“You never found what you were looking for,” she murmured, her heart shattering like glass, never to be fully repaired. “But this?”
“Was he caught?” Samuel asked, and Shan shook her head.
“The moment the riots started it was chaos. I saw him running with the help of one of the Guard, but, no, he got away.” She didn’t mention the relief she felt when she saw him flee. “And then we were all fleeing.”
“It was terrible,” Samuel said, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. “I tried to stop them, Shan, I tried to make them listen, but I couldn’t—”
“Ah.” She grabbed his hands again, pulling them away from his face, as she suddenly understood. “It was good of you to try. But this has been building for far too long—longer than these past four months. Longer than you’ve been a part of it.” She swallowed hard, finally accepting what she had refused to see. “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”
Samuel clenched his fists at his side. “What do we do?”
“We keep moving,” Shan said, simply. “And we try to make sure there is as little blood shed as possible.”
“But… the King.” Samuel trembled, looking pale and frightened. “We’ve failed him.”
“No.” Shan brushed the hair back from his face. “Things have changed, yes, but the final battle is yet to come. We can still swing this.”
He took her hand, and she clasped it tight. Oh, how she wanted to break. She couldn’t. Samuel was on the verge of falling apart, and she needed to be strong for him. For both of them. This was a disaster, still, she could save it.
They had to act fast.
“I know you’re afraid, but we don’t have time for that now,” she said, cupping his cheek. “I know you feel guilty and foolish for not seeing this. You cannot carry that weight. I missed it, too, and the burden lies on my shoulders as well. For now, we must be strong and we’ll deal with the aftermath later.”
Samuel nodded. “Okay.”
“All right then, you can’t go into the House of Lords like that.” She stood, pulling him to his feet. “Get out of those dirty clothes and I’ll find you something clean to wear.”
“How—”
“I’ll handle the particulars,” she said, stepping towards the door.
“I—all right.” He turned to her, his green eyes shining with unshed tears. “Thank you, Shan.”
“For what?”
“For doing what you always do,” Samuel replied. “Keeping it together.”
She almost laughed at that—it was absurd. She wasn’t holding it together; she was just falling apart slower. “I’ll be right back, Samuel.”
By the time she had gotten him a fresh set of clothes—not as good a fit as his tailored suits, but close enough—and changed, Belrose had reappeared at Dunn’s office. She didn’t say anything about the sudden appearance of Samuel, just looked at Shan and said, “It’s time.”
Shan only nodded, following the Councillor out of the office, Samuel questioningly on her heels. They made their way to the Council Chamber in silence, but Belrose stopped at the threshold. “Take your usual seat, LeClaire, but pay close attention. Today’s session will be special in many ways, and we have both of you to thank for that.”
With that, she swept off, her skirts swishing softly as she made her way down the stairs. Samuel caught her gaze with an arched eyebrow, but she had no answers for him. Whatever the Councillor was planning was beyond her, but she appreciated the warning.
Most of the sitting members of the House had made it, Shan noticed with relief. Not all, of course: it was rare to have a full turnout even at the best of times. But there was enough to pass any motions that were brought forth, and she knew that was precisely what the Royal Council had been counting on.
The nobles who had come were muttering amongst themselves—whispers and accusations and snippets of discussions that Shan knew she should be paying attention to. Isaac’s revelation would shake up the entire Court of Aeravin, and she should use this opportunity to get ahead of it. To find out who—like her—was appalled. And who found it to be a necessary evil.
But her heart was heavy, and Shan couldn’t bear it. Not now. So she focused on the Royal Council, pushing aside the whispers.
Lady Belrose stood on the central dais, slowly turning to take in all the members as quiet settled over the chamber. Shan couldn’t help but be taken in by her strength, her presence, as she commanded the room with the grace of a queen.
“Thank you,” she began, soft and solemn, “for coming on such short notice. I know that not all of you were present for the debacle this morning, but I’m sure you know the details.” She stopped to take a deep breath. “One of our own was murdered this morning by the Royal Blood Worker, and one of Aeravin’s most important state secrets was revealed.”
Mutters broke out, only to be immediately hushed as she raised her hand. “That issue, though important, is not the most pressing matter. Riots have broken out across Dameral as the Unblooded learn the truth about how we fill our coffers. Civil unease has become civil unrest, and if we do not move to fix it, there might not be a country left for us to save.
“For this, I turn to a proposal that was submitted to us by one of our newest members—”