Page 84 of Kingdom of Crowns and Daggers

“Son, no!” the lord exclaims, his fear palpable. I press my blade harder against his throat, and he stops talking but watches on, aghast, as the son starts singing like a canary.

“It was the only way we could get our revenge. We knew we would never be able to kill him on our own, so we needed support from inside the palace.”

This is good information. I was right when I said they were just the dogsbody, following someone else’s orders because it suits their agenda. I just need to prod them for more.

Tilting my head to one side, I ask, “Revenge? Why are you trying to get revenge? What has the king done to you?”

“We did it out of loyalty.” Lord Oakenstram takes over, unable to hold himself back any longer and no doubt wanting to draw our lethal attention away from his son. He’s just as I remember, so willing to die for his family—like my father. “We never would have agreed to work with her otherwise.” Shame laces his words, and I get the feeling it is due to working with this mysterious “her” and not the fact that they organised the king’s assassination.

They did it out of loyalty, but not to the woman they have partnered with. There seems to be some regret that they are working with her in the first place, but getting their revenge made it the lesser of two evils.

“Her?” I question lightly.

Both the lord and his son seem to realise they’ve said too much, sharing a look. They have reached their limit. Something is scaring them more than the threat of us killing them here and now.

“If I tell you anything else, then I’m as good as dead,” he says, confirming my suspicion.

“Or you could be dead right now.” Crux strides across the room to where I stand with an arrogance that suggests he knows the lord’s family wouldn’t dare try to run. Even if they did, he would enjoy chasing them down. Stepping behind the lord, he takes my place, pressing his own blade against his throat then gesturing for me to guard the witnesses.

His wife whimpers in the corner at the silent exchange, trembling and backing into the wall as I cross towards her, not realising that between Crux and me, I’m probably the least dangerous—at the moment, anyway.

A female within the palace asked them to work with her to kill the king. She would have to be in a position of power, someone who has something to gain if Joha were to die. An image appears in my mind.

“The woman whom you partnered with . . . was it the Queen Mother?” I ask carefully, needing to know.

“I won’t tell you,” the lord answers. “Kill me if you have to, but if I tell you, then my whole family will be slaughtered.”

His eyes give him away, telling me the answer even if he doesn’t speak it.

I knew it.

I can also see that the lord is serious about not giving away any further information. Crux glances at me, sensing the same thing and confirming I’m okay with what has to happen next. With a quick jerk of his hand, the blade slices across the male’s neck. Blood gushes from the wound, splashing all over the floor, his eyes wide as he dies in front of his family. It’s ruthless, but we couldn’t risk him warning Queen Mother or anyone else. We got everything we needed from him. Besides, I owe him no loyalty, whereas I owe Crux and Joha everything. Maybe it makes me a bad person, but if it’s to protect the ones I care about, then I’ll be the villain in this tale.

When Crux turns his attention to the screaming wife in the corner of the room, I step into his line of sight, shaking my head slightly. There is no need to kill the wife nor the son. They seemed reluctant to work with the mysterious “she,” so I think they will keep their mouths shut if we give them a way out. Maybe I am also honouring the man who stood at my father’s side in the only way I can now.

“They will tell someone about this. They have to die.” Crux doesn’t bother to lower his voice, and the family whimpers behind me when they hear him.

“This is one of the biggest families in the kingdom. If we kill them all, it will make things difficult for us. The young one will become lord, and we can make sure he behaves.”

His eyes are troubled, but he nods despite his concerns.

I turn to the wife and eldest son. The wife is still sobbing uncontrollably, but the son’s eyes are dry. He’s frightened and his face is pale, but he stands strong, shielding his mother with his body. He’s brave. Good, he’ll need to be to get through this.

“We are going to spare your lives, but if we hear one word about the conversation we had with your father, then we’ll be back, and I’ll let my friend here finish the job.” They started to look relieved as I spoke, but fear sparks in their eyes again as I gesture to Crux, who flips his dagger for emphasis.

Striding forward, I step right up to the son, casually brushing the front of his nightshirt, reminding him how dangerous I can be. “Tell the guards you found him like this, that’s all.” My threat is clear. “You are the head of the family now, so rule them well. I will be watching.”

He meets my gaze, and I see the acceptance in his eyes. “I understand.”

Yes, I think he does. This is his chance to get his family out of the mess his father put them in—one that none of them wanted to be involved with anyway.

There is shouting outside the house, and I realise our time is up. I glance over at Crux. He’s already moving, grabbing me as he passes and dragging me down the hall. Once again, he seems to know where he’s going, and it does not surprise me that he has an escape plan or six.

It is ridiculously easy for us to climb out of a window at the back of the house and slip into the dark garden. From that point, we don’t even have to worry about the guards thanks to Lady Oakenstram’s screams echoing around the house.

The problems start when we reach the market, the area swarming with guards. Cursing, Crux and I spend the next hour dodging them on our journey back to the palace. This is not hard to do, since they are easy enough to evade, but it makes it a far longer journey than necessary, giving me plenty of time to process what I learned.

My number one suspect is Queen Mother. I’ve had my suspicions about her for a long time now, but I did not believe she had the power or ability to actually carry it out. However, with Oakenstram behind her and indirect access to their connections, she basically had control over the whole city. I suppose she is after the crown, wanting to rule, her current role not good enough.

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