Page 79 of The King's Queen

“I don’t know, that I shouldn’t sneak out anymore maybe. Or you’re just trying to make me feel guilty.”

Torin stops and turns towards me, the shadows no longer concealing his weary face. His eyes are red and puffy, and his shoulders curve inwards as if too exhausted to carry the weight of the armor he wears.

“I just put my life on the line for you, and that’s where your mind jumps to?”

“No, I’m sorry, that was wrong of me.” I sigh. Blaine’s disappearance has worn heavy on all of us, and it would be foolish of me to think that it hurt me the most. Torin was immediately shot to the position of Captain of the Guard, a title Blaine long since coveted but conceded when he left, and all of Blaine’s previous duties have been piled on his shoulders. He still grins and jokes with us, but we can all tell that he never wanted this.

“Has the workload been hard?” I remember the permanent purple circles that adorned Blaine’s under eye every day as I note the faint beginnings of a bag under Torin’s. The captain shrugs and shakes his head.

“Nothing too awful. It’s mostly been trying to reorganize our troops and prepare security for someone’s upcoming birthday party.” He playfully nudges my shoulder, which almost sends me reeling given his new armor. “Ophelus wants guards stationed at any possible entrance and exit given the recent rebellion uprisings.”

I frown. “Are they getting worse?”

Torin sighs and runs his hand along his face, a habit he seems to have picked up from Rowan. “Well, word got out that the target of their recent attack was the princess of Krycolis.” He catches my panicked glance. “Don’t worry, we’ve kept it from the public. Your little outing confirmed that you are indeed a pureblood, which has only whetted the blade of their desire to kill you and have another assume the throne.”

“I just don’t understand. Why do they want to kill me so badly? What have I done to them?”

The captain runs his tongue over his dry lips as if trying to taste the right thing to say. He mulls it over for a moment before he speaks again. “It’s not you, per say. More so what you represent, not to mention the laws your grandfather established.”

I swear softly. The Raonkin Ban. A law which prohibits anyone of cursed descent to hold any official position, title, large plot of land, or entrance to the palace. Discrimination at its finest.

“As if your great-great-whatever-uncle banning their mages from practicing magic wasn’t bad enough, now there’s discriminatory laws put in place which affects the cursed’s quality of life. The final straw was when that crooked duke gained permission to hunt them for sport all those years ago, but now they have an heir to the throne who supposedly has the purest blood of the thing they hate most. You’re a perfect culmination of everything that is ruining their lives.”

“Thank you for summing that up so kindly.” I deadpan.

By the time we reach my room, four new guards have been stationed outside the door. A glance out the window confirms my suspicions that at least a dozen more have been stationed outside my window as well. I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth. They’ve finally learned.

“I guess there isn’t any hope that I could have these guards removed?”

Torin grimaces sympathetically. “Not a chance. Unfortunately, I do need the king to believe I am qualified for this job, and to do that, you need to be where you say you are at all times. These guys are here to make sure of that.”

The wooden door creaks as I open it, and I frown. Once inside the room, I place my ear against the splintering wood and knock, only for it to reverberate back through my senses. Shit. Someone replaced my door with lighter wood while I was gone. They can hear my every word outside.

Tanja approaches me and bows towards Torin before he is gone as well. She presses a willowy finger to her lips and juts her chin in the direction of the bathing chambers.

“Mai Reinhavich, by the Laei you smellheinous! Quick, to the tub with you.” My lady in waiting exclaims rather loudly. I roll my eyes as the heavy chamber door snicks closed behind us.

“Was that part necessary?” I groan. Tanja smirks devilishly.

“This is the only room they won’t dare enter, and the only door they didn’t replace. Besides, I wasn’t exaggerating, you do smell dreadful. Get in the tub.”

“I could have your head for that.”

“I’m sure you could, my little tyrant.” She taps a single finger against my nose with a laugh before excusing herself to grab something from my room. Self-consciously, I lift my cloak and take a sniff.

I gag immediately.

Ever so carefully, I slip out of my riding boots, followed by cloak, trousers, and blouse before comfortably sinking into the warm bathtub. Tanja reenters moments later with a parchment carefully concealed in her hands.

“Torin wrote this out. You might want to warn the others,” she says as she unfurls highly descriptive notes on the new guard rotation.

She gives me a moment to read through the parchment before I stuff it under a loose stone. She shifts from foot to foot, fiddling with her skirt.

“Did you find anything?” Her voice is quiet despite the thick door and stone walls between us and the guard.

“No.” I sink lower into the water to avoid her pressing gaze. “I just can’t believe he would leave without saying anything.”

Tanja’s hands pause, and she inhales sharply. Dread settles in my gut before she even parts her lips.

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