Horse Charmer (19 page)

"The queen doesn't know," Maconahay said.

"You need to prepare the guards, Captain."

Maconahay opened his mouth, about to object.

"You are my captain." Cassia shot him a firm look. "You will give my orders and they will be followed."

Maconahay nodded, but didn't appear to be completely convinced. They descended down the main staircase and as they grew closer to the main level, the sounds of the party became clear. String instruments played a waltz that could just be heard over the low murmur of voices. Several Vesperan soldiers were stationed around the grand entrance hall and they all did a double take when they saw Cassia and Maconahay. The leader stepped forward.

"Princess Cassia?" the Vesperan guard said.

"Step aside." She hissed as she swept past him, her jog quickening to a run as she approached the main doors.

She flung them open and the splendor of it all blinded her for a second. She tried to look past all the flaming candles, the ornate flowers, and the heavy, expensive crystals to locate her mother. Cassia couldn't see her, but she spotted the three Karahan advisors clustered near the back of the room. She barely noticed the hush of the crowd that followed her as she strode purposefully through the room.

"Princess Cassia!" Torr said in astonishment, jumping up from his seat at the head table as she reached him.

"Where's my mother?" Cassia demanded.

Torr paused as if trying to process what she said, his gaze flickering behind her. She knew that Maconahay and Luki must have reached her. Torr gestured behind him to where the advisors stood.

"Your advisors asked to speak with her in private." He looked her over quickly and she knew she wasn't the picture of beauty and decorum presented to him before. Not that she cared.

Cassia shifted her attention back to the advisors as she walked past Torr to the back of the room. The first thing she saw was King Erich standing next to the small group, a scowl on his face. He was the first to notice her and his expression tightened before quickly smoothing into a welcoming smile. Cassia was not fooled by the look.

Advisor Eb glanced over his shoulder and relaxed in relief. "See Your Highness, here she is."

Queen Sarahann looked around him. "Cassia!" Sarahann held her hands out and pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "You're all right."

Sarahann's expression was fierce as she released her daughter to look her over. Cassia was having a hard time drawing her accusing eyes away from Erich's face. He didn't appear to be concerned, nor should he, considering he had no idea a horse could bear witness against him.

"It seems you were correct, gentlemen," Sarahann said. "My daughter has been returned to me safely. Though I still don't understand why she didn't accompany you."

"We split up to double our chances of preventing this marriage," Cassia said, her gaze shooting back to Erich's face.

"Oh." Probably for the first time in her life, Sarahann was at a loss for what to say.

"Especially considering that the treaty King Erich presented to us is a forgery," Cassia continued.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The Karahan advisors stared at her in distress before glancing carefully around them. King Erich's expression didn't change. Cassia could have sworn his lips curved just a little.

"Not this again," Sarahann said in a hushed voice.

"Perhaps we should take this conversation out to the side hall." Erich took his new bride by her arm and pulled her toward the small door behind them. He nodded to his personal guards who opened the doors and stepped through themselves.

Cassia followed and frowned at Maconahay when he insisted on proceeding through the doorway first. Luki close behind her and the Karahan advisors followed him. The hallway was wide and offered plenty of room for her to square off of Erich with Luki and Maconahay on each side of her.

"Who told you this lie?" Erich said with a gentle smile.

She smiled slightly. "That isn't why I'm here."

The Karahan advisors shifted uneasily, since that was why they believed she had returned to the castle. Maconahay eyed the five Vesperan personal guardsmen warily and cleared his throat in caution.

"Don't worry so much, Captain," Cassia said, sure of herself. She didn't reveal that she could feel their reinforcements on their way. "I want to know why you had my father murdered."

As she spoke the words, she kept the man who had struck her father down in her line of sight. Bittore hovered just behind Erich against the wall. He jerked slightly at her words, but he was good at covering his emotions, his face showed nothing. But not nearly as accomplished as King Erich, who stared at her in complete astonishment.

Erich's expression gentled to concern. "I wasn't involved in your father's death, Princess Cassia."

"Cassia!" Sarahann scolded in a shocked voice. The Karahan advisors remained silent witnesses behind Cassia. "That's enough!"

"Is it?" She held her ground. "Do you require proof?"

Sarahann looked from Cassia to Erich with uncertainty.

Erich hadn't released the hold he'd had on her arm since entering the hallway. "There's no proof, because I wasn't involved."

"Oh, you didn't strike the blow." Cassia nodded toward Bittore and smiled. Though it was more a flash of teeth than a smile. Both Maconahay and Luki followed her gaze and drew their swords.

Erich's guards mimicked the move in a blinding flash.

"Stop that!" Sarahann jumped forward to grab her daughter's hands. "What are you doing? Lay down your swords." Maconahay and Luki both ignored her and she focused back on Cassia. "Tell them to lay their swords down."

"No," she said, her confidence growing as she heard the sound of pounding hooves.

The Vesperan guards glanced over their shoulders nervously as Kali slammed through a set of doors at the end of the hall. Dall, Bailintin, and Pakelika on Ward followed. Pakelika clung to the saddle, not comfortable with being taken for a ride. Kali brought her group to a stop a mere ten feet from the Vesperan guards. The men shifted their attention uneasily between the horses and Cassia's escorts.

"I'm sorry we were too late, Mother." She didn't take her gaze off Erich's face. "I would have spared you this pain, but it can't be ignored. Do you still deny it, King Erich? Do you deny you sent that man," she pointed at Bittore, "to slay my father in one of Vespera's dark alleys?"

"Of course I do," Erich said, a bite of temper creeping into his voice. "Your accusation is completely absurd. I had no reason to want King Robet dead."

He lies.
Kali said.

I know, but thank you for confirming.

"He wouldn't sign your treaty," Cassia said. "You couldn't allow that, could you? But having your own personal bodyguard commit the murder was stupid, especially since there were witnesses."

"Witnesses?" Eb asked quietly, the first of the Karahan advisors, to speak up.

"Yes," she said. "He saw everything."

"Westleigh?" Eb asked.

"No." She hesitated not wanting to reveal her secret to all and sundry.

Bittore remained still, but his eyes burned with hatred as they focused on her. She could feel his intent, his sureness at striking her down. She kept her faith in Luki and Maconahay and their ability to protect her. Pulling her gaze away from Bittore, she looked back to Erich. She pushed her mother behind her as she narrowed her eyes.

"King Erich of Vespera," Cassia said, knowing what this declaration would do to all of those around her. "You have committed crimes against the Kingdom of Karah and her king. You have forced forgery and lies upon us. You have committed the most serious of crimes by striking down her ruler and monarch. For those crimes, you shall--"

"Wait!" Torr objected, revealing his hiding place behind the door. Luki shifted to meet the new threat much closer to them. Torr glanced at his father before turning to her, stopping just out of reach of Luki's sword. "Please, wait."

"If you wish to keep your head, Prince," Cassia said. "I suggest you back away."

"You will not threaten my son," Erich said, his temper staining his cheeks.

"Stop!" Torr stepped between them, placing himself well within range of Maconahay's sword. He lifted his hands, palm up, to show he carried no weapon. "You condemn Vespera along with her king."

She held her tongue and forced herself to look past the red rage coloring her vision. "The kingdom and her king are intertwined."

"Yes," Torr acknowledged. "But if the kingdom is unaware of the atrocity her king has committed, would you sentence the kingdom with her king?"

"He killed my father!" She spat out.

"I'm not disputing your accusation." He took a step closer.

"What is your duplicity in this?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "I didn't know."

"You knew of the forgery."

"I suspected," Torr corrected. "But I had no proof. Only two people were in the room."

"You saw the treaty."

"Yes."

"Enough," Erich roared, yanking on his son's arm to pull him back.

Torr resisted the pull. "Yes, it was unsigned."

Sarahann gasped in surprise.

"Are you a fool?" Erich yelled.

"But I didn't know of any plans to murder your father," Torr continued, completely ignoring his own. "I give you my word."

He speaks the truth.

Cassia gritted her teeth. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, if you wish to condemn Vespera along with her king," he said.

"There cannot be peace!" Cassia said, her rage increasing when Bittore sidled closer to Erich.

"Yes, there can," Torr insisted. "The king and kingdom are not necessarily one."

"What are you saying?" She focused on him and his earnest expression.

"Vespera doesn't want war with Karah." He glanced briefly at his father before looking away in dismissal. "I will not go to war with Karah."

"You're not the king."

"But I will be."

"Not soon enough."

"This is nonsense." Erich stepped forward, his guardsmen shadowing him. "If you have such a witness bring him forward to make his accusation."

Cassia smiled as she sent the summons. Her secret would not be kept. "As you wish."

Erich's lips tightened in concern for a second before relaxing. "Well, where is he?"

Her advisors moved up closer behind her next to Sarahann obviously wondering who this witness was.

"On his way," Cassia said.

This isn't wise.

What would you suggest?

Kali shifted to the side to make room for the horse that was currently thundering through the great hall.
How will you make them believe?

It only matters what I believe.

The sound of horse hooves clip clopping on the stone echoed down the hallway. Rae cantered through the doorway and slid to a stop where the Vesperan guards prevented him from going any farther.

"There he is," Cassia said.

Erich looked over his shoulder at the horse. "He seems to have fallen off his horse."

"The horse is the witness," she said. "Surely you recognize my father's steed."

Someone gasped behind her, but wasn't sure if it was her mother again or one of the advisors.

"Your witness is a horse," Eb said in disbelief.

"Relax, there isn't a better witness than a horse," she said. "He saw the entire thing."

Erich raised an eyebrow at her, clearly sensing the Karahan advisors were about to shuffle Cassia to the side and start peacemaking. Judging by the whispers going on behind her, he was probably right.

"Did you know I'm a Talent, Erich?" Cassia stepped forward. Luki shadowed her movement "Can you guess what my Talent is?"

Erich refused to answer.

"Why don't you ask your cavalry why their horses have become uncontrollable since I arrived?" She suggested with a brittle smile.

Then it happened. Rae caught the scent of her father's murderer in front of him. He screamed in rage and lunged forward, lethal intent in his eyes. Bittore spun, raising his sword to defend himself.

No!
Cassia yelled to Rae. Bittore would kill Rae with one well placed blow.

Luki stepped in front of Cassia preventing her from moving an inch forward. Maconahay shoved Torr to the side so he wasn't blocked by the prince any longer.

Kali burst forward. Faster than any horse should be able to move. She came down on Bittore. Focused on Rae, he wasn't able to defend himself from Kali's snaking teeth as she clamped down on his sword arm and yanked.

"Aaaeeeiii!" Bittore screamed as his arm was pulled out of its socket.

She slammed him solidly against the wall before releasing him.

"Rae!" Cassia didn't need to say his name aloud, but she wanted them to realize she had regained control. "Enough. He will be punished. Kali!"

Kali stomped on Bittore's leg before backing off. Kali understood Cassia's concern that more guards would have heard the commotion and would be coming. Rae was more reluctant, but slowly her will overcame his and he stopped snorting at the fallen guard and moved off to defend the entrance.

"You have no proof," Erich said again, his eyes darting to his fallen bodyguard.

His other four guards had moved up next to him, more wary of the threat of the horses than Cassia's two meager human guards.

"I do." She drew herself up to her full height. "I have all the proof I require to know you are treacherous and that Karah will enter into no treaty with Vespera."

"What about your mother? She is my bride," Erich said with a smile.

"The marriage will be annulled."

"I won't consent," Erich growled.

"I don't require your consent."

Erich gestured to cut her off. "I will not speak of matters of state with a child. You do not make the decisions for Karah. Queen Sarahann, my wife, commands Karah."

Cassia cocked her head. "No longer, King Erich. Queen Sarahann has committed her own act of treason."

"What?" Sarahann said behind her.

"She failed to listen to the advisors," Cassia said, lying through her teeth. "Why do you think I brought the advisors with me? Who crowns the new sovereign ruler over its kingdom?"

Erich glanced over her shoulder to the Karahan advisors and she hoped they wouldn't betray her. His lips twisted and she guessed none of them had shown any signs of disagreeing.

"You lost," she said. "As the Queen of Karah, I proclaim the Kingdom of Vespera --"

"Cassia," Torr said, intense entreaty not only in his voice, but on his face.

She gritted her teeth and sucked in the act of war she was about to proclaim. She had to force herself to think of Karah's needs over her own driving desire for vengeance. "You have one month, Prince Torr, one month."

Torr quickly bowed. "Your Highness."

Cassia didn't want to leave. She wanted to see her father's murderer dead along with King Erich, who glared at her. She could almost see the plans formulating in his head. Luki shifted and she touched his side to acknowledge the warning. They were outnumbered. They would escape, but the few Karahan guard protecting them would be put at risk by the Vesperan guard for all of Torr's intentions of peace and innocence. Torr was not the ruler of Vespera. She just hoped she was hearing what he was saying correctly. She'd give him one month to dethrone his father.

"Pakelika," Cassia called over the crowd.

He didn't move, but his eyes fixed on her to show he'd heard.

"We're leaving," Cassia said. She was worried about how much to say. She could instruct Ward, but she had to make sure Pakelika understood his part. "Tell the Karahans you see to leave at once."

Pakelika saluted and Ward spun to thunder back to the main hall and up to the fourth floor to evacuate the two Karahan guards and the Karahan handmaidens.