Page 36 of The Gilded Cage

Only one of them did — but not in the same vein as before.

“Is thatallthey’re here for?” the auburn-haired woman asked, a sly smile quirking her lips. “I’ve only seen Kiva from a distance, but I couldn’t help noticing she’s not difficult to look at, if you catch my meaning.”

Jaren stilled. “Careful, Zerra.”

The woman’s smile deepened as she raised her hands in supplication. “Forgive an old crone her curiosity, but perhaps you might share with us your intentions for her. Do you plan to wed?”

Kiva experienced a full-body reaction to the suggestion. Her torso jolted, her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, and a quiet gasp slipped perilously through her lips before she could clamp down on it.

“Wed?”Horeth spluttered. “Surely you jest, Zerra. The girl’s a commoner. No, she’slessthan a commoner; she’s a crim —”

“Donotfinish that sentence,” Jaren commanded, his voice like steel.

But he wasn’t the only one at the table who was suddenly furious.

“My husband, yourking,was once a commoner,” Queen Ariana said, her tone enough to make Kiva shiver. “You’re toeing a dangerous line, Grand Master. Have a care.”

Horeth quickly backpedaled. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I merely wished to express concern for your son — and for the future of our kingdom. If he intends to —”

“My intentions are none of this council’s business,” Jaren said in his firmest voice yet. “If the time comes when theybecomethe council’s business, then — andonlythen — will I make them known. Is that understood?” He waited until all four red-robed councillors nodded before he went on, “Kiva has spent over half her life locked in a nightmare. The last thing I want is to make her feel like she’s trapped in another kind of cage, gilded though it might be. I have no idea what the future will bring for us, but right now she deserves the chance to live her life and follow her dreams. I can only hope she’ll grant me the honor of being by her side on that journey, and if she does, you’ll have to find a way to deal with it. I don’t think I can be any clearer than that.”

Kiva’s chest constricted all over again at Jaren’s heartfelt words. She couldn’t allow herself to feel them so deeply, but despite her best efforts to resist, they burrowed in and held tight, warming her all over.

“The people will never accept her once they learn where she’s come from.”

Horeth’s snide words made all the warmth within Kiva dissolve. But Jaren held the Grand Master’s gaze, purposefully tracing the Z scar on the back of his hand as he said, “If they can accept me, they’ll accept her. You do our people a disservice by assuming they judge as harshly as you.”

The Grand Master frowned and opened his mouth to reply, but Ariana cut him off.

“I think we’ve spoken enough about my son’s personal life today,” she said, making it clear the subject was closed. “What other matters are on the agenda?”

Jaren took advantage of the council members’ hesitation by jumping in and saying, “I’d like an update on the investigation into Warden Rooke’s abuse of power. I’ve heard nothing since leaving the winter palace — has he been charged yet?”

Kiva jerked, her contorted joints barking in protest, but she couldn’t help her reaction. Rooke was being investigated? Was he — Was he actually going to pay for what he’d done?

Feldor scratched his smooth scalp before answering, “We lodged your inquiry as requested, Highness, but Rooke isn’t technically under our jurisdiction. He’s not a citizen of Evalon — he answers to all eight kingdoms, and only Nerine and Valorn are backing your demand for justice. In this case, the majority rules, I’m afraid. Our hands are tied.”

Kiva’s hope faded all over again, before she reminded herself that she would just have to seek her own revenge against him. One day.

“So that’s it?” Jaren asked, his frustration clear. “He’s just allowed to keep on terrorizing the inmates? Poisoning them when he decides they need culling?”

“There’s no proof he did that,” Yisari said, a warning in her voice.

“I was there,” Jaren shot back. “Naari, Kiva, Tipp — we all saw the prisoners dying, one after the other. We all wondered if we’d be next.”

“And again, you have no proof that Rooke was behind it,” Yisari repeated, spreading her hands in apology. “He’s kept Zalindov’s denizens under strict control for over a decade — that’s longer than any other warden. It’s his word against yours, and without tangible evidence, we won’t sway the other kingdoms against him. They don’t want to see him replaced when he’s done such a fine job.”

“He’s a murderer,” Jaren snarled.

“His victims were hardly innocents,” Horeth said, before amending, “Most of them, at least.”

Jaren glared at the Grand Master, before turning to his mother and stating, “We need to re-evaluate our sentencing laws. I can’t speak for the other kingdoms, but I refuse to abide any citizen of this territory being arrested without a fair trial. There should benoinnocents inside Zalindov.None.And the actual criminals who deserve to be locked away should still be afforded basic human rights.” He addressed the whole table as he finished, “If we can’t remove Rooke, then we should at least try to protect our own people inside those walls — and stop anyone who shouldn’t be there from being arrested in the first place.”

The council sat stunned after Jaren’s declaration — as did Kiva — but Ariana nodded at his side, a small, proud smile on her lips.

“I agree,” she said. Turning to Horeth, she ordered, “Meet with the Legal Guild and have them go through the Book of the Law to note what needs amending. Make this a priority.”

The Grand Master blinked stupidly for a long moment, but not even he was foolish enough to refuse a direct command from his queen, so he nodded stiffly in agreement.

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