Shadow Weaver (Back on 抖阴社区 2020!)

Chapter 20

Once the Commander and the Duke are alone, the Duke's gaze shifts to a concealed corner of the room. A woman perches in a velvet chair. Chestnut curls fall in waves around her shoulders. Her eyes match the ruddy browns of her hair and light up her face. The Commander does not seem surprised by her presence.

"What is your news?" the Duke asks.

"Prince Jakut is here, Your Royal Highness."

A unmistakable look of fear passes between Duke and lady.

"He would not be deterred from seeing you by news of the pox."

The Duke recovers slowly. The lady rises, swishes to where he props himself against the table, and places her hand over his in a gesture of support.

"Who travels with him?"

"Deadran, two odd looking men, and a young woman."

"Deadran?"

"His old tutor, Your Royal Highness." The Duke turns to the woman. When he speaks it is as much to her as his commander. "His timing, his sudden reappearance... The King's soldiers search for him in the north, yet he shows up here, out of nowhere, without an escort."

"We must move the boys to the old tower," the woman says, her voice soft but firm. "Four men and a lady will be easy to oversee. Assign two guards to each to ensure they do not wander where they must not. It is possible the Prince comes seeking you as an ally. We must act cautiously."

"Any word of the King's return from the Etean front?" the Duke asks Commander Fror.

"Nothing, Your Royal Highness."

"This is no coincidence," the Duke says. "It cannot be. We should get rid of the shadow-weaving boy."

The woman's hand tightens over his. "Husband," she says, "we may still need him. Let us speak with Jakut first, find out what happened to his escort. Perhaps he knows who lies behind his attempted assassination."

The Duke nods. "We will receive His Royal Highness in the great hall," he tells Commander Fror. "Bring them all."

Extracting myself from the Commander's mind is like walking head-on into a gale of dust. My eyes blur, struggling to refocus on the dining room.

A bowl of soup now sits before me, and the Prince is by my side. Tug and Brin eat further down the table, heads lowered, eyes on the guards beyond the hall doors.

"Your hands are shaking," Jakut says.

My thoughts reel, still spinning. The boys in the tower... Get rid of the shadow-weaving boy. I crush my palms in my lap, quelling my agitation. Kel is here! I can barely contain the joy, relief, and fear.

It is more necessary than ever that the Duke and Duchess believe our story, and perceive Prince Jakut as an ally. He must not give them reason to suspect he is hiding something. Kel's immediate safety depends on it.

But the Prince is as good as a counterfeit. An impostor. He might have lived eighteen years as heir to the throne, but he remembers none of it. Placed under scrutiny next to the Duke the fraud will be palpable. And they are already afraid of him. Afraid he will discover Kel's presence and know their treachery against the King.

Jakut studies me. I force my body to relax. "I am tired from the journey," I say.

"Did you see anything of use?"

"They question you turning up here when there has been no word of you since the rumours of your assassination. They do not understand what it means. And they fear whoever tried to assassinate you."

He nods, muscles in his face softening. "What of the pox?"

"They wish to deter anyone from entering or leaving the fort."

"That much is obvious. The question is why?"

"Whoever plots against you, may also be a threat to them." I draw up my eyes to his. "It is crucial they believe you are here as an ally."

He breathes in deeply, holding my gaze. Then he rises and goes to Deadran two seats away. He lays a hand on Deadran's shoulder. The old tutor is the one who convinced him to seek allies and safety here, and now I realize two things. Jakut is relieved to discover his uncle has played no part in the plot against him. And I am not the only one who might fail this test.

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