Page 29 of Searching for the Prince
Hyax wouldn’t push, this was already better than he had been envisaging, and with time he thought he could get more acceptance. Even with the suspicions over the Elementa’s reaction, the marriage would go ahead, maybe, depending on what more he learnt he might confide to his mother about his past relationship with Metra, but for now he would keep that powder dry in case he needed to use it.
He returned home to find Gwil back, his eyes wide, staring in disbelief at several pieces of crumpled paper.
“Oh, you’re home, where’d you go?” Gwil asked, getting to his feet and giving Hyax a quick kiss.
“Summoned home, wedding planning. I have managed to use the MacLove case to buy some time, but I think there’s something going on with the Elementa.” He tapped the pages Gwil was holding. “What are they?”
“First reports from Copperpipe, but back up, these can wait. What do you mean something’s going on, because your mate Cikla jumped me in an alley?”
“What?” He had no idea why Cikla would have accosted Gwil.
“You first. I don’t believe in coincidences, and I reckon what Cikla told me and whatever’s ruffled your wings are connected.”
Now was not the time to get annoyed at Gwil’s wing reference, Cikla was a close friend and he’d spoken to her about his mother’s insistence he marry. “Remember I said my mother was concerned that the Elementa might threaten war and expose my tribe over the Stone of Ljin? Well, they don’t seem to be sticking to that script. I said if they were so upset about me keeping my fang fucktoy around then they could pull out of the marriage, and Queen Vaness was quick to dismiss the idea and not risk a threat to peace.”
Gwil was thrown. “I don’t get it.”
“My tribe had made no threats about war if I don’t get married, but that’s not how they answered.”
“Could it have been your mum making up an excuse to insist on the marriage?”
The thought had crossed his mind, but his mother’s reaction and her giving him a tenement stone made him believe she was as thrown as he was. “No, I saw her surprise.” He removed the stone from his pocket and handed it to Gwil. “Don’t open it, as it’ll start recording, but in there is a state-of-the-magic-art surveillance device. She gave it to me to use whenever I talk to Metra and his mother in the future.”
“Safe to say there’s something suss going on.” Gwil, ever the master of the understatement.
“Now, what’s this about Cikla?” Hyax asked.
“She pulled me into an alley, and didn’t do any terrible things to my person.” Gwil grinned and Hyax rolled his eyes. “She wanted to warn you about Metra trying to play nice by sending Sitial to persuade you nothing happened between them.”
“She’s too late for that, he already did.”
Gwil shook his head. “No, she knew that, but she thinks Metra’s parents were in on it too. And that they already know you were an item once.”
Hyax didn’t know what to make of that. “I would’ve thought they’d been none too happy to find out their son had been cavorting with an enemy at the time. Vaness is the sort to have a long memory and not be able to look past that to push Metra into marrying me.”
“I don’t know, but it ties into what happened when you went home.” Gwil took his hand. “There’s something else, Cikla said she’s done some digging, and not only were they together, they still are.”
He’d always known Metra was a lying, cheating piece of shit. “He lied to me then, and he’s lying now, no surprise really.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on. But I think we need to play him at his own game, pretend you believe Sitial and act cordial with Metra. There’s an old saying, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
“Flies like shit, Gwil.”
Gwil pulled him closer. “It’s all right to be upset over this, you’re allowed to be angry. All I’m suggesting is you channel that anger into uncovering what Metra and his family are up to.”
“Iamangry, but it’s now how much he thinks he can play me for a fool. I’d never want him back.” He knew Gwil had a point about playing along and it was a good idea. “I’ll have to think about whether I can be nice to him, I’m not that good an actor.”
“You are a stubborn sod who likes to get his own back, and you could use that energy in better ways.”
“Maybe.” He didn’t want to deal with it at the moment and Gwil wouldn’t push, at least for the time being. “How about you tell me how things went with Mr Potato?”
Gwil’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t rise to the bait. “Copperpipe has been diligent to the point of astonishing.”
“He’s good but not sure I’d call himastonishingunless it was something relating to what he keeps under his sacking.”
Gwil handed him the papers. “He has a named suspect, and potential lead on the general area. I’ve already left Solivatus a message… I’m expecting a call to Crofton Hall at any moment.”
Hyax scanned the notes Gwil had made, Copperpipe had gone above and beyond the usual effort. He had a name, a background search on them for the last twenty years, and a potential location, which he was in the process of narrowing down. He really should start giving the little dumpling more credit.
