Page 70 of A Crown of Lies

Rowan folded his hands on his desk. “If this is true, why are we just now dealing with this? Nothing has changed. There’ve been reports of roving undead attacking the living.”

“You have further angered the enemy necromancer somehow, or perhaps your death god. Tofi does not know why, or how. But Tofi knows this danger.”

Sweat gathered on the back of Rowan’s neck. What if all this was happening because he’d run Divina and Simeon out of Dagh Cairn? What if Divina truly had laid a curse upon the dead, urging them to attack the living? That’s how the undead at Dagh Cairn had behaved. He thought it was only a local disturbance, and that burying them in the rubble would be the end of it.

But what if he was wrong?

Rowan swallowed. “Say you’re right, and there is a curse. We’re in the middle of a war. There are going to be deaths on both sides. With winter approaching, we often see many of our elderly die this time of year. What can we do to keep this from spreading?”

Tofi pushed up from the desk, standing tall. “Kill the infected. Allow Tofi to perform a cleansing ritual and then burn the remains to ash.”

“You’re mad,” Ewan snarled. “Captain Leo is a respected guest! We can’t just go killing a man for having a fever! And if we even speak of killing one of the Crows, the whole mercenary army could turn against us.”

“And if you do nothing, the captain and the Crow will both die… and then undie,” Tofi countered. “They will attack the living as they’ve been ordered to do by their master.”

Rowan slammed a fist onto the desk before Ewan could make a counter argument. “I asked you how to stop that from happening, Tofi.”

“And Tofi has given you a solution! Once the living are marked, the curse cannot be undone. The only cure is prevention. If you wish to stop the curse altogether, then you must stop the necromancer who cast it. Tofi suggests death. A slow and painful one, perhaps.”

Rixxis appeared in the doorway. Rowan stood and tugged down the dark tunic he’d put on for the day. “I will take your advice under consideration, Tofi.”

“Under consideration?” Tofi scoffed and pointed a finger at him. “Do what must be done, King, or you will force Tofi’s hand.”

Rowan glared at him, but he didn’t have time to get in the last word before Tofi turned and marched out of the room, pushing past Rixxis.

“What was that?” Rixxis asked with a frown.

Rowan shook his head. “Messy business that you needn’t concern yourself with just now.” He was glad she hadn’t overheard the mage talking about killing her father. That conversation would not have gone over well. “Ewan, I apologize, but we’ll have to continue our discussion another time.”

Ewan’s mouth twitched, a sign of his disapproval. He didn’t like being dismissed, especially for a woman he knew Rowan was pursuing.

Well, he could bloody well deal with it. Rowan was still the king of Greymark, and it made no difference whether their conversation took place now or later.

Ewan grunted and pushed away from the desk. “Later, then.”

Once the old man stepped through into the hall, she pulled the door closed behind him and turned to face Rowan. He waited for her to speak first, but then wondered if he should. After all, he owed her an apology, and that should precede any additional conversation.Always better to put the past to bed before you wake to the future.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.” He stepped around his desk and sat on the surface, moving aside the stack of papers. “Though it was not my intent, I treated you like a commodity to be traded in a business exchange, and I apologize for that. More so, I apologize for my role in making you feel you were somehow lesser. I don’t believe that to be true. Not in the slightest.”

She folded her arms and stood there, waiting. As if she expected him to say something else. What else was there to say? He’d apologized for everything he’d done wrong, and he’d done it sincerely. What else could she want from him?

“Do you still intend to make this deal with my father?” she asked at length.

He frowned and rose from his desk, crossing the room to stand with her near the door. “My dear, this deal was never going to be between your father and me. His only involvement concerns his business prospects and the merger of our shared assets. Ultimately, you have all the negotiating power.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “I do?”

“Of course!” He shrugged. “You have the final say. Decline my offer, and we shall continue as if it never happened. However, I won’t be able to help your father and his prospects, which I would like to do.”

“Do you actually want to marry me?” Rixxis asked, lifting her chin.

“Yes,” he said without a second thought, surprised at his own answer.

Not that it was, in fact, yes. He had pondered it at length, and not just because he found her beautiful, sweet, and pleasant to be around. Rixxis was strong and fair. She was level-headed and forward-thinking. Her experience with the Crows meant she understood warfare, tactics, supply lines, and the pressures of command. All qualities that would make her an excellent queen, so that was no surprise to him.

But it was a surprise that he should want to marry at all. He’d never imagined himself a married man. Never wanted it. But if it could be with someone like her, who understood and shared his love for Ieduin, then that would be even better.

Her frown said she doubted him.

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