Fire And Ice (Book 1) (58 page)

             
As he approached the door a hand was held out to stop them.  “You cannot go in there.”

             
Loras stared at the man incredulously.  “I am the Captain of the guards.  This happened in the palace so it is my responsibility to question him.”  He tried to reach for the door, but was barred again. 

             
“My orders are from the Queen herself,” the Knight stated evenly.  The threat was clear if he continued to try and enter the room.

             
Loras had no choice but to turn away.

              With Martin, Oran and another of the Knights flanking her, Katelyn approached the guarded room.  The Knights at the door she recognized from some of the inspections she had given.  They saluted with fists to chests.

             
“Has anyone tried to enter?” she asked them.

             
“Captain Loras, your Majesty,” one of them answered.

             
That was interesting, but not very unusual since he was the Captain of the guards.  “Did you let him in?”

             
“No, your Majesty,” the same one answered.  “He was rather insistent, but I informed him of your wishes.”

             
“Thank you.  If you would open the door now.”

             
They complied, but what they found was not what was expected.  The assassin was dead.  “Did you search him?”  Martin asked quickly.  They both nodded for an answer.  The  Commander went into the room and checked the body closely.  He looked up at his Queen.  “I would have to guess that he poisoned himself.”

             
“Then he is not a professional assassin.”  Oran stated.  He saw her questioning look and explained further.  “A man who kills for a living is concerned with money, or the excitement of it.  Being caught is part of the job.  He would not kill himself for one failure.”

             
“I agree.”  Martin added as he stood.  “He killed himself out of loyalty.”

             
“Or fear,” she put in herself. 

             
“Or fear,” Martin agreed.  “I will have the clothing and body examined.  We should be able to learn something from them.”

             
“Good,” she stated, trying to think.  There was a connection here someplace if she could just find it.  Something between her father being poisoned and her attack.  Unless they found something concerning this man all they had to go on, however thin, was Loras’ visit.  “Lord Oran, does your current investigation include Captain Loras?”  She didn’t have to explain what she meant.

             
“He could be considered, yes.”

             
“Then put him at the top of your list,” she decided.  “Since it involves the guards I suggest you ask Commander Martin for help if that becomes necessary.” 

             
“Do you think he is involved somehow?”  Martin asked.

             
“I do not know,” she replied. 

             
“Then I suggest having the Knights take over the duties of your personal protection until we know for sure.”  Martin suggested strongly.

             
“I concur.”  Oran added.              

             
“Make it so,” she ordered.  If she could trust anyone it would be the Knights.  Turning her head she was reminded of the weight on her brow and almost took off the crown.  “I am going to my rooms.  Have your men picked out and on station before I leave them,” she told Martin.  “I will leave this to you.”  She indicated the body before turning to leave.  She wished that Coran had not gone off again.

              Alys hurried out of the hall after Katelyn, but in the push of the crowd she couldn’t reach her friend.  Further away from the doors the number of people lessened and she could finally get clear.  Not seeing which way Katelyn had gone, she decided to await the Queen in her chambers, but before going more than ten paces down the polished stone floor a hand grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her into a recessed doorway.  They were ignored by the passing nobles who chattered with each other over the events in the throne room. 

             
“...should find who was behind it and ...” a woman with curly blonde hair and a green and red silk gown was saying as she walked by.

              “...could have been a Voltian..” another was saying in a black dress.

             
“No!” the man’s voice responded in shock.  “Even they would not go so far.  Why I think....”  His speculating was lost down the hall.

             
Alys looked into the hard and familiar features of her father.  She pulled her arm away roughly to break his grip on it.  She rubbed it to get the feel of his fingers off her skin.

             
“Alys, you appear to be doing well here,” he said and stepped in front of her to block her view of the passersby. 

             
“I am trying, Father,” she replied shrinking away from those eyes until her back ran into the wood of the door behind her.                

             
He stepped closer to keep the distance between them less than a foot.  “That is good to hear.  I have had some intriguing offers for you.  The Lord of Nirone seems particularly interested.”

             
She winced internally.  The Lord of Nirone was at least sixty.  His wife had died only recently if she remembered correctly.  Of, course she was wise enough not to say anything to her father.  “That is good news.  Have you made a decision already?  I thought that I would be here for another year?”

             
“Not to worry.  The more I make him wait the better the offer.”  Her father smiled thinly and she shuddered.  “That is not why I wish to speak to you though. I hear that you have become quite close with our young Queen?”

             
“Yes, Father.  We are friends,” she said and wondered if that was the wrong thing to say from the way his mouth turned down into a frown. “Is there a problem?”

             
“That depends on you.”  He leaned in closer until their noses were almost touching.  “Do I need to remind you of where your loyalties lie?”

             
She shook her head vigorously.  “No, Father.”

             
He backed up a bit and checked the hall nearby in both directions.  “Your family must come first, even before any loyalty you may feel towards your friend.”

             
“But, Father, since she is the Queen why should there be any conflict?” she asked and regretted speaking up when his eyes filled with anger.

             
“There may come a time when you must choose,  when I may need you to do something that will be in the best interest of house Meneroe.  Should I be questioning your loyalty?  Maybe sending you here was a mistake after all.  Perhaps I should take you home with me when I leave if your sense of duty has been so misplaced.”              

             
“No, Father,” she spoke quickly.  The one thing that had to be avoided was leaving here.  “I will do what you say,” she stated meekly. 

             
He stared into her face for several minutes until he was satisfied that she was telling him the truth.  His smile was sudden, and it left her frightened.  “We will speak again before I go.”

             
“Yes, Father,” she said and watched him step back, and turn to the right as he walked away.  She let out an explosive breath.  What would she do if she had to choose between her family and her father on one side, and her friend who was also her Queen on the other?  The memory of years doing exactly what she was told to do flooded back into her mind.  No one defied her father without suffering severe consequences.

              The golden crown was unceremoniously placed on the cushioned chair of the sitting room.  Katelyn plopped herself down in the other chair and sighed with relief.  All the bowing and kneeling in the halls was getting on her nerves.  Luckily there wouldn’t be as much when she wasn’t actually wearing the crown, and she planned on informal attire as much as she could get away with.  The circle of carved gold was traditionally worn for official proceedings or possibly when she was outside the palace.  Her feeling of relief was not for that alone, she also wanted to just sit away from all the watching eyes.  Trying to maintain a calm outward appearance after someone tried to kill her was exhausting emotionally. 

             
She looked up at the sound of the door opening and saw Alys enter and close the door behind her.  The young woman was pale in the face and her long, brown hair was out of place in a few spots, which was not like her at all.  Alys always tried to appear the lady that she wanted to be.  She did make an exception for when she was out with Devon of course.  Katelyn also noticed that her hands were shaking slightly.              

             
“What is wrong?”  Katelyn asked with concern.

             
Alys failed to meet her eyes, they moved about the room gazing at everything but her.  “Nothing.  I am just upset by the attack on you.”  She came closer and finally met her eyes.  “Are you all right?”

             
“Fine.”  She quickly dismissed the question.  There was something in her friend’s face that was very wrong.  She didn’t think it was just because of the attack.  “Tell me what it is, what is really wrong, please?”

             
Alys looked about to cry.  “My father...”  The door opening again cut her off.

             
“Where is he?”  Margery asked, moving closer with determined steps.  She actually looked angry, which she almost never was.  Behind her followed a very different looking Shirri.  The Karandi woman wore a dress of violet that set off her eyes.  She seemed pleased by the change. 

             
“Where is who?” she countered.  She saw Alys quickly close the door to the hall for privacy and was thankful for her friend’s quick reaction.

             
“Do not give me that,” Margery told her with her arms crossed in front of her.  “That he was not at the ceremony pointed to something going on, but you were attacked and he is not here?  I know him better than that, so tell me what is going on.”  Katelyn glanced at Alys and then Shirri.  Margery saw the look.  “You can trust her.  Unlike you I have been trying to get to know her.”  Her face softened as she realized how harsh that had sounded.  “I know how busy you have been, but you should give her a chance.”

             
“All right.  I will tell you,” she decided.  If Margery trusted Shirri that much then she could try as well.  “He is on his way to Tyelin.  We thought it best to keep it secret for as long as possible because of the attacks on him.”              

             
“I see,” Margery stated thoughtfully.  “That does make sense.”  She nodded and walked around the center table to face her sister directly.  “Where is he really going?”

             
“To Tyelin,” Katelyn repeated, and her sister laughed.

             
“You could never lie to me.”

             
Katelyn looked a bit sheepish.  She did know that her sister had an unpleasant way of knowing when she was telling the truth.  “He is on his way to Herrinhall.”

             
“What?”  Shirri looked at them sharply.  “Where is that?”

             
“In the North,” Margery informed her over her shoulder.  She also noted Alys’ lack of surprise.  “Since Devon is not here either I can assume that he at least took him with him.  So why are they going there?”  She held up a hand as soon as she finished talking.  “Do not tell me, for a cure?”

             
“Partly.  I needed someone to go and talk with the Northmen.  We need their help.”

             
Margery stood thinking for a moment.  “All right.  I suppose that no one outside this room knows the truth?”  They all nodded.  “Then we will have to keep it that way.  You should have someone tell Lord Oran before he sends the guards out looking for his son.  He was looking a bit frantic when I saw him on my way here.”

             
Katelyn hadn’t thought of that.  She would have to take care of it.

             
“I will talk to him,” Margery offered and Katelyn gave her a warm smile of thanks.  The blonde princess who would one day be a queen herself went to deal with Lord Oran before he let the secret out.

             
Shirri made to follow, but Katelyn stopped her.  “Wait a moment, please.”  Her sister was right in that she should try and talk to her.  Maybe she could find out some answers so they might be able to understand each other better.                

             
“Do you want something?” the Karandi woman asked with an arched eyebrow.  Shirri rarely used a title in talking to her or anyone that she noticed.