The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)(39)

“Certainly.”

I pointed to the lake in Liadia. “What does this mean?”

“Wishful thinking.” He shook his head. “It’s only a rumor, and not a reliable one. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

I bit my cheek to keep from frowning. Clint was supposed to be the one who liked me. He thought I was delightful. If he wouldn’t tell me, no one here would.

“Thank you for your time, Captain.” I gave a small curtsy and quit the room. Clearly, no one was going to tell me what was out there, and there’d been no information in Tobiah’s desk. But I wasn’t discouraged. I would learn this secret, even if I had to go to the wraithland to do it.





PART TWO



THE WRAITHLAND





THIRTEEN


IN OUR APARTMENTS, Melanie was reclining on one of the sofas, a book in hand. A History of Mirrors, read the cover in gold foil. There were ink smudges on her fingers, and her braid was askew. She’d been hard at work.

“Did you know that King Terrell Pierce the Second was the one to declare mirrors the answer to wraith?” Melanie didn’t look up from her book as I let the door fall shut behind me. “One of his men returned from the wraithland claiming a mirror had scared off a wraith beast, because it saw itself and was terrified, so Terrell the Second had mirrors hung on every west-facing surface in the city. He declared the mirrors would frighten the wraith into never invading Skyvale. At first it was just polished tin, but eventually they moved on to glass and the wards grew more extravagant. Lots of people use them as displays of wealth.”

“I did know that, but thank you.” Sunshine lit the sitting room, all honey gold and warm. Books and invitations and half-finished drawings of the view lay scattered on the table. Peeking out from the bottom was the beginning of a black-and-white drawing of a gloved hand gripping a black-hilted sword. I hurried to stuff it back under the others.

“What about this? Terrell the Second was called the ‘Mirror King.’ The Third and Fourth didn’t use it, though they could have.”

“I didn’t know about that. It doesn’t seem like a very special title if they all get it.” The window drew my gaze, but all I could see from here were mansion rooftops, the clock tower, and the cathedral spires. The wall rose up behind them, blocking the rest of Skyvale from view.

Melanie snorted. “No, it’s not. I think it’s not supposed to be special, though. It’s another name passed down. Not like ‘Terrell the Scum’ or ‘Terrell the Sloth.’ Those names are earned. This one doesn’t have to be, I suppose. There are mirrors. And there’s a king.” She flipped to the next page. “Tobiah’s older brother would have been yet another Mirror King when he inherited, but—”

“He died when he was an infant.” I crossed the room and sat down by her feet.

“I wonder if Tobiah will get the title, too.” She shrugged and set aside the book. “What happened to you?” Amusement and worry twisted her face as she smoothed back a lock of hair. “Did the king turn into a glowman and try to bash in your skull?”

“Not quite.” I let my head drop back.

Melanie sat up and scrambled over the sofa so her shoulder bumped mine. “Did you learn anything from Terrell?”

My stomach turned over. I’d completely forgotten to ask the king about Aecor. Instead, I’d been lost in emotions and confusion.

I forced my voice steady. “Unfortunately, he didn’t have much to say about Aecor. Not beyond a few details about the One-Night War, which we already knew. Terrell is a very sick man. He just rambled about wanting to be a good king and giving his son the best chance to rule. He didn’t leave much opportunity to question him.”

“That’s too bad.”

I closed my eyes, haunted by Terrell’s earnestness, and Tobiah’s determination to rid the world of wraith.

They were good lessons for a future queen.

If I ever made it that far.

“What about you?” I asked. “Did you do anything useful this morning?”

“As a matter of fact, while you were off breakfasting with the enemy, I was busy working.” She pushed herself up and began to pace, her green day dress fanning about behind her. “We’ve received a number of invitations for dinners and dances. We should respond yes to the most prestigious ones. Meredith Corcoran has been particularly solicitous, which I’m beginning to find suspicious. No one is that nice when her best friend seems to despise you. But I’ve organized the invitations by date.”

Ugh. More social engagements. “Meredith isn’t that bad. Just . . . friendly.”

“Maybe she’s keeping an eye on you for Chey.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me.”

“I also did a little snooping.” She winked and swiveled around to pace back the other way. “Our letter recalling the Aecorian troops went out, just as planned. I added a few more details to our map, which I did in your room—you have the desk—so no one would notice if they barged in.”

“Good. Is that all?”

“No.” She halted and stuck out a hip. “General Fredrick Goldberg’s office held the very thing we’ve been searching for.”

I raised my eyebrows. “The list?”