Page 159 of Enchanted Heir
The dancing started up at that point, earlier in the night than usual because there was a play we were all to watch.
“You look absolutely stunning,” Krew whispered to me as soon as the music began for our dance.
“You do as well, My Prince.” I laughed. “Is our favorite healer lurking around a corner? This will be two minutes of constant touching.”
He grinned. “I really don’t care what he thinks.” Krew had asked the healer about whether he should use his magic or not while healing, and they had been experimenting with his using it in small amounts. Regardless of what was causing it, not using it or using it gradually, Krew was almost back to full strength with both magic and physical strength.
He spun us around gracefully, the music festive and jolly. “How are you doing, love?”
I knew he meant because this was the first time I had seen the king since receiving my bruise. “Oh you know. Planning nefarious things with my eyes.”
Krew laughed. “I am familiar with the feeling.”
“Remind me to tell you of a conversation I had this evening with Mr. Girard.”
Krew’s eyebrows went up.
“He was nice, really. I like them,” I offered.
Krew gave his head a shake. “Love, how many of my father’s pets are you planning on winning over?”
A smile crept across my face. “As many as needed.”
And for a small moment in time, everything stilled. Krew and I were in this together. Friends. Allies. Lovers. Until the very end.
As our dance ended, he leaned in and kissed me, none too gently, right there in front of everyone.
* * *
An hour later,I was sitting between Krew and Renna, watching the play about Wylan avoiding the disease which struck years ago. It was a piece on reflection and perseverance but was also worded to inflate the king’s ego even further. The music and actors were truly great though, and parts of it were intriguing to me, as I didn’t really know that much about the disease. I didn’t know about the other countries and how they were doing post-disease because our borders had been all but locked since then. It wasn’t that non-Enchanted people didn’t know, it was thatnoneof us knew, save for the spies of the king and the king himself.
But if in the queen’s journals she was convinced the king wouldn’t stop until he was stronger than Dra Skor, wouldn’t that bother him? Not knowing how they were fairing? He seemed the type who would want to know just so he could gloat about how much better Wylan was doing. And sure, he’d sent spies over to check on things, but Krew had said very few ever came back with much of anything.
It hit me then while watching that lovely play, everything sliding into place in my head. While my body stayed seated with my eyes on the play, my mind was churning and spinning, slamming it all together.
He didn’t need to send a single ship across the sea to check on the other countries’ state of being, because he already knew. He just did it for appearances.
Theon has been experimenting with various dangerous poisons.That was what the queen’s journals had said. I needed to go back and look, but I think it was around the same timeframe.
The king hadn’t helped Wylan avoid the disease, hewasthe disease. In an effort to force everything to bow to him, he’d poisoned them all. He hadn’t needed to invade or conquer, he’d just taken their future and health out from under them. The disease had attacked the magic in the other countries. The king had taken their magic. Maybe not to wear on his person, but to weaken them nonetheless. What if he had poisoned the forest to cover his own tracks so Wylan looked innocent? Even if we, ifhe, was not.
The king was the disease.
I turned my head to Krew, feeling like I was going to burst with my suspicions. How I stayed in my seat and didn’t stand up was beyond me.
He leaned in to brush a kiss to my cheek and whispered, “I don’t know what is going on in that cunning head of yours, but we need to get through this play, love.”
I nodded and forced myself to look back at the actors. We were only halfway through.
I had just figured out this massive secret, and I had to sit on it, pretending to enjoy the play. Sit on it and pretend it didn’t make me want to scream from the highest point in the castle that I knew what the king had done.
He’d poisoned them all.
* * *
I litmy candle from the flame of Krew’s candle, my eyes on his as I tilted the wick to the flame. Krew with his consorts at his side headed to place our candles with the others on tables set up beneath one of the chandeliers. My hope was that Theon Valanova’s evil reign would finally come to an end.
It wasn’t fair that one man could use his throne and position to poison the entire realm. He was only one man. One man with magic and power turned tyrant.
