The soldier’s anger turned to confusion. He added another hand to the Heart’s hilt and pulled again, harder. The Heart didn’t budge. The soldier braced his legs against the wall. His face turned pink, then red. Sweat poured off his brow as he pulled with all his might, and nothing happened.
He let go at last, panting as he stared at Josef. “What is that thing?” he said, too out of sorts to remember the proper address for a prince. “It weighs more than a bloody mountain.”
“It’s my sword,” Josef said. “Everything else you can take. This one stays with me.”
The soldier shook his head. “Queen’s orders,” he panted. “I can’t leave you with a weapon.”
“Forget it,” Josef said. “I didn’t kill the duke. The queen knows that. Now, you cannot lift this sword. No one can, except me. You’ve done your job disarming me as best you could. Let it alone.”
The soldier glanced at his companions, rubbing his strained shoulders. The other guards eyed the Heart with trepidation and, one by one, shook their heads.
“Right,” the guard said at last. “Move out. You,” he said, looking Eli up and down. “Coming?”
“I’ll stay here, if it’s all the same to you,” Eli said, flopping into a chair by the hearth.
“Suit yourself,” the guard said. “But no one gets out of this room until the queen gives the order.”
“That’s fine,” Eli said. “I think our poor, maligned prince could use the company during his wrongful incarceration. But thank you for your diligence, officer.”
The soldier gave Eli a sideways look, like he wasn’t sure if that was sincerity or an insult, maybe both. In the end, he let it go, walking out with a shallow bow and locking the door behind him. As the lock clicked, Josef grabbed the Heart and returned it to his back.
“This is a fine mess,” he grumbled, walking over to the tiny window.
“Mmm,” Eli said, staring absently into the fireplace. “Josef, is your mother-in-law a card player?”
Josef blinked in confusion. “What?”
“Lenette,” Eli said. “Is it possible she used to be a cardsharp?”
“No,” Josef said, appalled. “Why in the world would you even ask that?”
“Because she pulled the best snake-in-the-sleeve I’ve ever seen,” Eli said. “And I’ve seen a lot.”
If possible, Josef grew even more confused. “Snake-in-the-where?”
“Snake-in-the-sleeve,” Eli said slowly. “It’s a gambling move. Watch.” He held out his empty hand, and then, very subtly, flicked his wrist. Out of nowhere, a Daggerback card appeared between his fingers. “See?” he said, turning the card over. “Looks easy, but it takes years of practice.”
“Wait a second,” Josef said. “That’s a Shepherdess.” His eyes widened. “How long have you had a trump up your sleeve?”
“A long time,” Eli said, grinning wide.
Josef crossed his arms over his chest. “I want my money back.”
“Josef,” Eli said, looking hurt as the card disappeared back up his sleeve. “I would never cheat you.”
Josef rolled his eyes.
“Anyway,” Eli said. “That’s hardly the point. What matters is that I saw Lenette do that exact move when the servant handed her the cup.”
Suddenly, Josef was paying very close attention. “Are you sure?”
“I wasn’t at first,” Eli said. “I caught it only by chance. But then I saw her do it a second time, while she was stirring. That time there was no mistaking it.”
“Right,” Josef said, rubbing his neck. “And what did she take out?”
“I don’t know,” Eli confessed. “As I said, she was really good. I couldn’t even see if she was taking something out of her sleeve or putting something in. But I saw her wrist move, and I’ve been in enough card games to know that when you see someone flick their hand that way, you either call your bets or start cheating better.”
Josef scowled. “What would Lenette be putting in the queen’s cup? She owes my mother everything. Her position, her wealth, her daughter’s place as princess, everything. The second the queen dies, Lenette goes right out the door. She knows that better than anyone. So why would she take the risk of doing something that could possibly be seen as treasonous?”
“I have no idea,” Eli said, standing up. “But the royal family’s luck is getting a little too bad for me to buy.”
Josef winced. He knew that look on Eli’s face. “What are you going to do about it?”