Page 196 of Settle Down, Princess

“I don’t think much of you at all, unless I’m forced to,” she replied with a snap, then her eyes narrowed. “But I will not be drawn into conversations about the dysfunctional nature of our ‘family’, Father.” Our focus was tugged towards the door as we heard shouting filter through. One voice was familiar, Magnus’, but then more and more voices started to rise in an effort to be heard over each other. “Explain what’s going on, quickly now, lest I be forced to extract answers from you.”

Selene walked over to the walls of this repellent room, plucking knives off the wall, then testing them for their balance before facing him. Desiree looked up at me with worry, but I shook my head slightly. The Temple sister seemed to be completely in control of everything.

“No need for violence, Selene.” The mocking facade the Raven hid behind started to crumble, the lines in his face deepening. “Just a balancing of the books. You can only evade your debtors for so long.”

“Analogies, father?” Her brow creased. “Enough with the maudlin mumblings.” She held her knife out, the threat there obvious. “Tell me what I need to know to get the lot of us out of here in one piece and to kill that prick of a king. You made clear to me the kind of upheaval, destruction that happens at the assassination of a king, but I find I no longer care. The pain of things staying the same outweighs the pain of change.”

“That was why I made sure Magnus was poisoned slowly.” The Raven shot her a weak smile. “Because I needed everyone to know. If he died suddenly, chaos.” He threw his hands up. “All of those that supported him would be shocked, then outraged, looking for revenge at what they assumed was an unprovoked attack, but this way…” He glanced at the door, lips pursing. “More chaos, but also more truth. Years before, during the fight for succession that happened between Magnus and Arik, I visited them both. The king had not followed my advice and so he died, but they had a choice. With my support, one of them would take control of Khean, rule it, bring order and peace back to the realm and I…”

I frowned as I heard his voice crack, and by the way Desiree stiffened, she wasn’t expecting that either.

“I chose the wrong one to support,” the Raven admitted. “Every action has its consequence. I taught you that.”

“In so many unpleasant ways.” Selene’s grip on her knives tightened. “But I’ve never heard you admit to… anything, unless under duress, so continue.”

“Arik was young, brash, and worst of all, idealistic. For someone who grew up under Magnus’ shadow, I’m not sure where he got that preoccupation with right or wrong, but he clung to it like other men might religion or bonds of family.”

The Raven sighed.

“Perhaps he had to, in the absence of those other things, but it made him not a good candidate to back. While he was the only son with the king’s blood, the shame of being a bastard had followed him around for so long that it would’ve been very difficult to dispel that stink. If the king had managed to hold his trial… if the evidence of the queen came out…” He shrugged. “I could’ve ensured all of those things happened, but that boy. I think in some ways the king thought the horrors of being raised by that monster, Magnus, would make Arik stronger, but even steel that has been reheated and forged too many times can become brittle.”

His eyes met mine, a grey green rather than Silas and Selene’s emerald.

“He made it clear when I gave my kind offer to support him that he would not be my puppet or anyone else’s and there’s nothing I can’t abide more than a ruler who thinks himself untouchable. The death of Lady Ariel was supposed to be a reminder that this was not true.”

I watched the Raven’s lips move as if underwater, his words muffled and distorted.

“I thought the king might rough Ariel up a bit. I even had men placed to step in if needed. A bruise on her cheek, just one around her neck. I instructed Giselle—”

“Giselle?” Both Selene and I went perfectly still.

“I knew the king’s predilections and needed someone who could handle them, and I thought I had that in Giselle. It would mean she wouldn’t be useful to me for very long, but I thought by appealing to her greed I could convince her to do this job. Instead…”

The Raven stared off into the distance, not seeing us, despite the noise growing outside the door. Desiree was gripping my hand so tightly I could feel the imprint of them in my fingers, just as she did mine.

“Instead she did what everyone does and put her own survival first, willing to stir the king’s murderous desires, only to redirect them against Ariel. The lady didn’t stand a chance. Giselle was born in the stews, the daughter of a whore. She’d seen everything, done most of them, before she came to the palace. Ariel was just another pampered highborn lass, not taught to defend herself from monsters she didn’t even know existed. But I didn’t think he’d kill her. That’s what I tell myself—”

“But he did.” Selene was like an avenging angel in black, stepping closer to her father. “And you had the means to stop him. At any point you could’ve brought an end to this, but you didn’t. You’ll try and say it was because of the resulting upheaval and the civil war that was sure to follow—”

“But you don’t get to decide these things.” I went to pull away from Desiree, but she joined me as the two of us stepped closer. “If you chose the devil you knew because the alternative was too hard…?” I shook my head slowly. “You don’t get to make any more decisions going forward.”

“There will be a reckoning, Father,” Selene said. “But not now.” Her eyes jerked upwards as she heard a loud thud of a body hitting the door. “Now I do what you can’t and get all of us out of this place.” She turned to us, holding out a hand. “Come with me if you wish to live.”

I clung to her hand just as tight, the knife’s sheathed somewhere as Selene carefully opened the door. She pulled free so fast I couldn’t hold on. There was another thud, then another hitting the door before she wrenched it back open again. Guards lay on the ground, wide eyed and staring endlessly as blood pooled around them.

“By all the gods…” Desiree hissed.

“Send up all the prayers you can,” Selene said, looking both ways. “Because we may have a need of them if we’re to get out of this alive. This way.”

She went to jerk us forward, but I dug in my heels.

“Isn’t that where the fighting is taking place?” I asked in alarm.

“And who are the guards fighting?” As she shot me a sly grin, a familiar howl echoed through the palace. “The cavalry has arrived, princess, ready to free you.”

“About time that Roan started making use of that big sword of his,” Desi hissed, trying for bravado, but her too pale skin made a lie of that. I couldn’t pay much attention to that, the sound of the wolf howl tugging me forward.

“Creed…?”

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