Chapter 61

Chapter

Sixty-One

ALYX

L eaning back against the rafters, I peer through a gap in the curtain, watching the comings and goings of people on the street below us. It is just after midday, and the city is alive with noise and movement. No one can see me at the top of the building, and the window I’m looking through is dirty from disuse and covered by a tattered curtain. The people who pass the alehouse we currently hide in would never guess that an assassin, a healer, and the head of the king’s guard are in the attic.

“You are sure we are safe here?” Arbella asks me for the third time, his voice tight with emotion. He’s clearly anxious about being back in the city, and honestly, I don’t blame him. If Queen Mother gets word of him being here before we can expose the truth of how the old king died, then she will have him killed and all of this will be for nothing.

Glancing over my shoulder, I meet his tired eyes, my tone steady as I reply, “I trust the landlady here implicitly, and no one could track the message back to me here.”

When we reached the outskirts of the Lowers after a few hard days of riding, I quickly tracked down one of Crux’s little rats and gave him a message to pass on. It was a single code word, one that has no significance to anyone other than Crux and me. When used, it lets him know I need to meet with him in a pre-established location. The network of rats works together, passing the message along until they find him. The process is far faster and subtler than if I went stalking through the city.

It never fails to amaze me just how many people Crux has under his control. He has a way of finding the downtrodden and making them loyal to him, any sign of betrayal quickly eliminated.

We are now hidden in a room at the top of a tavern in the Lowers, close to the river but still on the outskirts, where no one could easily spot us. We used disguises and cloaks to keep our identities hidden, yet Orion is so large that no cloak could truly hide him. Plus, he walks like a guard. He is incapable of slouching or changing his posture no matter how hard he tries.

Every precaution has been taken to keep us anonymous, not to mention I was being honest when I said I trust the landlady. The only reason she owns this property is because I rescued her from an abusive marriage and she inherited her husband’s hidden wealth. She owed me a debt because of this and knew that one day, she would be required to hide me, no questions asked.

There are several meeting points around the city that I have never used, but they are safe and ready should I need them. It is essential for an assassin to have somewhere to lie low should things heat up, and once a safe house has been used, it’s no longer safe.

“How long do we have to wait?” Orion asks, his voice gruff with impatience. “Why can’t we just storm the castle and tell them what we know?”

Orion is perched on the edge of an old suitcase, his knees almost up to his chin. At one point, I didn’t think we would get him in through the hatch, but after some manoeuvring, he managed to squeeze through. He looks miserable and clearly uncomfortable.

Tilting my head to one side, I meet his angry eyes. “We have been gone for too long. We don’t know what has happened since we have been away.” I do not mince my words or bother trying to ease his worries, simply telling him as it is. “We need to know what Crux knows. We have one chance at this, and we cannot afford to mess it up.”

“She is right,” Arbella comments from the other side of the attic space. “Queen Mother is cunning and will have contingency plans in place. It is one of the reasons I left in the first place.” He looks sick, his face pale and clammy. Being back in the city is a challenge for him.

I need to distract him and keep him calm, but I realise this could be a rare opportunity to get some personal information about our target. Swinging my legs around so they dangle from the beam, I brace my hands on either side of my hips and give Arbella my full attention. “I assume you knew her well, having been so close to the old king. What can you tell us about her?”

I feel Orion’s gaze on me, hot and intense, but I cannot afford to get caught up in him, not now when we are so close to getting rid of Queen Mother.

The healer seems to ponder my question for a moment. “She has always been clever and calculating. I once overheard her telling one of her maids that she should have been born a man, as she has the mind of a ruler.”

Sadly, I’m not surprised by this statement.

Unfortunately, women are treated differently from males, especially within the nobility. They are beautiful objects to own, posed prettily on their husband’s arm. Within royalty, a woman will be looked over as the next ruler in favour of a male. I’ve known Queen Mother wants to rule since I met her. She exudes that energy; she was just born the wrong sex.

It’s a bullshit rule.

“She is very good at giving people what they want,” he continues, “changing herself to fit their needs and seamlessly moving from one personality to another. That is how she caught the old king’s attention.”

“That has changed since you were last here, healer,” Orion grumbles, his arms crossed over his chest. “She does not bother to hide her nature anymore, but her words are like liquor, addictive and sweet to start while damaging your body and mind in the process.”

It’s surprising to hear Orion speak like this about Queen Mother, but then I remember he’s known her far longer than I have. He’s seen her at her best and worst, along with her obvious hatred of Joha. He would defend his friend to the grave.

Humming, I sit back on the beam and ponder everything I’ve learned. Much of it is stuff I already knew, but hearing it all together paints a picture of exactly who Queen Mother is.

I turn to Arbella. “When the time comes, you are going to have to stand up before your peers and tell them what you know. Queen Mother will be there, but we need to do this in front of them all. We have one chance.”

Although there is fear in his eyes, he stands and rolls his shoulders back. “I have hidden for far too long. I will do what is needed of me.”

Good. Without him, it is just our word against Queen Mother’s. However, Arbella was a well-known, respected healer. The nobility will listen to him. They have to.

Somewhere below us, a floorboard creaks, and we all freeze in place. Listening closely, I try to distinguish where the sound is coming from. Before I get the chance to work it out, there’s a knock on the small hatch that separates the roof from the floor below it.

A second knock follows, then a third and fourth in a distinctive quick-slow pattern, letting me know exactly who is here.

Hurrying to the hatch, I peer through the tiny peephole and see a familiar face. Throwing it open, I step back to allow Crux to enter. As soon as he’s in and shuts the hatch behind him, he wraps his arms around me tightly. Without caring that we have an audience, he presses his lips to mine, and we share a passionate kiss. I can feel how much he missed me in his kiss alone, and I make sure he can feel the same from me.

Pulling back, he ignores Orion’s pointed cough as he runs his eyes over me, checking for injury. “I am so glad you’re back. I have been going out of my mind. Are you okay?”

If it wasn’t for everything that happened recently and all the near misses, I would be offended that he thinks I can’t defend myself. I know this is coming from a place of love, though, so I keep those thoughts to myself.

“I’m fine,” I promise, a smile pulling at my lips as I gesture to the other male in the room. “This is Healer Arbella. He cared for the king when he died. This is the proof we needed.” My words trip out of my mouth quickly, my excitement carrying them away. My happiness slowly fades away as I realise Crux is here alone. “Is Joha okay? I thought you might bring him with you.”

Grimacing, Crux releases me from his hold and steps back, glancing between the three of us. Why does he look like that? Fear twists in my stomach, and I look over at Orion to see he looks just as concerned, his hands balled into fists.

“He’s been locked away under house arrest ‘for his own protection,’” Crux explains, shaking his head. His eyes meet mine, intense and full of promise. “Plus, he would only slow me down. Nothing was going to stop me from getting to you.”

If I were the type to swoon, I would at that statement. I consider climbing into his arms once more and showing him exactly how much I missed him.

“House arrest?” Orion barks, cutting through any plans I might have been contemplating. His anger isn’t aimed at any of us, but as he stands, hunched over in the small space, he begins to pace, his emotions close to a boiling point.

Crux watches the guard with a smirk, his smile slowly getting wider. “I have a lot to update you on.” Whatever he knows, he clearly thinks it will help us. “I also have some information that is going to come in handy.” He rubs his hands together, and I recognise his expression. It’s the one he wears when he’s about to commit a new crime, his excitement flashing in his eyes. “Let’s plan a coup.”