Page 26 of Autumn Queens & Shadows

“Aren’t you a little big to believe in things like that?” When I was her age, I knew who the real monsters were and where they hid.

“Since you came to me for protection, the littlest person in this castle, I thought you might be a little neeve.”

“You mean naive?” I asked, settling next to her.

“That one.”

“That I might be,” I mumbled, snuggling against her and wondering how low I had fallen to seek protection from a little kid.

Everyone was there when I went for breakfast. Rain had sat in Snow’s lap, Malik and Sam were deep in some sort of conversation, and Kil was too busy admiring my sister to even notice that the world spun, so I casually slipped in a chair, hoping they would not notice me as usual.

Except that when Malik’s head turned to me, every other head in the room followed. All the attention was on me for some reason, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

“Good morning, auntie,” Rain said, tilting her head as she studied me. “You slept late.”

“Morning, my little rain cloud.”

“Slept well?” Kilian asked, giving me a subtle knowing glance.

“Not quite,” I mumbled, buttering some bread.

“I heard you swapped rooms last night,” my brother-in-law prodded, raising a brow. His tattle-tale daughter had definitely told him about last night. “Anything not to your liking?” After a quick glance at his brother, he added, “I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“Nope,” I said, buttering a piece of toast. “I just need to be back in Tenebrose, not hiding here like a coward.”

“There is a threat inside your castle, Rora,” my sister said, oblivious to my lie. “Inside your walls. Your home. You cannot trust a servant. Not even the mice.”

“I can defend myself. That is all that matters. Iskyla wouldn’t kill me so discreetly, she wants a show. She wants to humiliate me. To run me off so she can sit on the throne she thinks she deserves by my hand, not murdering me like I murdered our father. Then Isjordians would just see her as another usurper.”

“How can you hold against her when you can’t even sleep, aunt?” Sam asked, blinking slowly at me. “And to be able to fight them off, you need energy, sustenance. You barely eat,” he pointed to the piece of toast I’d dropped back on the plate. “You barely talk. Even to Elias or Oryn who are your most trusted. Though one might argue that both are very uninteresting talkers. But that is beside the point.”

The table had gone entirely too quiet and Kil was barely holding a smile, doing such a terrible job at trying not to be proud of his overly intelligent and observant son.

“You’ll hurt her feelings,” Malik said, munching on an apple like a smug idiot, and throwing me a wink that unsettled me more than I thought it would.

Sam returned to his plate, quietly sipping his tea. “Not so easy to hurt her feelings, uncle. But you would know that, wouldn’t you?”

Kilian’s shoulders were shaking from silent chuckles at his brother’s stunned expression. Once he was done, he turned to me, “Stay for a while longer. At least until you figure out how to sift traitors from your ranks and your home.”

“Appoint me back to my position,” Malik said, and everyone turned to him.

Kilian wore a stunned expression. “You want to return to duty?”

“Yes. And then give me orders to remain by the Isjordian Queen’s side.”

“What?” I asked, sputtering my tea.

Leaning back in his chair, he gave me a once over. “Once my Eldritch get inside your castle, we’ll find out who the traitors are among your people within an hour,” he casually said, turning to his brother. “I’ll remain there. By her side.” He cocked his head to the side to look at me. “Approve it.”

The hells? “No.”

He raised a brow. “No?”

“I don’t need your help.”

“But you do.”

“I can do without it. I’ve done fine so far.”