Page 240 of Of Masks and Fury

“Are you sure you don’t want me to hide behind your chair?” I asked with only a touch of spark in my voice, all I could host when my eyes felt sealed shut and my body was begging me to lie down and rest if only for a moment.

“You could sit on my lap if you prefer.” Smirking, he patted his thigh.

With a grin, I perched on the smaller throne. “This will do for now.”

His growl rang out. “For always, Minx. Always.”

Grayson appeared not long after, escorting a man in his early thirties dressed in a formal tunic and pants. No crown on his head but maybe he’d chosen not to wear it. A crown could make a variety of statements, as could the lack of one. I’d wait to see what kind of statement this man hoped to make to the court who’d been a rival for many years.

Guards entered along with them, spreading out to surround both the king and us, their hands on their weapons. A hint of a threat, and this man would be dead.

King Darvon stopped in front of the dais, and I studied him further. Dark hair, strong features, and eyes that showed both kindness and calculation. He held a coiled document in his hands, and his gaze swept over us with the same assessment we gave him.

“King Trewyn. Princess Amarissa.” He bowed, the gesture respectful but not subservient.

“You know who I am, so I assume you use spies,” I said, keeping my tone neutral.

“Admitting to such a thing could be taken in a variety of ways.”

“How would you like it to be taken?” I asked dryly.

“I come in friendship. I apologize for arriving unannounced, but circumstances demanded swift action.”

“King Darvon,” Trew said. “Your presence is unexpected but not unwelcome.”

Darvon’s mouth quirked. “Diplomatic of you, considering I was supposed to marry Princess Adelaine.”

The bluntness surprised a laugh out of me. “At least you’re honest.”

“I prefer it to the alternative.” His expression sobered. “I won’t pretend disappointment about the failed alliance. I…met with your sister Adelaine at the healers. She impressed me, and a marriage would’ve benefited both of our courts. But I’m pragmatic enough to recognize when circumstances have shifted beyond political arrangements.” He lifted a coiled document and gestured to a large table by one wall. “If I may, I’d like to show you why I’ve come.”

We rose and went to the table with him, where he spread out a map, pointing.

“My spies report Skathe movements along our shared borders,” he said. “They haven’t attacked Velmire yet, but I’m not foolish enough to think we’re safe. The controllers, whoever they are, will eventually turn their attention our way.”

Trew leaned over the map, studying the markings. “You’re remarkably well-informed.”

“I make it my business to know what threatens my people.” Darvon’s gaze met mine. “Including the Day of Mercy you so spectacularly ended yesterday. That performance will spread like wildfire through all the courts.”

His spies wereverygood. Too good, maybe. Or good enough to be exactly what he appeared to be. I’d trust him for now and watch him carefully.

“As it should,” I said. “This practice needs to be abolished immediately.”

“I have one question, if I may.” Darvon’s tone was careful. “You had him. Disarmed, humiliated, his own guards standing down. Why did you leave Cyril breathing?”

I’d been waiting for someone to ask. “Because I spent sixteen years being his executioner. I’m done deciding who lives and who dies.” I held his gaze. “And because I’d just told that crowd he was deceived, that the real villains were those controlling the Skathes. Killing him in the next breath would’ve made me a liar and him a martyr. A dead king unites people. A humiliated one makes them question everything they followed him for.”

Darvon studied me for a long moment before he nodded. “You think like a ruler.”

“I think like someone who’s tired of unnecessary deaths,” I said. “There’s a difference.”

“When a princess publicly defies her father and reveals magical harvesting to an entire court, people pay attention, myself included.” He smiled, but his eyes remained serious. “Which bringsme to why I’m here. I’m offering Syllavar full military support. Two thousand warriors, five hundred mounted cavalry, and whatever supplies are needed to support my troops.”

The number stole my breath. That kind of force could make all the difference.

“What do you want in return?” Trew asked, his voice carefully neutral.

“Mutual defense against the Skathes. Access to your knowledge about sealing the veil breach. And…” Darvon paused, his gaze lingering on Pherin perched on my shoulder. “The opportunity for my people to enter the Rite of Bonds.”