“Although of course, the first taster has been arrested,” Thorn said. Norling glared at her.
“Arrested?” I said. “Because he didn’t die?”
“If hundreds of people die and the taster is not among them, then the taster must be considered suspicious. Perhaps he added the poison, perhaps he was warned and knew not to eat too much of it. Either way, we have to investigate.”
“He was warned, but he didn’t tell his friends not to eat any? You think he’d let the other tasters die for no reason?”
“It’s possible. If he warned them, they might have warned us.”
“Is he here? In the Fort?” I needed to speak with him. Whether he was guilty or innocent, he must know something. He must have seen something.
“He is in the dungeons, Your Majesty. In the dark cells. Until we have answers.”
I stood. “I wish to speak with him.”
“That would be unwise, Your Majesty.” Holt’s voice slid over the many words that simply meant no. “Especially after what happened. You would be unsafe.”
“I’ll be safer once we know exactly who has been murdering the court.”
“And we will know, Your Majesty. But you need not concern yourself with the question.”
But I did. Obviously I did. It was my life, my rule. And even then . . . I wanted to know. The mystery nagged at me. I wanted to be doing something, using what skills I had. But I wasn’t supposed to speak to the suspects, I wasn’t supposed to read their texts . . . my advisers were keeping me as far away from the investigation as they could, and the question of why thrummed through me. Why were they hiding things from me, why didn’t they want me to know?
The tiny beginnings of an answer twisted in my stomach. I couldn’t jump to conclusions here. I would gather the facts, and then I would see.
“What have you learned so far?” I said instead. “If you’re keeping him in the dungeons, then you must have some intelligence against him?”
“Nothing useful, as of yet,” Thorn said. “He claims he saw nothing.”
“Then maybe he saw nothing. You don’t know he’s lying.”
“We don’t,” Thorn said. “The problem is, murderers tend to say they saw nothing, too.”
I hurried away as soon as the meeting was over, my guards walking behind me. Every step away from the council room fed my anger, making my hands shake. I’d spoken. Loudly and clearly, over and over, as queen, and they still hadn’t heard. They’d dismissed me or ignored me every time, even when I knew I was right. I’d managed to speak to all of them, interrupted them, argued with them, and it hadn’t meant anything. My stomach still shook slightly from the effort, and yet . . . nothing.
They weren’t helping me. Not really.
Or they were helping me to become their image of a queen. To rule the way they wanted me to rule.
And my father had said to listen to them. I stopped suddenly, pressing my hand against the wall. My guards stopped behind me without comment. I needed to be completely unexceptional, my father had told me. To fit their expectations so snugly that they couldn’t possibly think to complain. Perhaps that was right. But I couldn’t continue like this. I needed answers, and I needed to act, to just . . . to be myself, and to fight for my own solutions.
My gut told me to march straight to my laboratory and start work there. But my lab was a couple of miles away, far out of reach.
Or that lab was out of reach.
I turned to my guards. The gray-bearded man wasn’t on duty, but I recognized the younger, dark-haired man, and a blond girl not much older than myself. Both of them wore the dark-blue coat of the guard, still bearing the old king’s insignia. I needed one of my own. “I want to set up a laboratory,” I said. “Do you know anywhere in the castle I could use?”
The black-haired guard frowned. “I am sure there will be somewhere, Your Majesty.”
“It needs a fireplace. And sturdy tables and cupboards. Some sort of ventilation. And it would need to be in a place I wouldn’t be disturbed.”
“Your Majesty, if I may—” The blond guard hesitated. “I know of a room, but—”
“What? Where is it?”
“Well,” the guard said, as though her words might offend me. “This castle used to house the kingdom’s most dangerous enemies, when such things were a threat.”
“I know.”
“Well, Your Majesty, there is a room—it hasn’t been used for a hundred years now, and no one will go near it—but the room was used to interrogate prisoners, and it has—well, it has all the things you require.”
“You mean a torture chamber?”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I know it is a bold idea. But it has all the things you need, and I thought—”
“Yes,” I said. “Yes, it’s a good idea.” A gory past couldn’t hurt, as long as it definitely was past. The kingdom had considered torture barbaric for a century at least. And if other people were disturbed by the memory, they’d be less likely to visit and disturb me. “Could you take me?”
The guard led me deep underneath the castle, where the stone dripped, and the only light came from iron braziers that stuck out every few feet. The walls pressed even closer here, and the air felt heavy and old.
“It’s here, Your Majesty,” the guard said, gesturing toward a wooden door. “But I’m not certain—”
“Is it locked?”
“No, Your Majesty. No need.” Her expression suggested that no one in their right mind would ever sneak in. Which made it perfect for me.
“Thank you.” I grabbed the handle, and then paused. “I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.” It hurt to ask it—even that question made me feel like I’d reached out too far. But we’d be spending time together now, and she’d helped me. I had to try.
“I’m Mila Erikkson, Your Majesty,” she said, with a bow. “I’m sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier—”
“No, no, I should have asked.” I turned to the black-haired guard. “And—and you?”
“Reynold Milson, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you. It’s—it’s good to meet you. Even though we’ve already met. It’s good to—thank you.” I bit my lip, as though I could shove the babble back into my mouth. Then I turned and pushed the door. It stuck slightly in the frame, and when it finally shifted, it let loose a cloud of dust. I coughed and waved it away.