The Kingdom's Crown (Inheritance of Hunger #3) - Kathryn Moon Page 0,41

honesty."

Forced honesty. Dragged out from a magically drugged tongue.

But at least I know now that her violence was born of desperation rather than a genuine interest in seeing me dead, I thought.

"And…perhaps a doctor?" Head Guard Amos asked very carefully.

I frowned, wanting badly to turn to Aric or Cress or Daniel for advice. Could we trust a doctor?

"Not a castle doctor. Someone from the capital," I said, weighing the idea in my head. A castle doctor might be aligned with the council. At least a hired doctor from the city would be an unknown. "And either I or Aric should be present." We would have the magic to intervene if anything went awry.

"I'll go," Aric said quietly behind me, and I nodded, reaching back gratefully and pushing him more magic. We were both low now, and I'd probably never been in less of a mood to be made love to.

"Of course, Your Highness," Head Guard Amos answered with a bow. He rose again and looked over the four of us before back to the wearily weeping Lily. "An attempt on the crown is a serious offense. If Your Highness has the time, we should sit and speak soon on the matter."

He spoke cautiously with no direct glance at the other guards around us, but I appreciated what was unspoken. Head Guard Amos understood our suspicion against the residents of the palace, even against his own men.

I nodded curtly. "It would be greatly appreciated."

10

Bryony

The conversation did indeed take place soon. The very next morning in fact.

"And you only have the former Chosen's word in regards to your sister?" Head Amos asked. He'd worn the same grim expression for the entire meeting in the small meeting room of my suite, sitting stiffly at the edge of an armchair.

"Why shouldn't that be enough?" Cosmo snapped, and I slid my hand into his, drawing it to my lap and soothing the fingers of my free hand along the inside of his arm.

"Yes, and he never made any attempt," I said simply, Cosmo huffing but leaning his shoulder against mine.

We sat on the couch facing Amos, Thao and Wendell pressed closely on my other side, Daniel and Owen perched on the back of the couch. Aric was with Cresswell, guarding Lily through the hired doctor's visit.

"We are speaking frankly, Your Highne—"

"Bryony, please," I said for the third time.

Head Guard Amos pressed flat lips into an even thinner line. I couldn't tell if he disapproved of my informality, or if it simply made him uncomfortable, but he nodded briefly.

"Princess Camellia has had four attempts on her own life from her Chosen," Head Guard Amos said, and I stiffened. "One of those men remains locked up in the dungeon, awaiting execution."

"And the other three?" I cried out, eyes growing wide.

"Their executions took place, Your Highness."

"When?"

"One was a year ago, the other two shortly before your choosing ceremony."

"But I never heard of such a thing!" I glanced at Cosmo and Wendell, who both shook their heads, faces pale.

"Conflicts between a woman of the queen's line and her Chosen are mandated to be privately handled," Head Guard Amos said.

I leapt up from the chair, shielding my face with my hand as I started to pace. "Stars. Who else knows of this? How often has this happened?"

The older man shook his head. "There's no record kept. I only know of those four. But it's not a new duty for my role, so there must be a precedent."

"And my mother?" The room was too small, and I hurried to the window, ignoring the grunt of the guard's objection as I pushed it open, closing my eyes against the sharp breeze that rushed in, cooling the hot anger on my cheeks.

"She ordered the current execution postponed indefinitely."

I spun, mind racing. "At my grandmother's urging?"

"Not to my knowledge, Your Highness."

I glanced at my Chosen, pain striking my heart at the thought of any of them being left to waste away in a dungeon. I was nothing like Camellia. I chanted the fact as a refrain in my thoughts, but it didn't eliminate the fact that she existed, a persistent, growing thorn in my side.

"There are a couple of others there, imprisoned for attempting to kill others of her Chosen. One is very ill. I don't expect him to make it through winter. Another is…ill in a different way, I suppose."

My knees crumpled, but Owen had hurried over before I could sink to the floor, shielding me from the room and holding me up