Damien’s putting me on the spot… but he trusts me to make a decision. Even more, he’s showing Leo that I’m worth listening to. I’m a queen now! I should have a say in what happens. Leo may not invite me to be at his side, but I still have power. I just need to use it.
Evelyn shifted her thoughts. “The cuts… We need to know what the symbols on their chests mean. They might be a message, or Blood magic, or some other clue as to who is behind it.”
“Good idea,” Damien agreed. “How do we find out what the symbols mean?”
Evelyn furrowed her brows, not especially excited about her next idea. “Lochmatten. Moeller or that really old scholar.”
“Wendell.”
“Yes! They have the most extensive libraries and archives, right? If anyone would know, it would be them.”
“Probably.” Damien cocked his head. “So what’s the next step? Mail a body to Wendell?”
“No. The guards’ bodies need to be returned to their families so they can be burned. Or buried, I guess. But we could create drawings of the symbols first, then take the drawings to Lochmatten to identify.”
“You want to go to Lochmatten?”
“They can’t ignore us if we’re there.”
Damien narrowed his eyes on Leo. “Your Majesty, may I proceed with Queen Evelyn’s plan?”
Leo didn’t answer him. “This is awful, Evelyn. Everything that’s happened is terrifying. You don’t have to be involved. We can deal with it.”
Evelyn scowled. “I’m already involved. I have been since I found the four missing soldiers. Andweshould mean you and me, not you and an army.” She turned away from her husband and faced Damien. “Send word to Lochmatten that we will arrive tomorrow. Then find soldiers with strong stomachs to sketch the symbols.”
Damien bowed specifically to Evelyn before heading to the door, which was when everyone realized Rory and Viviane were still in the room.
“Do I need to waste time threatening you?” Damien growled at them.
“We heard nothing,” Rory said casually.
“You put up a sound shield, Captain Fontaine,” Viviane lied. “All we know is that the king returned home and the queen is safe.”
“Glad to hear it.” Damien slammed the door on his way out.
Leo approached the guards. “Thank you for watching over Evelyn. Your presence is appreciated. Would you please give us some privacy now?”
Rory and Viviane bowed and left the room.
Evelyn glowered at Leo. “Ibeggedyou to stay. You ignored me and you lied to me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wanted you to be safe.”
“This is what you did to your mother, too. Her husband was murdered and you had guards carry her to an empty bedroom. You didn’t even look at her while she screamed.”
Deep betrayal shone in Leo’s eyes. “You can’t compare that day to this one. That isn’t fair.”
“But is that your strategy when something bad happens? Move the crying woman out of the way?”
“No! I know you want to be helpful, but there wasn’t anything for you to do.”
“You don’t know that!” Evelyn hissed. “Even if it’s true, I could still be with you.”
Leo groaned. “Wasn’t it bad enough going into that attic the first time? I thought it would be better if you left instead of going through that again.”
“I should’ve had the chance to make that choice for myself!”
“I was trying to protect you. I knew you would be safe with Damien.”
