The Mirror King (The Orphan Queen, #2)(75)

“Arrest him,” I told the red-coated guards.

They hesitated, looking between Patrick, Melanie, and me.

“Do it,” Melanie said. “Wilhelmina is your queen. You answer to her, not to Patrick.”

They obeyed without further question.

Within two hours, one of the wagons became a moving prison, guards of both colors watching over Patrick. The soldiers stationed at Snowhaven Bridge were reinstated, and the wraith boy began to clear snow under my direction; I didn’t trust him not to move it all into the bay and cause a flood.

“Prince Colin will not forgive this,” James said as we walked back to my wagon where a dozen Aecorian guards waited.

“I did it to save his life.”

“He won’t see it that way.”

“Unfortunately.” Had I made things better or worse? It was impossible to know.

The night had deepened and grown colder. The snow Chrysalis had moved away from the caravan formed glistening walls to the north and south, stinking like the wraithland.

After that exertion, Chrysalis was paler, his movements sluggish, but I stopped myself before asking if he was all right. He was going straight back to his wardrobe. At least I didn’t have to worry about him running away; he stuck to my side as surely as a puppy, desperate for attention.

“I should warn you.” James kept his voice low. “Several Aecorians have named themselves part of your royal guard. You can accept or dismiss them as you wish, but you should make a decision soon. Some will want favors in the future. You should be mindful of who you owe.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want any of them. I already have you.”

“Then you risk offending potential allies.”

Not what I wanted to hear.

“At any rate, there will be new sleeping arrangements. You’re no longer incognito and I’m not willing to risk your reputation—”

“It’s my reputation to ruin if I want, James.”

“And I’m not willing to risk mine, either.” He gave a smug grin and motioned to the wagon just ahead. “Lady Melanie will join you. I will station myself outside your wagon, along with any Aecorian soldiers of your choosing.”

“Oscar and Ronald.”

“The ones who brought Prince Colin to Lien?”

“They’re Ospreys. They may have sided with him during the Inundation, but they won’t allow any harm to come to me. The Gray brothers might have been born high noblemen, but they’re clever and good with their weapons.” I paused. “Besides, I don’t know any other Aecorians.”

James nodded. “Very well.”

“As for the others who’ve named themselves my royal guards, I’ll find out what Melanie, Ronald, and Oscar think of them before I accept any oaths. I’d like to know your opinions, too, if you happen to spend time with them.”

“Of course.” He wouldn’t forget, either. That was one of James’s best qualities: complete reliability. “As for the wraith boy, his wardrobe has been moved to the wagon following yours.”

The wraith boy gasped. “No! I want to be close to my queen.”

“It’s only a wagon away.” I leveled a glare on him, though the expression didn’t feel as menacing as I intended; I was too exhausted. “That’s close enough, and I will visit you in the morning.”

The hardness of his face softened. “You trusted me tonight. I wanted to make you proud.”

I forced my voice neutral and chose my words carefully. “You did well tonight. I was pleased with your work, and the way you obeyed my instructions.”

A smile lit his face as we continued toward his wagon. The mirrors had been moved, too, though at the moment they were covered with sheets. He hesitated at a sliver of glass showing near the floor; I stepped in front of it.

“In you go.”

His smile returned as he went inside his wardrobe. “Do I need to hum again?”

“Only if you want. Just behave. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I cannot wait. Good night, my queen.” He remained grinning even when I closed the doors and pulled the sheets off the mirrors. The glass reflected his wardrobe from every angle, making it impossible for him to escape.

How secure was it really, though? He avoided mirrors. He acted like they hurt him. But he’d destroyed the mirrors as wraith mist. Perhaps he couldn’t anymore, now that he was a boy.

What about the rest of the wraith?

“Wil?” James touched my elbow.

I blinked and stepped back from the glass I’d been glaring into. My face was ashen with cold and exhaustion, and my eyes rimmed with red. “Sorry,” I muttered. “I was thinking about mirrors again.”

“It happens to all of us.”

The wagon guards were eyeing me, too. I drew myself up and straightened my cloak. “Don’t open the wardrobe doors for any reason. And don’t taunt him.”

Without another word, I swept out of the wagon, James at my heels.

“Do you think he can ever be useful?” James asked. “Can he learn to be more human?”

“Meredith thought so. And you saw what he did to her. There’s nothing human about him.” At James’s flinch, I softened the edge in my tone. “He’s just wraith and magic and destruction. A mistake I mean to correct. Tobiah said I can’t just bring things to life without consequences, and he was right.”