Jarvik came forward. “You have a death wish.”
“And yet, you just watched.”
“I was curious to see you in action.”
“What did you think?” she asked.
“You’re actually pretty good.”
She smiled. That was the nicest thing he’d ever said to her. “After we take the thief to my contact at the City Guard, can we swing by and see my friend Grevik?”
“I’m not even going to acknowledge that with an answer,” Jarvik declared.
“Why not?”
“That’s where the assassin found you last time. I hardly think going to the place that started this fiasco is what you should be doing right now.”
“I’d like to visit my friend.”
“I know,” he said. “If you wait until after the assassin is dealt with, I’ll personally take you to see him.”
Standing at the archery range, Allyssa watched Prince Odar raise his bow, aim the arrow at the target, and release the bowstring. The arrow sailed through the air and struck the target in the center ring.
“Nice shot,” she said. It wasn’t dead center, but still in the middle.
“I’d like to see you shoot,” he said. “I’ve heard you’re rather good.”
Strolling forward, she grabbed an arrow from the quiver, nocked it, aimed, and released the bowstring. Her arrow landed with a thunk dead center.
“You’re not good,” he mused. “You’re exceptional. I’ve never seen a woman shoot before.”
Putting the bow down, she faced the prince. “You can’t be serious.”
“In Fren, women don’t take up such hobbies.”
She shook her head. How was that possible? “Women don’t go hunting or protect their land?”
He smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. “That’s what men are for.” He gave a look that implied she was the crazy one, not him.
“I’m not sure I care to see your kingdom,” she said half serious, half joking.
“I’m not sure Fren is ready for you,” he countered.
Dark clouds gathered overhead. A storm was coming. “Shall we go inside?” Allyssa asked. She really wanted to walk around the flower field, but it looked like it would begin pouring at any moment.
“Would you do me the honor of showing me around the castle?”
There wasn’t much to see, but she agreed, and they went inside.
“Where’s your squire?” she asked. Prince Odar was rarely seen without Jarvik hovering close by.
“He had a few things to tend to.” The prince offered her his arm, and she took it. “Why do you care where my squire is?”
She shrugged. “I wanted to know if we were alone.”
Her answer seemed to appease him. As they meandered down the hallway, they saw the torches and candles being lit since the corridors were so dark from the storm.
“You’re quiet today,” Prince Odar said.
“Sorry,” she answered. “I have a lot on my mind.” She hoped to take a nap this afternoon so she’d be well rested for tonight. The fact that she was meeting an assassin made her stomach ache.
“What room is this?” he asked, stopping before two open doors. Inside, dozens of portraits hung on the walls. “The paintings are beautiful,” he murmured. “The detail is exquisite.”
They walked around the perimeter of the room, gazing at the various rulers who’d held the throne in Emperion over the past five hundred years. “Why isn’t your picture here among these rulers?”
Stopping before a painting of Allyssa’s parents, she said, “When I become empress, then my picture will go here, next to my mother’s.”
Prince Odar took a step closer to the portraits, examining them. “I’ve been taught that your parents overthrew the previous rulers. Is that true?”
“To an extent,” she replied. “The previous ruler, Emperor Hamen, wasn’t the true heir—my mother was. After his death, my mother took the throne and sent his wife Eliza and their daughter into exile.”
“Really?” he asked, stepping to the side to look at Hamen and Eliza’s portrait. “What was their daughter’s name?”
“Jana.”
The prince turned to face her. “Did your mother kill Hamen?”
“No,” Allyssa answered. “One of her companions did.”
“What about Eliza and Jana?”
“My mother couldn’t sign the execution warrant, so she banished them. Eliza and Jana were supposed to be living in a secluded house that was guarded by soldiers at all times. However, a few years ago, they escaped and are believed to have fled the kingdom. If they are still alive, Eliza would have to be around sixty years old. Her daughter, Jana, would be in her early thirties, a little younger than my father. Jana is my father’s half-sister—they both have the same father, Hamen.”