That would explain the intent mania I saw in Cyrano’s eyes. He’d had no reason not to drop his sword yesterday, but after talking with Kasper, we’d both begun to suspect that Cyrano planned on going after me until I killed him. In fact, the payment to his family might have been contingent on his death. It would be the only way that whoever had paid him off could be certain that Cyrano would never talk.
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I wasn’t sure if that made me feel any better about what had happened. Killing a desperate man intent on dying to save his family didn’t exactly sound like justice.
“Who here has that kind of money?” Kasper asked.
“Well … nobody. ” Linnea shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, the women have jewels. ” She motioned to her grandmother’s table, covered in gaudy necklaces and rings. “One of my necklaces might cost ten thousand dollars, but it would have to be filled with sapphires and diamonds. We don’t have massive gems like that floating around. ”
“They came from the vault,” Lisbet said, looking at Linnea in the mirror. “That’s the only place where we have stones of that caliber. ”
“Those belong to the kingdom,” Linnea said, trying to dissuade her grandmother. “They belong to everybody. Why would Cyrano steal from himself?”
“He didn’t steal it—he was paid off,” Lisbet corrected her, and Linnea sank down in the chaise. “And it may ‘belong’ to the kingdom, but only the royal family has access to it. Only the King is allowed to spend it. ”
“But Mikko’s saving it,” Linnea argued weakly. “He’s trying to do what’s best for the people. ”
Lisbet closed her eyes and sighed. “You can’t have a room full of precious stones and expect no one to get greedy. ”
“Who has access to the vault?” I asked. “Who could have gotten in there to take the sapphires?”
Lisbet turned back toward Kasper and me and looked up. “The system requires thumbprint recognition that you need to get the door open, and that’s calibrated for only four people—the royal family. That would be myself, Linnea, Mikko, and Kennet. ”
“There must be some mistake,” Linnea said, disputing Lisbet’s assertion. “None of us would do this. I know I didn’t, and of course you wouldn’t do it. Mikko didn’t try to kill himself, and Kennet would never do anything to hurt his brother. ” She shook her head. “This is a mistake. Someone else is behind this. ”
Lisbet regarded Kasper and me gravely, ignoring the Queen’s insistence that it couldn’t be any of the people she loved.
“Talk to the people and do what you need to do,” Lisbet told us. “This must end. ”
TWENTY-SIX
stoic
The marble bench felt hard and cold underneath me, and I leaned forward, resting my arms on my legs. My mouth felt dry, so I licked my lips. I let out a shaky breath.
“You okay?” Kasper asked, his voice soft so it wouldn’t echo in the cavernous round hall outside of the King’s chambers.
“Hmm?” I’d been staring at the pattern of tiles on the floor, trying not to think of anything at all, and I turned to look at him.
“You seem kind of out of it. ” Even though Kasper worked to keep his expression neutral at all times, his face had softened and his dark eyebrows were pinched with concern.
“I’m fine,” I lied, sitting up straighter.
We were waiting outside the King’s chambers with the intention of questioning him about the sapphires in Cyrano’s possession. After our meeting with Lisbet and Linnea, we’d gone straight down here, hoping to talk to him before Bayle or anybody else had a chance.
When we’d arrived, he’d still been sleeping, but his valet had gone in to see if Mikko would be willing to see us. A few minutes later, the valet had informed us that Mikko would, but he needed some time to wake up and ready himself, and Kasper and I had been patiently waiting for the past fifteen minutes.
“I know I’ve been really fortunate to have been a member of the Högdragen in a time of peace. ” Kasper still spoke low so his voice wouldn’t carry. Not that he needed to worry, since we were alone. “I’ve only been on it for a little over a year, but even when I was a tracker, things were mostly quiet and peaceful. ”
“Konstantin Black did try to kill the Chancellor,” I reminded him, not unkindly.
“I said mostly,” he said. “I was out on a mission away from Doldastam when that happened, so I missed all the commotion surrounding it. ”
“You didn’t miss much,” I muttered. “Konstantin is insanely good at disappearing in the blink of an eye. ”
“My point was that I’ve never even had to draw my sword on someone and mean it, let alone take another person’s life,” Kasper said, and I involuntarily tensed up. “I can’t imagine what that must be like. ”
“It’s part of the job. ” I wanted to brush it off, change the subject, do anything other than actually talk about it.
“I know, and I know you did what you needed to do. ” He waited a moment, letting that sink in. “But it couldn’t have been easy for you. ”
“It was surprisingly easy, actually,” I said thickly. “From start to finish, it was all over in a matter of minutes. ”
Kasper put his hand on my back. The gesture felt awkward and a little stiff, but there was something oddly comforting about it.
“You were trained well, and you did what you were supposed to do. That won’t change what happened, but maybe it can make it little easier on you. ”
I offered him a wan smile. “Thank you. ”
The valet came out and told us that the King would see us now. I stood up and straightened my clothes, and then I followed Kasper inside.
We found Mikko in the sitting area of his chambers. He was dressed but unshaven, with a blond scruff on his chin. The high-backed, tufted chair he sat on looked cushy, but he sat rigidly with his shoulders back, appearing rather uncomfortable.
His blue eyes landed on us briefly, then went back to staring at the rug on the floor. His lips were pressed together in a thin line, and as he breathed in deeply through his nose, his gills seemed to flutter in agitation.
There was a couch and several other chairs that Kasper and I could have sat in, but since Mikko made no motion to them, we remained standing. We never sat in the presence of royalty unless we were invited to.
“I’m assuming this is about the investigation,” Mikko said.
“We just had a few things we wanted to talk to you about. This won’t take long. ” I tried to keep my tone soft to calm any anxiety he might have.
Linnea had said he was painfully shy—although to be honest, he seemed more angry than he did nervous. But it was probably better for a King to seem cross all the time than afraid.
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Mikko nodded once. “Go ahead. ”
“Do you know how Cyrano Moen could have come into possession of sapphires?” Kasper asked.
“No. ” Mikko’s hands were resting on his lap, and he began to rub one palm against his leg anxiously. “Sapphires are the most plentiful stones in our kingdom, though. Perhaps he bartered with someone for them. ”
“We had considered this, but the ones he had were very valuable,” Kasper explained. “Bayle estimated their worth at upwards of twenty thousand apiece. ”
Mikko’s expression remained hard, unchanged by the news Kasper had given him, and his eyes were now locked on the floor. He sat stoically, not responding, for nearly a minute before he said, “He shouldn’t have had those. ”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“I don’t know how a guard would come by those. ” Mikko looked up at us and shook his head. “I have no idea how he would’ve gotten them. ”
“We suspect he might have been paid,” Kasper said, “for his attempt on your life. ”
The King lowered his eyes and didn’t say anything. He’d stopped moving his hand on his leg, and aside from the subtle movement of his gills when he breath
ed, he was as still as a statue.
“Do you know who would have access to those kinds of sapphires and would want to hurt you?” I asked him, speaking slowly and carefully.
Of course, Kasper and I already knew who had access to the sapphires, and that list was only four people long. The only person I’d really crossed off was Marksinna Lisbet. I believed she cared too much about her granddaughter to risk anything that might get Linnea hurt.
But even Queen Linnea—who seemed friendly and naive—could be putting on an act, and she could be behind everything. Most of what I knew about things here in Storvatten had come from her, and I really had no way of knowing if she was lying or not.
Despite my newfound friendship with Prince Kennet, I still didn’t trust him farther than I could throw him. As the younger brother of the King, I could think of a very obvious motive for him to want his brother out of the way, but I had no idea why he’d have planned an attack on Linnea.
That was assuming of course that Cyrano’s attack on Mikko and Konstantin’s on Linnea were related, which was the theory that Kasper and I were going on at the moment.
And as for Mikko, with his hardened expression and clipped answers, I honestly had no idea what to make of him. I had been hoping that talking to him would clear things up, but he seemed even more cagey than usual.
“No. ” Mikko shook his head. “I can think of no one. ”
“According to Marksinna Lisbet, only four people can get to the vault,” Kasper said, pushing Mikko a bit since he wasn’t being forthcoming.
“Sapphires can come from anywhere, not just the vault,” Mikko replied curtly.
I glanced over at Kasper. We had considered this too, but given how many sapphires were in the vault and how poor the rest of the community was, it seemed very unlikely that they came from anywhere else.
“The four people who can get into the vault are your grandmother-in-law, your brother, your wife, and yourself,” Kasper went on as if Mikko hadn’t said anything.
“Thank you for informing me of things of which I’m already aware, but I don’t think I can be of help to you. ” Mikko stood up abruptly. “I’m sorry I don’t know more, but I should begin preparing for the day. Bayle Lundeen is running a meeting later today, and I am certain that I’ll see you both there. ”
Both Kasper and I were taken aback, and it was a few seconds before we could gather our wits. We thanked the King for his time and then left his chambers, since there was nothing else we could really do.
We saw ourselves out, and once we were in safely in the hall with the door closed behind us, I turned to Kasper. “He knows something. ”
“But who is he protecting?” Kasper asked. “Himself, or someone he cares about?”
TWENTY-SEVEN
augur
Kasper told me to go rest, but I had other plans in mind.
After spending the morning going over our notes and talking to anyone we could, we still had an hour left until the meeting with Bayle Lundeen was set to start. Kasper and I had tried to speak with him, but he kept insisting that he was busy and he’d talk to us during the meeting.
Apparently, I still wasn’t looking so hot, so Kasper had all but commanded me to go lay down, promising he would get me in time for the meeting. I considered it, but I knew sleep wouldn’t make me feel better. So I changed into a tank top and leggings and headed outside.
On the back of the palace was a stone patio, curved along the edge to mimic the waves on the outer walls. A hundred rounded stairs led down from the patio to the bottom of the lake, and I descended them slowly, pushing through the shock of the cold as I waded into the water.
Even in May, Lake Superior barely got above freezing. The Skojare kept the ice at bay through a combination of practical tools and magic, but that didn’t mean the water was warm by any means.
A human would succumb to hypothermia in as little as fifteen minutes, but I was no human. The Skojare thrived in the cold water. Spending their entire existence in Scandinavia, northern Europe, and Canada, they had adapted to handle the harsh temperatures of swimming in freezing lakes.
Even the Kanin had adjusted to the cold, but I doubted Kasper or Tilda would fare as well stepping into the icy lake as I would. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling—like an electrical current running over my skin. But I couldn’t deny that there was something strangely enjoyable about it.
The chill took my breath away, and it felt as though it was waking up parts of my body I hadn’t even known were sleeping. I lay on my back, floating on the surface. The sun warmed me from above, while the cold water rocked me from below.
I just needed to be able to clear my head. The last twenty-four hours had been a blur of insanity, and I couldn’t seem to process any of it.
I knew that I’d killed Cyrano, and I knew that it had been the correct thing to do given my job and his actions. But I couldn’t make sense of how I felt about it. Numb perhaps, the numbness was mixed with sadness and regret and pride.
Sadness because a man had died, and regret because I was convinced I could’ve done something differently so he’d still be alive. And pride because I had done exactly what I had been trained to do. When it came down to it, I had acted and saved the King.
It seemed nearly impossible to reconcile those three emotions.
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I tried to let the water wash over me, desperate for a reprieve from constant worries about work and Konstantin and Ridley. No matter how hard I tried, Ridley kept floating back into my thoughts, leaving an ache that ripped through me.
Thinking of him hurt too much, and I pushed away my memories of his eyes and the way his arms felt around me.
I closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind of everything, and I just focused on the sound of the lake lapping against the palace, the iciness of the water holding me up underneath the contrasting warmth of the sun.
That was all that mattered for the moment. Soon, I’d have to go back inside and try to untangle the mess of who was trying to kill whom and why here in Storvatten. But right now, I just needed this—to have a few minutes when nothing mattered and I didn’t need to think.
With my eyes closed, I could see the sun through my lids. Then the yellowish-red of my eyelids began to change, shifting into pure white bright light that filled my vision. It was disorienting and confusing, and when I tried to open my eyes, I realized they already were.
I was standing in the snow, but there was no horizon around me. Just whiteness, as if the world disappeared into nothing a few meters beyond where I stood. My heart began to race in a panic, and I turned in a circle, trying to understand where I was and what was happening.
Suddenly Konstantin Black was there, standing in front of me dressed all in black, smiling at me. “Don’t be scared, white rabbit. ”
“What’s happening?” I asked.
This didn’t feel anything like a dream, but it had to be. There was no other explanation for how I could have been in the lake one second, and here in an impossible place with Konstantin the next. I didn’t remember falling asleep, but it was a possibility, given how exhausted I had been lately.
“I can’t stay long,” Konstantin said.
Already, his smile had fallen away. This was the first time I’d seen him without his hair pushed back, and his dark curls fell around his face. His eyes were the color of forged steel, the kind used to make our swords, and he stepped closer to me, looking at me intently.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
“Here is nowhere. ” He shook his head. “You are in Storvatten, and you must leave. ”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How do you know where I am?”
“I know a great many things, and it doesn’t matter how I know. You are not safe in Storvatten, and you need to leave. ”
“It seems safe to me, now that you and Viktor Dålig are gone,” I said.
Konstantin pursed his lips, an
d for a moment he looked pained. “I am glad to see you’re okay after what he did to you. ”
“Why?” I shook my head. “Why do you even care?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted with a crooked smile. “I just don’t want to see any more innocent people hurt. ”
“Then you need to stop working with Viktor Dålig. ”
The sky—if you could call the whiteness that surrounded us the sky—began to darken, turning gray, and the snow underneath my feet started to tremble.
“This won’t hold for much longer,” Konstantin said. Thunder seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at all once, and he had to shout be heard over it. “You must leave Storvatten! They plan to kill you because you’re getting too close!”
“Too close to what?” I asked, and by now the sky was nearly black. “How do you know?”
“Viktor Dålig gave the order. He wants anyone in his way dead. ”
Konstantin receded from me, but he didn’t step or move himself. It was as though he were slowly being pulled into the darkness around us.
“Run, white rabbit,” he said, his voice nearly lost in the rumbles, and then he was gone.
I opened my eyes to the bright sun shining above the Skojare palace, and even though I was still floating above the water, I was gasping for breath.
Everything seemed peaceful and still. There was no thunder, no darkness, no Konstantin Black. I tried to tell myself that it was just a strange dream brought on by stress and exhaustion, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had really been talking to Konstantin. That somehow he’d managed to visit me in a lysa to warn me that there was a bounty on my head.
TWENTY-EIGHT
denunciation
It was in the fishbowl of the meeting room that everything went completely insane, and this was coming from someone who’d just been visited in a dream by Konstantin Black.
The meeting room stuck out from the rest of the palace in a bubble, with one interior wall and one exterior wall of glass domed out around us. It left me feeling as if the lake were engulfing us, as if it were a sea monster trying to swallow us all.
At the end of the long table in the center of the room sat King Mikko, with his Queen sitting to his right and his brother to his left. Lisbet sat next to her granddaughter. Other than Kasper and me, they were the only people in the room.
“This is Bayle’s meeting, isn’t it?” Kennet asked, looking over his shoulder at the large bronze clock hanging on the wall. “Doesn’t he know it’s rude to arrive late to your own party?”
“When you arrived late to your own birthday party, you told me that was arriving in style,” Linnea reminded him.
Kennet smirked. “That’s because everything I do, I do in style. ”
Kennet might have joked, but nobody else here seemed to be in good spirits. Bayle’s making us wait—twenty minutes so far—wasn’t making things any better. Kasper and I were close to the end of the table, a polite distance away from the royalty, and Mikko kept shooting icy glares in our direction.