Dividing Eden (Dividing Eden #1)(29)
Her brother took her arm. “You’re saying members of the King’s Guard killed their King? Why?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Maybe the Bastians are maneuvering once again to take back the throne. Maybe Adderton has decided they would have a better chance negotiating peace if the two men who enjoy fighting the war were no longer in charge.”
Or maybe it was someone else pulling the strings. The Council of Elders. One of the District High Lords or someone Carys had yet to consider. The list of those who wanted power was too endless to count.
“All I do know,” she insisted, “is that the lights were sabotaged last night. The King and Prince return dead, and the only people who can tell the truth about what happened were murdered in their cells. Do you think all of that is a coincidence?”
“I don’t know.” Andreus raked a hand through his hair and paced across the gleaming white floor. “It’s hard to believe that the attack and the sabotage could be related.”
“Did you talk to the boy?”
“I started to. Then the gongs sounded and . . .” He shook his head. “By the time I got back to my rooms . . . I had other things on my mind.”
Other things.
“I know.” She held her breath, waiting for him to apologize. To tell her that they were still a team. When he said nothing, she walked past him and stared at the throne on the dais above. “Lady Imogen appeared to have other things on her mind, too. I was foolish enough to believe you’d be there to help me.”
“I can explain.”
“I’m sure you can.” She turned. “But we both know there are more important things to deal with, so let’s put it in the past.” Far behind Andreus, she spotted someone duck behind a column and lowered her voice. “If there’s someone plotting against our family we have to figure it out before it’s too late. Go find Max and ask him who he’s spoken with, but take care no one sees the two of you together. Last night I spoke with one of the King’s Guard and today all of them are dead.”
Andreus looked at her as if he wanted to say something, then sighed. “It might take a while to find Max and get him alone without anyone seeing us. Once I do, I’ll let you know what I find out. You should get some rest before then. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
Yes. She thought of the sorrow and the uncertainty and felt the tantalizing tug of need for the drink that would make it all better. Knowing she couldn’t give in, she knew tomorrow would be very long indeed.
White was the color of purity. Black was the color of death. Purple the color of nobility. Her father and brother were draped in all three colors today to show death that they were pure of heart and leaders of their people as they walked through the gates of death’s realm. Carys wore the deepest of purple as she stood next to her brother, also draped in the dark hue. Chief Elder Cestrum stood at the front of the chapel with Imogen. Both were dressed in white as they prepared to oversee the final ceremony of Carys’s father’s and brother’s lives.
Which could only happen when her mother arrived.
Carys could hear the rustling of fabrics and the not-so-discreet murmurs of speculation of the court and visiting lords behind them. Their mother had not shown up to greet the Lords of the Seven Districts who had arrived throughout the night and this morning. And the farewell service for the King and Prince was supposed to have started a long time ago.
“One of us should have gone with Elder Jacobs to get Mother,” she whispered to Andreus. Standing in the chapel now, it was hard to get the Councilman’s words from the other night out of her head. He’d warned her about the dangers of the North Tower. The next day the five King’s Guardsmen were dead.
“We were trying to make it less obvious that she wasn’t here.” Andreus had spent the morning once again trying to track down Max, who had gone into hiding after their discussion last night.
The boy claimed he never once said anything about Andreus or what he knew about the wind-powered lights. The way the boy answered the question and dashed off to help in the kitchens made her brother think the boy had bragged to someone and was worried about getting expelled from the castle.
In the meanwhile, an uproar was slowly growing behind them. The time was getting late. There was a long ride to the tomb ahead of them. Any later and darkness would be descending when they returned.
“Elder Ulrich and Lord Marksham have sent several pages to remind Mother of the time. Just breathe. We have no choice but to stay here and wait. This will all be over soon,” Dreus said, taking Carys’s cold hand in his warm one. “You’ll see.”
“Queen Betrice!” someone announced.
Carys let out a sigh of relief as she and Andreus turned. Everything inside Carys stilled as people dropped into bows and curtsies while their queen walked down the aisle in a billowing yellow dress. Her brown hair flowed loose around her shoulders. That and the smile tugging at her mouth gave her almost a girlish look—so different than the severe style she had often encouraged Carys to emulate.
“Looking serious is the only way people will treat you seriously.”
Perhaps now that she reigned, Mother no longer felt like she needed to look a certain way?
Mother didn’t say a word as she took her place next to Andreus, directly in front of the white stone dais where King Ulron lay with his arms crossed over his chest.