Page 17 of To Sway a Bard
Neo’s cheeks burned. Did everyone know?
Mother spoke up. “Neo might be in love with her, but he has shown that he puts his duty first. Hecaptured her and brought her here as requested. Matters of the heart do not trump duty and we will all work to ensure that will not change.”
Neo considered her words and decided they were untrue. He was certain Hans would ruin a kingdom if his five-year-old daughter were ever in danger.
“A sheriff will never develop a relationship with a prisoner, nor will a prince align himself with a common thief. Neo, you will ensure this never happens,” Mother said firmly.
“Is it not folly, then, to force him to work with her?” Diana challenged, holding up her blade. “I ask because that is the only possibility, seeing as he’s the only one who can hold her.”
Hans snorted. “You speak of second chances, then question your own wisdom?”
Diana glowered at him. “I’m not the crown prince. I will always question my judgment. You’re supposed to be the wise one.”
Mother held up her hand. “There’s a reason I called us all together. The masquerade ball grows near and I suspect danger, perhaps treason, within the walls of this palace. We must be vigilant, questioneverything, and not dismiss any suspicions. And there is something else.”
Neo waited, his mind racing, wondering if Zula was part of an elaborate trap. What if she wanted to be in the palace? Why hadn’t she tried harder to escape? He could think of a thousand treasures here that she could steal for herself, or sell to someone else.
“Recently I’ve noticed a growing build-up of magic on the edges of the jungle, close enough to the border to make me believe it was the trolls. As you know, their jeweled egg wards their borders, protecting them from magic and warning them should anyone with nefarious intent walk into their territory. However, upon further scrying, I discovered that the mass of magic isn’t associated with the trolls—it’s something else attempting to use the trolls as a mask. For the past five years, the Blue-Feathered Bard has risen to acclaim, and she’s known for stealing treasure, specifically ancient relics that have magical properties. Neo, you followed her and discovered that before each heist, she plays her magical ukulele, which we now have the opportunity to study.”
Neo should have felt proud of being able to deliver the ukulele to his mother to study, but her words brought nothing but dread to his heart. How had he missed so much?
Hans rested his hands on the table and steepled his fingers. “I know where you are going with this story,” he said slowly. “The magical relics are being delivered to one individual, someone with power who knows how to draw the magic out of the relics and use it for themselves. They are planning something foul, but our interference has delayed them, for now.”
“Why do you say that?” Diana asked, brow furrowed.
Mother held up seven fingers. “There is a total of seven magical relics, but only six have been stolen. Seven is the number of completion; it’s symbolic. The theft of the seventh relic was to ignite something—a war, yes—while the individual who has been collecting these relics steps into their full power.”
“Oh.” Diana shivered. “That is disturbing. Who do you think this person is?”
Neo felt every eye on him. “You don’t think it’s Zula? Do you?”
Mother laughed. “Heavens, no, but she’s at the heart of it all. She’s conducted every heist.”
Neo frowned. “I asked her who she worked for. She claimed it’s a new person each time, sometimes thieves, sometimes well-to-do merchants or lords. She did not have specifics . . . ”
“Then we need to press her for them,” Diana said. “I have ways of persuasion.”
Mother patted Diana’s arm. “Yes, my dear, you do, and I appreciate your zeal, but that is not the way right now. Neo, stay close to her and get as much information out of her as you can. If she runs, we follow. She’ll inadvertently lead us to this treacherous individual.”
Neo rested his head in his hands, disliking his position. He had to woo Zula and then turn on her. His mother could not have picked a more perfect conquest for him. Either Zula was part of the elaborate scheme or she was being used.
Suddenly, he realized the irony of his situation. He’d just brought in the kingdom’s most notorious thief,his mother had told her he was in love with her, and all this time he’d been restraining himself, holding back, when a well-timed kiss would be the turning point. Either she’d run or she’d tell him the truth. She was tricky, but he could be too. He just needed to bury his conscience.
16
ZULA
As a prisoner, Zula expected to be taken back to the windowless room with the bed and locked up. But, as she was quickly learning, nothing in the palace quite matched her expectations. Instead of being placed in insolation, she was taken to the kitchens, where they were preparing for the masquerade, and from there, she was passed from group to group, always helping, because more hands meant light work. No one gave her a second glance or appeared to know who she was, which was both relieving and irksome.
Time passed quickly, and when evening fell she collapsed into bed, too worn out to hatch a plan. In fact, she’d been looking forward to time alone tothink through the queen’s proposal and Neo’s reaction, and figure out how to free herself from the mess she’d gotten tangled up in.
It wasn’t until the next evening that she saw Neo again. She’d been taken back to the windowless room before supper and lay on her back on the bed, finally, for a moment to think. Again, she was surprised at the lack of chains, even though she hadn’t tried to escape. Last night she’d tried the door, but it had not given, not that she expected it to. Creativity was required to slip under the nose of the crown.
A soft knock came, then the door swung open silently. Neo’s lanky form filled the doorway. He leaned against it nonchalantly, as though he hadn’t left in the middle of a conversation and disappeared for a day and a half. “Will you dine with me?” he asked.
Zula stood, grimacing as her ankle wobbled under her weight. “I thought you’d left me to become a working prisoner.”
Neo gave her an impish grin. “Did you miss me?”
