Page 249 of A Queen's Game
“I did,” he said, frowning. “Do you remember who else was there?”
“Keyain.”
“And who else?”
Her heart stilled. The faces of the pilinos who tried to help her flashed in her mind. Her next breath came sharply as she remembered the blood. Marietta shook as she looked at Wyltam. “People died,” she whispered.
“What do you remember, Marietta?”
“The people—the ones the guards attacked. They—they had—” Her voice trembled as each horrific scene came back.
“They did, yes.” Wyltam kept his voice soft. “But what else?”
There was a body under her hands. The King screamed—gods, Marietta shrieked herself. Why? There was intense pain, as if she were being ripped apart at the seams. Marietta’s breaths sharpened and the edges of her vision blurred. “Valeriya. Did she—” She gasped. “Is she—”
The King came to her side, placing a hand on the small of her back. “Try to breathe for me, Marietta.”
She gasped again. Wyltam dropped to his knees before her. “What color is my shirt?”
“What?” she asked.
“My shirt—what color is it?”
She gawked at him. “Black.”
“Right, and is there anything else black in the room?”
Her throat constricted, her breaths merely gasps, but Marietta searched the room. “The chair.”
“Right again. Anything else?”
In her panic, she focused on the King, her gaze scouring him. “Your hair.” She took in his features. “And your eyes.”
The corner of his mouth curled. “Close enough.”
“Why are you asking me this?” she asked, leaning away from him.
“I’m grounding you. This is real.” He took her hand. “We are real—your thoughts are memories. Now, please, take a deepbreath.” She followed his orders, breathing deeply through her nose and out through her mouth. “Good.”
Wyltam kept her hands in his. “Once again, you’ve been through a tragedy, and for that, I am truly sorry.”
“What happened?” She squeezed the King’s hands, trying to control her rising panic.
“Someone attempted to assassinate you.” He paused, his thumb rubbing over her hand. “But Valeriya stopped the crossbow bolt from hitting its mark. The details released to the public were wrong, many claiming it was an attempt on the Queen’s life. Now, Reyila thinks I orchestrated her death because of our rumored affair.”
Her stomach dropped. The rumored affair. It was her fault, because they had kissed. Because she thought she could handle court life. She slid her hands out of Wyltam’s grip. “The kiss—we caused this.” Her voice struggled. “Then you just encouraged the rumors, as if you planned it all along. Did any of your words carry truth?”
“We causednothing. Valeriya jumped in front of that crossbow bolt for you. Someone intended on you dying.” Wyltam’s eyes held hers as he took her hands again. “I meant every word I said to you, meant every kiss. There is nothing I regret from that evening.”
“Is that why you encouraged the rumors?”
“Not at all,” he said. “Keyain was close to terminating your marriage. I was trying to give it the extra push, so you could be free of him for good. When you shared the pregnancy news—”
“I’m not pregnant.”
“I know.” A slight smile hinted at his lips. “Valeriya told me, though it was a very convincing lie. You’ve come a long way.”
She shook her head.
