Page 79 of Until the Stars Fall

Laughing quietly, he shook his head. “Fine. Unfortunately, though, what Ineedto discuss involves her.”

“Of course it does,” I said flatly, then raised my brow in a silent invitation to proceed.

Matthias leaned forward and slowly unwrapped a cloth-covered bundle on his desk I hadn’t noticed until now. Inside lay two identical knives, simple in their design yet beautiful, with delicate carvings in the wooden handles.

“Are these hers?” I asked.

Matthias nodded once, but when I reached out to touch one of the weapons, he reached across to stop me. “Don’t touch them. Unless you have a death wish.” He cocked his head. “She hasn’t irritated you to that point yet, I hope.”

Ignoring his comment, I asked, “They’re that lethal?”

He nodded again. “Guards claim they heard the fight and came running. They rounded the corner just as Griffin fell backwards. He was dead before they made it to his body.”

I gawked at my friend and then down at the knives. “What are they made of?”

Matthias lifted his hands, palms toward the ceiling. “Steel and wood. That’s it.”

“Magic? Are they enchanted somehow? What do the healers think?”

Clearing his throat, he clasped his hands and rested them on the desk. “A poison of some sort. But not the kind that can merely be wiped off the blades. They believe it’s embedded into the steel.”

“Poison? Do we think it’s connected to the rebel attacks?” Another nod. I swallowed hard. “And do we think Lieke is one of them?”

“The evidence is rather damning, don’t you think?” he asked. While logically, he was right, something in my gut told me she couldn’t be involved with them. “We’d be fools not to at least consider the possibility. We don’t really know who she was with for those three years. While she might not be a rebel herself, she could very well be the best chance we have of finding them. The healers are still looking for the poison’s origin. Once we have that, we’ll have a better idea of who is truly behind the killings.”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I tried to organize my thoughts. We now had some answers, but there were still so many questions remaining. If anyone found out Lieke had even the slightest connection to the attacks, it would prove disastrous.

“Who knows about this?” I asked finally.

“Just us and the healers, and you know how tight-lipped they are.”

“Good,” I said. “Let’s keep it that way. Have them continue working on identifying it, and in the meantime, I’ll see what I can glean from her.”

CHAPTER 38

Lieke

I clasped my hands in my lap to try to stop their trembling, or at least hide them from Lola, who eyed me contemptuously from the side as she set the breakfast tray on the table. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn’t it be Marin or even Mrs. Bishop herself?

But they had no reason to know Lola was the last fae I wanted delivering my meals, especially when I was here by myself. I’d have to ask Connor to arrange for someone else to bring my meals in the future, but after the way he’d stormed out, I wasn’t sure he would care, let alone listen to my request.

“Trouble in paradise?” Lola asked in an overly sweet voice.

I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t even look at her.

She lifted the lid off the tray, revealing poached eggs, fried pork belly, fresh bread with butter, a handful of ripe strawberries, and a lidded mug of what I hoped was coffee.

Lola placed the lid on one of the other chairs and then stood there, staring at me.

This was ridiculous. I was betrothed to her prince. I was to be Queen of Emeryn—at least as far as she knew. Why was I kowtowing to a servant?

I forced my chin up and reluctantly made eye contact with her, hoping I was painting an adequately dismissive expression on my face so she wouldn’t be able to detect my discomfort.

Averting her eyes, she started to survey the room as she pulled a chain out from beneath her collar and began rolling the blue stone pendant between her thumb and fingers. Mother’s necklace. I jolted forward, and her eyes flicked to mine, stopping me from completely lunging for her. Sneering, she gave me a once-over and tilted her head.

“I don’t know how you did it, Lieke. And I don’t really care. But I’d rather die than have you as my queen.”

The words struck home, stinging me, reminding me of my lesser status—my worthlessness. I didn’t belong here in this room, and yet…Iwashere. The prince had saved me, had announced to the country that we were to wed, and as angry as I was at being forced down a path I didn’t want to take, the fact remained: I was his fiancée, whether Lola accepted it or not.

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