“Then you acknowledge she wasn’t acting on your orders and should be punished for attempted theft?”
“Certainly not.” If I admitted she’d acted on her own, I’d be sentencing her to the king’s punishment, and who knew what that would be? I had no idea how to extricate both of us from this mess.
Gwenyth would’ve told me to deny any knowledge of what she’d done so I could remain unhindered to complete my mission, but I couldn’t abandon her. “Where is she? Let me speak with her.” I fought to keep panic from creeping into my voice. A lady, even in this situation, would be more angered than worried. “I’ve no proof she was in your room.”
His lips came together in a thin line of contempt. “I assure you the guards who carried her out can attest she was indeed in my room.”
Carried her out? The words struck me like a blow. My hand flew to my throat. “What have you done to her?”
“I’ve done nothing to her, your ladyship. She sneaked uninvited into my room, triggered a spell, and encountered a shower of scorpions.” He waved a hand behind him. “The silly girl ran straight into my desk, knocked over my candle, and set my letters on fire. She could’ve burned down the whole room if a passing maid hadn’t heard her screams and alerted me to the intrusion.”
Scorpions. How many stings did it take to kill a person? “Where is she now? Is she alive?”
One sting was usually painful but not dangerous. Multiple stings, though… Had I killed her with my errand?
Mage Saxeus frowned as though he found my outburst annoying. He was too close and still surveying me. “She’s being treated in the housekeeper’s room.”
I spun to leave but the guard stepped staunchly in my path. Mage Saxeus grabbed my arm and turned me back to face him. “You may see her when we’ve discovered the nature of her crime.”
I yanked my arm out of his grasp. “In normal circles, walking into a room isn’t a crime.” I was stalling again.
He leaned toward me, his cold brown eyes baring down on me. “Did you send her here or not? And if so, why?”
What innocent reason could I have for sending my maid to a wizard’s room? If I’d sent Gwenyth to request a spell of some sort, she would’ve knocked and left when he didn’t answer.
I swallowed, took a breath, and composed myself. “She must have misunderstood my instructions. I asked her to deliver a message, but I didn’t mean for her to take it to you. I told her to take my message to the quarters of the king’s newest wizard, meaning Mage Warison. I’m not sure what compelled her to come to your room.”
“Oh.” Saxeus drew out the word in understanding. Much of the suspicion drained from his eyes and his posture relaxed.“Well, thatisan unfortunate misunderstanding. It seems your maid knew what you didn’t: The king appointed me to replace Mage Telarian this morning.” To prove this point, he gestured to his wizard’s mark. The crescent shape was red now as though the skin underneath it had turned to blood. Apparently, this was a byproduct of being inducted into the wizard council, although not a permanent one since the other wizards’ marks were normal.
“I’m sorry for your maid’s accident,” Saxeus went on, “although she showed great impropriety as well as foolishness to walk into a wizard’s room, whether it be Warison’s or mine.”
“I imagine she just intended to leave my message and go. One doesn’t expect to be attacked by other guests at the king’s court.”
Saxeus’ eyes narrowed again. A bit of his suspicion had returned. “I found no message anywhere in the room or on her.”
“She must have dropped it when she bumped into your desk, and it burned along with your letters.”
He paced across the room, arms behind his back, unmollified by this answer. “If you’re acquainted with Mage Warison, why did you neglect to tell your maid where his room is?”
I drew myself up, the pose of affronted dignity. “Sir, you grievously misjudge me to imply I’ve been to his bed chamber. I assure you I have not. I tasked my maid with finding out those details.”
Mage Saxeus stopped pacing for long enough to give me a polite and insincere bow. “My apologies. I meant no such implications.” He glanced at his desk. I noticed a black charred spot and places where wax had spilled on the floor. “What message did you have for my colleague? I can write it up and deliver it to him.”
“It’s of a personal nature.” Fortunately, Ronan was so handsome, that I was probably not the first woman to send hima personal message. Mage Saxeus could count me with the other young and silly noblewomen smitten by him.
Mage Saxeus smirked. His gaze went over me, curiosity warring with skepticism. “He knows you, does he? He can vouch that you would have reasons to send him messages of a personal nature?”
“Yes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go to the housekeeper’s room.” I snapped my fingers at the guard to draw his attention. “You’ll escort me there, as I don’t know where that room is either.” I gave the wizard one last withering glare. “If my maid dies, rest assured the king will hear of your treachery.”
Mage Saxeus waved my words away like he found my complaint a trifling one. “If she dies, I’ll buy you a new lady’s maid.”
I shouldn’t have given the man cause to distrust me more than he already did, but my tongue spoke of its own accord. “People aren’t interchangeable. She’s my friend.”
He laughed and shook his head. “My lady, you’ve spent too much time with your servants. I wish you luck finding a wealthy husband so your taste in friends might improve.”
I stormed out the door. I didn’t trust myself to respond to that.
The housekeeper’sroom was located on the second floor of the castle. Despite its large size and fine furniture, the lack of windows made it seem closed and dreary. A lit fireplace in the back of the room and a wizards’ orb sitting on a table could only do so much to dispel the darkness.