way down, Miss.”
