Total pages in book: 200
Estimated words: 189930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 950(@200wpm)___ 760(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 950(@200wpm)___ 760(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
“Thank you.” Teerman nodded at Vikter, his smile close-lipped as he lowered the paper to the desk. His black, fathomless eyes flicked to where I stood, just inside the door. His mouth tightened as he motioned me forward. “Please sit, Penellaphe.”
Legs oddly numb, I forced myself to cross the short distance, wholly aware of Hawke’s gaze tracking my every step. I didn’t need to look to know that he watched. His gaze was always that intense. I sat on the edge of the middle bench, folding my hands in my lap. Tawny took the bench behind me, while Vikter moved to stand to my right so he stood between me and the Commander and Hawke.
“I hope you’re feeling well, Penellaphe?” the Duchess said as she sat in the chair beside the desk.
Hoping that I was only asked simple yes and no questions, I nodded.
“I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried that attending the City Council so soon after your attack would be too much,” she said.
For once, I was beyond grateful for the veil. Because if my face were visible, there’d be no hiding how ridiculous that concern was. I’d been bruised. Not seriously injured or shot through the chest with an arrow, as Rylan had. I would be fine—I was fine. Rylan would never be okay.
“What happened in the garden is why we’re all here,” the Duke took over, and muscles all along my neck and back began to tense. “With the death of…” His fair brow pinched as disbelief whirled through me. “What was his name?” he asked of the Duchess, whose forehead creased. “The guard?”
“Rylan Keal, Your Grace,” Vikter answered before I blurted out his name.
The Duke snapped his fingers. “Ah, yes. Ryan. With Ryan’s death, you are down one guard.”
My hands curled into fists. Rylan. His name was Rylan. Not Ryan.
No one corrected him.
“Again,” the Duke added after a pause, a faint twist of his lips forming a mockery of a smile. “Two guards lost in one year. I hope this isn’t becoming a habit.”
He said it as if it were somehow my fault.
“Anyway, with the upcoming Rite, and as you draw closer to your Ascension, Vikter cannot be expected to be the only one keeping a close watch on you,” Teerman continued. “We need to replace Ryan.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“Which, as I am sure you realize now, explains why Commander Jansen and Guard Flynn are here.”
I might’ve stopped breathing.
“Guard Flynn will take Ryan’s place, effective immediately,” the Duke said, confirming what I had already guessed the moment I walked into the room. But hearing him say it aloud was an entirely different thing. “I’m sure this is surprising, as he’s new to our city and quite young for a member of the Royal Guard.”
I was wondering exactly that. The Duke sounded like he too was questioning it.
“There are several Rise Guards in line to be promoted, and bringing on Hawke is no slight to them.” The Duke sat back, crossing one leg over the other. “But the Commander has assured us that Hawke is better suited to this task.”
I couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Guard Flynn may be new to the city, but that isn’t a weakness. He’s able to look at possible threats with fresh eyes,” Commander Jansen spoke up then, nearly parroting what Vikter had said before. “Any number of guards would’ve overlooked the potential of a breach occurring in the Queen’s Gardens. Not due to lack of skill—”
“Debatable,” murmured the Duke.
The Commander wisely continued without acknowledging the comment. “But because there is a false sense of security and complacency that often comes with being within one city for too long. Hawke does not have such familiarity.”
“He also has recent experience with the dangers outside the Rise,” the Duchess spoke, and my gaze sharpened on her. “Your Ascension is a little less than a year from now, but even if you’re summoned sooner than expected or at the time of your Ascension, having someone with that kind of experience is invaluable. We won’t have to pull from our Huntsmen to ensure that your travel to the capital is as safe as possible. The Descenters and the Dark One are not the only things to fear out there, as you know.”
I did know.
And what she said made sense. There were fewer Huntsmen, and not many guards were suited for travel outside the Rise. Those who were had to excel at…
Killing.
Wasn’t that what Hawke had said he was really good at?
“The possibility of you being summoned to the capital unexpectedly played a role in my decision,” Jansen stated. “We plan trips outside the Rise at least six months in advance, and there could be a chance that when and if the Queen requests your presence in the capital, we’d have to wait for the Huntsmen to return. With Hawke being assigned to you, we would be able, for the most part, to avoid that situation.”