To Love a Prince (Knights of Valor Book 1)(26)

“Servants must be controlled, and those of us assigned to the harem are under the First Wife’s command.” Auburn stared down at her slipped feet. “I can’t control the visions, so even if the First Wife ordered me to, I couldn’t have one. Much less one about a certain person or thing.”

“Any more visions?”

“None about you.”

“But you’ve had others?” Eli said.

“Many. They showed me I had to dance for you.”

“Are they the reason you want to go to Tamryn?”

She nodded.

“What have you seen in Tamryn?”

Auburn swallowed as she kept her eyes on her feet.

Eli’s jaw set in a hard line. “Tell me.”

“My son.” Her voice quavered, and she blinked back a fresh batch of tears.

“You don’t have a son.”

“Not yet, but I will in Tamryn.”

Eli’s eyes narrowed.

“He’s just a boy in the visions.” Tears escaped and dampened her cheeks. “But he’s strong and brave. He wears a tabard with a gold dragon on it. The same dragon as on the dagger you gave to the sultan.”

“What color is the tabard?”

“Red.”

“A Knight of Valor initiate wears a tabard like that.”

Auburn lifted her shoulders. “Perhaps I misunderstood the vision. A child born to a slave could never be a Knight of Valor.”

“The Knights have no such prerequisite.”

A wistful smile touched her lips and disappeared. “Maybe he wears it as his father did.”

“You’ve had a vision of that, too?” The punch of jealousy made his words harder than he’d intended.

“That was a daydream. Not the same thing.”

Jealousy hit him again, and he turned away from her. “What else have you had visions of?”

“You believe me?” Hope tinged her words.

“You believe what you’re telling me. I don’t know what to think about these visions.”

“They may be manifestations of her actions,” Sligo said. “Perhaps she planted that snake among the flowers. She may be in league with the assassins.”

Auburn kept her eyes on the floor. “If I wanted to kill Prince Eli, I wouldn’t use arrows. Besides, I need him to take me to Tamryn.”

Eli glanced from Auburn to Sligo. “Find any poison or concealed weapons in my room?”

“No,” Sligo said.

“Any other visions?” Eli asked as he focused back on Auburn.

“Most I don’t understand. Or I don’t recognize the people in them.”

“Like what?” Eli asked.

“I keep having visions of a pirate ship sinking, but I know no pirates and have never been to the docks.”

“You’ve never tried to warn anyone?”

“Who would I tell? The First Wife would beat me, label me insane, and try to have me executed.”

“You and she didn’t get along well.”

Auburn lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know why. I never tried to be disobedient or difficult.”

“Then you don’t realize how beautiful you are, how intelligent, or how much you threatened her position with the sultan.” Eli glanced over at Sligo. “What do you think?”

His bodyguard shrugged. “I think we’re lucky she warned you.”

Eli couldn’t explain her visions, but then, he couldn’t explain how mages summoned fireballs. Fear and vulnerability of telling a secret, her secret, pinched her face. While he wasn’t sure how she knew about the assassins or the red tabard of a Knight of Valor initiate, she hadn’t betrayed him.

He was her ticket to Tamryn and to the son she hadn’t yet conceived.





Chapter 18





The sultan suspended negotiations as the Qumarefi authorities investigated the assassination attempt. Eli cloistered in his rooms with Auburn, wanting to make it as easy as possible for his bodyguards to keep them both alive.

But he still needed answers.

There was a knock at the door, followed by a password. Rolland’s password. Peering into the shadows, Eli made certain Sligo was there then bid his adviser to enter.

Rolland opened the door and bowed. “You called for me, Your Highness.”

Eli nodded once, and the guards closed the door behind his adviser.

The prince stilled and focused on Rolland like a predator stalking its next meal. He waited a few moments, using the silence to further unnerve his quarry. “You’ve been lying to me, feeding me disinformation, and withholding important facts.”

“Your Highness, I...”

Eli held up his hand to silence Rolland. “You’ve lied enough. Don’t add to it.”

Sweat beaded on Rolland’s brow, and he stared down at his hands.

“Figuring out what your half-truths gained you eased the boredom of negotiations. However, it’s escalated from disinformation to assassination. When it comes to my life, I’m far less understanding.”

Panic twisted Rolland’s face. “I was part of no such a plot!”

“Attempted murder on a member of the royal family is punishable by death. The statutes are less clear on how that execution should be carried out, and a merciful death is too kind for betrayal.”