So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)(132)
“An excellent choice, Your Majesty.” Argus bowed low.
Gunther snorted. “You’re fawning more than usual. Did something happen while we were gone?”
With a wince, Argus straightened. “Well, there are a few things.”
“Out with it,” Gunther growled.
“An envoy from the Eberoni king has delivered the body you requested. The infamous pirate Rupert.”
Brigitta stiffened, and Gunther shot her a curious look. “Bring the body here, Argus, so my sister can confirm it is truly Rupert.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Argus motioned to some guards, and they hurried from the room.
Brigitta swallowed hard. What body had Leo and Luciana sent? Should she lie or not?
“Anything else?” Gunther asked.
Argus clenched his hands together. “It’s about the prisoners, the three losers from the competition.”
Gunther narrowed his eyes. “What about them?”
Argus stepped back, wincing. “They escaped.”
“What?” Gunther jumped to his feet.
Yes! Brigitta bit her lip to keep from grinning.
Argus fell to his knees. “It was terrible, Your Majesty. The guards were knocked out by a powerful sorcerer. They had no defense against his magic.”
“Ridiculous!” Gunther shouted. “Have those guards whipped! And find the prisoners!”
Argus cringed. “We’ve been searching for them, but they’re nowhere to be found. We—we believe they may have escaped by boat.”
“Dammit!” Gunther knocked over a nearby golden candlestick holder, then glared at Brigitta. “Seven was behind this, wasn’t he?”
Brigitta lifted her chin. “You’ll never capture him.”
“Damn you!” Gunther raised a fist.
Guards marched in, carrying a stretcher with a body covered by a sheet. Brigitta looked away, covering her nose as the stench of death permeated the room.
“Shit.” Gunther grabbed Brigitta by the arm and dragged her toward the stretcher. “Be quick about it. Is this the pirate who kidnapped you? Is it Rupert?”
“I wouldn’t know.” Brigitta kept her head turned away. “He always wore a mask.”
“Look!” Gunther shouted, and she ventured a quick look as a soldier folded back the sheet.
Kennet! She gasped, then quickly looked away.
Gunther’s eyes narrowed. “You recognized him.”
She covered her mouth as bile rose in her throat. Kennet must have been captured by the Eberoni army after he’d gone ashore. Then he’d been executed with the other pirates.
“Take the body away and burn it,” Gunther ordered, and the soldiers carried the stretcher away. He turned toward Brigitta. “Was that Rupert? Be honest with me, girl.”
She wished she could be completely honest with her brother. If only he were an honorable man. “That man was a pirate. But he wasn’t Rupert. You’ll never be able to capture Rupert.”
Gunther gritted his teeth. “Damn you.”
“I’m being honest!” She touched her brother’s shoulder. “Please, believe me. A sorcerer is pretending to be Mador. He’s dangerous.”
“Oh, really?” Mador said softly as he entered the room. “Such a sad way for my betrothed to talk about me.”
Brigitta shuddered.
“Don’t worry,” Gunther muttered. “She’s just trying to weasel out of the wedding.”
Mador arched an eyebrow. “That’s not really possible, is it, Princess? You know what will happen if you defy me.”
She swallowed hard. If she didn’t agree to the wedding, Mador would kill Sister Fallyn and Bjornfrid. If she confided in her brother, he would also kill Bjornfrid. There was only one way to save Rupert’s brother.
Tears burned her eyes. “I’ll marry you.”
*
Five days later, Rupert scanned the Tourinian coastline with a great sense of satisfaction. He’d blown eleven naval ships onto the rocks, utterly destroying them. The last ship, the flagship, had finally surrendered. He’d sent Ansel and his entire crew over to claim victory in the name of the rightful king, Ulfrid Trepurin.
Most of the Tourinian navy had managed to get safely ashore. Rupert had shot multiple arrows onto the beach with messages tied to them. Any seamen who wanted to pledge loyalty to King Ulfrid’s navy would be accepted and paid their wages in gold. Many had accepted. The others had run away, not willing to fight for either the new king or the old one.
Admiral Helgar had been released so he could take a message to Gunther in Lourdon. The lost prince, Ulfrid Trepurin, was coming for the throne.
The news should be spreading across all of Tourin now. Six had described his idea as a method designed to win the hearts of the people. Four days ago, Six had secretly returned to his father’s estate in central Tourin, while Four had been dropped off on his estate in northern Eberon. There, the two men would gather everyone who could write, so they could produce hundreds of notices. Then their servants would travel about, posting the notices in villages and spreading around the gold that Rupert had given them for the project. Four’s servants would target villages in southern Tourin, just across the border, while Six would blanket the central part of Tourin.
“You did it,” Stefan said as he joined Rupert on the quarterdeck. “The Tourinian navy is ours.”