He wouldn’t let them. Not this time.
Once the nobles were out of earshot, he turned back to Elder Jacobs and asked, “Do you have a suggestion as to how I might change those minds? I would be happy to speak to each of the Council members if that would gain their support.”
Elder Jacobs sighed and quietly said, “I fear words will not do much good. You see, many on the Council believe you are not capable of tempering your desire for approval in order to instill fear, which is a tool all effective kings must be willing to command. The court and the commoners alike must know you are capable of punishing those who do you harm or there can be no respect for the crown. Without that respect the kingdom will falter. The Council of Elders is waiting for a demonstration that you can instill fear. I have assured them you will not disappoint. If I am right, the Council will shift their allegiance to you. You will be declared the winner of all the trials, for appearance’s sake, and the throne will be yours.”
Andreus glanced back at the gold-and-sapphire seat on the dais behind him. Still studying the glistening throne, he heard Elder Jacobs say, “I expect you will not let me or the kingdom down tonight, Your Highness.” And with that, Elder Jacobs strolled into the crowd.
As others approached to curry favor and offer their sympathies, Andreus looked around the room for Imogen. She had to be warned that Elder Jacobs was aware of the two of them. Elder Jacobs’s words felt like a threat. If Andreus didn’t take advantage of the Elder’s desire to be an ally and rally the Council to his side, then the Elder had made it known that he had the tools to be a very dangerous enemy.
He would not lose Imogen or the throne that Carys promised would be his, and he fought to bite back his frustration each time a new noble stopped to talk with him as he moved around the Hall searching for the seeress.
“Your sister is not at all acting like your mother would,” High Lady Rivenda sniffed as she looked to where Carys was standing—closer than she should be—to the man she had been dancing with not long ago. “I had heard she had overcome her . . . difficulties. Clearly, not.”
“My sister is just feeling the stress of this terrible week, my lady,” he said, automatically defending his twin. When he realized what he had done, he changed tactics and offered, “It has been difficult for us all. I guess you can’t blame her for resorting to whatever offers comfort.”
“She is lucky to have a brother who is so understanding,” Lady Rivenda gushed. “I am so sorry for your losses and wish you luck in the Trials. My Lord Wynden and I are rooting for you.” She pointed to the yellow jewels she wore and Andreus smiled before extricating himself from the conversation.
Where was Imogen? Her worries about Carys’s jealousy pulled at him as he spoke with several other lords and ladies, several of whom wished to introduce him to their daughters. Then he spotted Imogen speaking with Elder Ulrich and he couldn’t help but smile. Lady Imogen’s gown of rich yellow, a public pledge of her belief in him, made his entire being swell with pride. She was his. Micah might have wanted her, but Imogen loved Andreus. Just as he had loved her from the first. He would do whatever it took to give her the home she always yearned for as a child. If that meant—
A scream scraped over the music and the laughter. Then another.
Reaching for his sword, Andreus looked around for the cause as Captain Monteros and several of the castle guard emerged from the crowd with a screaming young man in tow.
“Leave me go. I just wanted to see what a ball was like. I didn’t cause no harm.”
The crowd parted and the Council of Elders appeared at the base of the dais in the front of the Hall. Elder Cestrum nodded at Captain Monteros as he grabbed the boy and threw him to the white stone floor. Andreus stepped toward the front of the room and saw his sister appear on the other side. The man she had danced with was at her shoulder as she watched the trembling youth sprawled face down on the ground.
“Excuse me, Elders.” Captain Monteros bowed. “My men captured this thief inside the Hall.”
“I ain’t no thief. I was just told—”
“Silence, boy.” Chief Elder Cestrum stepped forward. “This is a serious charge. Captain Monteros, do you have proof this boy was in fact stealing in the Hall of Virtues?”
Captain Monteros nodded to one of the guard members standing behind the protesting youth.
“I saw him,” the guard said. “He cut a purse off a lord’s belt. That’s when I grabbed him.”
“I have the purse right here, my lords,” Captain Monteros said, holding up a small, black velvet bag. “It belongs to Lord Nigel and proves without a doubt that the boy is a thief.”
“I am not!” He pushed himself to his knees. Fear shone from his eyes even as he straightened his shoulders in defiance. It reminded Andreus of Max the first time he woke up in Madame Jillian’s quarters and saw a prince standing over him.
The Hall that had been filled with music and laughter seconds ago was silent as they waited while Elder Cestrum and the Council spoke in hushed tones to each other. When they turned back, Elder Cestrum said, “The Council has decided to leave the decision as to the boy’s guilt and his punishment in the hands of Prince Andreus and Princess Carys. The successor who pronounces the punishment that we the Council feel serves best will see his or her sentence carried out and will be awarded an additional point. Would Prince Andreus and Princess Carys please step onto the dais?”
Elder Jacobs glanced at Andreus as he moved past the other members of the Council and walked up the four steps to stand next to the Throne of Light. For a moment Andreus could picture his father sitting there, Micah standing at his side. The image was gone as he turned and watched his sister reach the top of the dais. Her eyes were filled with concern as she looked down at those on the floor of the Hall.
“Princess Carys.” Elder Cestrum pointed with a black iron finger at the boy kneeling on the ground. “This boy has been accused of stealing the purse of a High Lord in the Hall of Virtues. What punishment would you command be carried out to see that he and all others in the realm understand the severity of this crime?”
Carys looked at Andreus. Then she stepped down from the dais and crossed to the boy on the ground with his defiantly raised chin and terrified eyes.
“What is your name?” she asked.
It took the boy two tries to say, “My name is Varn, Your Highness.”
Carys cocked her head to the side and calmly asked, “How did you come to be in the Hall of Virtues tonight, Varn?”