Road To Fire (Broken Crown Trilogy #1) - Maria Luis Page 0,32
the job,” my brother interjects tightly, setting down his water glass with a heavy clunk on the table. “You’ll be working for the fucking Priest brothers, Isla. Are you out of your mind?”
I cut him a sharp look. “Language, Peter.”
“I’ve heard worse,” Josie pipes up, swirling her spoon in the bowl. “Much, much worse. Usually from you.”
“The Priests,” Peter spits out, undeterred. “Have you really heard none of the rumors? The youngest brother—Damien—he’s wanted by parliament. The Mad Priest, they call him. There’s a bounty on his head. A bounty, Isla, like he’s some modern-day Robin Hood or something when in reality he’s clinically insane. The man hasn’t been spotted anywhere in months. And that’s not even considering the middle brother.”
At the mention of Saxon, the lump in my throat grows, and I feel a sharp heat when I try to swallow past it. “What about him?”
Peter stares at me as though I’m dense. “Everyone thinks he killed the king.”
Oh, God.
The silverware falls from my grip, clattering to the table.
Mistaking my startled silence for horror, Peter thrusts his fork in my direction. “See? You can’t even handle the thought of the bloke killing King John and you think that you could work for the lot of them?”
If Peter knew even a quarter of what I’ve done, he’d realize that it isn’t the literal bloody matter of King John’s assassination that’s inciting my paranoia but the fact that the world apparently thinks Saxon Priest did it.
I stare at my water glass and wish I could transform it into wine. Or something stronger, preferably, to wipe clean the feeling of heightening anxiety.
The good news: if all of Britain thinks Saxon murdered the king, then that would imply I’m in the clear. For now. I crossed every T, dotted every I. The rifle went in the Thames and my clothes in a furnace, same with the gloves I wore to ensure I didn’t leave behind any fingerprints. On my way out of the building, situated across the street from where King John spoke at a rally, I hastily scrubbed down every doorknob that I touched. Perhaps it was overkill that I’d also worn ill-fitted shoes too.
Just in case.
The bad news: if the rumor has already reached Saxon, then he’ll be looking to clear his name, and the search for King John’s killer will start again.
My fingers tremble as I grip the lip of the kitchen table. “Why would everyone pin the blame on him?”
“Or maybe it’s just uni talk,” Josie says, throwing our brother an arch glance. “The lot of you don’t have much luck distinguishing fact from fiction. Remember what happened last time? You got a poor bloke imprisoned for something he never did.”
Unable to ignore the peanut gallery, Peter clenches his jaw. “It’s not fiction, Jos, and that was a mistake.”
“A colossal mistake, I’d say. And how do you know for sure?” Josie’s spoon hits the side of her bowl with a clang. “Because I watch the news every night and they aren’t ever talking about any of them. The Priest brothers, I mean. Not even the mad one.”
“And you really think the news is telling you the truth?” Peter turns his hard-blue eyes on me. “You lied every day that you worked at the network. Tell me otherwise.”
I press the heel of my hands to my temple. “Let’s not do this.”
“Why not?” My brother shoves his bowl forward. “I’m right, aren’t I? The news is just a puppet for parliament, for the queen. Feed the people whatever lie suits your purpose today, never caring about what’s actually true.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I demand in a rush, dropping my hands to the table. “They sacked me, Peter! Because I wouldn’t settle for half-truths. Because I refused to keep my mouth shut when good, innocent people died on account of me omitting facts that could have kept them alive.” When he remains mulishly silent, I add, “I’m not your enemy. I’m only trying to understand what you’ve heard, not criticize it or you.”
Looking somewhat appeased, my brother nods. “All I’m saying is, there are pockets of information. Everyone talks at uni.” He shoots a dirty look at Josie but presses onward with the conversation. “And everyone talks about the Priest brothers. They’ve been vocal about wanting the monarchy overthrown for years now. But since the Mad Priest hacked parliament’s computer software, I guess it’s been easy to link Saxon to the king. Everyone agrees.”