Shades of Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #16) - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,35
him, despite his obvious lack of gratitude.”
The scent of salt was suddenly thick in the air, and Troy braced for a fight. He wasn’t scared of the merman, but he sure the hell wasn’t going to get caught flat footed. Not when that trident could shoot out nasty projectiles.
But Rimm didn’t attack. Instead he abruptly whirled toward Inga and fell to his knees.
“He’s right, Your Majesty.” He bent his head in apology. “I have neglected to offer you my deep appreciation for allowing me to maintain my position.”
Inga flushed, looking as uncomfortable as an ice sprite in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
“That’s not necessary.”
“It is. I would have been…” Rimm tilted back his head to reveal his pale face, which had lost its arrogant expression. “Broken if you would have chosen to remove me. And it’s only my shame at having failed you once again that makes me resent having the imp’s help.”
Inga impatiently waved for the merman to rise to his feet. “I promise you, Rimm, we’re all on the same side.”
Rimm nodded, flowing upright and turning toward Troy. “Ask your questions.”
Satisfied that a temporary cease-fire had been called, Troy slid his dagger back into his boot.
“What can you tell me about Jord?”
“Jord?” Rimm looked puzzled. “You need to be more specific.”
“Do you trust him?”
Rimm hesitated, as if considering how to answer. “He’s dependable.”
“I hear a ‘but’ in there,” Troy said.
“But he was Riven’s most devoted soldier,” Rimm admitted. “And he’s made no secret that he resents having an ogress holding the Tryshu.”
Troy shared a glance with Inga. “Interesting.”
“Why are you asking?” Rimm demanded.
Troy returned his attention to the captain. “Jord was the one I overheard trying to stop Riza from warning the queen that there was something strange going on with Brigette. He was also the first one to burst into the throne room shouting that the prisoner had escaped.”
Rimm’s puzzlement only deepened. “I thought the evil spirit had released the Were?”
“That’s one possibility, although we’ve found no trace of the darkness,” Troy told him. “The other possibility is that one or more of the mer-folk are responsible.”
Rimm jerked, the teeth he’d filed to sharp points snapping together. But even as he clearly ached to deny that any mer-folk could be a traitor, he bit back the denial.
“And you suspect Jord?”
“He’s the most likely culprit.”
Rimm didn’t argue. Instead he asked the obvious question. “Why would he release the prisoner?”
Troy shrugged. “My guess would be that he wanted to undermine the queen’s authority. Not only among her people, but among the vampires and Weres who trusted her to keep Brigette locked away from the world.”
“I suppose that’s possible,” Rimm slowly agreed. “He was always eager to take on the dirtiest jobs for Riven. He was ambitious for more power and willing to do anything to get it.”
“Or maybe Brigette was able to manipulate him into helping her,” Troy continued, unwilling to close his mind to the other possibilities. “She destroyed her entire pack to gain power. She’s obviously capable of evil even without the power of the dark beast.”
Rimm frowned, as if considering the various implications of an inside job. “Jord would no doubt be eager to humiliate the queen,” he slowly admitted. “And he’s capable of creating a portal—” His words broke off as he gave a sharp shake of his head. “No, wait. I don’t think it’s possible.”
“Why?”
“I was at the entrance to the royal quarters when I saw Jord race past,” Rimm explained. “I followed him as he headed down the corridor.”
Troy shrugged. “He could have put Brigette in the secret passage and then made his way to the royal quarters to make sure you saw him.”
Rimm turned to point where the hidden panel was located. “The entrance is on the other side of the castle. He would have to travel down four flights of stairs to return to the main corridors and then circle back to the entrance where I was standing. It would have taken several minutes. By then the other guards would have been awake and sounding the alarm.”
Troy scowled, trying to picture in his mind the route the male would have to take. At last he heaved a frustrated sigh. The captain was right. The throne room consumed the entire floor in this section of the castle. The only way to get from one side to the other was to go down the stairs and then back up. Even for a merman with considerable speed, it would take time.