Page 31 of Ruling the Green

“A servant. We’ve kept everyone else away from her. But they were close enough to her to prick her while they brought water for a bath.”

Her brows lifted at that.

“No wonder she needs a guard. The servants slither all around this palace.”

“We need her protected so she is able to speak to us,” I explained. “She appears to have some… condition that is making her unwell, and we can’t figure out how to help her.”

“And let me guess—you don’t want anyone else to know she is mute or unwell.”

“Exactly,” Vishen agreed. “But we also need someone who will do whatever it takes to protect her. Or help us sneak her away for proper treatment from someone not directly connected to the court.”

“Because someone is plotting against it.”

“We have no clear evidence of that right now,” Vishen clarified.

“But only a fool would think there aren’t those plotting against the king. And you.” Her gaze slid to me.

“So you understand.”

“I do.”

“And you have no problem swearing your loyalty to Jet,” Vishen clarified.

“Does swearing my loyalty to him secure me private quarters in the prince’s wing?”

“It will,” I confirmed.

We’d have to open up the closed room. There wouldn’t be much inside it, but it would certainly be better than sleeping on the ground among hundreds of other soldiers.

“What do you need then, a blood oath?” she asked, looking at me.

That was as good an offer as we could get. Because I could demand that. If I did, she would bleed from every orifice until there was nothing left.

“For now, your word will do.”

She pressed her fist to her chest with more gravity than she had a few moments before.

“I will send for your things,” Vishen said. “But we want you on duty immediately. If the prince and I need to leave, we need to know you are there with Serin.”

“Don’t have much to gather anyway,” Nira said with a shrug, falling into step with us as we made our way back to the castle.

We walked in silence up to my wing of the palace, our footsteps sounding like military parades as we approached my quarters.

I pushed open the door, and Knight flew off the bed, rushing into the hall to flee the heat of the room.

“Oh,” Nira said, shocking back as we moved inside.

“She’s cold,” I explained, grabbing a glass of water and striding over to the bed to pull up a conscious but weak Serin and pouring the water between her lips until she was revived enough to grab the glass and chug herself.

Glass after glass.

Vishen tamped out the fire as her shivers lessened until, finally, she seemed clear-eyed and present.

“This is Nira,” I explained when her gaze fell on the soldier woman. “She is going to be your personal guard. She will be with you whenever I am not able to be.”

Something about those words had Serin stiffening, but she still didn’t seem to be able to speak to explain why.

“Nira, this is Serin,” Vishen told her. “And you need to make sure no one comes within arm’s reach of her.”