The King's Traitor (Kingfountain #3)(51)

“Of course, my lord,” the man said gruffly, chewing on the stem.

“You’ve done your work well, Dragan,” Severn said wryly. “Of course, it wouldn’t have worked at all if Lord Kiskaddon had been here. He would have sensed you, just as I can.”

Owen’s heart seethed in uneasy anger. What was going on?

The man shrugged with unconcern. “Best to get it over with quickly, my lord. Break it off quick and sudden. That’s what I say. He’ll never know. You seemed contrite enough. I think you fooled them others.”

“It may surprise you, Dragan,” Severn said with a cunning look. “But I do care about the lad’s conscience. He won’t accept the throne willingly. But I need an heir, and he deserves it. He deserves it without all the complications I’ve had to endure.”

“It’s so kind of you, my lord,” the man said with a low chuckle.

“You’ll get a bonus, of course,” Severn said. “I said I’d pay you double what Maxwell was offering to rescue the lad.”

Dragan clenched the stem within his teeth. “Money is money, my lord. I’m not picky as to who’s paying it.”

“Of course not. I need a man like you around, Dragan. Do you have the Espion ring I gave you? Maybe I’ll let you keep it a while longer.”

Dragan smiled charmingly. “If you say so, my lord. If you say so. Might I have some of these fixings? It would be a shame not to eat it up.”

“I’m not hungry. I must go prepare to console a soon-to-be widow.”

Dragan smacked his lips and helped himself to the food trays while the king exited the council room and shut the door behind him. The thief took a bite from a piece of succulent beef and smacked his lips.

“Poor lass,” he said with a wicked grin. “He’ll get her in the end. She’s been wearing black for so long she looks like his queen now.”





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN


Loyalty




As Owen stalked the dark Espion tunnel, his emotions churned. The implications of what he had witnessed made him burn with conflict. It appeared to Owen that Severn was going to position him as his named heir. The idea made his ambition squirm to life inside him. Owen Kiskaddon—King of Ceredigion. But Severn had told that to the thief. Was it even true? And if so, should Owen willingly accept the role and use it as an opportunity to abdicate in favor of Drew? That question brought forth another—one that poked at the very essence of Owen Kiskaddon. Would he have the strength to let go of power once he had a taste of it?

He feared he might not, a thought that troubled him deeply. As he walked through the Espion tunnels that snaked through the walls of the palace, he brooded on how the years had altered him, making him more and more like Severn. His tongue had developed the same sarcastic sharpness. His moods grew ever darker, and everything smelled of treachery and deceit. No, Owen could not allow himself to play the role of the usurper. Perhaps everyone expected it of him. But he would defy that fate. He would not betray Sinia. He needed to get her a note about what had happened upon his return. Their plan to topple Severn had to start immediately.

The end of the journey found him deep in the secret wings of the palace at the Star Chamber, where he hoped to find Kevan Amrein alone. He listened at the portal for a moment, then rapped on the door and opened it.

The older Espion was sitting in a chair opposite a desk stacked with a tottering tower of missives. He looked beleaguered and fretful as he glanced up at the intrusion, looked back down at the letter, and then started and rose from his chair.

“You’re back!” Kevan said with unfeigned surprise. “I’ve not had word from you since you left. I’d begun to fear you’d come to harm in Brythonica!”

Owen smiled at the remark and quietly shut and bolted the door behind him.

“Does the king know you’ve returned?” Kevan pressed.

Owen shook his head. “Not yet. I wanted to see you first. I eavesdropped on the meeting you just had with him.”

A relieved exhalation came out of Kevan’s mouth. “I’m glad you did. I’ve been trying to stave off disaster, but I’m afraid I’ve been failing. Thank the Fountain you made it back. What can I tell you? What do you need to know most? Did you get my message about Eyric and Dunsdworth?”

“It’s why I returned so quickly,” Owen said. “Tell me what happened—how they escaped.”

Kevan walked around the desk so they could face each other. “That’s the problem. I don’t understand how it happened. Your orders were to hold Dragan for a few days, then release him and follow him. He escaped from his cell the day you left.”

Owen’s brow crinkled. “How so?”

“I wish I knew!” Kevan said with surprise. “The jailor came to feed him and found the chains in a heap on the floor. The door was still locked, but the man was gone. You saw his cell. It’s not very big. The jailor’s key went missing, so I had him arrested for being part of the conspiracy.”

Owen shook his head. “The jailor’s innocent. I know how he escaped.”

“But how? I told the king about it, and he blamed the Espion for bungling things. He was furious, as you can imagine. Then shortly afterward, Eyric and Dunsdworth escaped. Set free by Dragan, no doubt. I had every man available on the hunt.”