Page 49 of MidKnight
“Three!”
“Yeah, rough waters or something. First time I’ve heard about a ship going down in years.”
“Were they able to rescue anyone?”
“No. I think they might have been too far out. They were on their way back from Sedara.”
I furrowed my brow. “Wow. I don’t recall a report that bad since I was a young girl. Three ships!”
Ryan nodded. “I sent an air patrol. They’re gone. Completely sunk.”
“Was there a storm?”
“That far out at sea? I don’t know,” Ryan shrugged. “Probably.”
I turned back to the mirror while Ginnifer put jewels around my neck and on my fingers.
I weighed the other nobles who might have issue with me. The other three provinces of Evaness spread out to the west.
Duke Aiden and his wife held the land just west of the capital.
The Cerulean Forest was overseen by a half-fairy named Fer.
And to the west of her, along Rasle’s borders, an outspoken pixie named Sunya ran her own province, the province that Queen Isla was so eager to get her hands on.
Other than Connor’s family, I felt like I could rule out Fer. I’d spent a fair amount of time in the Cerulean Forest over the past four years. It had been where I’d thought the wizard was most likely to hide. And from what I could tell, Fer’s people were happy for the most part.
That still left me with quite a few nobles who made my list of potential traitors. It wasn’t a good feeling. Thinking about it made my stomach swim. It felt like sickly worms tunneling through me, eating at my confidence.
I faked a calm smile as I met Willard in the hall. Unlike most days, where the slob was wandering through the castle untucked and half-shaved (I honestly had no idea how meticulous Jorad stood that), today Willard was wearing a pressed shirt and his minimal hair was neatly combed.
“Let’s have tea, while we speak,” I said. I led the way down the hall to the small diamond parlor. It was named that because of the carved crystal collection stored there. One of my ancestors had loved the pixie creations and had a fondness for glass unicorns, crystal castles, and the like. I had always loved the room. Partially because it had been forbidden to me as a child and partially because I thought of it as a giant prism. Connor had always hated it. It was too “rainbow-y.”
I settled into a chair. Ryan stood behind me and we let Willard stand awkwardly in front of us. There was no nearby chair for him. I didn’t really care about his comfort. I cared about his information.
“So, Willard, do you have any idea who might have helped get that dragon into Evaness?”
Willard shuffled on his feet. Behind him, the rainbows projected by the crystals reflected oddly. I gave a nod to Quinn’s invisible spy. The rainbows dipped slightly, so I assumed that whoever was there bowed to me in return.
My eyes flicked back to scan Willard’s pasty face. “Well?”
“Your Majesty, I believe it was … Duke Aiden,” Willard gulped as he finished his sentence.
I kept my face neutral as I asked, “Why do you think this?” Inside, I was angry. I’d known for years Aiden was a shite human. A cheater and a gambler. But a traitor?
“He’s got too much money. Last night, he wagered I couldn’t—well, we made a bet.”
“A bet about what?”
Willard’s cheeks and neck grew rosy. “I’d rather not say.”
“I’d rather you did.” I placed my elbows on the arms of the chair and folded my hands in my lap, doing my best to channel my mother. He better not have done something illegal while working for me. He’d already made a fool of himself with the servants. Maybe I’d made a mistake trying him out in the first place.
I was messing up this monarchy bit by bit.
“I … we bet two hundred gold crowns on drinking a bottle of castor oil. Whoever … was ill first, lost.”
“You mean whoever shite his drawers,” Ryan said gruffly behind me.
