“I am.” I took the desk chair he offered and arranged the writing utensils. “Rather, I used to be. Now, I find myself butting up against lines I won’t cross, but Patrick will. He is the one who will do anything for Aecor. Revolutions. Regicide. Revenge. The end justifies the means for him. He sees the most direct path to his goal, and he takes it. He sheltered me from those decisions for so long; I never understood doing anything for one’s kingdom until I realized the lengths he was willing to go.”
Tobiah leaned on the corner of the desk, absorbing my words as I dipped my pen and began writing locations in his handwriting.
“How—” He shook his head. “The note I sent earlier.”
“You should be more careful about your messages, Your Highness. You never know who is paying attention to the way you write flourishes on your name.”
“First my vigilante identity, and now my handwriting.” He gave an exaggerated sigh, and a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “You are incredible.”
I capped the ink and began cleaning the pen. “You should hear what else I’ve done in my time here.”
“I’m afraid to ask.” He took the list and studied it for a moment. “I’m going to have men sent immediately. I’ll be right back.”
When he left the room, I sat on the bed next to James and touched his hand. “You’re missing all the excitement.”
James’s fingers jumped, and he opened his eyes. “Julianna?”
I stood, stepped back, and my palms brushed my empty hips. “It’s Wilhelmina.”
He sat up and shook his head. “Of course . . . I’m sorry. Is Tobiah all right? Where is he?”
“He’s fine.” I forced myself to relax. “He stepped out for a moment, but he’ll return soon.”
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Three days.” I wanted to ask how he’d healed, and how he’d awakened, but he looked so dazed and concerned for his cousin, I couldn’t bring myself to speak the words. “I’m sure Tobiah will tell you everything you need to know.”
James nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.” He flashed a strained smile. “I’m sorry about the way I treated you in jail. I suppose you know it by now, but it was for others’ benefit.”
I took the chair I’d abandoned earlier, and placed my notebook over my knees. “It’s fine.”
“You didn’t give him up.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Black Knife. You said you weren’t protecting him, but you were.”
“Maybe. I didn’t know his real identity any more than he knew mine. But you knew his. And that I wasn’t who I claimed to be. Or who others assumed me to be.”
James let out a soft chuckle. “What a tangled web of identities you two made together. Yes, I knew. He’s my best friend. I know everything about him.”
“My best friend doesn’t know everything about me.” And now we were even further apart.
He offered a sad smile. “Well, there’s no way Tobiah could have slipped past me all those nights. I trusted him to come back in one piece, and he trusted me to go along with the mask he wore for court.”
“You think that Black Knife is the real Tobiah?”
“Yes. He’s a lot more fun like that. And not as poor of a swordsman as I claimed. He did chew with his mouth open that once, though. I wasn’t lying about that.”
“And I’m still scandalized.” I hesitated. “Does Meredith know? The queen regent?”
“No, no one else knows. I’m not sure what Prince Colin and Prince Herman would do if they even suspsected.”
“Well, everyone thinks I’m Black Knife now. And I’ve heard them calling me the ‘wraith queen,’ because of what I did during the battle.” It had only taken one night’s work to corrupt the symbol Tobiah had worked so hard to create. “I’m certainly not helping Tobiah’s image by being here, but I can’t leave, either. Well, I could—”
Tobiah’s voice came from behind me. “Why are you always trying to leave me?”
James surged to his feet, but before he could bow or perform any kind of genuflection, Tobiah rushed in and hugged him tightly.
“You’re awake,” he rasped. “I can’t believe you’re awake.”
I made myself appear busy while the boys laughed and hugged and pounded each other’s backs. After a few minutes, they pulled away and mussed each other’s hair.
Tobiah combed his fingers through his curls. “James, put on some real clothes. There’s a clean uniform in the wardrobe. I’m going to need you on the balcony. You too, Wil. My mother and Meredith should be here any moment.”
While James and Tobiah were in the dressing room, Francesca and Meredith arrived. We didn’t speak to one another, even when the boys emerged and Tobiah motioned us all toward a balcony door.
Like the apartments Melanie and I had shared, this balcony had two doors, one from his private room, and one from the guest room. It overlooked a garden, though now the area below held blackened foliage and a crowd of protesters, shouting about me.
“Kill the wraith queen!”
“Punish the wraith queen!”
Beyond the forever-changed gardens and courtyards of the King’s Seat, Hawksbill rose in a statelier glory than it had any right to, but the nobles living in those mansions could afford to repair their homes more quickly than anyone beyond the wall.
Below, someone pointed up at us, and the crowd grew quiet.
Tobiah lifted his hand. “People of the Indigo Kingdom.”
Others below joined the crowd, coming from the nearby mansions or the destroyed fountain by the palace steps. Maids, builders, governesses: they all stopped what they were doing to look up at their prince.
“I know what you’ve been hearing these last few days, since the Inundation.” Tobiah gripped the balcony rail and dragged in a heavy breath. “You’re afraid of the wraith beasts that attacked our city three days ago. The assassin who murdered my father. Rumors of war from the east.
“I won’t tell you not to be afraid of those things, because I don’t know what the future will bring. But I have made some decisions that I hope will restore your faith in your leaders and heroes.” The prince motioned James forward. “You all recognize my cousin, Lieutenant James Rayner. Effective immediately, I am promoting him to the rank of captain. He will oversee security for the entire palace.”
Color rose to James’s face, but he knelt and bowed his head.
Tobiah bade James rise before turning to Francesca. “My mother will continue acting as queen regent for the time being. After the mourning period and memorial, my coronation will be held in Skyvale Palace. This ceremony will be witnessed by my dear and trusted friend, Princess Wilhelmina Korte of Aecor.”
Muttering spread out below, but that was all.
“Princess Wilhelmina, Prince Colin, and I will begin immediate negotiations to determine the future of Aecor and the Indigo Kingdom. War from the east is not inevitable.” Tobiah touched my elbow, drawing me forward to stand beside him. “It is because of Her Highness’s intelligence that we have identified the assassin who killed my father, and who likely attacked me. And it is because of Her Highness’s quick action that the wraith beasts were stopped during the Inundation. Together, we are devising a plan to stop the wraith’s approach. Princess Wilhelmina is a true friend to the Indigo Kingdom.”