Lara had been wrong about Lestara, and that did not happen often. Aren’s stomach pooled with unease.
“Your Grace,” Lestara said softly. “Perhaps one day we will meet under brighter circumstances.”
William scoffed. “You are too gracious, my love. He should be grateful he’s not taking this meeting on his knees.”
Behind him, Aren’s guards shifted angrily, but he only held up a calming hand, his pride not what would turn this moment to violence. “What is it that you seek from this meeting, William?”
Harendell’s king raised an eyebrow. “Did you not receive Prince James’s message? Even if you were incapable of reading my letter, I would think my brother’s message clear enough.”
“If you mean the words given to Lady Bronwyn Veliant, then the message was received.”
“Then you know what we want. Hand over your murderous bitch of a sister so that she can be executed for what she did to King Edward and the Dowager Queen Alexandra, and we might consider showing mercy to your shithole of a kingdom.”
Aren waited a heartbeat, then another, certain that William would segue into his real demands, but the other man only crossed his arms.
“Hand Ahnna over,” William repeated, and there was no mistaking the anger in his green eyes. “Hand her over, and we might also consider the notion that you are not complicit in your sister’s crimes against Harendell. Hand her over, and we might rethink our belief that you conspired with Amarid against us. Hand her over, and we will pause our plans to blockade Northwatch. Prove you are yet Harendell’s ally by handing over the murderess so we may have justice.”
He believes Ahnna is guilty.
The thought ricocheted through Aren’s head right as horns sounded from the beach. All eyes shot down the slope, shouts ofdeceptionandtreacheryrising to lips, only to fade on the wind as the flag on the longboat snapped straight to reveal Valcotta’s colors.
The vessel ran up on the beach, and a familiar dark-clad figure climbed out, strands of blond hair that had come loose from the knot at the back of his head blowing on the wind.
“This meeting is between Harendell and Ithicana.” William’s voice was acidic. “Valcotta was not invited, nor is their presence wanted.”
“I didn’t invite them,” Aren replied.But damned if they are not wanted.
Keris strode up the slope with several Valcottans at his heels, all of whom Aren recognized as former prisoners of Devil’s Island.
“Sorry I’m late.” Keris clapped a hand on Aren’s shoulder. “Bad weather. I don’t know how you stand the endless rain, Aren. I feel like a drowned rat.”
“Keris Veliant, I assume?” William’s knuckles turned white fromhis grip on the table. “Valcotta has no part in this conversation. This is between Harendell and Ithicana.”
“Which is why I’m here to moderate. Keep the peace. Unbiased third party, as they say, but one quite keen to learn the truth of this situation.” Keris straightened his sodden cuffs. “My condolences for your father’s death, Your Grace. Edward and I kept up correspondence, and he wrote the most entertaining of letters. He’ll be missed.”
“Thetruth of this situationis already known,” William snarled. “Ahnna Kertell murdered my father and attacked my mother. Anyone who stands between me and justice is Harendell’s enemy.”
“Allegedly murdered.” Keris’s azure eyes moved from William, narrowing as they fixed on Lestara. “Well, well, well. I see you finally managed to suck the right royal cock to get the crown the stars promised you, Lestara. You are tenacious, I’ll give you that.”
William’s face purpled even as Lestara retorted, “Fuck you, Keris.”
“I already declined that offer.” Keris’s voice was mocking. “More than once.”
“You call this keeping the peace?” Aren asked under his breath, but Keris’s only response was to step heavily on the toe of his boot. His brother-in-law had a strategy here, and Aren bit his tongue and readied himself to see how it would play out.
“You will mind your tongue, sir,” William said between his teeth. “Lestara is queen of Harendell, and we do not suffer slander against her name lightly. Make your apologies and excuse yourself from this meeting.”
“I speak no slander, only the truth.” Keris moved to stand at the head of the table. “Lestara conspired with Petra Anaphora and committed treason against Maridrina, which cost the lives of countless civilians, including many children. Edward agreed to take her into exile as punishment for her crimes—to serve as her jailer and keep her in appropriate misery, but it seems he chose to violate the terms of that agreement. You have wed a murderess, William. A faithless creature who will stop at nothing in her pursuit of a destiny shebelieves the stars have promised. It makes me question if perhaps Lestara was not willing to wait for Edward to die of ripe old age and chose to speed along the process herself.”
Aren hadn’t even considered Lestara as a possible culprit behind the murder, but now that Keris had laid it out before him, it made infinite sense.
“I did no such thing!” Lestara’s hands balled into fists. “I was in my husband’s bedroom when it happened. It was Ahnna who killed Edward. All because she was angry I was chosen over her. That Cardiff was valued over Ithicana!”
“Where is your proof?” Keris demanded. “How do you know for sure that Ahnna was the killer? How do you know for sure that she had not been framed?”
“Because she attacked my mother as well!” William slammed his hands down on the table. “You will cease with these baseless accusations, sir, for my own brother and his soldiers came upon Ahnna in the midst of attacking my mother, knife in her bloody hands! Ahnna Kertell is guilty!” He screamed the last, spittle flying from his mouth.
“Be calm, my darling.” A hooded figure at the rear of the Harendellian ranks stepped forward and pulled back her hood. “We know the truth and we will have justice for what was done to your father.”
