The Reluctant Queen (The Queens of Renthia #2)(68)

"It couldn't have been just anyone," Hamon said. "Crafting poisons, in particular creating new poisons, is a very specialized craft. This poison was designed to mimic a specific disease. Furthermore, it was designed to be undetectable by ordinary blood screens-I didn't find it on my tests. Only a few in Aratay are skilled enough for this kind of work."

"Do you know who those people are?"

He hesitated. "My mother might. But the poisoner might not be the poison maker. Most poison makers don't use what they create. The risk of being caught and imprisoned is too high."

"So we are looking for either a friend of your mother's, or someone very wealthy. At least that narrows it down. Will you speak to your mother again? Ask for a list of her poison-making friends . . ." Daleina hesitated, not sure how to phrase her next question. He seemed so tense that the wrong word could shatter him. She didn't have the time to be careful of his feelings, though. "Hamon, I hate to ask this, but . . . Is there any chance your mother could have done this?"

"Yes, of course," he answered immediately. "But I don't think she did. Her surprise at being called to the palace seemed real. And if she'd created such a clever poison, I don't think she'd miss the chance to gloat. If I'm wrong, though . . . the guards will keep her contained."

That had to be good enough, for now. At least he was aware of the possibility. "I will send royal investigators to the heirs' families, the wealthiest first, while you talk to your mother about her friends. Hamon, we'll find who did this! I'll live!" She cradled his face as he began to cry. "I'll live."



Folding her hands on her lap, Daleina tried not to show how much the conversation with Hamon had affected her. He'd given her hope, and it felt as powerful as the most potent wine. She'd deployed investigators, after telling them a version of the truth-that someone had tried to poison her; she didn't tell them that someone had succeeded-and now all she had to do was wait. And be queen.

She'd chosen to hold court today in the Sunrise Room. Cradled in the center of the east spire, the Sunrise Room was painted in lemons, pinks, and pale blues, with a floor inlaid with so much amber that it glowed when the sun streamed through the leaves. Her throne was in a pool of light. It was a room that felt filled with hope, and she hadn't had the energy to face its cheerfulness in days. But today it felt right to be in this room.



       
         
       
        

That said, her first meeting was less than cheerful.

She was supposed to be spared from the day-to-day minutiae of running a country-there were legions of courtiers, caretakers, and chancellors devoted to everything from trade to education to waste removal. The queen's role was first and foremost to control the spirits, and then second to be the voice of Aratay when the country needed to react in one accord. But some days, there was a lot that needed to be heard by the voice of Aratay.

For forty minutes, one of her border guards had been reporting to an audience of her and two advisers on activity to the north, at the border with the mountainous land of Semo. He'd described in minute detail the movement of guards, illustrating on a map how Semoian soldiers had been filtering into the area in small groups that added up to large numbers. "Training exercises, they call it," he said, and then fiddled with the lapel of his jacket as he talked-the caretakers had let him wear a variant of his uniform, but it clearly still had more frills than he was used to. She'd have to talk to them about that sometime. It didn't offend her to see people in ordinary clothes. It did offend her when they droned on for forty minutes, especially when she could be with her sister, sharing the news with her. Or with Ven. Or Alet. But her advisers had agreed it was important for her to hear this.

"Queen Merecot hasn't declared war," one of her advisers noted-Chancellor Isolek. He was a stocky man with a braided beard. The braids were tipped with jewels, and he had less patience for wasted time than Daleina did, which meant that he felt this meeting was important.

"‘Training exercises' is a legitimate euphemism for mobilizing for war," the other, Chancellor Quisala, said. She was older and had been an adviser to multiple queens. Daleina trusted her opinion on foreign affairs more than any other.

"Merecot wouldn't go to war against me," Daleina said. They'd been friends at the academy. Nothing had happened to change that. Merecot-Queen Merecot of Semo-had even sent a lovely diamond statue to celebrate her coronation. "Our countries are allies."