Page 113 of Dragon Fight

“That right?” His eye narrowed, and I could almost hear the cogs whirring inside his head. “And how did that go?”

“She waltzed down to the mess, distributing food to try and win the men over,” I replied. “It didn’t work. Mine was poisoned. My ring shone bright red in front of everyone when I called her out. She’d hoped to build her reputation, but she destroyed it.”

“And why would that be?” Fine fingers stroked his chin. “Seems a terribly complex plan to me, too easy for it to go awry. And did the countess seem surprised by this accusation, genuinely?”

I remembered Beatrice’s expression, and while there had been a lot going on, I didn’t think it had been cool and calculating. She was either a master manipulator…

“You think this is a feint,” I said.

He looked at me, consideringly. “I think you need to watch your bloody back.” Something seemed to lighten in his eye when he saw his ring on my thumb. “Good to see you heeded my advice, but there are poisons, rare poisons that won’t send the stone red in warning. Don’t go getting your food from the kitchen, or the markets. Gods, you should be pulling the carrots from the gardens yourself and washing them with your own hands, like a commoner lass, if you can bring yourself to stoop so low.”

“I used to wash and prepare all of my own food,” I snapped. A whole lot of things might’ve been taken from me, but no one would take that. “I had to kill pigs, shovel shit, grind my own wheat into flour—”

“That you did.” Why did a look of respect flash across Marcus’ face and why did I feel a sense of pride at it? “I remember that now. Had you looked into when you looked like to be the next queen and was heartened by what I heard. A queen who knows how to get her hands dirty and not just in bringing down anyone who gets her way.” He nodded at that. “Could’ve been just the thing.”

“I am no queen,” I said, repeating the same message as before, but for a different audience.

“Would never trust anyone who wanted to be,” he countered, with a nod of his head. “Well, whatever you decide to be, lass, I suspect it will have a big impact on our country. And right now, you’re the best horse to back out of a bad lot, by my way of thinking. Rest assured, I’ll keep those lads safe. And you? You keep yourself the same.”

He tapped his brow and then turned, disappearing down the hall as if he was never there, only the handkerchief in my hand evidence he was.

“Pippin!”Flynn shouted my name as I ambled back towards the keep kitchens, having had to ask the way a few times on my travels. “What did…? Are you…?”

“I didn’t get breakfast,” I said, my voice tight, my eyes aching. “What with Beatrice’s antics, and I’ve just found out that I can’t eat anything the kitchen provides either.”

Pippin!

Glimmer came stalking around the corner, my mates behind her, even Ged. She marched right up to me and clawed at my pants until I took her in my arms. The heavy weight of her was comforting rather than a burden, providing me with an anchor.

“Apparently there are poisons that even jade can’t detect and Marcus thinks there will be another attack.”

“Marcus—?” Ged asked, but I held a hand up.

“I saw him just now. The boys are fine, he tells me, but he’s not going to give them back, not while Raina rules.” They went to mumble something in response to that, but I shook my head. “I think that’s best. The egg…” Soren held the dragonstone out and I barely stopped myself from shrinking back from it. “It was hardly helpful. I was forced to relive some very unpleasant experiences from my past. And for what? To remind me of all my shortcomings?”

I rubbed at my temple, a familiar ache throbbing there.

“I’m hungry and no good decisions are made on an empty stomach.”

I’m hungry too.My morning meal was cruelly curtailed, Glimmer told me.

“I’ll get you some meat,” I told her, “but I have to prove I haven’t put on so many airs and graces that I can’t pull carrots and potatoes out of the ground and boil them up myself for a slap up meal.”

“What the hell did Marcus say?” Brom asked as we walked through the kitchen, the staff all going quiet as we passed, walking out to the gardens beyond.

“Do you mind if we take some vegetables?” I asked an older man resting his elbow on a rake, a cigarette burning at the corner of his mouth.

“Take whatever you need, milady,” he said, then ambled off to do his work.

How can you eat these things?Glimmer asked, nudging a carrot with her claw.Worms eat these.

Not these ones. I brushed the dirt off the taproot and presented it to her.They’re quite nice with salt and butter.

Well, you have your plant things. Now can you ask for some more meat? I am very hungry and this morning was tiring.

Of course, I will.

My men were silent witnesses, standing around near me, trying to keep out of the way and not daring to discuss what had happened. I no doubt annoyed the keep cook terribly, claiming a small space on the prep bench and then chopping up my washed vegetables to dump into a pot while Glimmer shoved her nose into the bowl of meat I’d asked for her.

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