Lucky Charm (Reverse Fairytales Book 2)(64)

“Nothing. He’s spent the last week drinking alone in a pub.”

“That’s sad.”

“Yeah, but not suspicious. He’s talked to no one except the barman, and then, only to order drinks.”

“Any other leads?” I asked, feeling hopeless.

“A couple,” answered Leo, “but nothing concrete. The task force members are working well together, and we are gathering information, but it’s going to be a while before we know for sure.”

“So why call me in here? You could have told me this at the party yesterday.”

Leo sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Your love life is really none of my business, but I do feel pretty bad about finding that photo of Cynder. I think this whole marriage to Drusilla Bloom thing has spiraled out of control.”

“It’s ok. You were looking out for me. I understand that.”

“It’s not ok. If I’d not stirred the pot, none of this would have happened. I’ve kept some of the task force to one side to look into Cynder’s past for you.”

“And?”

“Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“Yes, of course, I’m sure. What is it?”

“His parents were killed in a fire when he was a child. Apparently, there had been a lot of threats towards them as they were Magi. The official line is that it was an accident, but...”

“There was a strong smell of petrol, and the doors to the restaurant had been blocked off,” I interrupted him.

“How do you know?” asked Leo.

“He told me.” I felt relieved that at least this was the truth.

“The trail goes a bit murky after this point, but he lived with a number of people. Some Magi, some not Magi. At one point in his mid-teens, he lived with the Blooms. I think the Countess Bloom thought she was doing him a huge favor, but by all accounts, he was nothing more than a slave for the two years he lived there. She made him refer to her as step-mother and her daughters as sisters throughout the time he was with them. She liked to show him off to her well-to-do friends, but when he wasn’t out with her and her daughters, he lived in rags, sleeping among the fireplace ashes in the basement. When it stopped being cool or when she got bored with him, she threw him out in the streets. He lived on park benches for the next six months before a Magi family took him in.”

My heart went out to him. He’d told me much of this already, but he’d not told me he’d been forced to wear rags and sleep in ashes. How cold he must have been living on the streets.”

“So he wasn’t married to Drusilla Bloom?”

“No. All the proof the media found is fabricated. We’ve managed to get a lot of it and have our experts go over it. It’s all fake, but it’s good. Whoever made the wedding photos and the fake certificates knew what they were doing. It wouldn’t have come cheap.”

“So the countess or her daughters paid for someone to do this?”

Leo shook his head. “We don’t think so. She might have the title and the nice house, but since her husband died twenty years ago, she and her daughters have managed to squander every penny they had. There is no way that any of them would have been able to afford good forgery.”

“So who then? And why?”

“We think The Regent did it. He must have offered to do it for her. She accepted for the fame. Dragging her one-time foster son’s name through the mud didn’t matter to her if it meant one of her daughters became famous. That family would give anything for fame.”

“Why would The Regent care?”

“He hates the Magi, remember? Having a mage in such a high position would be an abomination to him. Killing Cynder wasn’t an option with all the security at the palace. After all, he’d already tried to have you murdered unsuccessfully. There was no way he’d be able to get past your guards. Instead, he did the next best thing. He painted him as a liar and a cheat. With Cynder leaving, he got exactly what he wanted.”

I closed my eyes. Cynder leaving had so many repercussions on Silverwood as a whole, not to mention the effect it was having on me. I’d barely slept all night the night before. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him out there with no place to go and no money. He’d been in that position before, and I knew he’d survive, but I wanted more for him. He deserved so much more than the hand he’d been dealt. When he first came to the palace, he’d been promised a handsome amount of money if he were to lose, but he’d left so abruptly that I’d not have the chance to give it to him. Now the MDS would be gloating at their win.

“Will this affect our plans for the Magi?”

Dean and Leo looked at each other. Neither spoke.

“What is it?”

“There’s something else. Something you should know.”

“What?” Why did I get the feeling that it wasn’t going to be good news. Nothing ever was these days.

“The MDS are hatching another assassination plot. We don’t know what it is, but we know it’s going to be big.”

“When?” I asked in alarm. Another assassination plot meant more security, more guards, and a more visible police force. I wasn’t sure if I could handle another disaster like the one last year.

“We don’t know the date, but we suspect it might be your wedding. It worked before, if only by accident. What better way to get their cause on the news than by doing something that will have all the media out in force, plus the sheer numbers of people.”