Page 15 of The King's Sword
“I overheard her with the assassin. She sent him after me. I am the assassin’s next target.” Out here in the dark night, her words came out crisp and clear, cutting through the air.
Anton cursed. “I need to get home. With you missing, who knows what she’ll do.”
His response seemed reasonable. And if he cared for Rainer, going home to warn him would be the right thing to do. But she had a few more issues she wanted to discuss with him. “Rainer knows.”
Anton stilled. “That’s why he married you,” he said, realization dawning on him.
She nodded, kicking the tip of her shoe against the ground, the only sound in the still night.
Anton let his head fall back as he chewed on his bottom lip. “I knew it was someone close to him, but I didn’t know it was Lottie.” An owl hooted in the distance. “You running away and wanting to see your brother makes more sense now.” He sighed.
“I need you to be honest with me,” she said. “Do you know who’s responsible for the raids at Bakley’s border and kidnapping the children?”
His eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you tell me what you know, and I’ll say if you’re right or not.”
“Just answer the question.” She knew Anton helped run Lynk’s network of spies. He had to know.
“I can’t tell you anything,” he said. “I swore an oath to Rainer.”
“It’s Lynk, isn’t it?” she demanded. “This was all an elaborate plot to get Bakley’s food and land.” Tears filled her eyes.
“That’s what you think?” he asked, stepping closer to her.
“It’s what I know.”
He stared at her a full minute before saying, “The situation is more complicated than that.”
She noticed he hadn’t denied anything.
“You know, as well as I do, that both kingdoms gained something from this marriage,” Anton said. “And why do you care anyway? It’s not like it’s a love match.”
She wiped the traitorous tears that slid down her cheek. “I care because my kingdom is affected. People I’m sworn to protect.”
“And which people would that be?” he asked, his voice low. “Lynk? Or Bakley?”
“Both.”
He nodded slowly. “I think it best if I let Rainer explain everything.”
“How could you let this happen?” Had he no heart? No morals or values?
“No oneletsRainer do anything,” Anton said, a sharp edge to his voice. “Rainer does what Rainer wants. He always has.”
“And you blindly follow him.”
Anton lifted his hands, palms facing her, before turning and walking a few feet away.
“We’re not done,” Sabine said, her voice cracking. This entire time, she thought Carlon was the enemy, not the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. “I’m going to be ill.” The land around her seemed to spin.
Anton chuckled, the sound humorless. He approached Sabine, taking hold of her arms to steady her. “Are you okay?” he mumbled.
As if he really cared. “I’m fine.”
He leaned in and whispered, “I’d ask if you’re swooning because you’re pregnant, but I’m guessing you’re not.” He looked pointedly at her, as if he knew her marriage hadn’t been consummated.
She looked into his eyes but didn’t say anything.
“Let’s get you inside. You need to go to sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow.”
