Page 20 of MidKnight
“Sorry, to wake you. But we found an intruder and wanted to see what we could do about a mage spell or some kind of truth serum.”
Cerena’s eyes widened. “Oh … um …” she swiped at her mouth when she realized a line of drool hung from it. She shuffled toward me and spoke in a stage whisper that completely defeated the purpose of whispering, “I … um … used up a lot of ingredients in here, testing out that last issue. I’m dead out.”
I sighed. “Fine. I suppose we’ll have to chain him up for a bit until you can get more. Tell Jorad what you need.”
Cerena bobbed her head. “Yes’m. I mean Your Highness. Your Majesty?” The poor woman didn’t know anything about court etiquette, and I loved that.
“Just Bloss.”
I waved to Connor and the guards. “I suppose we can visit the dungeons.”
Willard started to tremble, like the coward he was. “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How can I trust you? You were sneaking around my grounds—”
“Just meeting a lover! My mother couldn’t know! Please, it was nothing! I’ll tell you anything! Ask me anything!” Willard visibly shook and I worried he might be about to piss himself.
I glanced at Connor, unsure what my mother would do. He gave a head nod toward Willard. I assumed that meant I should ask something. “What did Meeker tell you when you met with him in the forest?”
Willard’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “I—he—”
“You were discussing treason, weren’t you?”
The foul stench of piss met my nostrils.
“It’s not what you think!” Willard insisted. “We were desperate! There was a dragon in our lands!”
“And you turned to Sedara. To a foreign country. Not to me.”
“And I lied!” Willard’s jowls trembled. His face turned tomato red. “We don’t have a sarding port on our land, do we?”
“You would if you tried to overthrow me.”
Willard laughed bitterly. “You think anyone would follow me? A man? The fat dolt? You think I’m so stupid I don’t know what I’m called?”
“I think you’re stupid enough to believe I’d fall for your pity party.” I looked at Connor and raised my brows.
Connor walked closer and whispered, “He feels somewhat truthful. I don’t sense a lie. But his fear is the overriding emotion.”
I turned to Willard. “I won’t kill you.”
Willard fell to his fat knees. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I promise, I can prove my loyalty. I’ll do whatever you want—”
“I wasn’t finished. I won’t kill you, and I might not even publicly strip your title, or have you flogged—”
“I can get you information!” Willard spit out. “Anything you want! Nobles, servants. I don’t care.”
I pressed my lips together. “You think you’d be more effective than my spies?”
Willard nodded his head vigorously, his chubby cheeks flapping. “Spies can only overhear things. I can go in and start conversations. They all know that mother’s furious about the dragon. And no one takes me seriously,” he spit that last statement out bitterly. “They don’t mind running their mouths around me because they think I’m daft. I’m not. I figured out the dragon, you know.”
I paused and let the silence grow uncomfortably long. I watched Willard. I looked to Connor, who leaned over and whispered in my ear, “He’s earnest.”
I waited until I was certain Willard hung on my every word. Then I said, “Perhaps a trial. If you provide unique information to me about the other nobles and their current positions, I might consider this. If you dig up our traitor, you might even get to retain your title.”
Willard’s eyes gleamed at that. He wanted to keep his title. Wanted it badly.
I continued, “Someone helped bring that dragon into our country. Our country, Willard. Your land. My kingdom. Both were nearly destroyed. I want you to stumble into every private conversation you can. I want you to annoy your way into invitations and find out who has been plotting against Evaness.”
