The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen, #2)(23)

With a sharp smile, Prince Colin’s attention lingered on my legs. “Sleep well, Your Highness. I know I will.” He bowed and left the room.

Head spinning, I took two deep breaths and listened to the sound of his footfalls through my sitting room. In my space.

Rage fogged my vision as I darted after him, my blades ready. But he was already halfway through the door as I approached, and he shot me a chastising look, as though reminding me how utterly stupid it would be to kill him.

“By the way, I heard an interesting rumor about my nephew. He was near death when I visited, but he seems quite recovered now. Interesting that you were present for both his miraculous healing, and that of his bodyguard.”

With that, he strode down the hall, leaving me to stand in the empty doorway with my daggers clutched in my fists.

No one was standing guard. Where—?

Prince Colin. Of course.

He could threaten all he wanted, but he couldn’t keep my kingdom.

And I’d kill him before he touched me.

I was out my door before dawn.

Sergeant Ferris stood there with his arms across his chest, his brow drawn inward. “What happened to Chris?”

“Who?” I scanned the hall, but other than the pair of guards at the wraith boy’s storage room, it was empty. There wasn’t even anyone standing outside Tobiah’s suite, though perhaps he was not as opposed to having them stationed inside.

“Your overnight guard. And while I’m at it, where were your wraith monster’s guards?”

“Ask them.” I brushed past him, focusing on keeping a neutral face as I strode down the hall.

Sergeant Ferris followed. Of course. “Where can I take you?”

As if he was the one doing the leading.

“I have an appointment with Captain Rayner.”

“This afternoon.”

“He’ll see me this morning.”

Further questions were met with silence, and only the dagger I’d strapped around my leg—hidden beneath my ocean-colored gown—helped the anxiety building in the back of my thoughts.

The wood-paneled walls of James’s new office were bare except for a small plaque with the Rayner family crest engraved in brass, and a line of bookcases along the interior wall. They were filled with histories and tactical studies and atlases.

“Your Highness.” James stood, his tone formal when I entered the room. “Please, come in and sit. Excuse the mess. I haven’t had much time to set up in here.” He motioned at the papers and books strewn across the desk. And in spite of his invitation, the chair on my side of the desk bore a tray piled with empty teacups and caddies.

“Captain, a moment?” Sergeant Ferris lingered in the hall.

James picked up the tea tray and took it with him. The door shut, muffling their voices, but they spoke only a moment before James returned. “Sorry. I got shoved in here yesterday afternoon. It’s an upgrade from my previous office; this one has a window.”

“Nothing to be sorry for. You’ve had a lot to do since you awakened.” It was hard to believe that had only been two days ago.

James’s eyes lowered and he nodded. “Yet I feel the same as ever. You’re sure you didn’t have anything to do with my awakening?”

“Absolutely sure.” It had to be a coincidence that he’d opened his eyes just as I touched his hand. “Have you made any progress finding Patrick?”

“We know where he isn’t.” James sat behind his desk and cleared a small canyon between us.

Melanie’s list hissed against the desk as I slid it toward James. “I found this last night.”

His face was dark as he tilted the paper toward him. “Where did you get this?”

“Fisher’s Mouth.”

He released a long sigh. “All right. What is it?”

“It’s a list of Aecorian resistance groups. It’s rearranged, and I think the new order indicates where Patrick is going first.”

“Can we trust this?” He tapped the first location. “We need to be sure before sending people there.”

“I trust Melanie.” I pulled out the letter she’d left in the Peacock Inn. I’d read it a hundred times already; most of it was what we’d covered when we met. “The list was her second attempt to leave information for me. She was delivering this when we bumped into each other outside the inn.”

He skimmed the letter. “The Red Militia?”

“That’s what he’s calling his army.”

“Your army, he hopes.” James folded the letter. “You can’t give in to his demand. If you declare yourself queen, you’ll provoke Prince Colin. And then Patrick gets what he wants.”

“But if I don’t declare myself queen, Patrick marches against the Indigo Kingdom.”

James narrowed his eyes. “Are you planning to—”

“No.” I sucked in a breath. “Not right now. It just seems like I can’t win, no matter what I do. Prince Colin won’t give up Aecor, and Patrick won’t wait for me to claim it myself. Unless Patrick is arrested, there’s going to be a war, and I don’t know what side I’m supposed to be on.”

James rubbed his temples and nodded. “All right. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about how this puts you in just as bad a position as the rest of us.” He placed the list of resistance groups on top of a pile of papers. “I’ll have people sent to these locations, though even Melanie says Lien doesn’t trust her. If he told her this was the order, it could be more false information to lead us into a trap.”