Wolf took a few of his loyal men, and together they placed the barrels of wine on the boat. He watched from the dock. Moments later, it exploded in a burst of magefire. A large blaze stretched up to the heavens, resounding with a thunder that shook the very air around it and rocking the waves to a churning height. Marie had been right. The barrels under the palace were as good as powder kegs, waiting to explode—to destroy the palace and everyone in it. If Marie had not figured it out…he shuddered to think what could have happened. Everything would have been thrown into chaos. War would have broken out, as warring factions seized the opportunity to take power and control. Everyone would have suffered—more deaths—the people would have starved. Without the leadership of the monarchy and the invisible orders, civilization itself would have bee
n in jeopardy.
He went back to the castle and found Marie in the main drawing room, talking with several high-ranking ministers, looking worn and tired. She was still in the dress she had worn that morning, when he’d fought off the goons in the alley.
“How did you know?” he asked simply.
“Let us talk privately,” she said, and dismissed the cabinet. “I didn’t want to create a big scene out of it,” she said when they were alone. “I didn’t want whoever set it to know what I knew. But last night, when I walked to the basement, I thought it smelled familiar—then I remembered it smelled like when Aelwyn burned down my room. Sour and smoky—the ruby spell.”
“So the Red Duke…”
“…is not our enemy,” she said firmly. “He insisted I drink a bottle of the same vintage at a dinner right after the royal ball. They brought it up from the dungeons specially. I thought he meant to poison me, but he was just hoping to curry favor. He wanted desperately to be back in the court’s good graces. No. It was not him. Someone came in after it was delivered and cast the ruby spell on the wine.”
“Who?”
“That’s what I want to find out,” she said. “Whoever did it had access to the basement with the spell-key.”
Wolf shot her a meaningful look.
She shook her head. “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. It wasn’t Gill.”
“Marie—he was planted here. The Iron Knights have a strong presence in Aylshire. I looked into it after we had our picnic. My men said he was clean, that he was no rebel, and I trusted them—and I trusted your judgment—but now I don’t know. Perhaps he was meant to save you so that you would trust him, so that they could destroy the monarchy from the inside, get rid of the princess—don’t you see? It’s the only explanation,” argued Wolf.
“So he could marry me on a ship bound for the Americas? No. It wasn’t Gill, Wolf. I know it wasn’t,” she said. “And while the Iron Knights can destroy magic, they cannot create it.”
“Fine, it wasn’t the Red Duke and it wasn’t Gill—but whoever it was, he used them both. Whoever it was knew that the duke had sent hundreds of barrels of wine, and knew how to get to the dungeons without being seen.”
“You know what, Wolf? I know only one other person in this palace who knows the secret passageways and has an extra spell-key.”
“Marie…”
“We found it as children, don’t you remember? I know you still have it. It was yours, wasn’t it? When you gave him the money, you told Gill the wards would be down because you would make sure they were. Because, as I suspected, you had invited an underground sparring ring to meet in the dungeons that night, and you had to let the men in…and maybe that’s not all.…”
Wolf stared at her and could not speak.
They were interrupted by the arrival of the Merlin. “Your Highnesses. A word.” Emrys looked like he’d had a rough night; there were shadows under his eyes. “I regret to inform you that Prince Leopold has succumbed to his wounds. The prince is dead.”
Wolf looked at Marie, who was still staring at him with doubt in her eyes.
He was now the heir to the Prussian kingdom. He bolted out of the room, unable to believe that his brother was dead.
“Wolf!” Marie called.
He needed to be alone, but as he left the drawing room he saw Ronan. She was standing like a beacon of light, looking so beautiful in the sunlight, still wearing her gown from the night before. No one from the party had been allowed to leave after the duel. Most were in the parlor rooms, eating breakfast and complaining about when they would be allowed to go home and change.
Ronan walked up to him and embraced him. “I heard the news. I’m so sorry about Leo.”
“I am the heir to the throne,” he said, stunned.
“What does that mean?” she asked, and then saw the fear on his face. She felt a cold stab through her heart.
“Nothing will change,” Wolf said fiercely. “Nothing. I love you.”
“You promised you would come back to me.”
“And I have,” he said, and held her tightly in his arms and would not let her go, not even when Marie came out to the hallway to find him and tell him that they were needed in the crown room, because King Frederick and Queen Eleanor and the Merlin wanted a word with the two of them.
When Marie left the crown room after the meeting with the Prussian and Franco-British advisors to return to her apartments, Gill was stationed at her door as usual, back in his place. She nodded to him and motioned for him to follow her inside. When they were alone, they sat side by side on the settee, where they had spent so many wonderful moments reading together, talking and laughing. He slumped down in his seat. There was no happiness on his face. He looked betrayed, lost, and so miserable. She wanted to tell him nothing would change between them.