The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)(53)

She lifted an eyebrow.

“I’m going to the wraithland.”

“Why?”

“There’s a lake in Liadia. If the rumors about it are true, parts of the Liadian barrier fell into it. And the barrier—Mel, it was made with magic.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Liadia broke the treaty?”

“Yes. And there are a million rumors about what the magical barrier did to the lake. Whatever happened there could help solve the wraith problem before the Indigo Kingdom and Aecor fall.”

“And you have to be the one to go look?”

“Who else is going to do it?”

“Anyone else!” She slapped the table and leaned forward. “Don’t be stupid, Wil. This isn’t worth your life.”

“No doubt that’s most people’s attitude. And that’s why I have to do it.” I held up a hand, forestalling more questions. “I don’t want Patrick to know. This is for Aecor, but he wouldn’t understand.”

“He might!”

“Would he let me go?”

“No, and with good reason.”

I crossed my arms. “Mel, I know you want to defend him, but listen to what you just said. He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t think the wraith is a problem yet, and he wants to put off dealing with it until after we take back Aecor. But by then, we’ll be occupied with stabilizing the kingdom and fighting off the Indigo Army. And Colin Pierce is going to want Aecor back, of course. By the time we have Aecor under control, it could be too late to do anything about the wraith. We have to do something now, whether or not Patrick approves. And since I’m going to be queen, it’s my responsibility. If I’m not willing to take risks for my people’s well-being, I don’t deserve to be queen.”

“Isn’t it your responsibility to stay alive? Where will Aecor be if you die?”

I didn’t want to think about that. “I’m sure Patrick would come up with some way to cope.”

She heaved a sigh. “So what are you going to do? What do you need me for, besides keeping your secret from Patrick?”

“Will you keep my secret?”

“I haven’t decided.” She inclined her head toward my open bedroom door, to where tonight’s gowns hung. “We don’t have long before dinner, so just tell me your plan.”

“All right.” I took a seat and met her eyes. “I need you to cover for me while I’m away. With Patrick, but also with the palace.”

“I thought as much.”

“I’ve already gathered supplies and gotten myself on as a guard in a merchant caravan heading to West Pass Watch. It leaves in the morning. Tonight, I’m going to fall very ill. I will need you to bribe or otherwise persuade a physician to claim he’s seen me.”

The familiar light of mischief shone in her eyes as she nodded. “I’ll turn down all of our invitations, make excuses for you, deliver reports, and finish our map. But I don’t want to lie to Patrick.”

“I know.” I squeezed her hands, urging her to understand. “But I need to do this. I need to do everything in my power to put a stop to the wraith before it gets to Aecor. The Indigo Kingdom isn’t any closer to stopping it, and they won’t be between it and Aecor forever.”

“Are you sure you can’t find answers here?”

“I tried. I’ve searched every office and records room, but nothing tells about the lake, or whether all the things we think we’ve learned about the wraith are actually true. I have to know. I have to see for myself.”

“Wilhelmina, what makes you think you have a chance where everyone else has failed?”

The truth balanced on the tip of my tongue, but I’d kept my magic a secret so long that the words died there on my breath. Anyway, I wasn’t even sure whether confessing my ability would be an explanation for why I thought I had a chance to do something about the wraith.

Before my hesitation stretched too long, the maid knocked and entered the sitting room, tutting about how little time we had before dinner with the Pierce family, Lady Meredith, and several other members of the royal household.

It would have been a great honor to be invited, if we’d truly been Liadian refugees.

But for us, it was simply an opportunity to study the Pierces and their extended family, and sow seeds for my upcoming deception.

“Time to work.”

“Say it again,” she said, and offered a tiny salute.


Throughout dinner, I coughed into my napkin and pretended to have trouble focusing, as though faint. My apparent condition grew worse over each course, and I forced myself to eat very little, though the food was delicious and it was all I could do not to devour every scrap of roasted duck.

“Lady Julianna?” James leaned forward, his voice low while the others discussed how the Saint Shumway Theater had been designed for magical effects, and what a shame it would be to remodel the building now.

“We didn’t rip up the palace and start over when crisis struck.” Meredith shook her head. “We should respect such a historic building.”

“My great-grandfather didn’t tear down the palace,” Tobiah said, “because all of the original fixtures could be renovated for nonmagical use. Besides, building the palace nearly bankrupted the kingdom, thanks to Kelvin Geary. Can you imagine the riots if the Pierce family constructed another palace, after the Geary fiasco?”