He stumbled forward and fell into King Leofric’s chamber where he lay sprawled on the floor, his face pinched with pain.
“Here is the assassin,” Ronan called.
Lord Clement moaned and flopped over on his back as though to hide the wound. His hand, however, still smeared with blood, carried the evidence. I watched him, unable to tear my gaze away. I feared that if I did, Lord Clement would somehow transform into Alaric.
King Leofric strode over to his brother-in-law, gaping. “You?” he asked, as if there was some way the man could deny involvement. “Why?”
Lord Clement only grimaced in response. Ronan knelt by him, turned him onto his stomach, and ripped through his tunic to inspect the wound. Skin could be knitted with magic, and bones set, but pierced organs were a different matter. His life depended on what the arrow had damaged.
King Leofric shook his head, bewildered. “You stayed in my chambers to guard me and then came back to take my life like a thief?”
A steady stream of blood ran from the wound, making it impossible to see the extent of the damage. Ronan flicked his wand at the man’s back to slow the flow and mopped at the blood with Clement’s tunic. “He stayed in your chambers so he’d be among the first to know if I’d fallen victim to the traitor wizard. When he discovered you were vulnerable, instead of going to fetch a mage, he went for a bow and arrow. I’d already said an assassin was about. Clement wanted to make sure he did his work before you were able to find another wizard willing to join the council. Clement would then rule Aerador as the regent king until Princess Alfreda was of age—if he ever let her come of age.”
Clement didn’t deny or confirm the accusation, just took shallow, labored breaths.
King Leofric’s hands clenched and unclenched at his side. The paleness of shock gave way to the red flush of anger. “You thought to take my kingdom by killing me? You whom I invitedinto my home—whom I entrusted with my daughter?” His voice dropped to a dangerous hiss. “Did my sister know of this?”
Lord Clement’s eyes finally focused on King Leofric. “Of course not,” he rasped out. “She’s a woman incapable of such force.” It was unclear whether he said the words as a compliment or indictment. He shut his eyes and coughed. His coughing turned to convulsing. Tremors that didn’t cease. Blood leaked from his mouth and at last, he went still.
Ronan put his hand on the man’s chest to check for breathing. He shook his head. “The damage was too extensive. Magic couldn’t save him.”
King Leofric seemed hardly to hear Ronan. “This was the assassin you warned me of? You knew of Clement’s intentions?”
Ronan stood, wiping his hands on his robes. “I’d no notion. I worried that the attack would come from an outside enemy.” Ronan’s eyes darted to the tapestry. He’d remembered Alaric was still unaccounted for. “In fact, I fear another attack could still come. I suggest leaving Marcella here to guard your room while we wake the marshal and your war advisors. We’ve no idea how the king of Marseden will react to the news of his grandson’s death.”
“A woman as a guard?” Leofric asked.
“A woman with magic,” Ronan emphasized. “You saw how fearlessly she pursued Clement. She reached the passageway ahead of either of us.”
King Leofric lowered his voice. “She was screaming, ‘No!’ the entire time.”
Had I? I hadn’t been aware of it.
Ronan swept his hand in my direction. “That’s part of her fierce determination to protect you—the war cry. She was letting the assassin know he wouldn’t escape her wrath.”
King Leofric mumbled some sort of complaint I couldn’t make out. “Very well,” he told Ronan at last. He turnedto me and spoke distinctly, as though I might have trouble understanding orders. “Other than my wife, detain anyone who comes through that passage. Do not kill them. I want to know who, if anyone else, is behind this attack.”
I nodded, even though I had no intention of ever letting him know who was behind anything that had happened in the castle recently.
He paused before turning to leave. “You’ll say nothing of your position or what’s transpired tonight. In fact, you’ll never reveal anything you see or learn while on my council. As far as everyone is concerned, you’re simply another guest at court, and…” his lips twitched in disapproval, “don’t use more war cries. You must act the part of a lady: genteel, mannerly, and gracious.” It was clear by his tone he was unsure whether I could accomplish this feat.
I remembered my manners enough to curtsy. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I’ll send men to take Clement’s body.” He scowled at his brother-in-law, and for several moments, emotion overtook him and he didn’t speak. He took a deep breath and forced his attention back to me. “Become invisible and stay that way until they leave. I don’t want them to think I’m keeping women in my chambers, especially ones with ripped gowns.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” I muttered the incantation for invisibility, glad the spell was second nature to me. My magical energy felt completely depleted.
King Leofric trudged toward the door. He brushed the sleeves of his robe as though he needed to wipe off any remnants of this night.
I waited until the king and Ronan left, then slipped behind the tapestry and became visible again.
CHAPTER 29
The passageway was cold and drafty, untouched by the fires of the king’s room. A wizards’ orb had hung in the passageway once but it had been smashed. Probably by Lord Clement. Other small orbs were positioned not far away where the passage broke into three corridors. I sat with my shell charm in my lap for light, my back pressed to the door. I didn’t want to see the blood on the stone floor. The passageway was dim enough that one wouldn’t notice it unless one knew it was there. But my eyes returned to the spots again and again.
“Marcella?”
A beautiful sound—my name whispered on Alaric’s lips.