The king’s eyebrows went up as he now fully turned toward me. “Are you trying to imply that it was not a disease?”
My eyes went to his. “Aren’t diseases apoisonto the body after all?”
His eyes widened quickly. “So you think thatIwould have had the wherewithal to create this poison? Effectively weakening the other countries and avoiding a war? While strengthening the magic within our own borders and causing Wylan to thrive? That would be quite the scheme. Quite the scheme indeed.”
My eyes were on his as I said, “There is nothing I don’t think you are capable of, Your Majesty.”
We both knew I didn’t mean it as a compliment.
His lips twitched for only a moment. “Your theory flatters me.”
I rolled my eyes. “As if your ego needed it.”
The king chuckled.
Of course he hadn’t denied nor confirmed my suspicions. But the way he had smirked when I explained it told me everything I needed to know. He was responsible. I didn’t know how deep his efforts ran, but I knew he was partly to blame for the disease.
The doors creaked open and in came George, the busboy, with two guards.
I feared he was in trouble, and we were in for Theodore round two, so I allowed my magic to run along my skin’s surface as soon as I saw him.
“What is the meaning of this?” the king snapped. “These sessions are long enough without interruptions.”
The guard bowed low. “We apologize, Your Majesty, but we thought you’d want to hear this. He was trying to sneak into the balcony to get Her Highness’s attention.”
The king nodded and gestured for them to continue as my magic immediately increased. If George was brave enough to try to get to me, something was wrong. Though no bruises or marks graced his body, I noticed how out of breath he looked. Like he had ran here.
The guard shoved George ahead. But he wasn’t looking at the king, he was only looking at me. “The forest. She burns.”
CHAPTER42
If looks could kill, I’d have his still beating heart in my palm. My eyes had gone directly from George to the king. A fire in the forest? There was only one Enchanted in the realm who loved to terrorize with fire. The king.
Though I didn’t remember standing, everyone was, Krew’s hand at the small of my back. A few parliament members moved toward the large windows. A guard moved to open one of the huge windows, and that was when I realized it was more of a door than a window. A door which opened, but with no balcony. An elaborately designed waist-high metal barrier was there to prevent anyone from just walking off the door to their death.
“He’s right,” someone gasped.
“Looks to be in the direction of the lake.”
I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off the king. He looked back at me with a cruel tilt to his lips. “Do you blame this on me as well?”
“Yes.”
He took a step forward and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Imagine, my dear Princess, if I really were to blame for all that you presume.” He was watching me intensely, as if waiting to feed off my fear.
My entire skin was now slithering with silver, and I was certain I was glowing brighter than the rather ostentatious chandelier thirty feet above me. I felt no fear, only the weight of my rage. “Yes.Imagine.”
I felt Krew’s magic burning through the bond. He was going to tear his father limb from limb. And I wasn’t about to stop him, but first we had a fire to put out.
A wolf howling in the distance was the only thing that snapped my attention from the king.
People were crowding around the open window, all trying to watch the fire.
“Everyone stay put,” the king barked. “No parliament member leaves.”
Iwasn’t a parliament member though.
“Move,” I commanded with a voice I had never used in this room before. A voice that demanded response. The voice of a royal.
