State of Sorrow (Sorrow #1)(100)
Sorrow took another sip of her drink, the warmth of the liqueur making false courage in her belly, then spoke, her voice surprisingly level. “I left the ball, and came straight to my room. Luvian said Irris had come here, but she wasn’t here when I got back. I started to run a bath, and then I heard someone come in. I assumed it was Irris, but it wasn’t.”
“It was a masked man, Mr Fen said.”
Sorrow nodded. “It was one of the Sons of Rhannon. I recognized his voice, he was the same one who attacked me in Prekara, when Mael was there. He said he’d killed Irris.”
“And then he tried to drown you?”
Irris’s grip on her hand tightened when she replied. “Yes. Then I heard shouting, he let me go, and I could move again. I pulled myself out of the water and Luvian was there, with a bottle.”
“A bottle?” Caspar turned to Luvian.
“When I came back, Sorrow’s bedroom door was open and I could hear an odd thumping sound. I called out to her, and when she didn’t reply, I went to look. I saw her being held under the water, and grabbed the first thing that came to hand, which was a bottle. I smashed the end off and went to her aid.”
“And then what happened?”
“I fought, briefly, with her assailant, and I managed to slash his arm, then he ran. I followed but he was too fast. Then I brought Sorrow to my room, told her to lock the door, and came for you.”
“He spoke to you,” Sorrow said, and Luvian turned to her.
It’s what she’d been about to say when the Rhyllians, and Irris, arrived. The man had spoken to Luvian and there had been a familiarity to it. As though he knew Luvian, and Luvian knew him. And there was the final thing he’d said … the thing she hadn’t heard properly. Something something be proud…
If she hadn’t been looking for a sign something was amiss, she would not have noticed the lightning flash of worry that flickered over Luvian’s customarily calm face.
There was no sign of it when he spoke. “That’s right.” Luvian looked away from her, back to Caspar. “He told me I didn’t have the guts, to which I replied, ‘Try me,’ and that’s when I managed to cut him. Then he said, ‘I didn’t think you had it in you.’”
That was almost it. Almost. “‘Luvian’,” Sorrow said. “He called you by your name.”
“Yes,” Luvian said, meeting her eyes steadily. “He would have known who I am, of course. Almost everyone in Rhannon knows I’m your advisor.” He turned again to Caspar. “I expect that’s what he meant by saying I didn’t have the guts. I hope he’s learned now not to judge a book by its cover.”
It was smooth. Plausible. Yet Sorrow didn’t believe a word of it. If he knew who Luvian was from the campaign, then he’d know who Irris was too. He wouldn’t mistake Dain for her. What had the man said while she was vomiting? She desperately tried to remember… Proud… Someone would be proud…?
“Do you need a doctor, Miss Ventaxis?” Caspar broke across her thoughts.
“No, I’m fine.” She didn’t want a doctor; she was too worried they might try to sedate her. She wanted to stay focused and alert. She wanted to remember.
Caspar stood. “I’ve summoned all of the guards to search the entire palace complex. With luck, we’ll find your assailant.”
Sorrow doubted it. If the man had managed to get into the supposedly impenetrable complex undetected, he would have got out the same way. Maybe scrambled over the roof… She gasped as she remembered something. Something she’d almost remembered once before.
“Wait,” she said. She pressed her fingers to the sides of her head, as though it might help her recall. “Charon told me when he arrived that someone broke into the house in the North Marches where we’d been staying. They picked the lock on the balcony door to my room. And I don’t think it was the first time,” Sorrow said, as Irris inhaled sharply. “The night before the presentation I took a sleeping draught. I woke later – or dreamed I woke later – because I heard something on the roof, then at the doors of my balcony.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Irris began, but Caspar silenced her.
“Please go on,” he said.
“It’s all so blurry. I remember the chime of metal. I got out of bed and knocked a lamp over. It must have scared them away. I put the key back in the door, and then I must have fallen asleep. I’d forgotten it until now.” Sorrow didn’t miss the fact that Luvian had turned pale.
Irris nodded, gripping Sorrow’s hand so tightly it hurt.
“I don’t think we can rule out a possible connection,” Casper said.
“What should we do now?” Luvian asked.
“That is up to you. If you’d prefer to leave at once, we’ll make a carriage ready with haste. If you’d like to stay until morning, we’ll move you to new rooms, and post guards outside your doors.”
“I want to go…” She hesitated to say it.
“Home.” Irris finished her sentence when she did not. “I’ll take you home,” she said softly, squeezing her hand again.
“I’ll have a carriage ready to depart within the hour, and a contingent of guards to accompany you, all the way back to your home,” Caspar reassured them. “And I’ll have the body of the guard prepared to travel too.”