“Everybody in the kingdom knew who Konstantin Black was,” Ridley interjected, attempting to spare me from explaining how I knew him so well.
“Only once,” I said, speaking loudly but still clear and even. It was getting harder to keep a steady tone when the King was patronizing me about something I was certain of. “When Konstantin stabbed my father. I’ll remember his face until I die.”
The King lowered his eyes, faltering only for a moment. “I’d forgotten you were there for his altercation with the Chancellor.
“What about this other man?” The King cleared his throat and continued, “The one called Bent. Do we know anything about him?”
“I’ve been doing some research and making a few calls.” Ridley flipped through the papers in front of him and scanned his notes. “Bryn thought he might be Omte, and they can be reluctant to give any information. However, the Queen did confirm that a young man named Bent Stum was exiled from their community last year, but they wouldn’t say why.”
“So a wanted Kanin and an exiled criminal Omte joined forces to track down a changeling in Chicago? Why?” Dad shook his head. “And how did they find him?”
“I’ve been looking over all the paperwork on Berling’s placement, and I can’t see any sign of why it went wrong.” Ridley shrugged helplessly. “The only people who should’ve known where he was were Linus’s parents, and then Bryn.”
“Did the Markis or Marksinna Berling tell anyone?” my dad asked.
“No.” The King dismissed this instantly. “Dylan and Eva are too smart for that. They know better.” Then he looked at me. “What about you, Bryn?”
“No, Your Majesty. I never tell anyone where I’m sent.”
“You sure?” King Evert pressed. “You didn’t mention it to any of your friends?”
“Bryn’s one of our best, my lord,” Ridley said. “If she says she didn’t tell anybody, she didn’t tell anybody.”
“Well, somehow they found one of our highest-priority Markis changelings. If nobody told anyone, how the hell did they manage that?” King Evert snapped.
“I’m not sure, sire,” Ridley admitted, but he met the King’s annoyed glare.
“What about your files? You have it all written down, don’t you?” the King asked.
“Yes, of course I do. But it’s all locked away.”
“Who has access to it?” King Evert asked.
“Myself and the Chancellor,” Ridley said. “And, of course, you and the Queen would have access to anything you wanted.”
My dad furrowed his brow as he considered this. “So, the people in this room.”
“Obviously it was none of us, so it must be someone else,” Queen Mina said.
The King looked over at Ridley. “What about you?”
Ridley shook his head. “I didn’t tell anyone, Your Highness.”
“Perhaps Konstantin Black was tracking the trackers,” Queen Mina offered, and she turned to me. “Were you followed?”
“I don’t believe so,” I said. “Konstantin didn’t know that Berling was being tracked at first, and I don’t think he realized I was Kanin.”
The King snorted. “Well…”
This time I didn’t even try to keep the emotion from my voice, though it was a struggle not to yell. “I was born in Doldastam and raised here. I have pledged my fealty to this kingdom. I am as much a Kanin as any of you.”
King Evert smirked, unmoved by my outburst. “I appreciate your service, Bryn, but you know that—”
“Evert, my King.” Queen Mina reached over and touched his hand, and she looked up at him with deference. “If the girl has pledged her loyalty to you, then she is a Kanin, and by saving the young Markis Berling, she’s proved it.”
He looked at his wife, then shifted in his seat and nodded. “You’re right, of course, my Queen. I apologize, Bryn.”
“No apology is necessary, my lord,” I said.
“Back to the matter at hand—what to do about Konstantin Black and Bent Stum?” my dad said. “Didn’t the Trylle have a problem like this once? Their changelings were kidnapped by an enemy. What did they do?”
“They went to war,” the King replied with a heavy sigh.
“We’re not prepared for war,” Queen Mina said quickly, as if anyone had actively proposed it. “The Trylle have a smaller population than us, but thanks to their heavier reliance on changelings they have many more trackers, and their army is at least twice that of ours.”
“More than that, the Trylle knew who their enemy was,” King Evert agreed. “They had that long-standing feud with the Vittra, so the Trylle knew exactly who to go after. Who would we even fight against?”
“Could the Omte be behind it?” Mina asked.
Ridley shook his head. “Doubtful. They’re not smart enough to have found the Berling changeling, and if the Omte Queen was aware of Bent Stum’s activities, she would’ve denied his very existence.”
“We don’t even know if this is going to be a recurring problem,” Dad pointed out. “The Berling boy may have been a onetime thing.”
“He is the highest-ranking Markis in the entire Kanin now,” Ridley said, thinking aloud. “Until the King and Queen have a child, Linus is actually next in line for the throne. We don’t know what Black wanted with Linus, but it can’t be good. He could have been planning an assassination.”
“Or it could’ve been a plot for ransom. Both Konstantin and Bent have been exiled,” Dad said. “Konstantin has been on the run for years. He has to be in desperate need of money.”
The King nodded. “Until we learn otherwise, I think we should treat this as an isolated incident.”
“But what if it’s not?” I asked.
“It might not be,” Evert agreed. “But what would you have us do? Bring all the changelings home right now? Send out all our trackers after Konstantin Black and Bent Stum, leaving Doldastam unguarded?”
“No, of course not, my King. But there should be a compromise,” I argued. “Bring home our highest-ranking changelings, especially those over the age of twelve, and send a few trackers after Konstantin and Bent. I would gladly volunteer for that mission.”
“Absolutely not,” the King said, so swiftly that I was too stunned to speak for a moment. He hadn’t even considered what I’d suggested.
“But my lord—” I said when I found my words.
“We can’t afford to bring in that many changelings, not this early,” King Evert defended his veto.
“And can we afford to have our changelings kidnapped or slaughtered?” I shot back.
“Bryn,” Dad said, trying to silence me.
“Tracker, I think you’ve forgotten your place,” King Evert said, and I swallowed hard. “This is my kingdom, and my decision. Your invitation to this meeting was little more than a courtesy.”
I lowered my eyes. “I’m sorry, my King. I’m only thinking of what’s in the best interest of the kingdom.”
“So are we, Bryn,” Queen Mina said, much more gently than her husband had spoken to me. “Many of the highest-ranking Markis and Marksinna in the Kanin, not to mention the Kings and Queens from friendly tribes, will be descending on Doldastam this weekend. If there is a threat to our kingdom, then we will need all our guards here. And if this was targeted on Linus Berling in particular, then it’s even more important that you, as his tracker, are here to keep him safe.”
“The Queen is right, Bryn,” Ridley said, but he sounded sympathetic to my position. “We don’t know much right now, and our highest priority should be keeping the kingdom safe.”
“Then it’s settled,” the Queen declared. “I will hear no more of this over the weekend. We have much to celebrate, and friends and dignitaries will be coming into town beginning tomorrow.”
“You will stick with Linus Berling like he’s your shadow,” the King commanded me. “Help him acclimate and understand our community, the way you would with any other changeling, but you also need to be more vigilant, in case there is a price on his head.”
I nodded. “Yes, my lord.”