Page 91 of To Save a Kingdom

Roland snorted. “And you want to take this unconscious Arcane Inquisitor prisoner so he can what, escape again?” His eyes darted to Zadé.

She flinched.

“We’d be much better off slitting his throat and being done with it,” Roland said.

Elessan shook his head. “That’s a decision for Queen Aliya to make. This is her castle he’s invaded, after all.” He shrugged. “In the meantime, we can throw him in the oubliette.” The tiny space beneath the guard tower should be more than sufficient. He’d even secure it himself, if need be.

Zadé leaned toward him and whispered, “Not the best idea, Elsan. Princess ‘n I already stashed a few prisoners there. It’s too small fer more.”

Well, Valek.

Roland glanced at Aliya’s father, who was standing alone and forgotten in a dark corner of the room. The king continued as if Zadé hadn’t said anything, though there was no way he hadn’t heard her. “Miss Larimar is not here, so it’s no longer her decision. And I have yet to hear any reason why I shouldn’t re-arrest you and have your throat slit for escaping.”

Elessan’s hand dipped to his sword, his fingers wrapping around the hilt until his knuckles creaked. So much for his centuries of loyal service. The last thing he’d allow would be for Roland to imprison him before he’d rescued Aliya. It was the least he could do.

Zadé jumped between them, breaking Elessan’s sightline on the king. “Yer daughter freed him.” She shrugged. “Well, not her per say…the shapeshifter who’s been pretendin’ ta be Tsara since yeh arrived. She broke him out like it was nothin’.”

If Zadé had been going for shock value to distract Roland from having Elessan re-arrested on the spot, it worked.

Roland’s face turned purple as his eyes bulged. “What? Tsara did what?”

Biting back a sigh, Elessan shook his head. With the cat was out of the bag, the only thing he could do was go with it and hope Zadé knew what she was doing. “It wasn’t your daughter,” he said. “A shapeshifter who was impersonating her murdered her around the time you arrived, and buried her in the forest. I’m sure we can locate her remains once this is over so we can give the princess funeral rights.”

Elessan’s gut twisted. While his head understood that everything Tsara had done of late hadn’t really been her, he had been so thoroughly fooled that his heart was having a hard time reconciling the events from before and after the shifter had killed her.

He also needed to talk to Shadow, assuming the cat would deign to speak to him.

“A shapeshifter?” Roland was still sputtering, as though his brain couldn’t process the concept. He was standing now, leaning over, hands braced on the table as if he’d pull it up and toss it aside. Or perhaps he was fighting off a bout of nausea. Maybe both. “One of those heathens made their way into the castle and decided to impersonate my daughter? Out of everyone?” He shook his head, spittle flying from his lips. “No. Impossible. I would’ve known, would’ve sensed something was off.”

An unwelcome twinge of empathy jolted through Elessan. Hadn’t he just been thinking the same thing? “Shapeshifters are masters at what they do,” he said. “One was close to Malkov for over a decade, spying on him, while the king was none the wiser.” Shadow would be furious if she ever discovered he’d outed her, even if her identity was still secure.

Zadé tossed the gold chain and pendant to Roland.

“What’s this?” He held the jewelry up to the light.

“The charmed necklace th’ shifter was wearin’,” Zadé said. “It was magicked-like ta hide her eye color.”

Roland glared at him through slitted eyes. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to distract me to keep yourself free. It’s not going to work. Any second now, my daughter will come waltzing through that door, and you’ll be right back in chains where traitors like you belong.”

This was going nowhere. Impatience bubbled up Elessan’s throat like he’d eaten something spicy that wasn’t sitting well. “Fine.” He could deal with Roland later. “We’re going to deploy the last Whisperer, take Brooks out, and rescue the prisoners.” Including Aliya. He glared at Aliya’s father. “Then, when they’re safe, we'll address the whereabouts of Princess Tsara.”

Turning his attention back to Roland, Elessan swallowed. “Have there been any updates on the Arcane Inquisitor or the hostages?”

The king pressed his lips into a thin line, saying nothing.

Elessan’s fingers twitched, itching to wrap themselves around the king’s throat and slam him against the wall until he started talking.

Finally, one of the guards whom Elessan didn’t recognize, spoke. “They’re fortified in the library. We’ve sent a few scouting parties, but haven’t been able to get close enough to learn anything of note.”

Roland growled. “We are waiting on the results of the interrogation of the prisoners from the kitchens.”

Zadé bared her teeth. “The queen left orders those people were not ta be hurt!”

Roland showed his fangs right back at her. “And I’m certain if she’d known her safety would be at risk, she’d have given her permission for a light questioning in preparation for her rescue.” His eyes flicked toward Aliya’s father. “However, being that she’s not present, their interrogations were authorized by myself and Baron Larimar.”

Elessan clenched his fists. This was it. He was going to kill both of them—the king and Aliya’s father. He could sweep away the major players in the kingdom and they could start over. There was some sort of poetic justice there.

Locking his knees and biting down on the threat with all his self-control, Elessan paused. If he did murder Roland in front of everyone, he’d be executed as a traitor to the realm and his people. His mother would be exiled, again. And the resulting power vacuum would end with thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, dead or maimed by the fallout.