Page 105 of Court of Secrets and Flames

Sterling and I share a glance, my own frustration mirrored in his gaze. Do Tirene’s citizens really believe in their king’s honesty and resistance to bias? Or do they fear the consequences of speaking out against the king, even in private?

The second option seems far more likely.

Leaving the stalls behind, we head back to the palace, deciding on a new tactic. Rather than wait for someone to bring up Jasper as a topic of discussion, we instead speak broadly of the troubles plaguing the kingdom any time someone else comes near. The task is easy enough.

It’s in one of the many lounges in the palace that we finally hit pay dirt.

“Oh, don’t you worry, Lady Lark. His Majesty will keep us safe.” A fresh-faced chambermaid flits from sconce to sconce, trimming wicks. “Even if the king’s up to something sneaky, it’s all for our own good.”

I lean forward from my spot on the lounging couch, my voice low. “What do you mean by ‘sneaky?’ What have you heard?”

The young woman shrugs, a subtle gesture that speaks volumes of the common folk’s acceptance of royal machinations.

Her movements don’t even slow as she steps to the next sconce, lifting the clear glass with one hand while pruning with a small pair of sharp scissors in her other. “Just talk, isn’t it? That he’s got plans within plans, but always for Tirene’s good.”

A chill seeps into the air, but it’s not the weather that has my skin prickling. “You mentioned sneaky behavior. Have you heard anything…specific?” I twist in my seat so I can keep an eye on her every action to determine whether she’s trying to hide anything.

She pauses trimming and glances over her shoulder. “Well, milady, there was this one time…” She hesitates, her doe-like brown eyes darting to Sterling as if gauging our trustworthiness.

“Go on.” Sterling dips his chin, the low hum of authority in his voice coaxing the words from her.

“I was, ahem, hiding from the steward. We were…playing a game.” A sheepish grin flits across her pale features, and I’m pretty certain I know what kind of game she was playing. “Had to keep real quiet.”

“Of course.” Kill me now. I really hope the price of information isn’t sitting through a point by point retelling of her dalliances, because I’d rather puncture my eardrums with a fork. “But you heard them clearly?”

“Clear enough to know I didn’t want any part of their talk. The conversation was brief, thank the gods. Bolted as soon as they left.” Her voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper, and she cups her hand over the side of her mouth. “I overheard someone talking in the corridor. Asking if King Jasper really got rid of all the eyril.”

Sterling swallows hard but gives no other indication that this revelation disturbs him. “Got rid of it?”

The maid nods, a flush creeping up her pale cheeks. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Did you see who he was speaking with?”

“Couldn’t say, milady.” She sneezes, once, twice, shifting her head away to muffle the sound in the crook of her elbow. “Wasn’t keen on getting caught. Hid behind one of those big tapestries when I heard ’em coming.”

“Thank you.” I give her a reassuring nod, though to be honest, we’re not any closer to solving the puzzle than we were five minutes ago.

“Be careful who you speak to.” Sterling roots the chambermaid with his piercing gaze. “This information…it’s volatile.”

And there’s no telling what King Jasper would do to this woman if he found out she’d been eavesdropping.

An image of the two men on display outside the palace, impaled with spikes for all to see, pops into my head. Bile rises in my throat.

“Understood, sir.” She offers a quick bob of her head. “I’ll not breathe a word.”

“See that you don’t.” The finality in Sterling’s tone brooks no argument.

She scurries out, her steps hasty and uneven as she disappears down the long corridor. Her information, though scant and shrouded in darkness, is the first solid lead we’ve had since this clandestine investigation began.

I face Sterling, my thoughts churning like a tempest-tossed sea. “What now? We can’t exactly confront the king with hearsay.”

“True.” He runs a hand through his dark waves, moving over to sit next to me on the couch. “You know what? We’ve done a damn good job on our fact-finding mission. I think we deserve a reward.” He slides closer, his hand trailing lightly up my leg. “And we were rudely interrupted yesterday.”

Though this room has already been cleaned, we can’t take the risk of someone walking in on us, especially after the latest ordeal with Jasper and my imprisonment. “Absolutely not. What if someone comes in and sees us?”

“They won’t.” With a flick of his wrist, the door eases shut, and I have no doubt he’s jammed it with ice like he’s done in the past. “Happy?”

Warmth floods my cheeks at the thought of what he did to me on the windowsill…and in the stable. “Very.”

---