Kings and Assassins Read Online Free Page B

Blythe will vouch for him.”
    Celeste Lovesy's lips tightened. She said nothing. Blythe coughed, and when all eyes turned upon him, he fell silent after another glance at the duchess. Her gloved hand fell heavily on his arm.
    Warrick Bull narrowed his eyes. “Speak up, and speak truly. Were you playing cards with the Itarusine prince and Last?”
    “Yes,” Lord Blythe said, though the single syllable was grudgingly given. Janus felt a relief of tension he hadn't realized he bore. “From after dinner until the bells rang.”
    The duchess, when pressured, admitted that she had found both Blythe and Janus in Ivor's company with every appearance of having been there for some time. The words were dragged out in poisonous short phrases. Yes, she had seen him. Yes, there were glasses aplenty laid out, and most of a bottle of brandy gone. Yes, there were coins, both Antyrrian and Itarusine, piled up as if several games had been won and lost.
    “The wounds were dealt unevenly.” Sir Robert braved the glacial silence the duchess's confession had left in the room. “The shotshould not have missed the heart at such close range, the saber wounds were awkward, as if the wielder used two hands to compensate for the weight of an unfamiliar weapon.”
    Bull and Rue shared a glance, before Rue spoke. “You believe the assassin an amateur?”
    Sir Robert rubbed at the collar of his hastily donned smock that showed splashes of drying blood. “I only mean to say that I understand the Earl of Last to be experienced with both a saber and a pistol.”
    Janus tried to hide his surprise at defense from an unexpected quarter.
    DeGuerre raised both hands, brought them down in a sharp gesture of exasperation. “And so it begins again. Janus profits, and yet… he cannot be blamed.”
    “He is,” Psyke said. “I saw it myself.” She drew her arms tight about herself, rocked in her seat, nearly pitching to the floor. “It is the same as before.” She laughed, the sound strained and
terrible. “Exactly
the same.”
    Rue dropped to his knees, “My lady—”
    “No,” she said. “I
saw
him. Saw him come out of the darkness, like a piece of darkness, death in his face.”
    “Who?” Rue said. “Who did you see?”
    Psyke shivered all over;
cold
, thought Janus,
not fear
, though it played well to the room of men who didn't know what real fear looked like. “I saw him.”
    “Last?” DeGuerre said. “You saw Last himself?”
    Psyke laughed again. “Not Last, but his hand. His evil desires made flesh. I saw Maledicte.”
    W HEN THE CHAOS CREATED BY Psyke's announcement had faded, Celeste Lovesy removed Psyke, weeping, dragging Lord Blythe in their wake. DeGuerre departed with a final, disbelieving glance toward Janus and a mutter about beginning funeral arrangements. Rue, Janus, and Sir Robert stood in a silent circle around Aris's body.
    Janus touched the cold, still face once, and turned away, his thoughts churning like a whirlwind.
    “Will someone tell Adiran? Will he understand?” He let the words free, empty things to hide his bewilderment. Had Maledicte done this? Killed Aris, the king he had been unaccountably fond of, and without even a word to Janus? But Ivor—Ivor had a hand in this, Janus was certain of that.
    “He won't be told the entirety of it,” Sir Robert said. “Only that his father has died.”
    Janus nodded.
    “Sir Robert, his majesty had you to see Prince Adiran frequently of late,” Rue said. “For any cause? Is the prince ill? We need him hale, more than ever now.”
    Sir Robert shook his head. “I forget sometimes, how gossip drives this court. Yes, I've been attending the prince. King Aris believed he saw improvement in the boy's state.”
    Rue hissed, a tiny, quick sound urging Sir Robert to belated caution. Janus chose to stay unoffended. Let Rue caution Sir Robert as he would. Janus could collect the information from a handful of voices, nurserymaid, pages, servants, guards. In the meantime, he