How would I persuade anyone the kingdom was mine? Let alone someone who’d gotten used to controlling it?
I’d wanted to negotiate peacefully for my kingdom, but I didn’t even know how to begin. What use was I in the palace? In the city, I could do good. In the city, I could help people.
“You’re going to be a queen,” said Tobiah. “At some point, you’ll have to accept that you can’t personally take charge of everything. You’ll have to trust people to work for you.”
“I trusted Patrick.”
“A difficult lesson. You’ll be more careful next time.”
“My Ospreys are looking into changes for the Wraith Alliance, and Melanie is spying on Patrick for me.”
He offered a faint smile. “That’s a good start, Wilhelmina.” With a deep sigh, he stepped away from me, like distance could snap our tense connection. “Why don’t you sit? You can be comfortable and surly at the same time.” He dragged out his desk chair to face me.
“And you’ll be in your nightclothes for our whole argument?”
“I’d protect my modesty, but I’m afraid you’d flee while I was indecent in the dressing room.”
There would be no imagining Tobiah indecent in the dressing room. Not from me. “I don’t flee. I evade.”
“Call it what you want.”
“Thank you for the invitation to argue, but your diversionary tactics won’t work on me. Patrick or no, there’s work for Black Knife in the city.”
There was no denying that.
“You could come with me,” I said. “Unless—Does it still hurt?”
Eyebrows drawn inward, he pressed his palm to his stomach. “It feels like it should hurt.”
I stopped myself before reaching to press my palm atop his.
“I need to prepare for the memorial and coronation. But I will join you sometime. I promise.” His eyes locked with mine. “I miss Black Knife.”
“Me too.”
TEN
PRIOR TO KING Terrell’s memorial, Theresa arrived at my quarters to prepare for the ceremony. I donned one of the splendid gowns the late king had commissioned for me. It had been part of his plan to marry Melanie and me to some lucky noblemen from the Indigo Kingdom and fulfill his obligation as our guardian. He’d done his best, truly.
The entry hall was packed with people waiting for their carriages. A few people glanced my way as Theresa and I arrived, with Sergeant Ferris in tow.
The other Ospreys hovered around the far edges of the hall, shifting uncomfortably in their suits. When Connor spotted me, he straightened and nudged the others, and all three boys grinned as they moved to join us. “Wil! Rees!” As if they hadn’t seen us in weeks, rather than hours.
The display drew curious looks, which none of them noticed.
“Took you long enough to get ready.” Carl’s pockets hung heavily at his hips. Later, I’d have to find the owners of whatever he’d stolen, and have everything returned discreetly.
“This way, Your Highness.” A footman signaled our carriage’s arrival, and I pulled my lacy shawl tight as our group snaked through the room.
Our carriage was white with red trim, and spread-winged ospreys painted across the top. Tobiah’s doing, no doubt.
The interior was crowded, but the journey was mostly pleasant, with the boys admiring a clock installed in one of the doors. Carl and Kevin held a whispered debate over what was worth more: the gold clock hands, or the gear mechanisms in the back.
I reached across them and drew the curtains over the windows. Although it was unlikely we’d be threatened during the journey through Hawksbill, I didn’t want my rowdy companions to draw too much attention. The bright birds on the carriage already singled us out.
If Melanie had been here, she’d have filled the ride with polite talk and charm. As it was, Kevin asked questions about which nobles lived in which mansions, and Sergeant Ferris—perhaps unwisely—told him about fortunes made by inheritance, entrepreneurship, and scandal.
The sun touched the horizon just as we reached the Cathedral of the Solemn Hour, an immense pre-wraith building of sparkling white stone. It boasted three square towers, innumerable arches, and hollow places where there used to be windows. Those had been blown out the night of the Inundation, and not yet repaired with emergency shipments of glass from nearby towns and cities, like the palace and several Hawksbill homes. Now the empty frames looked like eye sockets. Blind, but always watching.
Our carriage pulled up the long drive, past gardens and statues and fountains. An enormous line of people waited at one side of the drive, some standing, but most sitting. Police officers paced the line, keeping people from spilling into the carriages’ path, but as we rolled by, voices lifted. Just before the curtains fell shut, I caught glimpses of people pointing at us.
“They’ll be admitted later,” said Ferris. “Once all the nobility is seated.”