The City of Veils Read online

  Most of them lived in the poorer neighborhood in the northeast, so I took off toward that side of town. Would they have left? Or would they be so confident in their cover-up that they remained at home? My heart pounded in my chest as I turned the corner to the first house…

  Only to stop short—Felix's men were putting a man into a carriage in handcuffs.

  "I told you."

  I nearly jumped out of my skin at his voice behind me. "Don't scare me like that!"

  "I thought you would've heard me," he said with a smirk, coming to stand next to me. "Bit distracted tonight."

  "It was poison on the glass," I said then deflated. "And it appears you came to the same conclusion."

  He nodded. "One of the maids mentioned she'd poured the wine from the same bottle. Therefore, it made sense not to look at the kitchen staff, as we had with your brother and father, but the one who set the table." His smirk grew. "And thus we found our poisoner."

  "And?" I said, breathlessly. "Was it Vernice?"

  "It was not," Felix said. "His name is Horace and he says he's working alone. Anarchist, wishes the entire royal family dead."

  I narrowed my eyes. "That's bullshit."

  "It's plausible," Felix said. "And until he says differently, that's where this investigation ends. He'll be tried for the deaths of your father and brother and hanged, probably."

  I stared at the carriage. What could Vernice have over him that he would willingly give up his life for her?

  Soft cries drew my attention. I craned my neck to see two small children in the window, tears falling down their faces. A woman appeared behind them, her face red and wet, and hurried them away from the opening, closing the glass behind her.

  "He's being paid off," I said.

  "He owes ten thousand gold pieces to Beswick," Felix said. "That debt is probably paid and then some. I assume his children will now be able to attend school."

  I swore filthily under my breath. "So this was Beswick's doing?"

  "No. I think that the debt was merely an incentive." He stared at the dark window. "Find the man with nothing to lose and everything to gain, that sort of thing." He sounded tired, but I wanted him to be angry. I wanted him to be looking until he uncovered the truth, not taking the word of a man who was offering his head so his children would live.

  "What if I offered him twice what he was being bribed?" I put my hands on my hips. "He gets to live, his kids get their father, and I get Vernice."

  He sighed. "If it was her, she could just say he's lying to save his skin. It's her word against a signed confession."

  "Damn it, Felix," I growled. "Why aren't you on my side?"

  "I am always on your side," he said, pointing to the crest at his left breast. "Which is why I'm trying to keep you from making a mistake. Whoever tried to poison you will make another move, of that I'm sure."

  I looked up at the window, now dark. "And what about Horace, hm? Just throw an innocent man in jail?"

  "We'll draw out the proceedings," Felix said. "He'll stay in the dungeon, but at least he'll be alive. Once we get to the bottom of things, he'll be a free man."

  I swallowed.

  "Patience, Brynn. Sometimes you have to let the small fish pass to be ready for the big one."

  I was tired of his wise words, especially as I couldn't argue with them right now.

  Chapter 26

  I was wide awake when Katarine arrived. Felix hadn't yet filled her in on our eventful night, although she, too, doubted Vernice was responsible.

  "What would she have to gain from killing you?" she asked. "Or your brother, for that matter? If she wanted the treaty disrupted, she would've been better off killing me."

  "An innocent man is going to prison," I said, pacing in front of the window. "I'm so glad you can be blasé about the murderer of your husband."

  "I'm not blasé about anything, Brynn," she replied with a small sigh. "We have no proof that she's guilty, other than your very keen gut. And even if she was, you don't know if she killed your father and brother."

  I pursed my lips. "If it worked twice before…"

  "I know you're eager to find out who might be after you, but there's no use jumping to conclusions," she said patiently. "If you publicly accuse Vernice and she's not the one then you'll be branded a liar. Or worse."

  I ground my teeth instead of answering. It wasn't fair. Horace was innocent, but Felix was just taking his forced confession and waiting for the murderer to strike again. Worse, everyone else was doing the same. Garwood and Vernice had stopped by to congratulate me on finding the poisoner (and for, I suppose, not dying the night before). I glowered at Vernice, not even bothering to hide my disgust at her. I hated this feeling of being handcuffed and having no recourse—or even an idea of how to get out of this.

  Ilara had asked me to dine with her, as an apology for missing the dinner the night before, so instead of stewing, I dressed in a dinner gown and met her in my private dining room. I'd intended to discuss the tariff situation with her, perhaps strategizing the best way we might approach the council, but I ended up just venting about the investigation, leaving out, of course, my vigilante part in things.

  "And you think this man is innocent?" she asked.

  "Yes," I said. "It's a gut feeling. He's got a wife and children. There's no way he'd risk all of that just for…anarchy. But I can't prove that he's being paid off, not until he changes his confession. Not without jeopardizing his family."

  She tapped her hand against her chin thoughtfully. "If you don't believe it was him, then who are your suspects?"

  For that, at least, I had no good answers. Obviously Vernice. Perhaps even Beswick—especially as I still didn't know if he knew I was The Veil. But would he go to so much trouble to kill me? Surely it would be worse for business if I was dead, even if I was also trying to take him down? It was suspicious that he'd declined my invitation.

  "Didn't you say you were conducting your own investigation?" she asked when I didn't respond. "I take it the trail has come up similarly cold?"

  "Yes, but that's my fault," I said. "I've been too preoccupied with other matters and I let this one fall to the wayside."

  "Running a kingdom is a lot of work," Ilara said with something of a sympathetic look. "I've left my advisors in charge, and I'm still bombarded by letters every day. Your advisor is…the Lady Katarine?"

  I nodded. "She was married to my brother."

  "She seems quite strict with your time. I hear she keeps you locked in your room all morning." Ilara cast me a worried look, as if she was afraid she'd overstepped.

  "There's a lot to cover," I said, trying to pull my attention back to the dinner. "And I don't mind spending time with her, really. She's nice, once you get to know her."

  "I suppose I'm just surprised that you trust her," Ilara said, running her spoon along the plate. "I mean, her husband died. Wouldn't she be the prime suspect in his murder?"

  "Believe me, that was my thought at first, too," I said. "But I guess it doesn't make sense. Why would she kill her husband—especially without any heirs? It would've been better if he'd lived."

  "Forgive me, but…she doesn't appear to be a woman in mourning," Ilara said then shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, that was out of place. I shouldn't be lecturing you on who to trust. You're smarter than I am, anyway."

  I smiled. "No, your instincts are good. But I thoroughly vetted her, and I'm not convinced she had a motive."

  "Some might point to you as the culprit," Ilara said thoughtfully, tapping her finger against her chin. "Perhaps even poisoning your own glass to throw off suspicion."

  At that, I laughed. "Anyone who's been around me for more than five minutes would know that's not the case. I was perfectly happy in my life until Felix came barging in. August would've made a better sovereign than me, Kat a better queen. I'm just…trying not to screw up."

  "Let me let you in on a little secret about us royals," Ilara said, leaning across the table. "None of us know what
we're doing."

  "Yeah, but most of you have been bred for this kind of thing," I replied, sitting back. "You've been doing this for a while. I got thrust into this a month ago."

  "True." She picked at her food. "If I were you, and I'm merely offering this as a suggestion, I'm sure you thought of it already—"

  "It's fine," I said with a wave of my hand. "What is it?"

  "Perhaps it's time to take control of the investigation," Ilara said, casting me a nervous look. "Ask your captain if you can interrogate him yourself. You have a very kind face, Brynna. Perhaps he might change his tune. Especially if you promise immunity to his family."

  "Then Ver…whoever put him up to it would say that he was lying," I said, shaking my head. "Just trying to save his skin and his family."

  "Then perhaps he can give you something to work with," she said. "After all, sometimes the smallest clue can lead to the biggest discoveries."

  I had my doubts that Princess Brynna could get the man to talk, but perhaps The Veil could. In any case, it was worth a shot, as Riya reported they'd gotten nothing out of the man after a night of questioning. She escorted me down to the training greens early, where Felix was conducting a drill with his youngest soldiers. If I had to guess, I would've pegged them at ten or eleven. Each wore the same look of focused discipline as they jogged around the courtyard, remaining stoic even as Felix barked orders to them.

  "Quit nagging them," I said, coming to stand next to him. "They look fine to me."

  "A good unit remains in sync," Felix said, his focus on the children. "If they think, eat, breathe, and move the same, they'll have each other's backs. And a good unit remains thick, no matter the circumstances."

  "As thick as you, Riya, and Joella?" I asked. "They think the world of you, you know?"

  "I know," he said. "What can I do for you? I'm obviously a little busy. We're not scheduled to meet until after dark."

  "I want to interrogate the prisoner," I said. "As The Veil."

  "I…don't think that's a good idea," Felix said, before raising his voice to yell, "Halt!"

  The twenty kids came to a stop in unison then turned to face him.

  "Marten, your turn was a half-second too slow. Paulson, you're now a breath too fast, pull it back some. The rest of you are fine. Now, get to the weapons arena and pair off. I want to see some bruises on your arms later."

  The soldiers saluted with a loud grunt then dispersed in an orderly fashion.

  "Why do you want to talk to the prisoner?" Felix said, turning to me.

  "Because I think I could do better than you can," I said, watching the children dissipate. Yet again, I was strongly reminded of Celia's camp.

  "Can you? I think we proved last night that we're more than capable."

  I scowled. "You got lucky."

  "We don't get lucky. We do our job. And you should let me handle it. You have enough on your plate."

  Another set of soldiers—this time looking thirteen years old—came marching in. "Felix, just let me question him. It's not a matter of who's better at their job. You're the Captain of the Royal Guard and I'm a vigilante. If anything, he's probably more willing to trust that I won't murder him after he speaks. And I'm better able to use the information he gives me. I was talking with Ilara—"

  He turned to me, eyes wide. "You spoke to the Severians about this?"

  "Just in basic terms," I said. "It's fine, we have a queen-to-queen agreement going on."

  "Does that agreement include when she and the rest of her group are leaving?" he asked. "Because it's getting a little ridiculous that she's still in the castle."

  "I like her company," I said. "And she still may be our ticket to Beswick's contracts."

  "Did you ask her if she knew about them?"

  "Well, no…" I cleared my throat. "We haven't broached the subject of Beswick yet. I don't want to tip him off. But for right now, I want to focus on the poisoner. This may be our last chance to find out who's behind all this."

  Felix chewed his lip. "Fine. I'll rearrange the schedule so our guards are the ones watching him. Don't go down there until I give you the signal."

  "Sure thing."

  "And don't…" He sighed. "Don't get physical with him. Remember, he's—"

  "I know he's innocent," I replied. "That's why I want to talk to him."

  For all my bluster, I wasn't sure how I would get through to Horace. He was motivated by love for his family, which meant he was pretty much immovable. Unless, of course, I could promise protection for them. It wasn't impossible, especially if I knew who was putting him up to all of this.

  When the clock struck eleven, I pulled the mask over my face and descended the desolate staircase. Joella was at the door, nodding at me as I breezed past her into the basement of the castle. Felix waited for me at the end of the hall, saying nothing as he unlocked the cell door and left it open for me. The stench of refuse and death came at me, but it wasn't the worst thing I'd ever smelled before.

  Horace lay on a pile of hay, his pale face reflecting the torchlight. There was no light in his eyes.

  "Do you know who I am, Horace?" I asked, lowering my voice.

  He nodded, barely.

  "Who hired you to kill the princess?"

  He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out except a wheeze. He blinked a few times then tried again—and still, nothing but air.

  I knelt beside him and close to his mouth. I smelled something sweet—death.

  "Shit." I jumped to my feet and ran out the cell, leaving it open—he couldn't escape even if he wanted to. Felix was waiting at the end of the hall, and he looked up in concern when I ran to him.

  "Something's happened to our informant," I said. "He's been poisoned."

  While Felix tended to him, checking his pulse and asking questions Horace had no chance of answering, I picked up the wooden glass he'd been drinking out of and sniffed. There it was—that same sweet poison someone had intended for me.

  "I don't know if I can do anything for him," Felix said.

  "I might be able to," I said, looking out of the cell. "I know of a Nestori woman outside the city who may be able to identify the poison and whip up an antidote before he dies. But I have to leave now. And you can't—"

  He met my gaze. "Where is it?"

  "She lives about a few hours' ride from here," I whispered, not wanting to tell him the truth. "If I leave now, I can be back before dawn."

  He clenched his jaw, as if on the verge of telling me no, but instead said, "Who are you meeting?"

  "An old friend," I replied. "She won't talk to me if you go with me, though. So I have to go alone."

  "Brynn—"

  "Felix, look, if you want answers, I can get them for you, but we're going to have to bend the rules a little bit, okay?" I rested my hand on his arm. "I don't want this guy to die, so I have to go now. I promise, I'll ride out and ride back as quickly as I can."

  He nodded. "Be careful no one sees you leave. And be back soon."

  Chapter 27

  Riya helped me tack up a horse quickly, and then I was off, galloping through the dark city with my mind racing. I had no idea if it was a Kulkan poison or not, but the Nestori were experts in the earth sciences, as they called them. I just hoped I was quick enough to save Horace's life.

  I traveled under the bright moon, the wind whipping at my face. If I'd half a mind to, I could've continued running to the Kulkan border and beyond. But a man needed my help—an innocent man, I was convinced.

  The city of Forcadel may have been the most populated, but the country was vast. Looking at it on a map was nothing compared to galloping across the low, grassy hills that spanned as far as the eye could see. Every so often, I'd make out a small village or trading post along the way, or maybe even a one-house farm.

  After a few hours, a forest appeared in the distance, and my hands began to shake. I hadn't been back here in a long time, and there was no guarantee I'd even be let in the front gates. But it was my only o
ption, and if it required me to eat crow, so be it.

  And the large bag of coins in my saddlebag didn't hurt, either.

  Almost as soon as my horse hit the tree line, the whistles began. Codes from sentries in the trees, telling other sentries about my location, my physical appearance, my direction. The message would get carried back to Celia before I reached her, and she'd decide whether I was welcome or not.

  The fortress appeared out of nowhere, large tree-trunk walls with sharpened point tips, two large torches out front. The thick gates remained closed, and my heart sank.

  But as I drew closer, there was movement—the gates were opening. I exhaled in relief; Celia wouldn't let me inside to kill me. She had plenty of people to do that out here.

  The horse came to a stop in the center of the small village. Houses for sleeping, eating, laundry, and more lined the perimeter, and in the center, the weapons house, the small training arenas. It hadn't changed from when I'd run away from here in a panicked state, but I hadn't expected it to.

  I dismounted and held onto the reins as a shadowy figure walked toward me. She stepped into the light and my heart began to pound in my chest.

  Celia looked as young and fierce as the day I'd first laid eyes on her at thirteen. She had Nestori ancestry, but I was sure it was greed that kept her looking so young. She wore a pair of leather breeches and a long white tunic, her black hair cut short around her ears.

  But the smile on her face, that was the most foreboding.

  "Hello, Celia," I said as evenly as I could.

  "Well, good evening." Her voice was smooth, touched with amusement and something else. It didn't escape my notice that she hadn't addressed me yet—by the name I went by in camp, Larissa, or my real one. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

  "I need Nicolasa's help," I said, turning to face her fully.

  "So you need my help," she corrected with a knowing look. "Surprised you're asking. You've amassed quite a debt, you know."