Page 59 of Oath of Rebellion

The old woman's words gave him hope that maybe there would be a way to be with Eirwyn without killing her.

Olive pulled the scones out of the oven and set them in the center of the table. "And is the new queen as beautiful as they say?"

Eirwyn's spine stiffened, and she nodded with a frown as she stood and washed her hands at the sink. "Yes, she has the ageless beauty befitting a queen. It's probably why the king decided to marry her instead of the princess of Glathen."

"Do you think the king ordering your death is political?" Scarlet asked.

Eirwyn's face crumpled, and she blinked rapidly as she shook her head rapidly. Olive wrapped an arm around her shoulder, helping Eirwyn sit on the bench again.

Knox couldn't keep from reaching for her too. His chest had grown tight as the emotions flew across her face. His hand settled on her knee under the table, and he felt her body tense at the touch.

But her tears slowed slightly. He wanted to comfort her and protect her from her stupid brother.

Olive said, "There, there, child. It's going to be alright."

"How can it be alright when my brother wants me dead?" Eirwyn choked with a gasp.

Scarlet sat up and leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees as the dagger hung between her legs. "The bigger question is why. Does he just want you dead or does he want your heart specifically?"

Eirwyn sat up a little straighter, her hands dropping to her lap as she frowned. "What do you mean?"

Olive released Eirwyn and glared at Scarlet. "Did you really accept the job without knowing?"

Scarlet shrugged. "Coin is coin, grandma. And I needed to get her away from him and back to Knox."

Eirwyn's eyes widened and her mouth opened, but Knox shushed them, tracing his thumb back and forth on her skirt. "The only way find out for sure if he wanted her heart or just wanted her dead is to ask. He's already expecting Scarlet's return, so you're going to have to go back to the king with a heart."

Eirwyn gasped and jerked out of his hand. He turned to look at her, reaching under the table for her knee again.

"A heart, not your heart. I can hunt an animal down–a deer, a boar–it doesn't matter. Then Scarlet will take that heart to the king and ask some questions, observe and listen to how he reacts. His motivation will determine our next steps in keeping you safe."

Scarlet snorted. "And it could just be that the king doesn't want a threat to the crown. Maybe that's why he sent those three men to jump you a few days ago."

Eirwyn's eyes widened. "Wha–what do you mean? They were normal thieves, right?"

Scarlet shook her head. "No, the king sent them to kill you. He was complaining about needing to hire a Hunter because the cheap thugs failed. He specifically said, everything has failed. No more fake accidents. "

Knox felt his rage simmer at the king's blatant disregard for Eirwyn. A king was supposed to protect his people, not murder them. Not destroy the forest. Not tax the people into losing their homes and businesses.

"Gods, he's the worst," he murmured. He wanted to pull her onto his lap and just hold her.

Her hand found his under the table and her fingers linked with his. Some of his anger eased, and he took a deep breath as the knot in his stomach lessened with it.

Eirwyn's big blue gray eyes looked at Scarlet, a frown marring her smooth forehead. "No more fake accidents? What does that mean? Has he tried to kill me before?"

Her voice grew higher and higher, and he squeezed her hand and tugged. She turned to look at him, her eyes wild in panic.

"Breathe with me, princess. That's it. Nice and easy," Knox said softly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "We're going to talk about this calmly and rationally. It's going to be alright because you're safe now. Nothing to worry about, alright?"

She took a deep breath and nodded, her shoulders relaxing.

He smiled. "That's better. Now about him trying to kill you before... Didn't you say you were sickly as a child?"

She frowned, nodding slowly. "Come to think of it, I've not felt that great this week either. I even went to bed a few nights without dinner. It's why I wanted to reschedule meeting you at the tavern."

Olive said, "How do you feel after eating the stew?"

"I feel fine now."

---