Page 47 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
I stare at him as though he’s lost his mind, trying to imprint on his colleague exactly how stupid his sentence was. “What the fuck are you talking about? Who’s the highest-ranking officer on the scene?”
His mouth opens and closes before he stutters, “Y-You are, Sir.”
“Exactly. You four, go and fetch me both the Prime Minister and the Master of War. I don’t care if they’re sleeping. Tell them to come at once, and escort them straight to the crypt, no matter what they say. Don’t wake anyone else, and don’t allow them to delay.” I meet the eyes of another guard, his face familiar enough for me to feel at ease even if I can’t remember his name. “And you, call for the guard to secure the royal crypt. No one else is allowed in or out until I say so.”
The new recruit hangs back awkwardly, delaying the departure of his comrades with his hesitation. “But Sir, the queen has asked to be alerted of all daytime arrivals.”
The four guards behind him exchange a glance like they’re confused about the chain of command again.
“Thedowager-queen is not—” I start, annoyed by his reluctance to follow my orders.
Arielle removes the hood of her cape, and the ambivalent soldiers’ eyes immediately widen. “Get her, too. Peter, Adele, and Garrett.”
I open my mouth to speak, but she places a gentle hand on my wrist to stop me. She sizes the recruit up and down with a serious, imperial gaze. “Go now, soldier.”
The guard bows with an arm braced to his chest, his spine straight as an arrow. “At once, my queen.”
I rub down my jaw, feeling exhausted by all these schemes already.Jesus, I hate politics.“We have all our pieces. We just need to figure out which ones are against us.”
“We’ll let them see each other, then ask to speak to one of them alone. If two of them are involved, they might get paranoid and turn on each other. Once we figure out who screwed us, the innocent ones will act as witness as we secure the fate of the traitor.”Arielle explains telepathically.
Peter, Garrett, and Adele soon join us by the entrance of the royal chapel. Garrett is all disheveled, looking like he was pulled right out of bed, while Peter’s brown hair is perfectly slicked over his head.
Adele’s eyes are red, her skin ashen, her round belly the only thing about her that doesn’t look brittle and defeated.
“Ari!” she cries out, running to the queen for a hug.
The women embrace each other, tears glazing their closed lids.
‘What’s going on?” Garrett asks, walking up the aisle, his gaze bouncing from me to the queen for an explanation, and for the first time since I killed the faux-Jasper, I dare to hope that my older brother hasn’t been the one pulling the strings.
“What do you think?”Arielle asks into my mind.
The dread at the pit of my stomach pulses.“Peter first.”
She nods discreetly. “I have important information to share with all of you, but before I do, I need a few answers.” She turns, and asks, “Peter. Can we see you first?”
Sebastian squints at his father. The two men look more alike than not as they size each other up, both of them silent until the thick door of the chapel closes behind us. Leo and Keenan guard the door while Arielle and Sebastian walk toward the stone altar, and I stand between them and Peter in case the Prime Minister decides to solve this disagreement with violence—but my instincts are quiet, and I suspect the old vampire knows better than to use his fists in a situation like this.
“Am I suspected of some crime? This feels awfully like an interrogation.” Peter’s eyes narrow at his son, the grim curve of his mouth spelling out his disappointment. “I was awfully sorry to hear I’d missed your wedding.”
Sebastian squeezes Arielle’s hand, his eyes flashing with anger, the sordid vibes of their decade-long feud exposed for everybody else to see. “We were too eager to wait. After what you tried to pull with Pereira, it was only fair to make it official quickly. Before you schemed to keep her away from me.”
He ignores his son’s biting comments and turns to Arielle. “Were you worried that I would vote for my grandson instead of you? Marrying my good-for-nothing son sure sounds like an overreaction on your part, Your Grace.”
The queen’s jaw clenches, and she looks down at the Prime Minister with contempt. “I won’t allow you to talk to me like that, not if you want to keep your job.”
Or your head…
Peter cracks up at her guile, his gaze unwavering. “Seems you’re the one whose fate is unclear.”
“Stop bluffing, daddy dearest. You might hate me, but I’m your only son.” He wraps an arm around the queen’s waist, the possessive gesture not as jarring as it would have been just a day ago. “The childrenwehave together will be royal.”
“Speak plainly, son. No more games.”
“Rumors have it Adele was sleeping with someone else…” Sebastian trails off. “Who knows who her children’s father is, really?”
Peter’s brows pull together, his top lip curled in an expression of disgust for a fleeting moment before the mask of the careful politician returns. “You think I didn’t check? Human DNA testing has only existed for a few decades, but the supernatural world has always had efficient, reliable ways to determine parentage. The boy is Victor’s son.”
