The trip back to Forcadel from Neveri was long, not the least because I was acutely aware that I was the only Forcadelian on board the ship. I'd never felt so unwelcome in my own country before.
It seemed Ilara was slowly chipping away at the fragments of my support network—perhaps to break me, perhaps just to watch me bleed. I could only imagine what fresh hell she had waiting for me when we returned. My only solace was that Katarine was too important to dispose of.
When my hometown appeared in the distance, I exhaled a breath. The spires of the castle were always constant. Katarine was still in the city, as were the rest of my youngest cadets. And no matter what Ilara threw at me, I could always don the mask and make things better for my people. It was those small bits of control that would keep me sane.
At the dock in Forcadel, Coyle wore his dress uniform and a smug grin. He, like Ilara, seemed triumphant over something. I half-expected him to have a pair of handcuffs, but he didn't.
"My queen," he said, bowing low. "Welcome back."
"Coyle, darling," she said, taking his arm as she departed the ship. "How has my city been in my absence? Have you captured that masked vigilante that's been terrorizing my streets?"
"We've narrowed it down," Coyle said, but I could hear the lie in his voice. "There have been more fires, though, and so I temporarily halted my investigation to focus on those."
"Good thing Captain Llobrega is back," she said, casting a look back at me. Was it a suspicious one, or merely relishing her cruel treatment of me? "How are my cadets, Lieutenant Coyle?"
"Very well, Your Majesty."
"Cadets?" I couldn't help myself. "What cadets?"
"I thought it best to remove some of your workload so you can focus on whoever's setting the fires in the city. After all, it's been weeks since you've started, and you've had very little progress."
I balled my fists and nodded curtly. "I'll do better, Your Majesty."
Coyle and I bowed in unison, and we remained silent until Ilara had climbed into her carriage and disappeared.
"I hope you don't mind," he began. "But Her Highness asked that your things be moved into Captain Mark's old rooms, so I took the liberty of doing it myself."
I quirked a brow, thankful I'd had the foresight to keep all traces of The Veil out of my closet. "How very kind of you. I hope this menial task didn't distract you from your all-important search for The Veil."
"As it turns out," he said under his breath, "The Veil hasn't been seen in a few nights."
"How convenient."
Coyle actually released a loud breath. "I know it's you, Felix. We can play this song and dance all day, but you and I both know the truth."
"If you're so sure," I said, tilting my chin up, "why am I not in shackles?"
He straightened his shoulders. "Because I'm giving you the chance to resign."
"I'm…sorry?" Resign? Was he mad?
"Resign and recommend me to take your place. You still have some sway, and now, with Maarit out of the way, there's no one else to take your spot but me."
"I'm not going to do that," I said with a smile. "You're on your own there."
"It's only a matter of time before I have proof that you've been masquerading," he said. "Ilara won't have any mercy."
"Then tell her." I stared directly into his eyes, perhaps the first time I'd been able to since he'd betrayed me.
Where I expected contempt and disgust, I found conflict.
"I don't think you can do it," I replied softly. "Because if you could, you wouldn't be here telling me. You'd have me in irons. You're just trying to play both sides again." I squinted at the blue sky. "But you know the problem with that? Eventually, people get tired of being played and you end up dead."
"I'm offering this to you as a friend," Coyle said.
I snorted and walked away from him. "You lost the ability to call me that when you betrayed my country."
That night, not wanting to be alone in my new quarters, which didn't feel like mine, I called upon Katarine and Beata in their private residence. Katarine ordered a small dinner for the three of us and we caught each other up on events in the castle and in Neveri. Despite the dark cloud over my mood, it was lightened somewhat by the soft looks and gentle touches they shared. Seeing Katarine so happy was worth, perhaps, some of this misery.
"Bea and I were out in the city today and, well…let's just say I think that's the last time I'm going to do that for a while," Katarine said, thumbing the rim of her wine glass. "I've never felt so unwelcome here."
I squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."
"It's the bed I made," she said with a small shrug. "The people won't know that I stayed to protect them. I can't blame them for being angry."
"Things aren't looking good for either of us, it seems," I said, sitting back. "My cadets under Coyle's command, Jo and Riya in border cities. What's to say Ilara hasn't told one of her guards to throw them in the river and make it look like an accident?"
"Felix," Katarine said, tugging my arm. "You worry too much when you don't need to. Riya and Joella know to be on their guard and they can protect themselves just as well as you could."
"Perhaps even better," Beata said. "They may take some of the focus off you."
"I don't know how much Riya is going to be able to push back against Maarit, but—"
"She'll do her best," Katarine said with a smile.
"As long as it doesn't get her court-martialed," I said. "But the gates closing, that's going to mean big changes around here. We all know there was more product getting through than Ilara had wanted."
"Maybe when her own stores get so low that she can't eat her delicacies, she'll change her tune," Beata said with a snort.
Katarine reached across the table to take her hand with a soft smile. "And in the meantime, we'll have to send for our chocolates in the city."
Beata made a face. "They don't do it as well as I do."
"Speaking of which," Katarine said, sitting back. "Do you know where we put that present for Felix?"
"Oh, I think it's in the other room," Beata said, standing and placing her napkin on the table. "I'll be right back."
Katarine must've put it there strategically, because the moment Beata was out of earshot, Katarine leaned in. "Have you heard from…our other friend?"
I shook my head. "But I don't expect to. I expect to see her floating into the bay on a fiery ship of doom, ready to take on Ilara."
"Felix. Really?" Katarine snorted.
"She does have a flair for theatrics."
"That she does, but… It's been weeks," Katarine said softly. "I hope she's all right."
"I have faith that she is," I said.
"You may be the only one. Bea heard from her sources down in the dungeons—"
I blinked. "Since when does Bea have sources in the dungeons?"
"My love has sources all over the place," Katarine said with pursed lips. "I'll have you know."
Despite myself, I grinned. "Your what?"
"Bea," Katarine said, her pale face growing bright red. "My…whatever. Stop being an ass."
"So it's been said then?" I asked. "Finally, after so many years, and so many times of her saying it to you, you've confessed your love. August would've been so proud of you."
Katarine's face was now the color of a tomato as she stammered and played with the hem of the tablecloth. "I suppose it's all right now. Ilara already knows, so there's no benefit in hiding anymore."
I tilted my head to the side. "Do you think you'll marry her?"
"I'd like to," Katarine said, a small grin teasing the corners of her mouth. "But I don't know when or how. Things are so upside-down at the moment… But I think I'd want a small ceremony this time. Perhaps I'll send a missive to Luard and ask him to walk me. It was so dreadful to walk by myself."
I grinned, thinking back to Katarine and August's wedding. It had been a huge affair, a celebration lasting a whole week, with ad hoc celebrations the full month before and after. Katarine had been a gorgeous, if lonely, bride. Only her sister Erlina had been in attendance, as the second eldest, and she'd been more concerned about the treaty than Katarine's well-being.
"Do you remember sneaking out of the castle afterward?" Katarine asked, as if she were having the same memories. "Just the three of us, wearing cloaks and hoping no one would notice the newlyweds weren't making passionate love back at the castle."
"Well, one of you did," I said with a snort.
"Whatever happened to that girl?" Katarine asked, putting her chin in her hand. "August was quite fond of her, wasn't he?"
I nodded, taking another drink. "It's weird. I still expect to see him sometimes. Coming out of his room or playing tricks on the cadets. After he died, I was so focused on keeping the country together, I don't know if I ever…"
"He wouldn't have wanted you to mourn long," she said. "And I think he would've been thrilled to see Brynna give you more than enough distraction."
This time, I was the one to blush as Katarine cackled. "You know, with Joella and Riya gone, perhaps I could try my hand at The Veil."
I knew she was kidding, as she knew I'd never let her near a mask, but for her sake, I played along. "I think you'd do well. You'd need to work on your dramatics though."
"My swordsmanship needs a little work, too."
"Says the woman who bested August in every sparring match I ever saw."
She flushed, looking at her hands. "He wasn't a very skilled partner."
"Of course he wasn't. No one had the gumption to even try against him." I laughed. "Poor man thought he was the best swordsman in Forcadel and could barely even beat the youngest cadets."
We shared a smile that quickly faded into sadness. Just as I had a handle on my world, it slipped through my fingers, it seemed.
"Found it!" Beata chirped. "It was buried under a pile of clothes."
"Oh, my mistake," Katarine said with a wink to me. "I must've forgotten I put it there. I'm sorry."
Beata just kissed her forehead and sat down. "You've had a lot on your mind."
We shared the delicacies, some of the last that had been shipped in from Niemen before Skorsa had been closed, and descended into pensive silence.
"I'm still worried about my cadets," I said, picking up my goblet and washing the sweetness down. "I just hope Coyle doesn't do anything to hurt them… and that the cadets don't suffer from all this."
"Coyle's a traitor, but he's not cruel," Katarine said. "He won't torture them. Not if he wants them to swear fealty to him instead of you."
"Things are certainly aligning poorly for me lately," I said. "The only ally I have left in the castle is you. I don't know what I would do if she sent you away, too."
"Please, the bitch wouldn't know right from left without me."
I gawked—Katarine rarely cursed.
"It will be all right," she said, squeezing my hand. "As long as we have each other, it will be all right."
And as long as we kept the faith that Brynna would return, we'd survive.