Page 62 of The King's Sword
“I know my son brought you here for an important, valid reason. However, I think your stay here should be short. Avoni families will be asking questions. You will be seen as the enemy, and you’re in a land of assassins. I can only guarantee your safety for one week. That is all. I suggest you find somewhere else to hide, or return to your husband and leave my son out of this.” And with that, she turned and left the gazebo, not giving Sabine a chance to respond.
Stunned by all that had been revealed, her eyes filled with tears. Sabine couldn’t believe Rainer had killed the entire Avoni delegation. She truly did not know the man she’d married. It seemed with each passing day, things only became more and more complicated. She blinked the tears from her eyes and stood, about to head back to her room, when she realized she had no idea how to get there. If she wandered around the compound, she was bound to run into someone who’d help her—unless word about the delegation had spread. In that case, she could cross paths with someone who’d lost a loved one. The people who lived here in Avoni had to hate Lynk, and now that Sabine was the queen of that kingdom, they had to hate her by extension. Being here in the land of assassins no longer seemed like a wise idea since she was their enemy.
Feeling exposed out in the open, she slid to the floor and leaned against the posts of the railing, curling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Everything was a mess, and she didn’t know how to fix any of it. If she went walking around here, someone could kill her out of spite. The worst part was she couldn’t even blame them. Herhusbandwas responsible for killing the entire delegation. She wondered if Evander knew.
Leaning her cheek on her knee, she tried not to cry, but the tears came of their own accord. Right now, she really needed her sister to talk to. Sabine had married a monster—a man who wanted to take over all the kingdoms, wage war against thousands if he had to, and for what? Power? Money? Why couldn’t he be happy with what he had? And her role in all of this was to simply be a breeder. She was expected to have his children and then be gone—like Rainer’s own mother. Sabine was a means to an end.
Her life suddenly felt rather bleak. If only there was a way to change the course of it.
Footsteps sounded on the bridge. Sabine peered around the post and spotted Evander approaching the gazebo. His face remained blank, unreadable. If he knew about the delegation, he would hate her. Maybe he’d kill her himself and be done with her. He’d save himself the trouble of dealing with the assassin, and he’d have retribution for all of those families who’d lost a loved one.
Evander stepped into the gazebo.
Sabine refused to meet his eyes. Embarrassment, horror, and sadness all warred within her. She had no idea what to say to him. She couldn’t be the queen of a kingdom responsible for such atrocities. And yet, she was. She held some responsibility for what had happened. Maybe she could have stopped it if she’d been more involved, had pushed Rainer to tell her his plans, or even if…well, she didn’t know. But she could have and should have done more.
Evander squatted before her. “I’ve been looking for you,” he said, his voice soft and gentle, almost caressing. “When you didn’t return to your room, I got worried.”
She shrugged, still not looking him in the face. She had no idea what to say or how to apologize for something Rainer—her husband—had done. She didn’t want to be associated with him. However, it was too late for that. She was his wife and the queen of Lynk.
“I take it my mother told you,” Evander murmured, moving to sit beside her.
“How long have you known?” she asked, needing to know.
“I just found out last night.”
“You must hate me.” Her voice cracked.
“Why would I hate you?”
She wiped her tears with the edge of her sleeve, unable to speak. She didn’t know the right words to express her sorrow or how to tell him how sorry she was for what had happened.
“You had nothing to do with their deaths,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “It’s not your fault.”
As the queen of Lynk, she was responsible. The tears kept falling.
Evander sat there holding her, not bothering to say anything else.
There was nothing he could say.
* * *
Sabine stood in front of the windows in her room, staring outside, as a light rain fell. She’d been standing there most of the day. Thinking. After Alina’s death, she’d jumped headfirst into agreeing to marry Rainer without fully understanding the consequences of her choice. All she’d thought about was revenge. Now, all she wanted to do was to return to Lynk and demand Rainer make Lottie pay for having Alina murdered. She wanted Rainer to be held accountable for killing the delegation. She wanted the Bakley children returned to their families. But she held no sway with the king, and he would not listen to her. To outsmart Rainer, she would have to come up with a plan. She had a few ideas, and one in particular that she thought might be crazy enough to work. But she wasn’t ready yet. She needed some more information before she could do anything.
A soft knock sounded on her door. “Sabine?” Evander called out.
“Come in.” She didn’t hear the door open and close but rather saw Evander’s reflection in the window as he came up behind her.
He stood there, his arms folded, watching her. He lifted his right hand, rubbing his jawbone. “I wanted to check on you,” he said, his voice soft.
“I didn’t think you were allowed in my room,” she whispered.
“I’m not.”
“Then why are you in here?”
He took a step forward, coming to stand at her side. “Everyone already thinks we’re having an affair.”
“Why do you suppose that is?” She’d been wondering what it was about her and Evander’s friendship that gave his family pause. At first, she thought they got along like brother and sister. But deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case. She no longer thought of Evander that way.
