Page 149 of Shadowborne: Reckoning

“Who did you speak to? What did they tell y—”

“Bren, I have been very patient with your demands, but I remain your queen. And I am listening. You have caught my attention. And I will confirm details independently, as you said. Now, I am telling you: Start at the beginning of this tale and continue speaking. Give me every detail whether you believe I might confirm it or not. Don’t stop talking until I tell you to.”

Then she flowed around the table to sit in the chair where she’d been when I first arrived. She didn’t invite me to sit. She picked up her goblet, took a sip from it, fixed me with a tense, gaze, and waited.

So, I did as I was told. And I watched the storms brew in her eyes as I did so.

49. Double-Cross

~ BREN ~

I sat across the table from the queen, sipping a cup of wine she’d thoughtlessly poured for me. For the past hour, she’d barely spoken beyond asking questions—sometimes the same question phrased in a new way. Sometimes a new question. She’d challenged, brushed off, identified assumptions… but her eyes remained locked on me, and her jaw tightened with every passing minute until I was afraid her teeth might crack.

“What do you mean a second code?”

“Do you receive intelligence reports directly—I mean, original copies—or do they only come to you from the scribes?”

Her jaw rolled. “Both.”

“If you’ve ever seen the king’s, or have an opportunity to check his records, look for original messages out of Draeventhall for several months, and then Fyrehold in the past month. You’ll find ink blots, crossouts, and small errors that look very minor or unimportant. But if you compare the notes, you’ll find the same errors in multiple notes. Inkblots with ink smeared in different directions. Crossouts of specific words and in the same position on the page. Errors in handwriting that aren’t consistent through the whole note. They’re all symbols. They use the Shadowfang code, but they change its meaning by applying those symbols. If you can find copies, I can show you.’

Her face paled. “This code… was it used by multiple Furyknights or… just one?”

“I don’t know. I know it was used by Ruin. And I know the king used it sending to him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because we found written orders in Ruin’s chambers—hidden. And Donavyn recognized the king’s handwriting.”

She blinked, then took a drink from her cup, then gestured for me to keep talking…

By the end, she was pacing the room, back and forth, muttering to herself—throwing questions to me, but only nodding when I answered, before asking more.

And it always came back to the same thing: Details she wanted to understand. Things that had occurred around us in the lead up to our departure, and in Fyrehold. I gathered she compared my knowledge and experiences with her own. But she never told me what she thought, or gave me any insight into what she knew.

Still, it was clear the king’s conduct was not stacking up the way she’d wish. I grew steadily hopeful that she was convinced, but also more and more nervous.

With every passing hour, we drew closer to the moment when I could fly back and use Akhane to find Donavyn and Kgosi. I had to pray that Akhane’s pain and that empty feeling wasn’t anything but the painful separation we’d experienced from our mates.

Please, God, don’t let it be anything but the distance…

Now, for the past ten minutes, the queen had sat in her chair across from me, thinking. Her expression was drawn and tight, small lines appearing at the sides of her mouth. She hadn’t spoken. And the one time I’d tried to speak, she shushed me without even meeting my eyes.

So, I was on the edge of my seat, hands wringing, praying that she believed me. And that she had some recourse. Some way to intervene. That she wouldn’t just take it to the king and reveal what she now knew—

“I assume many witnessed your return to the Keep?” she asked quietly. As if we were in casual conversation.

I startled, but nodded. “Yes. Akhane was very weak, and I was too. I tried to make it look worse so I could call for Terra, but Akhane is truly suffering. She exhausted herself to get us here. To you.”

The queen’s throat bobbed. “You have to return to your duties. Very few know that you are here, but that number is not zero, and one of those in particular… if my husband has reason to secretly watch or listen to my chambers… he may already be aware that you’re here.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. “Your Majesty—”

“You must go back to your life as a Furyknight—a woman with minimal purpose, whose dragon has lost her mate, and is devastated. A woman unable to carry the burden of her dragon’s grief. Let them see you as what they believe you to be,” she said flatly.

I wanted to stand in defense of my brothers, who saw me as much more than just a female in a man's shadow, but I understood what she meant. “Your Majesty, when I arrived, I told my brother that I had to speak to Terra, and Terra told anyone who would listen that I was sick and needed resources only available here in your wing. No one in my sphere knows I’m here with you.”

Her gaze sharpened. “Are you not listening, Bren? Do you really believe Terra just walks alone to my door and requests an audience?”