Disciple of War Disciple of War (Art of the Adept #4) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,34

10

Will woke first the next morning, but not by much. The two of them had a quick breakfast, courtesy of Jeremy, and they discussed their plans while finishing the toast. Selene studied her husband for a moment. “I’m sure you’ve been thinking. What are your plans for today?”

“I want to go back to the landslide and reexamine a few things. We didn’t do a good job yesterday. I don’t think your sketch will be enough for us to find whoever ordered your assassination.”

Selene took a large bite, nearly swallowing all her remaining bread, then chewed thoughtfully. Her expression seemed to indicate a difference of opinion. Will waited patiently until she had cleared her throat, then she replied, “You’re assuming they meant to kill me.”

“You’re a princess, not me.”

“And I’ve been one since I was born. Most of my value revolves around who I marry, but that’s no longer the case. My political position is well known, and I haven’t changed my stance in years, so very little is different with me. You, on the other hand, are an unknown factor, and you’ve suddenly come into a lot of power with your marriage and your new title. Your elevation will cause a rebalancing of power for a lot of influential figures.”

“That’s all true,” admitted Will, “but this could be similar to what happened with Laina. You’re well known as the chief supporter of her charity. If someone is trying to destabilize the country, they could be targeting you—”

Selene held up her hand. “That’s a stretch. First, the vampires weren’t only targeting Laina. That was simply the point of resistance that got you involved and where the friction began. Second, my enemies are all old and well established—yours are fresh and new. Third, targeting you is a safer prospect than targeting me, though I will admit either of us is risky so long as we are seen as being in my father’s favor. Fourth, and possibly most pertinent, you are soon going to be appointed as the Royal Marshal in the upcoming campaign against Darrow. Don’t you think that will cause a stir?”

Will counted down his fingers. “All right, first, second, and third, I can’t argue against you on those, but number four isn’t known, so it shouldn’t be a factor.”

She laughed. “The palace is full of spies. Spies for Darrow, spies for the lords of the realm—even the merchants have spies listening in case Father makes a decision that will affect trade! Father assumes that his every word will be reported to someone, and the only secrets he believes in are those he hasn’t spoken of—to anyone. Very often he says things with the intention of having them reported to his opponents.”

He frowned. “Are you saying he gave me this title and decided to put me in charge of the war campaign just to get me assassinated?”

Selene shook her head. “No. I’m saying that’s one of his intentions. He would have anticipated resistance to you taking charge of the army, and his plans probably involve both scenarios: your murder or your success. And again, that’s just one intention. He probably is counting on a number of long- and short-term effects from your appointment, and he likely wants you to succeed, but he’ll be ready to profit no matter how things turn out.”

Will scratched his head. “He sounds more and more like the fae and it’s giving me a headache. How long have you been thinking this way?”

“Since I was around ten,” she admitted. “It was the only way to survive.”

“So, what do you plan to do today, given your superior knowledge of politics?”

“I’ll take the high road. I know a few ladies with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of social circles. I may be able to find a name for our mysterious dead sorcerer more easily than you expect.”

Before they split up and went their separate ways, he had Selene teach him the grave-digging spell. Then he took a walk through the city and once beyond the walls, where he would draw less attention, he cast the elemental travel-disk spell and got on his way. When he reached the site of the landslide, he found that little had changed.

The bodies of the dead crossbowmen and sorcerer were all where he and Selene had left them. Will examined them with a combination of fascination and faint disgust. He’d seen a few dead bodies as a child working alongside his mother, and he’d seen far more during the invasion of Barrowden by Darrow, but