“Tell me truthfully, Creshion, what this is all about,” his uncle said, and for a moment in time, Creshion really believed his uncle cared about his feelings.
He wanted to laugh out loud. His uncle had cared nothing about anyone but the queen the whole time Creshion and his twin brother were growing up. He wished he could tell him that the queen had paid to have his mother and father murdered, but he knew his uncle would never believe it. The woman had kept him from seeing the truth all these years. Nothing would change that.
“Creshion.” His uncle leaned back against his chair. “Do you want to marry the girl?”
Creshion couldn"t say. He knew if he told his uncle yes, the king would be furious.
His uncle cast him the faintest of smiles and folded his arms across his chest. “All right.
So where do we go from here?”
“I don"t know what you"re asking,” Creshion said.
“You want the girl; that much is evident. The whole of our court could see it in your expression, in your actions. Even if you denied it a thousand times a day, I would know you spoke not the truth. I have never seen you so distraught as when the girl disappeared before your eyes. You clipped her wings, took her against her will, but somehow in the time it took you to travel here, you changed, and you convinced her you were worthy of her affections.”
Creshion looked at the floor, unable to meet his uncle"s discerning gaze. All that his uncle said was true. But how would the king feel if he knew Sessily would kill the queen, that he himself would kill the queen, if they could find a way to do it.
“You will be king someday,” his uncle said.
Creshion looked up at him.
“Oh, I know what you"re thinking. You are so enamored with the girl that you would give up all of this for her.” The king let out his breath. “She has bewitched you in only the way that a woman can a man. I would prefer that you wed someone of my choosing.”
Creshion"s eyes narrowed.
“She"s…too sweet, too innocent, Creshion. You know the queen would eat her alive. I will pick another for you. Someone that can stand up to Quinnette. The girl would never manage among our people.”
“Is that all you wished to discuss with me?”
King Olaf leaned back in his chair. “You will thank me someday. And for your protection, I will do what you did to the young lady.”
Before Creshion could react, his uncle clipped his wings. Creshion rose to his feet and glowered at his uncle.
His uncle only smiled. “You would have gone to her and made matters worse. You will get over her and she, you. Give it time. It is time for the feast. Be prompt.” And with that, his uncle waved his hand and most likely fae traveled back to the great hall and his queen.
Creshion cursed to every fae god and goddess and a few he made up for good measure.
He had just stormed out of the solar, intending to go to the stables and leave the kingdom on horseback, when Tarn and Eaton hurried to intercept him.
They were all smiles—the wicked kind as if they"d just shoved their least favorite fae into a pile of manure right before the evening feast.
Creshion wasn"t in the mood for pranks and tried to brush past them, but neither would allow it. He froze, gave them a look like they"d be dead if they didn"t give him passage, but both still grinned their fool heads off.
“I"m not in the mood—”
“Oh, aye, Creshion, you will be in the mood for this,” Tarn said conspiratorially.
Eaton quickly nodded.
“If it has to do with my leaving here and rejoining Sessily…” Creshion was damned hopeful that"s what this was all about.
Tarn shook his head. “Well, not entirely, but in part, yes.”
Creshion ushered them to his chambers. “What then?”
“She"s still here,” Eaton said in a hushed voice, very serious now. “So you don"t have to leave.”
Creshion stopped so suddenly in his tracks, both his brother and cousin ran into him and immediately backed off. He glowered at them. “You had better be telling me the truth.”
“She"s very quick,” Tarn said.
“And impatient,” Eaton added.
“We think she was trying to find a way to see you so she could let you know she hadn"t left. At least without a proper goodbye. Or…ahem, an improper parting of the ways.” Tarn grinned again.
“Where is she?”
“We don"t know,” Tarn said. “I was checking on the food preparations in the kitchen, peeked into the cellar to ensure the drinks had already been brought out, and there she was. She looked a little startled, but then pleased to see me, said to tell you she"d meet with you later, and vanished, leaving no fae dust.”
Creshion believe it.
Eaton said, “If she didn"t already have your heart and Lady Marguerite didn"t have mine, I believe I"d be interested in the lady myself. She"s truly intriguing.”
Tarn cleared his throat. “We heard what King Olaf said. He"s clipped your wings and will find you your own bride. Will you let him?”
Eaton shook his head. “Not Creshion. So how can we help you? We are your humble servants.”
Creshion wanted to be with her now, and ensure she didn"t do something that might get her killed.
***
Sessily had nearly had a heart attack when she saw Tarn open the wine cellar door and catch here there. But she figured he"d assume she was trying to find a way to see Creshion and wouldn"t tell on her. Still, she didn"t want anyone to know what she was up to. Even Creshion.
It was best if everyone believed she"d left the region and that was the end of it.
As soon as she left the cellar, she returned to a shadowy corner of the ball room, doused two candles that helped to cloak her in more darkness and listened to conversations nearby, watching the people as they gathered before proceeding to dine.
She still hadn"t come up with a full-proof plan. So many things could go wrong. As soon as everyone sat down at the long tables to eat, she would check out the queen"s chambers.
Sessily had to discover where the chambers were located first though.
“Entrapment, that"s what it was,” a scrawny girl said, waving her hand in the direction of the dance floor. “She offered herself, had no maid escort, and thought King Olaf would drop down on bended knee, offering his nephew to her as her husband to avoid scandal and the dark fae threatening to do battle.”
“Do you believe she"d say she didn"t want the prince? Who would ever have believed it after the way she was fawning all over him during the dance?”
“She bewitched him, cast a fae spell over him. Now that she"s gone, it should wear off in a few hours, and he"ll be our prince again.”
“Did you see how devastated he looked when she disappeared?” another woman asked, joining the other ladies. “I"ve never seen a man look so desolate.”
“That"s because she cast her fairy magic over him,” the other insisted. “Now that she is gone and the king has forbidden the prince from leaving the kingdom, even clipping his wings, oh, he"ll change his mind.” She fluttered a fan around her ruddy face. “Then he"ll take notice of me again.”
For once, Sessily wanted to say just what she had on her mind to say. She felt terrible that his uncle had clipped his wings, knowing just how debilitating that was. But she held her tongue and waited for everyone to clear out as they took their seats in the dining hall.
Then Sessily popped back into Creshion"s chambers, figuring the queen"s chambers wouldn"t be too far from the crown prince"s if his describing the layout of the place when she had first arrived was any indication. She didn"t want to get caught wandering the halls from the great hall to the royal family"s sleeping quarters in search of it though.
The door opening behind her nearly gave her a heart attack. She whipped around, expecting to see a servant, who would quickly tell on her.
Instead, she saw Creshion closing the door in Tarn and Eaton"s face, his expression one of worry and relief. He strode toward
her, forcing her heart to skip beats.
“Sessily,” he whispered, and she thought her heart would break in two when he folded his arms around her and held on tight.
“I"m so sorry, Creshion, that your uncle took away your ability to fae travel.”
He shook his head. “It doesn"t matter. I would have followed you on horseback.”
She looked up at him, saw the determination in his eyes, and realized he had truly changed. If he left the kingdom, his uncle could decide never to give Creshion his fae travel back. He couldn"t live without one of his fae abilities that was so natural to their kind. She couldn"t let him. “What are you saying?”
“That I care nothing about the cobra kingdom, of ruling it, of what happens to the queen.
All I care about is you and your safety. She sent Grieves to locate you. He would kill you should he find you.”
Sessily groaned. Not because she worried about the lord. She could take care of herself well enough. She kept telling everyone that! But if Grieves was not here, how could she give him Cupid"s potion?
“Sessily, I won"t let him harm you.”
She smiled up at Creshion, touched his lips with her fingertip, and shook her head. “If I can"t ensure he"s the queen"s lover, who will be a good substitute?”
“You are not planning on…what are you planning on doing?”
“I have a contract with you. I have to fulfill it or die trying. Isn"t that the guild"s motto?”
“Aye, but you are not a member, and I forbid you from attempting to fulfill the contract.”
“Forbid me?”
He had to know just what those two little words meant to her. A challenge.
“No, Sessily, I know what you"re thinking. It"s too dangerous now. You"re not even supposed to be here. Tarn saw you in the cellar. Any number of people could see you while you try to move about. It"s too dangerous.”
“Do the king and queen sleep together? Or do they retire to their own chambers?”
“They sleep together.”
Sessily sighed. “All right. Show me where they sleep.”
“You, young lady, will be the death of us.”
She hoped she"d be the death of the queen.
Creshion opened the door of his chambers, saw no one about, and led Sessily to the king"s chambers. Inside, she saw the opulent gold curtains draped around the bed, the emerald jeweled trimmings on the cushioned benches, and even the walls were covered in a gold damask.
“Gold,” she whispered.
“Yes. It makes her feel rich.”
“What was she when she lived in the human world?”
“She was grilling steaks over an open flame. I think that"s what caught my uncle"s eye.
The way she used the flame to perfectly grill his steak. He imagined her as a fae with fire magic.”
Sessily shook her head. “Okay, which side of the bed does your uncle sleep on?”
“Left side. He likes the window view.”
Sessily walked over to the queen"s side of the bed and studied it for several minutes. She moved around the room looking for places to hide, the dark forest green velvet drapes hanging over the windows, the fabric pooling on the floor.
“Dusty,” she said under her breath.
She noted three wardrobe containers and the one with the lattice work bottom. She stared at it in disbelief. Was that the wardrobe where Creshion had played Battle Chant as a boy and had witnessed his aunt paying to have his parents" murdered? Surely it couldn"t be the same piece of furniture.
She glanced over to see if Creshion was watching her, but he had moved through the door connecting this one with the queen"s chambers.
There were always good ways and bad ways to assassinate someone. Good in that they weren"t messy and the assassin left no trace of who had done the deed. Bad in that the assassin might not even make it out alive. And then there were the right ways in getting the job done.
Killing someone was really easy for Sessily to accomplish. It was the getting away without anyone being aware of it that was the hard part.
But what could be worse than killing someone?
Letting them live while taking away everything they treasured.
Sessily smiled. She had her plan.
***
Tarn fidgeted at dinner, wondering just what Creshion was up to. He thought he and Eaton would witness the happy reunion, until Creshion shut the door in their face, and he could only surmise what happened after that behind closed doors. Then what? Would she use fae travel to spirit him away?
Eaton poked at him with his elbow. “Are they truly in love, do you think?”
“Aye.”
Eaton gnawed on a beef rib. “The king does not look pleased that Creshion has avoided the dinner.”
Tarn shook his head. “The king has posted guards at all the entrances to the castle and several in the stables. He knows Creshion is going nowhere. He probably assumes he"s moping about in his chambers.”
Eaton grinned at that. “Yeah, moping in the happiest way possible. Why do you think the lady is really here?”
Tarn looked back at the queen. “The duchess is here to make Creshion"s dreams come true, and no one, not even the queen, will stop her.”
Chapter 14
As soon as Creshion walked out of the queen"s chamber and saw the sparkle in Sessily"s dark eyes, he knew she had a plan.
“What?” he asked, crossing the floor to take her hand. As soon as he had hold of her, she fae transported them to his chambers.
He hadn"t expected it and felt a little dizzy for a second.
“Sorry, thought it was time to leave the chambers in case a maid came to pull back the covers for the king and queen.”
“What do you intend to do, Sessily? I know from the look in your eyes, you have a plan.”
“I"ve had many since you gave me this task, Prince Creshion,” she said formally, pulling her hand free of his. “I even thought of a grand one of putting everyone to sleep at the meal tonight.”
“Which was why Tarn found you in the wine cellar?”
“Aye, but I changed my mind. If I had put everyone to sleep, I could have easily poisoned the queen.”
“Except that the taster who tastes her food would have fallen asleep and clued the queen in.”
“Yes. I thought of giving her a potion that would make her fall in love with Grieves, and offering Grieves the same potion. Eventually your uncle would have seen them making fools of themselves over each other.”
“And he would have killed them.”
“Right. But the problem is with getting it right. Correct timing, right people.”
Creshion looked disappointed. “I especially liked that idea.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Sessily sat down on one of the cushioned benches. “I thought of poisoning her when the king and queen are in bed tonight.”
“A guard is always posted at the door.”
“I would hide somewhere in the room.” She didn"t want to mention the possibility of waiting in the wardrobe container where he had witnessed his parents" murder.
“Guards always search the room.”
“I would wait until this was done.”
“It sounds like it would be too easy for you to get caught.”
“True. The queen would not be sleeping alone, and there"s always a risk the king would see me.”
Creshion nodded in understanding. “But you have another plan?”
“What does the queen value most?”
Creshion snorted. “Power.”
Sessily smiled.
He frowned at her. “You don"t have the ability to take her power away from her.”
“You are right.”
Creshion stared at her and she could almost see the wheels of his mind spinning around, trying to figure out how…the light went on and his face brightened a little. Then the light went out.
“Who is the only one who can take her power away from her?” Sessily asked.
“The king. She was hu
man. He brought her here, gave her the powers. But he would never take the power away from her.”
“That"s just what I have to get him to do.”
“How?”
“Is there anyone of the cobra court you would like to see as the new queen?”
“No. Any of the women of the court who would be remotely eligible would let the power go to their heads. We"d end up with someone who was just as bad as Quinnette.”
“Then someone who is not of the nobility? A servant who is good-natured?”
“He wouldn"t want someone like that.”
“All right. Do you know the lady you sent to serve me earlier today? Mistress Nesten? If she has not promised her heart to another and is interested in being queen…”
Creshion opened his mouth to speak, then clamped it shut. Then he said, “She"s a sweet woman and not married. But…”
“Then she will be the one.”
Creshion started to object, but Sessily shook her head. “That"s my plan.”
“What is your plan?”
“All I need is for you to help me to get the maid alone with the king. And that"s it.”
Creshion was frowning again.
“Simple. The king does not have a posted guard, just the queen, right?”
“Yes, but…”
“And he doesn"t have his drink or food tasted first for poison, does he?”
“No, but…”
“Then we"ll forget the queen. And go after the king.”
“But he"s not the one you"re to assassinate, and…”
“Oh, no, this is much more of a grand plan than I could have ever devised on my own.”
“Who else helped you to think it up?” Creshion growled.
“You.”
***
The queen had a conniption when Grieves returned to the great hall to tell her he could not find any trace of the Countess Sessily as Tarn and Eaton watched along with several other courtiers. Fae curiosity kept them in audience, although every one of them knew just how angry the queen could get, and she could easily dispatch any of them for even hearing the bad news she"d just received.
Tarn and his cousin quickly hurried off to Creshion"s chambers to let him in on the news.