The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)(36)

“Even though it’s destroying our world?”

“Several problems are immediate. One is not.” I shivered. “Everyone knows about you.”

He was quiet.

“You seek flashers. And once you find them, they’re never seen again. What do you do with them?”

“Good night, nameless girl.” Black Knife released me.

I staggered away, scooped up my daggers, and spun. The tip of one blade rested under his chin.

His eyes found mine, and he stilled.

I could turn the dagger blade vertical. Cut a slit in the silk that covered his face. Maybe find out who hid behind that mask.

He’d disarm me as soon as I moved. We’d fight, and I’d have to explain away strange cuts and bruises when I returned to the palace.

“Are we going to fight?” he asked, echoing my earlier question.

My voice grew hoarse. “What happens to the flashers?”

“Good night.” He reached up, as though to shove away my dagger.

“Black Knife.”

He held my gaze and didn’t move. His black-gloved hand hung suspended in the air, just breaths away from my wrist.

I licked my lips. “Are they killed?”

Carefully, gently, Black Knife took my hand and pulled away from the dagger. His tone turned darker. “I will find out.”

Then he stepped off the edge of the roof and vanished into the shadows.





TWELVE


“LAST NIGHT WAS a success,” Melanie said, beckoning me to sit in front of the mirror. As she brushed and braided my hair, she described sneaking into the general’s office and navigating his haphazard organizational system.

“So he’s messy.”

“Say it again. I was embarrassed for him.” Her mirror-self grinned. “But there’s good news. The letter recalling the Aecorian troops will go out this afternoon. I used money from Colin Pierce’s own box to pay the courier.”

“Very nice.”

“While I was snooping around, I found a map of Aecor with Indigo Kingdom troops marked. I took note of the locations and numbers. I haven’t found the list of resistance groups in Aecor, but I did see a few references to it in other notices.”

“But that covers most of the intelligence on the Indigo Army?” Excitement fluttered inside me. We’d been here not even two weeks, but we’d completed nearly half our tasks.

“Almost. Patrick wanted to know what kind of weapons they’re carrying and other details like that.” She finished plaiting my hair into a swirling coronet, leaving just a few tendrils hanging to my shoulders. Every time I turned my head, a thin whiff of rosewater lifted off my hair; it was in the soap. “I’ll keep looking for more information, as well as the list of the resistance groups.”

“Good. I need to do some snooping, too. I saw something interesting at the wraith mitigation meeting that made me curious.”

“Oh? Something interesting like the royal scenery?”

“The royal scenery?” I made a gagging face at her.

“But it would make Quinn so happy if you’d at least write her a letter and describe him. Maybe the bodyguard, too, while you’re at it? I’ll add them to tonight’s report.”

“Shut your mouth! I will not waste precious ink on that bore!”

She laughed. “Does this have anything to do with the long walk you took last night? Maybe you were meeting someone?”

Before I could make up an answer, a footman came to whisk me toward the Dragon Wing, where the king and his immediate family lived.

After traversing a maze of halls, I was deposited in a dining room large enough to seat ten or twelve people. The room was lavishly decorated, with a heavy oak table and matching chairs, and a lace tablecloth that gleamed like silk under the midmorning light falling through the open window. Gold-framed paintings hung on all the walls, portraits of the Pierce family going back several generations. The fashion changes over the centuries might have been interesting to study, but movement caught my eye.

“Lady Julianna.” On the other side of the room, King Terrell stood, one hand bracing him against the table. His arm trembled with the strain, and his breath came in slow, heavy gasps. “I’m glad you decided to visit me this morning.”

As though I’d been given a choice.

“Thank you for inviting me.” It wasn’t hard to play the part of a nervous young noblewoman, unsure of her place in this palace. Not right now. When the king beckoned me forward, I took the offered chair. “Will your wife or son be joining us?” I asked as the footman slid my chair closer to the table.

“Francesca often has breakfast with her ladies, and I’m afraid Tobiah sleeps rather late.”

Of course he did.

King Terrell sat and signaled the servants waiting by another door. “Which is good for us, because I’d like to discuss him.”

That sounded bad. “With me?”

He nodded deeply, then waited as we were served dishes of blueberries and strawberries, with small crystal bowls of cream and sugar. There were peeled orange sections and bananas, and other fruits I couldn’t identify.

“Your greenhouses must be impressive,” I said, “with such a selection.” Did anyone beyond the Hawksbill wall eat so well?