Page 96

“Yes, it’s annoying.” He took a sip of tea. I had no idea if this was his first or second cup. A third would be pushing it for him, but I may not have another choice. “You smell like incense. Did you see your muse at the abbey?”

“No. I thought she was in bed, where I left her,” I said. Calm down, Beric. Don’t show your anger. “I was only praying, sire.”

The king raised an amused brow. “Whatever do you pray for so constantly? You have everything you could ever want here.”

“By the grace of God.”

“God wasn’t the one who made you a lord.”

My response seemed to annoy him slightly, which was the last thing I needed. Time was ticking by all too quickly. I had to make sure he was sleeping before the hour was up.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I’m forever grateful to you.”

He swallowed down the rest of the cup of tea, his good mood seeming to return. “Of course you are.”

I held the bottle behind me out, out of view, and popped the cork gently. This needed to happen. Now.

“Since I’m here,” I moved on, “I thought I might voice an idea I had concerning the gardens.”

“Oh?” He waved his hand for me to pour him another cup, and I had to hold back my sigh of relief. “Let’s hear it.”

“The picnic was beautiful, but I felt as if it was lacking one crucial detail.”

“You do love leaving us in suspense, Beric.”

Hurry up, Beric.

I had no idea what point I was trying to make. All I knew was that the next thing I said needed to somehow distract the king enough I could slip the draught in without his notice. My mind spun as I prepared his tea, words just falling out of my mouth as I said, “Hippogriffs.”

The king burst into laughter.

As soon as his head was thrown back, I poured a splash of the tincture into the tea and quickly stirred in a large spoonful of honey—there was no telling how this medicine would affect the taste. Cali had said a few drops would be sufficient, but I didn’t have the time to measure.

When the king finally recovered, I held out his cup and saucer to him, so he’d drink immediately. He took them without suspicion or thanks. “How are we to find hippogriffs, Beric?”

“They did have them in Greece, at one point.”

“Yes, a hundred years ago. Used in their miliary, if we recall correctly.” He blew on his tea, inhaled it. “If you want something like a horse, a unicorn would be much easier. Those, at least, we can purchase in Scotland.”

“Why haven’t we ever?”

“Come now, lad, don’t you know? They’re the type of animal that kills for sport. Half the nobility would be skewered before the end of the afternoon. Though that could be … diverting.” Finally, he took a sip. “Did you put honey in this?”

I held the bottle behind me tighter. “You like honey, sire.”

“Yes, but not right before bed. How will we ever get to sleep?”

“You’ve done more social events this week than usual, sire. You may be more tired than you think.”

“Not at all.” Despite his earlier concern, he took a larger sip of the tea, which was a good sign—if he’d hated it, he’d simply make another cup. “We’re waiting up for our muse, anyway. The errand she’s on is too important to not see to completion.”

“May I wait with you?”

“You’re so lovesick it’s almost disgusting.” He smirked, patting my back harder. “Actually, we love seeing you like this. Just do us a favor and keep up with the proper precautions. We can’t have our knight out of commission for something as trivial as a baby.”

There was no reining in my blush. “Yes, sire.”

The king took another sip, then hesitated. His hand shook a bit before he quickly set it down. “You know, perhaps we are a bit tired.”