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Kirwan advanced on his king, and the soldiers reacted. Swinging their swords away from my family, they leveled them on his chest.
Halting, Kirwan raised his hands, away from his weapons and crystals. “King Salman, none of this is true. These lies are fabricated by— by— by that worthless brat, Callidora.” Kirwan half-bowed to me, suddenly capable of deference and respect. “I do not blame you, my lady, for being taken in. Callidora is a troubled child and an accomplished liar. She’d have said anything to indebt you to herself, and beg a carriage ride out of Lyrica.”
I scoffed. “What am I? A fool? Of course I checked her story before believing a word of it. While the poisoned food is gone and can no longer be used as evidence, there is more proof of sabotage. Proof that was witnessed before the entire court, and before you, Father.”
“What is this proof?” Salman demanded. “Tell me, child.”
My gaze swept the room, expression solemn. “My out-of-control, crazed behavior the day of the wedding. You are my beloved father,” I demurred. “You know me. You know I never would’ve behaved that way unless something horrible was done to me.”
Shocked hisses filled the room. Salman placed his body between me and Kirwan, as if he actually cared a whit about me.
“It’s true,” Salman barked. “I said myself that my Emiana wasn’t herself that day. She never would’ve behaved that way unless her mind was addled by a spell. A spell intended to destroy the marriage before it began, and nullify the treaty.” His lips peeled back from his teeth. “You.”
“No! Someone may have spelled her, but it was not me!”
I shook my head. “You stand under the judgement of Meya, and still you lie. Very well,” I said. “Since it has come to this, I will provide my final proof. Callidora told me much in our time together, including that Kirwan bragged about slaughtering the village of Lutin, because it was discovered their homes sat on a wealth of crystals. Proof of his insatiable greed.”
I left out that Salman sanctioned that atrocity. That wasn’t something Emiana was supposed to know, nor was it something Salman would ever admit.
“But there’s more. He also—” I hitched a breath, sorrow drawing the corner of my lips down. “Father, I’m sorry to tell you this. But, it was Kirwan who hunted your other sons down, and slaughtered them.”
Kirwan’s eyes bugged. “What?!”
“It was all part of his plan to leave you without an heir, so that you’d be forced to make the same decision my grandparents did—give your throne to someone not of the bloodline. As yourtrustedadvisor and supposedfriend, he knew he would be at the top of your list.”
“Lies, lies, all of it, lies,” Kirwan bellowed.
“How can it be a lie?” I snapped, stepping out from behind a shaking Salman. “Not even I knew I had half-siblings before Callidora told me what she overheard that fateful day. My father protected the information because he wanted to protect them, but he told you, didn’t he?” I spun to Salman, hoping against hope my desperate gamble was correct. “Didn’t you, Father?”
Face a mask of shadows, Salman looked at Kirwan... and nodded. “It is so,” he rasped. “I trusted you with the knowledge and location of my only sons, and you killed them.”
“I would never!” Kirwan ran at him and was roughly thrown back.
Not a single word of defense came from behind him. His fellow advisors had distanced themselves as far back as the wall would let them. They looked at him with nothing but betrayal.
“I deny this slander utterly and without reservation,” Kirwan roared, spittle flying. “Not a word she has spoken here today is truth!”
“Very well,” I shouted over him, my voice rising partly due to him, and partly due to the screaming pain of my crushed feet. “If you deny my truth, I ask that you hear my logic.”
“Speak, child,” Salman said. “You will be heard in this place.”
“Then I say this, my final witness.” I moved toward my mother and sister, and Kirwan. “Kirwan claims my gift for saving my life was actually payment for espionage. To assume Aya Olene would have information valuable enough for my husband to listen to, you must assume these poor women from the Gutter had an equally valuable source.
“Who else would that source be but their war husband and father, Kirwan Dawnbreaker?”
“No,” Kirwan cried. “That’s not— You’re twisting everything!”
“Am I? Or am I merely being logical? These two could know nothing of worth unless they heard it fromyou.” I smiled mirthlessly. “Which would make you the spy, would it not? You’re the leak.Youare the one sharing information that wasn’t meant to go farther than your king’s ears.”
The advisors exchanged looks, murmuring amongst themselves. The expressions as they beheld Kirwan made him lurch back a step.
“But, no,” I said, voice heavy. “You’re not a spy for Wind and Wild, becausetheyare not spies for Wind and Wild. They had no opportunity to pass information from you to my husband since we married, because I will bet anything Aya Olene has refused you every single day since she received my gifted treasures.
“So, speaking only logically, how could I have been paying her to spy, if she’s refused to have anything to do with the only person worth spying on since she received said payment?”
An oppressive atmosphere smothered the room, but it wasn’t a silent one.
“She’s right.”
