Warriors of Wind and Ash - Page 72

It takes a few false starts, but then my brain unlocks and I slip into the creative flow I’ve missed so much. Notes trickle from the pipe like glittering water through a pebbled stream-bed, like translucent rays of yellow light lancing between green leaves, softening into a golden glow.

The song turns plaintive, because I miss Kyreagan and I’m worried about him. He’s sitting somewhere in the palace right now, having a meeting with Rahzien. Don’t say anything foolish, the pipe murmurs. Be careful, be careful, be careful.

I play for an hour, judging by the tall clock in the corner. It’s a gorgeous timepiece, ornately carved, with a gilded pendulum. Someone has kept it wound and dusted despite all the upheaval in the palace. Probably Berthew, the palace timekeeper. He’s a frail, hunched, gentle old man who creeps quietly through the halls and rooms, tending the clocks. I hope he’s still alive.

Laying down the pipe, I go to the doors of the music room and poke my head into the hallway. If something had gone dreadfully wrong in Kyreagan’s meeting, there would be roaring and screaming, not to mention gunfire and flames. But there’s no yelling, no smell of smoke, no rumbling or crashing sounds. All is quiet.

Closing the door, I return to the pipe and use a thin rod and a soft rag to clean out the condensation caused by my breath. Once it’s dry, I tuck it away reverently in its case.

Has Rahzien realized I’m gone yet? After the meeting with Kyreagan, did he go to my room, only to realize I’m not there?

I can’t flee far from Rahzien, but perhaps I’ll slip into the spy passages within the walls and hide from him. To do that, I’ll have to find an entry point into the passage network, and the closest one I know of is two corridors over from where I am.

Cautiously I open the music room doors again and look down the hall.

Three guards are just rounding the corner. Fuck.

“There!” one of them shouts, and they sprint toward me.

My first instinct is to run. But they’re between me and the nearest access point to the passages, so it’s not as if I can really escape. I’m in enough trouble for slipping away from my escort; I don’t need to make it worse by fleeing from the guards.

I stand calmly where I am until the guards reach me. They hustle me upstairs and back to my suite, where Rahzien is sitting in an overstuffed chair, drumming his fingers on the armrest. His face darkens when I’m dragged in and thrown at his feet.

“Leave us,” he snaps at the guards, and they hurry into the hall, closing the door behind them.

“I told them you would be in one of three places,” he says coolly. “The kennels, the gardens, or the music room. Accessing the kennels would require cooperation from the servants, and you wouldn’t want to put any of them at risk by bringing them to my attention. The gardens, though beautiful and refreshing, would feel too exposed. So I suggested they check the music room first. Was I right?”

He’s so perceptive. It makes him more dangerous, not only to me, but to Kyreagan.

I remain on my knees, my eyes fixed on the rug. “Yes, Master. I was in the music room. Forgive me—I love music.”

“I know,” he says quietly, cupping my chin and lifting my face. “That’s why I had my soldiers destroy your study. To relieve you of distractions and to help you focus on what’s important. Anything I take from you is for your own good, Spider. To help you accept your future. Clinging to the past only harms you.”

“So I can’t have music? Or my notebooks?”

He pats my cheek and leans back with a sigh. “Eventually, perhaps. But such things are only a complication your mind doesn’t need. They confuse your true purpose.”

“Being a whipping girl?”

“For now. But when I put a baby in you, everything will change And that needs to happen soon. Once my position in Elekstan is stable, I’ll be able to secure the allies and resources I need for my next endeavor.”

“Isn’t the Prince of Zairos your ally?” I say softly, innocently.

“I’m not sure.” He rubs a hand over his short red beard. “He’s an odd fellow, that one, and he’s hiding something. I think his father sent him to spy on me, not to bargain in good faith. Either that, or he’s not who he claims to be. The arrangement he proposed today was a ridiculous one, and included the mines of Arnat, which I happen to know are now empty. So either Gildas is trying to cheat me, or he doesn’t know about the mine’s true condition, which would mean he’s no prince of Zairos.”

“Maybe he’s simply not very good at diplomacy,” I venture.

“Oh, he is. King Garjun’s seventh son is well-known for his diplomatic skill. Yet during this visit he has behaved like an arrogant ass, a volatile drunkard, and a buffoon.” He leans forward again, lowering his voice to a confiding tone. “I’ve decided I’ll have him assassinated tonight.”

Alarm flames through my whole body, setting my nerves afire. I clear my throat and try to appear calm. “Won’t that cause a war with Zairos?”

“Not if I blame the assassination on the Elekstan rebels. I think we have a couple of the little weasels in the city as we speak, so when I unearth them, I can hang them publicly as the murderers of Prince Gildas. If the man really is the prince, enacting justice on his assassins will mollify his father. And if King Garjun won’t be pacified by justice, so be it. I’m already craving another war.” He rubs both of his broad hands together, his thick rings clinking.

I stare at the floor again, afraid that if I meet Rahzien’s eyes, my gaze will betray the tumult in my mind. Rahzien doesn’t know Ky is a dragon, which is a good thing—but he’s planning to have Ky assassinated anyway. This is such a mess. How do I fix it? How do I warn Ky?

Rahzien chuckles. “You look so downcast, Spider. Perhaps you fear that I’ll punish you for going to the music room?”

“Yes, Master,” I murmur.