Igniting Darkness (Courting Darkness Duology #2) - Robin LaFevers Page 0,109

Good. He occupied the holding, then raped her, using her for the entire length of his stay—a fortnight—then rode away leaving her weeping and praying for death. God did not grant her wish. He gave her me instead.”

Silence permeates the chamber. Shaken, the king looks to the general. “Is this true?”

General Cassel starts to deny it, but the king cuts him off. “Do not lie to me. All the proof I need is in the face of the man who stands next to you.”

Cassel shrugs his heavy shoulders. “It was war, sire. It was twenty-four years ago, and I was young. The fighting heated my blood. It was a youthful indiscretion. I would never do anything so dishonorable now. Do we all not temper and mellow with age?”

The king studies him, his disgust plain on his face. But he is torn as well, eager to accept the justification the general has offered that will allow him to dismiss the entire abhorrent situation. That will allow him to avoid having to examine his own choice of advisors. He nods briefly. When he speaks to Beast, his voice less cold and more polite.

“I am sorry for the injustices suffered by your mother. As you can see, General Cassel is remorseful and has given his word that it did not happen again. Now I will ask you to tell us where the girls are so we may fetch them.”

“No, Your Majesty. Not until I have ensured they will not be returned to their brother.”

The king’s hands grasp the arms of his chair. “They belong to him.”

“Perhaps they should not.”

Any sympathy the king felt toward Beast disappears. “Then you leave me no choice but to imprison you until you trust us with this information.”

Cassel steps forward, eyes gleaming. “I will get the truth from him.”

“No!” The king’s voice rings out. “No coercion. I feel certain Sir Waroch will come to trust us soon enough.”

The general’s rationale has not worked as well as he’d hoped, for there is still faint revulsion in the king’s eyes as he looks at Cassel. It is the faintest spark of hope in an otherwise disastrous meeting.

 Chapter 60

Genevieve

As the meeting breaks up, I slip out of the audience chamber and head back to my room. Sybella and the queen have enough disasters to wrestle with at the moment. They do not need my additional problem added to their load. I will find a solution myself.

Somehow.

But answers remain elusive, and I ache with the sense of an impending disaster like old Solange’s joints used to ache before a storm.

I let myself into my room, relieved there are no longer guards to watch my every step. As I move to shut the door behind me, a hand reaches out to stop it.

“You’re back.” Sybella’s eyes are unreadable as they search my face.

“I didn’t realize you knew I had left.” She holds the note to the king in her hand. “Have you read it?”

“No, I’ve not had time. It has been a most eventful morning.” Her entire face is drawn tight, her eyes clouded with agitation.

“I left one for you as well. It’s under the mattress.”

She fully enters the room and closes the door behind her. “Where were you going?”

“The letter explains it.”

She folds her arms. “Well, you are here now, so why don’t you explain it and save me the trouble of heaving your furniture around.”

When I hesitate, she says, “Am I to assume you still want this delivered to the king?”

“No!” I reach to snag it from her, but as fast and unexpected as I am, she is faster. We stare at each other a long moment. “You don’t have time for this,” I tell her. “Surely Beast is a higher priority.”

Her casual shrug is one of the more artful lies I have ever seen told, as I know what she must be feeling right now. “He is not going anywhere. And I will not be able to sneak in to see him until they have gotten him properly settled in whatever section of the dungeon they choose.” A note of bleakness creeps into her voice. “So actually, this is a welcome distraction.”

“You won’t think so for long,” I mutter.

“Come.” She sits on the edge of the bed and pats the space beside her. “Tell me what has happened.”

“The regent approached me last night. Apparently when she came upon you and me talking just before we left Plessis, she heard our entire conversation.”

Sybella closes her eyes. “Of course she did. And