Page 62 of Kingdom of Today
I was only halfway done with the tasty concoction when Mr. Vyle marched into the apartment as if he owned the place. He wore a suit and tie, not a single hair out of place, as usual. He was alone.
He took us in, standing side by side at the counter, and the slightest pulse of annoyance crossed his features. He’d hoped to find us asleep and at a disadvantage, I’d bet.
Guess I owed Domino. Again.
“Good morning, Mr. Vyle,” I said with a satisfied smile.
His eyelids slitted. “Good morning, Lady Roosa. High Prince Dolion.”
Cyrus took a drink of his smoothie before demanding, “Why are you here?”
“We must discuss what happened yesterday.” A command, not a suggestion.
“I have questions for you, so yes, we will discuss what happened yesterday.” Cyrus ushered me past our uninvited guest and into the living room. We settled on the couch, an obvious team.
Mr. Vyle unbuttoned his jacket and sank into the chair across from us. “I’ll start. I’ve spoken with several soldiers, and many claim they saw someone shoot Arden at close range from behind.”
“What are you implying?” Cyrus asked casually. “That she miraculously healed?”
A nervous laugh bubbled up and would have escaped if a comforting tide hadn’t swept along my bond with Domino, quashing it. A sensation as welcome as it was disquieting.
“I’m implying nothing.” Mr. Vyle waved in my direction. “I’d like to hear Lady Roosa’s side of the story.”
Here goes.“As Cyrus already told you, a bullet grazed me. Not from behind but from the front.” I clicked my tongue. “Before I fell, I spotted High Princess Lolli with a smoking gun aimed straight at me.”
Mr. Vyle thought for a moment. “Show me your wound.”
“That isn’t happening,” Cyrus grated. “My girlfriend isn’t showing you any part of her body, ever. I have seen the wound. Either the word of a royal is sufficient, or it isn’t.”
I placed a hand on his and offered him my sweetest smile. “It’s fine. I’ll show him. I don’t mind.”
He blinked. Compressed his lips. Threw a thousand curses at me without uttering a word. Nodded stiffly.
I lifted the corner of my shirt, revealing the bloodied bandage, which I removed and tossed on the coffee table between us. “Happy? It opened in the shower, and I cleaned it up as best I could.”Find the lie in that, bud.
Mr. Vyle couldn’t mask his irritation. “You require tending. I’ll send a medic—”
“I’ll take care of her.” Cyrus tapped a finger against the arm of the couch and changed the subject as if nothing more needed to be discussed regarding the shooting. “What’s the outcome of last night’s excursion?”
Fury flashed in the executioner’s eyes, there and gone. “Things went exactly as we hoped. Glowers arrived en masse, but they couldn’t bypass our barriers and reclaim the field. They are still trying. Feeders are flooding in from all over the realm to attack, doing our work for us.”
The field where fruit—the Rock—grew. “I noticed the barrier but couldn’t see it.”
Though he didn’t look as if he wished to address me, his need to gloat got the better of him, and he said, “That’s because it emits a frequency that can be disarmed only one way.”
Mr. Vyle said no more, and I barely stopped myself from probing further. I needed to be careful. Already he suspected me of aiding the enemy.
Cyrus drummed his fingers against the arm of the couch. “Explain why I wasn’t told of this plan or the creation of this frequency.”
“Let me be blunt, Your Highness.” Mr. Vyle put his nose in the air. “Your girlfriend has been under investigation as a potential traitor.”
“And now?” he demanded.
“We have cleared her.”
Surprise intermingled with relief. Though I could guess the reason. I hadn’t reacted to the smoke. Gratitude joined my mix of emotions. Another reason I owed Domino.
“Today, we will be—” A buzz blasted over the intercom, quieting Mr. Vyle.
