Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 104842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
I nodded. “I will decline, then, and furthermore, I think you should consider replacing me as cadeyrn with Zev.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I know your first instinct might be to say no, but Zev is more than a champion and absolutely qualified, way more than anyone else, to be cadeyrn.”
“Explain.”
“First, no one who ever gave me any pushback will even think about giving him any,” I began. “Second, he—”
“Who gave you any—”
“Varic,” I said, taking his hand and walking him into an alcove so we wouldn’t be overheard. “Zev knows everything about everyone who lives within these walls and a lot about everyone who visits, because as head of the king’s guard, most everyone who visits the king has spoken around him for centuries, thinking of Zev as no more than wallpaper.”
“That is ungracious,” he said, scowling at me.
“Yeah, but come on, it’s true. You know it is. Everyone here, even you, is so used to having servants and guards around all the time that you forget they’re even there. No one ever bothers to be circumspect about what they say around someone they think is beneath them.”
“I feel sort of horrible right now.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “This is how you were raised, with people looking at you all the time. You’re used to it, and that’s my point. All the nobles are.”
“Would we say that all—”
“Yes. All of them. Be honest.”
He grunted his agreement.
“So I’m telling you, someone like Zev, he’s been privy to a million secrets, he’s been alive for centuries, and he knows what drives everyone within the palace. He’s not like Gideon, who had a million spies. Zev himself has all the goods on everyone, probably more than Gideon ever imagined, firsthand. He’s heard the secrets from their own mouths.”
“You’re not wrong about any of this.”
“See? Zev knows everything.”
He grimaced as if in pain.
“We should have T-shirts made.”
That brought a sliver of a smile.
“I really think, after we return from Ophir, that you need to make that change.”
“There has to be one, without question. I won’t allow you to be in the king’s presence alone anymore. He’s lost that right.”
Which meant that truly, my days as cadeyrn were over. “Zev is, without a doubt, the best choice. I promise you. He’ll surprise you.”
He shook his head. “Somehow or other you’re laboring under the false belief that I don’t believe Zev is smart or gifted. He commanded troops, he’s an excellent tactician, as is Hadrian, and thinks quicker than most people. So yes, I agree he’d make a tremendously capable cadeyrn for my father.”
“And eventually, you,” I reminded him.
“I have Tiago. I don’t need a rajan and—”
“Yes you do. Tiago travels with you, just like I will, just like Dae-Jung and Hadrian. You need someone here, looking after the palace, overseeing all the people running it, and keeping a tight lid on the intrigue. The palace has to be like a well-oiled machine, always running. People should be able to come here when you’re abroad and see where the king lives and how, to always be invited into the warmth of his home. That’s what your father doesn’t do. He stays here, hidden away from his people. You have to see everyone, go everywhere like you’ve always done, and have the confidence, again, that the palace is in the best hands.”
He smiled then. “You’ve thought this through.”
“I think when Nerilla was alive, that’s why you could travel. You knew she was here, taking care of everything, making sure everyone felt welcome, and no one talked back to her because she was Cassius’s widow.”
“Yes.”
“With Zev here, you’ll be able to do that again.”
“I would. Yes.”
“And especially when your father steps down, someone needs to be here who can rein him in, who knows his tricks, and will be empowered, by you, to say no.”
“You were empowered, and yet people pushed back. I would like to know who they are.”
I grinned and shook my head. “Not on your life, buddy. I’m no narc.”
He scowled.
“That’s not gonna work. I’m not afraid of you,” I said playfully, leaning in to give him a kiss.
Catching my bottom lip before I could lean away, the kiss got quickly out of control, and he walked me farther into the alcove, one hand on the small of my back, the other holding my nape so I couldn’t move. Devouring my mouth, he kissed me breathless. When he pulled back, I wrapped my arms around his neck so he couldn’t go far.
“I yet hunger for my consort,” he whispered, his breath hot in my ear.
“Yeah. Same. Let’s go.”
“You’re so romantic,” he goaded me.
“I don’t care. I wanna get laid.” He was laughing as I grabbed his hand and tugged him after me. “Whaddya need, a fuckin’ sonnet?”
“No,” he said, chuckling. “I like far better hearing the truth from your lips, that you want me not because I’m the prince, but because I’m a man.”