Black smoke slid off Everard, spilling onto the floor. His eyes blazed with green.
Cold sweat slicked my back. I couldn’t help it. It was an instinctual, knee-jerk reaction.
“Sol,” he said, pronouncing each word slowly, “she is mine.”
Solentine stared at the nightmare in the flesh.
A moment passed.
Solentine sighed.
It was over. He wouldn’t lay a hand on me. Everard had claimed me as his. He had known Solentine since they were teenagers. He understood how Solentine’s mind worked, so he left him with zero ambiguity. I was now a possession of the Sleepless Duke.
The two of them could fuck right off.
“Why were you in the plaza?” Solentine asked.
Everard leaned against the wall. “Ulmar Hreban hired a man to kill some prominent knights and display their bodies. He aims to assassinate the Sun Margrave and disguise the murder as the latest in the string of random killings.”
“To what end?”
“He wishes to become the next Sun Margrave.”
“And you know this how?”
“Maggie told me,” Everard said.
Solentine looked at me, then back at Everard.
Neither of us said anything.
“Splendid.” Solentine raised his hands. “One small question: How does Maggie know this?”
“Magic,” Everard said.
Solentine’s eyebrows crept up. “Magic! Of course. Why didn’t I see that before? For a moment I suspected that you’d taken leave of your senses, but now I am sure of it.”
He was jumping on my last nerve. He couldn’t touch me, so he had decided to discredit me. It wouldn’t work, but my shock was starting to wear off. I was no longer numb. I was angry. I couldn’t vent my anger on Everard, but Solentine was right there.
“Let me see if I can guess how we got here.” Solentine crossed his arms on his chest. “A young woman approached you with an offer. Some vital information to bait the hook. Perhaps she needed a protector. She presented herself as a victim or she might have tried to seduce you.”
“Yes, that’s it exactly,” I said. “All of the seducing.”
“Then in a relaxing moment of peace, she fed you this inane Hreban plot. Ramond, I’m begging you, use your common sense. Does that turn of events seem likely to you?”
“Yes,” Everard said.
“Hreban couldn’t attain that position in his wildest dreams. He is the Fool of Lerem. Would it help to clarify things if I told you she approached me first? I didn’t take the bait, so she switched her target. The only question here is who is behind her.”
“Bless your heart,” I said.
“And that means?” Solentine raised his eyebrows.
“‘Eat dirt and die.’ I should’ve let Krasta slice up your arm. You’re an insufferable ass.”
“Ah, so you were the one who sent the note. Congratulations, you warned me not to get into the carriage with a man infamous for gutting his rivals with a hunting knife. The cypher was a nice touch, though. If only there weren’t several hundred people proficient in it. Is this the part where I am supposed to be impressed? Please let me know. I don’t want to miss my cue.”
I would strangle him.
