Page 33 of Heir of Illusion

“She stays.” Thorne’s commanding voice stops me in my tracks.

My gaze snaps to his. Shivers skate over my skin as his attention shifts to me for the first time since he arrived.

“You overstep, Thorne. My pet doesn’t take orders from you.”

Distantly, I recognize that Baylor is speaking, but I can’t bring myself to look away as Thorne rises from his chair and prowls across the room.

Mirth dances behind his eyes as they rake over me. “So, this is the infamouswraith?”

I bite my lip to keep from baring my teeth at him as he circles me, a predator searching for weaknesses.

“She’s not involved in this,” Baylor insists, pushing to his feet.

“Yet another failing on your part,” the reaper murmurs, coming to a stop directly in front of me, leaving only an inch between us.

“Remember your place,ambassador,” Baylor’s words are like chips of ice.

“Remember yours,King,” Thorne taunts. “Don’t forget I speak on behalf of aGod.”

My eyes go round as my head whips toward Baylor. Heat crawls up his neck, staining his skin with the evidence of his fury. Whether Thorne knows it or not, he just pressed on Baylor’s biggest insecurity. He’s extremely sensitive to any reminders that out of all the rulers of the Verran Isles, he is the only one who isn’t a God.

I take several steps back, putting space between myself and the ambassador. Baylor’s hands grip the edge of his desk so tightly I’m surprised the wood doesn’t snap in half. His temper is seconds away from lashing out at whoever’s in his sight.

“You need this alliance more than we do,” Thorne carries on, completely ignoring the danger as he turns away from me. “Don’t forget that. Or do you no longer require our grain?”

That’s what this trade is for? Grain in exchange for thewhisperer?

Baylor stays silent as suspicion curls around the edges of my thoughts. While some rulers might endure humiliation to ensure their people are fed, Baylor wouldn’t make this type of trade unless it was his own pantry that had gone bare. So, either the food shortages are much more dire than he’s let on, or there’s something else Baylor believes he will receive from this alliance.

Something worth the loss of such a powerful weapon.

“Killian is a benevolent God,” Thorne says, moving toward the king once more. “He understands that none of this unfortunate business was your doing. He’s agreed to make sure you receive our first shipment of grain by the end of the week.”

“That’s generous of him,” Baylor begrudgingly admits.

“Remember, generosity only extends so far. If that blade is not recovered, there will be no more shipments.” Thorne places his hands on the desk, leaning over it. “And there will be no more alliance.”

Blade.

My mind reels. The weapon Thorne has been searching for,the whisperer,is a blade. Just like the weapon the book claimed was able to kill Claudius. Does this confirm my fears that they are one and the same? Has Baylor truly had such a powerful weapon in his possession all this time?

Baylor bristles under the reapers stare. “I assure you that everything is being done to find it. My men are currently searching the tunnels where the sword was last seen. If the thief left a trail, they will uncover it.”

Tunnels? Didn’t Darrow mention that the whisperer was kept in a tunnel deep underneath the palace? I believed I’d explored every inch of this place over the years, but evidently not. If there are guards searching down there, I’d imagine Remy is with them. That’s probably what he got pulled away for this morning.

“Forgive me if I’m not overly confident,” Thorne replies, turning his back on the king once more as he returns to the chair. “Wasn’t it one of your own guards who stole the weapon in the first place?”

Well, that’s unfortunate. It also explains what Baylor meant earlier when he said someone had betrayed him.

The king’s eyes sharpen. “How did you know that?”

Thorne waves his hand as he sits down. “I truly don’t have time to explain everything I know that you don’t.”

Baylor grinds his teeth so hard I’m sure they are going to crack, but thankfully, he doesn’t rise to the reaper’s bait.

“And just so you’re aware,” Thorne continues, “I plan to be involved in every step of this investigation. Starting right now.”

Baylor nods his head. “Of course.”

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