Keris retrieved his coat from where it was tossed across the back of a chair and followed William into the corridor, mechanically responding to the other man’s mindless chatter while he considered how he might leverage Virginia Ashford. William’s friends met them in the courtyard, Cavendish among them. As they started down the spiral on foot, William drinking and laughing with his courtiers, Keris fell in alongside Cavendish. “I heard you’re to wed Virginia Ashford.”
“Yes.”
“Then her exile from court must be a bitter medicine to swallow.”
Cavendish scoffed and shook his head. “Exile? Hardly. It’s temporary and understandable.”
“That’s not what William said,” Keris took a flask from one of the courtiers, watching the man run to the railing and howl like a wolf, already drunk. “He said that Lestara can’t bear the sight of her.”
“William says a lot of things. Those of us who know him well know when to take him seriously or not.” Cavendish shook his head asKeris offered him the flask. “Virginia will be back at court before the year is out.”
“I’ll pray that is the case.” Keris broke into a trot and caught up to William, pushing the flask into the king’s hand. “It’s a beautiful day in Harendell, Your Grace. Let’s live it up.”
It was no different from the strategy he’d employed against his father. A pocket full of silver, a deck of cards, and endless alehouses full of men more than willing to talk if he kept their cups full.
Shuffling the deck, Keris dealt the cards to the men before him, one eye on the bar where William was surrounded by his friends.
“You enjoying your time in the Sky Palace, Your Highness?” one of the men asked after looking at his cards. “Are they keeping you properly entertained?”
“It’s a bit quiet, to be honest.” Keris increased his bet. “I’ve heard it’s livelier when Princess Virginia and her ladies are at court, but they are at Whitewood Hall.”
“She’ll be back soon enough, I reckon. Miss Ginny likes to be at the center of things.”
It was the way all the civilians spoke about Virginia.Miss Ginny.As though she were everyone’s favored little sister, and Keris had not heard a word against her. “Apparently she’s at Whitewood Hall grieving.”
“My cousin is friends with the sister of Lady Elizabeth’s chambermaid,” one of the men muttered. “She said Lady Elizabeth was informed that she was not welcome at court.”
Keris made a noise to indicate mild curiosity.
“Is it the same for Miss Ginny?” the first man asked, his brow furrowed.
“Surely not,” Keris said. “She’s the king’s beloved sister.”
All the gamblers at the table went still, then their eyes shifted to where William was laughing at the bar, his friends encouraging him to chug the contents of a glass.
“The Ashford siblings were always tight as ticks,” one of the men grumbled. “Now James is missing and Miss Ginny is all but banished. It’s not right.”
Keris took a sip of his wine and frowned at his cards.
“The Cardiffian witch cast a spell on him, mark my words,” another said. “Must have cast a spell on Good King Eddie too. There ain’t no other explanation for it.” His eyes slid to Keris. “Did she try any of her witchery on you, Your Highness?”
Keris shrugged, seeing Cavendish’s scrutiny out of the corner of his eye. He spoke loudly enough that the man would hear. “I’ve eyes only for my wife.”
They all nodded approvingly, but then the first man said, “We all heard the horror of the sacking of Vencia, Your Highness. Nasty work, that was.”
Visions of his home in rubble flashed through Keris’s mind, and he didn’t fight the remembered panic as he dug through the ruins of the inner sanctum, certain that he’d find his half sister Sara’s body. The bodies of all his family. Sarhina had kept them all safe and evacuated the city, but so many refused to go. And lost their lives for it. “The sad truth is that when asked to abandon everything to evacuate, many chose to stay. To fight to protect their homes and livelihoods, and they lost their lives to Petra’s vendetta. If I am fortunate enough to live to be an old man, I will still remember the smell and the sound of carrion birds. Still see the splashes of blood and the bodies of the very old and very young lined up in graves. Sarhina was and is a leader without equal, but she made the mistake of believing the greatest threat lay outside Vencia’s walls when the real danger stood at her back.” He folded his hand and stood. “I’m out, lads, but I’ll buy another round before I go.”
It was the third time he’d had a variation of this conversation. He always allowed the civilians to bring up the topic and never overtly said a word against Lestara. There was no need to, because all knew what she had done. Joining William at the bar, he dutifully drank thecup of shitty whiskey pushed in front of him. “If I win any more off your people, they’ll riot. Time to move on.”
William hiccuped, then grinned. “All right.”
Arm slung around a courtier by the name of Archie Bennett, William staggered out the door. Keris followed, but the moment he was outside, Cavendish slammed a palm into his chest, drawing him up short. “That conversation looked serious for a game of cards with low stakes.”
“It wasn’t low stakes for them.” Keris took a step back, then moved to go around, but Cavendish blocked his path again.
“What were you discussing?”
“If you must know, they asked why Virginia had not returned to court. I lied and told them I didn’t know, but apparently a lady by the name of Elizabeth has complained to her servants that she’s banished from court.”
