Page 109 of Crownless King

“He’s trapped. The vines hold him, and I can’t move them.”

The woman nodded, looking contemplative. “Just as King Tiane had been. The same magic was used on King Voron. It’s essentially the same as death.”

A murmur ran through the group of councilors. “So, does the kingdom have a king or not?”

“We have to be ready to name a successor,” someone said. “No need to prolong it.”

The man closest to me scratched his head. “It won’t be an easy task. The king has no heir.”

The king had an heir—our son.

Only I couldn’t throw Aithen to the wolves like that. He was out there, protected only by a young hag. His best defense was the world’s complete ignorance about his existence. Once that information became public, it’d be out of my control. I feared for his safety.

“Don’t name the successor yet. Please,” I implored the Council. “Don’t add another contestant for the crown to the pile. Let’s just focus on protecting the castle from any possible attack and find out who the assassin was.”

The man frowned. “But that’s what the potential attackers would be counting on—the confusion and lack of leadership in the palace.”

“There is no lack of leadership,” I argued. “The palace is secured and protected by the High General.” I glanced at Alcon for confirmation, and he nodded briefly. “See? High General Farion and you, the Royal Council, have it in your capable hands. Let’s just make sure everyone here has a place to sleep and food to eat. I want to help, too. Alcon,” I turned to the councilor I knew and trusted the most, “tell me what I can do.”

He cupped my elbow. “Allow me to take you back to the safety of the royal chambers for now, my lady.”

I glanced over my shoulder at the councilors. They bowed their heads, as if I indeed was their queen. I nodded to them as Alcon led me out of the room and up the stairs back to the royal rooms.

“There is something I’ll have to ask you to do, my lady,” Alcon said, lowering his voice when we were inside Voron’s bedroom. “You have access to the king’s magic now. Use it to search this place, please.”

“The bedroom?”

“The entire palace. See what the vines might be hiding.” He glanced at Magnus, who was preening his feathers on his perch. “If you need me, send the crow. He’ll find me faster than the guards.”

With the palace secured, it was safe for Magnus to roam free inside it.

Alcon left. I blew out a breath and slowly turned around the room, taking in every detail in the position of the vines.

I’d been here just twice during the reign of King Tiane. Back then, I’d had other concerns than to focus on layout and decor. Now, I couldn’t tell with certainty exactly what had changed. If anything of value or interest had been hidden here, surely Voron would have found it already during the renovations. He’d moved the vines. The workers would have rearranged the wall panels and removed the old furniture. Could they have missed something?

I walked around the bedroom, looking for anything that would catch my eye. I paused by the shelf that hid the door to the stairs and into Tiane’s “torture chamber.” That room would be a perfect hiding place for all things sinister.

Memories of that night assaulted me. The echo of the fear and helplessness I felt then hollowed my chest, stilling my heart. I didn’t want to go into that room to relive more of that. But I had to do it. For Voron. And for everyone who was currently hiding in Elaros, unable to go on with their lives.

Bracing my feet on the floor, as if the memories cowering in that room would rush me with enough power to knock me off my feet, I pushed on the bookshelf. It slid open, revealing a solid marble wall behind it.

Gone were the entrance and the staircase. The wall wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard I tried to push against it or slide it aside.

Voron had gotten rid of that room. The tightness pressing on my chest since that night eased.

I slapped a hand against the wall and laughed softly. “Good riddance.”

The room no longer existed. The man who tortured me in there had been long dead, unable to hurt me or anyone else ever again.

I shifted the bookshelf back in place and continued with my search. Contrary to what Alcon hoped for, touching the vines didn’t give me much. Inanimate objects with no magic left no trace in the web of the vines for me to see.

Scanning the walls carefully, I tried to envision the way things were back when King Tiane was alive. I remembered he’d taken the box with the dagger from a chest by the wall.

The chest was now gone, with nothing else being put in its stead. I crouched by the wall, examining the white vines and the marble panels studded with light crystals.

The crystals shone brighter when I touched them. I jerked my hand away, then pressed my finger to one of them again, wishing for its glow to dim. It worked. The crystal dulled under my touch.

I was no fae, but some of Voron’s light magic was now mine to use. Making the light brighter, I splayed my hand on the vines and willed them to shift with the intention of seeing inside the wall.

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