Page 65 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
My skin crawled, and I jerked away and took two large steps back. Her touch had somehow felt even more wrong than Velessa’s, and I wanted her to go away.
Her red-brown eyes widened, and she snatched back her hand as if she’d been burned. Her cheeks turned pink. I didn’t acknowledge either of our responses as she stammered. “Forgive me for being so forward. I know that this must be so difficult for you. I cannot imagine how painful it is to lose a leader and a father at once. But…they’re right. Briar had nothing to do with the king’s assassination. She couldn’t have.”
Some of my body relaxed. She was on Briar’s side… or at least pretending to be. Still, the touch continued to make me want toget away from her. “Do you have proof?” I clasped my hands behind my back and scowled at her.
She shrugged, and her head canted as she bit her lower lip. “I’m an Ignis, but my father was Terran. He could feel the heartbeat of anyone standing within twenty feet of him if he focused, and he knew how to read those heartbeats to tell whether they were telling the truth or lying. I’m not that skilled. But…I’m aware of more than most. Last night...it was so odd.” She wrung her hands and glanced over her shoulder. “I wasn’t feeling social. It’s a little overwhelming for me to be in such large crowds. So I went back to my room, took a long, hot bath, and then…I heard footsteps enter Rhielle’s room. Two sets of footsteps, and neither was Rhielle’s.”
“Two sets?” My eyebrows arched, and I leaned forward, wanting to catch her every word. “Do you mean two? The assassin and then Briar? Or two as well as Briar?”
She nodded to the last one, her eyes wide. “I…I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but two sets of footsteps went into her roomtogether. One heavy. One light. They were both so calm. Deadly calm. Then Briar came. It sounded like someone slipped, and only two sets of footsteps left. I didn’t know what was going on at the time. But…the lighter set of footsteps…they went into Kaylen’s room. They were still calm, not rushed, and I thought perhaps Briar stayed to talk with Rhielle. I know they’ve become good friends.”
My heartbeat quickened. Briar had mentioned only one set of footsteps, and so had Rhielle, but both of them had been focused elsewhere. Was it possible there’d been a second individual in the room? It might explain how they’d managed to maneuver the bodies so swiftly. “Have you told Captain Finbar?”
She ducked her head. “I can’t prove any of it, and I don’t want to cause trouble. Kaylen might be innocent, even if—well, even if sheisa horrible person. I don’t know what she wasdoing last night. It’s just…I can’t stand the thought of Briar being blamed for something she didn’t do. I was considering asking Kaylen about it, but she was so rude when I tried to strike up a conversation with her this morning that I didn’t.”
I needed more information. “Whose footsteps entered Kaylen’s room? Could you tell?”
Her expression pinched. “They—they sounded like Kaylen’s.” She pressed a hand to her mouth and shook her head, her long, wavy blond hair sliding over her face. “Please, tell me what you’d like me to do. I’ll do whatever would be most helpful. I don’t want to cause problems, but if it weren’t for Briar, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Report all this to Captain Finbar. Ask one of the guards to escort you. Don’t tell anyone else about what you heard.”
“Of course.” She curtsied, holding her long, full pink skirts in both hands. “I’ll do whatever I can.” She started down the hall at a swift pace, then stopped and turned, looking over her shoulder. “I’m here for you, Your Highness.”
Thalen appeared alongside me with the most innocent expression on his face. “Apologies. Just had to assist the young lady from falling.”
“Yes, she was falling all over you,” I said dryly.
“The woman has exceptional taste.” He grinned crookedly. His wings fluttered a little as if to underscore his words, but I knew full well he was showing them off in hopes that Myantha was still watching…which, based on the crack in Thalira's door, she probably was. “I heard Kaylen squeal like a stuck pig. Everything all right there?”
“We need to stop and see Physician Morlo before we continue.” There was no sense in passing on what Calla Lily had said until we were in a more secure location. I took two steps toward the end of the hall, then paused. Calla Lily hadn’t said anything about Briar’s room, but the assassins couldn’t haveknown that Briar would go to Rhielle’s room. What if they’d left some clue in Briar’s room?
My blood chilled, and my shadows coiled even tighter as I realized they might have planted evidence. My own men might have searched the room already, but I wanted to check for myself. I held up a hand, then scanned the doors for Briar’s name card...there. Her name was etched in gold on a black tile. I strode toward it at once, Thalen following.
“Physician Morlo isn’t this way,” he said, crooking an eyebrow at me.
“No. I—” I stopped short as I reached for the handle. The faint scent of lavender, lilacs, and earthy soil drifted to me, and the rustle of fabric sounded within.
Someone was in Briar’s room.
Chapter Nineteen
Vad
Anger boiled in my veins. I raised a hand to stop Thalen. Could we possibly figure out who the killer was now and make this horrible nightmare end?
I pressed my finger to my lips and summoned my shadows. They slithered down my spine and around my ankles before sliding under the door as smooth as ink. A dull ache twinged along the back of my skull, adding to the pounding of my head, but I ignored it.
Even though I couldn’t see through my shadows, I could become aware of the presence once my shadows spread deeper within her room across the slick marble floor and past the thick rug.
Just one person.
I tapped my chest and then lifted one finger, informing Thalen of what to expect.
Easing the door open, I peered inside Briar's room. The familiar scent of her—cinnamon and ginger—filled my lungs, butmy stomach twisted when the scent of lilacs and lavender with damp soil mixed with hers.
The room lay in partial disarray. Her simple furnishings—a wide bed with rumpled dark covers, a writing desk with scattered papers, and a dresser—showed signs of a hasty search. The marble floor was covered with a thick black rug that muffled our footsteps as we entered. A single oil lamp burned low near the bed, casting long shadows across the walls.
Near the far wall stood a tall, older man with his back to us. His wild, dark auburn hair fell past his shoulders in unruly waves streaked with iridescent white over a heavy gray cloak of fine leather. Dark, iridescent thread secured the broad hem, and the cloak hung in neat folds along his back, suggesting it was well-kept. Multiple rings adorned the hand that gripped the left wardrobe door while he rifled through Briar’s things. His head moved as if he were scanning each item of clothing up and down before moving on.
