Page 31 of The King's Bodyguard
I could see that Gareth was beside himself with rage. Gareth had hunted down the guards who had a faint memory of aslender, red-headed girl bringing food for them, accompanied by another servant who had carried the prisoner’s food. The girl was nowhere to be found.A maid? A spy? An assassin? Who knew?Gareth was committed to continuing his investigations and was arranging for a sketch of the maid and her companion to be made up.
The entire story reeked of suspicious activities within the palace proper. The idea that someone here within the walls was actively attempting to kill Landis and cover their trail sickened me. I understood how Gareth felt. Keenly.
Lord Elthorne promised to send messages to a special unit for such investigations. Lord Berran and Lord Berrymay, however, had little input. They were seemingly at a loss about the whole situation.
“Perhaps we could send the assassin’s body, his vestments, and weapons to Alan,” suggested Hugh after the conversation waffled for a while.
“Alan?” Landis asked. “He is able to divine something from the dead man?”
“As a high mage of the White Tower, Alan is quite clever and gifted,” Hugh noted. “Scrying. Potion making. All sorts of investigations could be made with the aid of his magic. He might be able to make guesses about the catkin from the content of his stomach and the like.”
Vaguely recalling a slender, white-haired young tom with spectacles, I considered the rumors I had heard about the clever, if retiring, high mage. He was an eccentric, more interested in affairs of the mind with an insatiable appetite for books. And he hailed from the south, from the White Tower. I had heard of the White Tower before. During the war, many of the mages died for one flag or another. The fact that some remained and had pledged loyalty to Landis was a bit encouraging.
“I have heard of such powers before,” I interjected in support. “My mother told me that there are Wise mollies, hedge witches, and wandering mages in Velamere who are similarly gifted. They could indeed uncover something we haven’t seen before.”
Gareth also voiced support. Lord Elthorne nodded in agreement, and he promised to send the items in question along with the body to High Mage Alan. After that, Lord Berrymay reported on the impact the King’s attack had on the market. The initial news had caused uncertainty, but Landis’s ride through the streets had stabilized the people in general.
Lord Berran also discussed the wedding at great length. According to him, whatever happened, it was crucial to cast the entire episode in a positive light. Landis had saved the princess from an unfortunate accident. It showed that he was mindful of his marriage and cared for his future queen. King Norran would be pleased, he hoped, especially since the wedding plans were also going well.
Well, the princess doesn’t need to be protected, I thought.I have a feeling she would have been just as capable as anyone in the circumstances. Landis did well, all things considered, but if the princess had been on Sanson’s back… Well. It might have been a different story.
As for the rest, everyone knew that the platitudes streaming from Lord Berran were just that—balderdash and silliness. Neither Princess Erellia nor Landis had shown one iota of interest in the preparations. Poor Madame Rathe and Lady Hartford were managing the entire affair on their own with little to no input from the participants.
Princess Erellia spent most of her time socializing with the high houses or gamboling through the countryside. Landis was more focused on the affairs of the state than on what color his vest was going to be. If it was any other wedding, I might have laughed at the sheer lunacy of it, but this was Landis gettingmarried. Landis was marrying for the sake of his people even if it meant the sacrifice of his heart.
At least he wouldn’t go to the marriage with no fond memories behind him. If I had my way, we would spend at least one more night together, where I would show Landis what a good tumble could be like. Perhaps our few times together would give him the strength and light he needed as he moved forward with the wedding.
Once Lord Berran stopped talking, Landis nodded, coughed, and said something like, “Yes. Quite so.”
Then he dismissed the entire conversation about the wedding and moved to the final topic of inviting the Circle to the palace as wedding guests.The Circle. Those would be the Wise mollies of the Munni. That would include my mother. She might be here for the wedding. I wonder if she’ll notice whatever lies between Landis and me.I recalled her words:There is a hidden garden there, neglected, I fancy, that needs tending. Dammit… Mother.
It was difficult to keep focused after that, but I paid as much attention as I could. A debate over inviting the Circle ensued, mostly between Lord Elthorne and Lord Berran. Lord Berran protested, but Lord Elthorne pointed out that this would have pleased the late king. There was a thoughtful silence. Once again, Landis asserted that he wished to carry out his father’s legacy.
Lord Berran was overruled. Everyone agreed that the Munni Wise mollies ought to attend. Lord Elthorne, ever the diplomat, volunteered to send messages to the Circle. For the first time in centuries, Munni would be invited to a very important royal function as guests. I smiled at Landis, unable to hide my gratitude.
Clearly, when I had shared about my mother and her dreams, Landis had been listening more carefully than even I had expected. My heart skipped a beat as Landis smiled back.
The meeting wound to an end. The three older lords quickly departed, no doubt called to their wives and their beds. Gareth, Hugh, Landis, and I lingered.
“You have set them about the ears, Landis,” Gareth said, rising to his feet.
“I like it,” Hugh interjected.
“Of course, you would.” Gareth snorted. His gaze hardened. “Be careful of your step, my king.”
“I am,” Landis said, also rising to his feet. He glanced at me and smiled. “I know I am in safe hands.”
Hugh muttered something about hands. Gareth raised an eyebrow. Landis turned red. I kept my face neutral, refusing to give anything away.
“I should escort you to your chambers, your majesty,” I said.
“Of course,” Landis said.
With that, Landis left the room and walked down the hall, but instead of turning toward his rooms, Landis led me out to the garden where we had met the day I had arrived. Here, the flowers no longer bloomed. Fall had come to Sumarene, bringing with it rain and mist. Tonight, fog had rolled in yet again.
Beneath the oak tree, a bed of leaves now gathered. Hunkering down on one of the oak’s great roots, Landis sat down with a sigh. I sat beside him. For a while, he leaned against my arm in silence. I said nothing either, simply glad to be able to spend a quiet moment with him.
“It’s really happening.”
