Cyrene trudged behind the guard. As soon as she had overheard Jardana talking about how Ahlvie was somehow involved in the death of High Order Zorian, Cyrene had known she was going to get summoned.
It was by complete chance that she had found Ahlvie in the stables that morning. She had been so happy when he offered to help her back to her rooms after her warrior ceremony. It was hard to believe the man who had vomited at her feet from intoxication would have had enough coherence or forethought to murder someone. He seemed an unlikely candidate, but she would wait to pass judgment after hearing what he had told the King.
The guard finally stopped in front of a plain wooden door where two more guards stood in position. “Here you are, Affiliate.” He opened the door and leaned inside. “Affiliate Cyrene has arrived.”
“Let her in,” King Edric called.
The guard creaked open the door the rest of the way and allowed her to pass. Cyrene entered a rectangular room bare of decoration, save for a few hard wooden chairs and a small square window.
The King sat regally, facing a lone chair. Prince Kael stood against the far wall. He followed her every move as she glided inside and curtsied.
“Your Majesties.”
“Affiliate Cyrene,” King Edric said with a broad smile.
His blue-gray eyes rested on her face, and her heart lurched. How can I be so nervous about the investigation and still have this electricity surge up through me at his nearness?
“Cyrene,” Prince Kael said.
She startled at the familiar tone, and her eyes darted to his face. His lips were pressed into a firm line, but he perused her face with an intimacy that was unsettling.
She returned her attention to King Edric.
He gestured in front of him. “Please take a seat. This shouldn’t take too long.”
Cyrene crossed the room and sank into the seat facing the King. She crossed her feet at her ankles and lightly rested her hands in her lap. She wanted to look relaxed, not as stressed as she felt.
King Edric began speaking, “We want to ease your mind about the circumstances. We are just going to ask you a few questions regarding your whereabouts since you’ve become an Affiliate.”
“Okay,” she said uncertainly.
“Do you mind telling us where you were the night and morning after your Presenting ball?” King Edric asked.
She peeked up at Prince Kael and then down at her clasped hands. Her cheeks heated. She tried desperately not to think about the Prince escorting her back to her room and pressing her up against the wall with his lips and hands on her, but it only made her think about it more.
King Edric’s eyes moved from Cyrene to Prince Kael and then back to her. She swallowed and ignored the Prince’s smirk.
The door burst open in that moment, saving her from answering.
“Edric!” Queen Kaliana cried.
“Kaliana?” the King said, his voice holding a hint of confusion.
All traces that the Queen had rushed over here out of nowhere were wiped from her face as she flowed into the room. “I’m here for the questioning of the Affiliate as I’m sure you were not going to do it without her Receiver present,” Queen Kaliana said.
She sank effortlessly into the seat next to King Edric, who looked nonplussed at her appearance.
“Edric would never do anything without speaking with you first,” Prince Kael said with enough sarcasm to make Queen Kaliana narrow her eyes at him.
King Edric cut in, “We had simply asked Affiliate Cyrene about her whereabouts the night and morning after of her Presenting.”
“Yes, Affiliate, do tell us where you were,” Prince Kael prodded.
Cyrene wanted to glare at Prince Kael, but she held her composure. She couldn’t seem frazzled. It was even more pressing now that the Queen was there.
“After my Presenting ball, I returned to my rooms to sleep. I was awoken in the middle of the night and went through the warrior ceremony.”
The royalty before her stiffened.
“The warrior ceremony?” King Edric asked cautiously.
“Um…yes,” she said. “I was left on a platform in the underground lake and had to find a way to escape.”
“Kaliana,” the King snapped. He glared at her with open disdain. “You said they had stopped.”
“I’ll take care of it,” she whispered.
“I won’t have any more of these pranks taking place,” he told her.
“I said I’d take care of it.”
“Good,” he said dismissively.
Cyrene tried to remain outwardly calm throughout what had just occurred. But had they honestly said that what I had gone through was nothing more than a prank?
“A prank?” she asked in disbelief.
“Other High Order and Affiliates have been known to play tricks on each other on the night of their Presenting. It’s almost an initiation into their ranks,” the King explained.
I could have died that night! All for a stupid prank. Just thinking about it made her blood boil.
“I see.”
“My apologies, Affiliate. Please continue with your story,” King Edric said.
“Of course,” Cyrene said, covering up her frustration. Then, she recounted the tale of how she’d found Ahlvie in the stable yard, the state of his attire, and how he helped her home.
“Yes, but why did he do that?” Queen Kaliana asked. “He could have just helped you with the hopes that he would have someone to act as an alibi after he’d already committed the murder.”
“Pardon, Your Highness, but if you had seen the state of his intoxication, then you would not think he would have had the forethought to use me for that. Not to mention, I had been there entirely by chance.”
“But,” Queen Kaliana said, facing the King, “she confirmed the state of his dress, including the blood on him, and that she wasn’t there the whole time. He could have killed Zorian the night before and then pretended to find him the next morning.”
King Edric listened to his Queen without a word and then turned back to Cyrene. “What do you think, Affiliate?” he asked.
Cyrene swallowed. King Edric was asking for her opinion on the matter. Queen Kaliana looked at her in a manner that said Cyrene had better agree with her, and Prince Kael stared at her as if she were a puzzle he was trying to figure out how to put together.
“To be honest, I can’t see how Ahlvie had anything to do with this. The evidence is circumstantial at best. Ahlvie and I are only recently acquainted, but I don’t think the killer would have brought forward the body.”
Queen Kaliana raised her nose in disagreement, but the King just nodded.
“Without more evidence, I’m going to have to agree with you. Thank you for your time, Affiliate. Hopefully, this case will be closed before High Order Zorian’s funeral.”
Cyrene took that as her cue to go, and she hurried out of the room. She had only made it a few steps before she heard someone following her. She turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Why are you following me?” she snapped before she could think better of holding in her temper.
“I simply came to make sure you were all right,” Prince Kael said with that devious smile. “It’s not every day you’re involved in a murder investigation.”
She shivered. “I’m quite all right. Thank you.”
He took a step closer until he was speaking only for her ears despite the fact that they were nearly alone in the corridor, “Why have you not heeded my advice?”
“Your advice?” She arched an eyebrow in question.
“You left the grounds. You went into the city when you knew it was not safe.”
Cyrene took a step back. “How do you know that?”
“I’m well-informed on what goes on in and out of the castle.”
“Did you have me followed?” she demanded. Did I scare myself in the Laelish Market over nothing?
He smirked but ignored her question. “Just stay in the court like a good little Affiliate,” he said, patting her shoulder.
She slapped his hand away from her, but he just laughed.
That was answer enough. He’d had someone follow her in the market. She couldn’t believe it. No wonder she had felt like someone was watching her. Someone had been watching me!
Before she could say anything else, he retreated to the investigation room where the King and Queen still remained. Cyrene shook her head in disbelief at her afternoon. She just hoped that, after today, she could put this whole messy business behind her.
Rain fell in sheets on the High Order and Affiliates congregated in front of the gravesite outside of the castle grounds. Cyrene had the hood of her cloak held high as she shivered in the downpour. Maelia stood at her side in the crowd. She was even paler than normal and kept clutching at her cloak.
King Edric had announced the night before the funeral that the killer had not been located and anyone with news of Zorian’s death should step forward. She wondered what had become of Ahlvie—if they were still holding him or if he had been let go.
As a holy official intoned sacred language over Zorian’s body, her mind kept slipping back to the night of her warrior ceremony. She hated second-guessing herself. Ahlvie had been in a poor state, but she didn’t want to think that someone she had trusted could have done this.
A brush at her elbow made her jump, pulling her out of her thoughts. She turned to find that no one occupied the empty space, and she narrowed her eyes in confusion.
Cyrene took a step closer to Maelia and tried to tune back into the ceremony.
“The Creator shine down on…”
Another brush made her heart stutter. No one was moving around her. It was as if the person flowed through the water-streaked shadows.
“Don’t fight.”
She shivered and inclined her head to the left where the voice had come from. It had been just a faint whisper, but the voice made her skin crawl. Taking a deep breath, she waited a heartbeat before looking to see if there was anyone nearby. Nothing moved, but it felt she could feel eyes on her from a distance.
She shook her head, realizing she was just chasing ghosts. With all the talk of death swirling around Zorian’s untimely demise, she was simply scaring herself. It was probably the person Kael had sent to follow her in the Laelish Market. That was the reason she felt like she had eyes on her, and the whisper had been a figment of her imagination.
How could I possibly hear a whisper over the sound of the rain beating down on me?
She took another step to her right anyway until her cloak was brushing against Maelia, so she could feel the safety and security of another body near hers.
Cyrene spent the remainder of the ceremony with her head bowed, speaking to the Creator to bring Zorian peace and ignoring the tingling feeling on the back of her neck.
At the end of the service, the crowd dispersed down the path over the mountainside, heading toward the castle.
Someone grasped her cloak, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Easy, Affiliate,” a voice said softly. “A little tense?”
She breathed out in relief that she hadn’t made up someone touching her. “Ahlvie.”
“At your service.”
“I am a bit jumpy. I did just come from a funeral.”
His hood was covering most of his face, but she could see him nodding in understanding. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“I know you told them that you didn’t think I did it.”
“I simply told them what I believed was the truth.”
“Not many others would have done that. So…thank you.”
He stormed off then, and she was left to wonder about him. Did I just make another friend? Is he a friend I’ll come to regret having?