“So, what are your orders, Captain?”
“For now, I need you to take a team into the royal gardens and watch over the King as best you can from a distance. I'm going to try to speak to him.”
“Good luck, Sir.”
One set of footsteps left the room. I assumed they belonged to Hersk.
I waited, but Vettan didn't leave, so I risked a peek with a spy mirror. Extending its telescoping rod, I slid the tiny mirror just beyond the edge of the bed. Vettan was standing before the painting, staring at it intensely. He whispered something, but all I caught was the word, brother. Then he squared his shoulders and left.
I crawled out of my hiding space and grimaced at the door. I had really wanted Vettan to be the bad guy.
“Aw, fuck.”