can’t,” she said. “Can you?” She nudged his shoulder, pointing him toward Anton. His skin itched, his hands burned, and he knew he couldn’t walk out of
this room and leave the dead man behind.
He placed his hands on Anton and kept them there until the man’s eyes opened, the magic coming in a tingling rush of relief. Anton looked at the three faces hovering over him.
“Roger,”
Anton said.
“Yes? What happened?” Sebastian put a hand on his arm.
Anton stared glassily back at him for a moment and then said, “God, I thought maybe it was a dream.”
“Not a dream,” Sebastian said. “He shot you.”
Anton took a few tense breaths and then said, “This morning I rummaged in Roger’s coat pockets. I wanted to bum a smoke. I found a letter.”
“From whom?”
Ingrid held up one hand and took Anton’s hand in the other. She glanced quickly at Freddy. “Anton may want to talk to you in private, Sebastian.”
Freddy crossed his arms. Maybe she could make him use magic, but she couldn’t make him leave Anton’s sight.
“Whatever Anton has to say, I trust Freddy with it,” Sebastian said. “He’s worth the risk.”
“I’m telling you,” Ingrid said. “Freddy has no loyalty to Yggdrasil. Until he swears his allegiance, it’s just too dangerous.”
“I will answer for any negative consequences,” Sebastian said. “Anton, please, go on. Tell me about the letter.”
Ingrid paced to the side of the room, trailing her fingers along the wall.
“It was from the king,” Anton said, looking unsure about Freddy himself. “Asking for information about you.”
“You mean Roger is working for Otto?”
“Yes. I asked Roger about it when we started our shift, and he wouldn’t answer. It was obvious he was a spy for Otto, and we got in a quick scuffle. I was trying to get his weapon
from him, and he shot me. Did he get away?”
“Seems he did,” Sebastian muttered.
It had been years since Freddy had seen a photograph of Crown Prince Rupert of Irminau, but as Sebastian spoke to Anton, the pieces fell together with such satisfaction that he smiled.
“Ah,” Freddy said. “
Now
I know why you seemed familiar.”
F reddy couldn’t have a conversation with Sebastian until Anton had said his final words and asked Sebastian to bless him for the
afterlife.
“I’m not a priest,” Sebastian said.
“You’re my sovereign. It’s good enough.”
Sebastian glanced uncomfortably at Freddy, and then took Anton’s hand and said a prayer for him. Then Freddy let Anton go. It was getting easier to break the magic, though he doubted it
would ever be truly easy.
“Ingrid, let me talk to Freddy alone,” Sebastian said, as Will and Johan carried Anton’s body away.
Her eyes flashed at him, but she said nothing. She walked out stiffly, her face pinched with hurt. Freddy almost felt as if Sebastian had been looking for an excuse to tell him the truth.
“Prince Rupert,” Freddy said. “The last time I saw you in the newspaper, you lost a leg skiing and then drowned while swimming in the river. Was any of that true?”
“Ingrid was able to heal my leg, and the drowning story is what the servants told my father.”
“How did Ingrid heal a missing leg?”
“I’m not quite sure. She had me in a healing trance. She’s quite powerful.”
Freddy was beginning to recognize the distant stare through half-closed eyes that showed Sebastian had lost himself to Ingrid’s enchantment. “So you think Otto knows your identity?
Does he believe you really drowned?”
“It isn’t unreasonable to suppose I did drown,” Sebastian said. “I lost my leg the winter I was sixteen, and all that spring and into the summer I was recuperating and
extremely depressed. He sent me to his summer retreat with my most dearly loved servants in the hopes I would cheer up. As far as he knew, I wanted to die, but he does have spies peppered
throughout the revolution. It’s impossible to say if Roger suspected
this room and leave the dead man behind.
He placed his hands on Anton and kept them there until the man’s eyes opened, the magic coming in a tingling rush of relief. Anton looked at the three faces hovering over him.
“Roger,”
Anton said.
“Yes? What happened?” Sebastian put a hand on his arm.
Anton stared glassily back at him for a moment and then said, “God, I thought maybe it was a dream.”
“Not a dream,” Sebastian said. “He shot you.”
Anton took a few tense breaths and then said, “This morning I rummaged in Roger’s coat pockets. I wanted to bum a smoke. I found a letter.”
“From whom?”
Ingrid held up one hand and took Anton’s hand in the other. She glanced quickly at Freddy. “Anton may want to talk to you in private, Sebastian.”
Freddy crossed his arms. Maybe she could make him use magic, but she couldn’t make him leave Anton’s sight.
“Whatever Anton has to say, I trust Freddy with it,” Sebastian said. “He’s worth the risk.”
“I’m telling you,” Ingrid said. “Freddy has no loyalty to Yggdrasil. Until he swears his allegiance, it’s just too dangerous.”
“I will answer for any negative consequences,” Sebastian said. “Anton, please, go on. Tell me about the letter.”
Ingrid paced to the side of the room, trailing her fingers along the wall.
“It was from the king,” Anton said, looking unsure about Freddy himself. “Asking for information about you.”
“You mean Roger is working for Otto?”
“Yes. I asked Roger about it when we started our shift, and he wouldn’t answer. It was obvious he was a spy for Otto, and we got in a quick scuffle. I was trying to get his weapon
from him, and he shot me. Did he get away?”
“Seems he did,” Sebastian muttered.
It had been years since Freddy had seen a photograph of Crown Prince Rupert of Irminau, but as Sebastian spoke to Anton, the pieces fell together with such satisfaction that he smiled.
“Ah,” Freddy said. “
Now
I know why you seemed familiar.”
F reddy couldn’t have a conversation with Sebastian until Anton had said his final words and asked Sebastian to bless him for the
afterlife.
“I’m not a priest,” Sebastian said.
“You’re my sovereign. It’s good enough.”
Sebastian glanced uncomfortably at Freddy, and then took Anton’s hand and said a prayer for him. Then Freddy let Anton go. It was getting easier to break the magic, though he doubted it
would ever be truly easy.
“Ingrid, let me talk to Freddy alone,” Sebastian said, as Will and Johan carried Anton’s body away.
Her eyes flashed at him, but she said nothing. She walked out stiffly, her face pinched with hurt. Freddy almost felt as if Sebastian had been looking for an excuse to tell him the truth.
“Prince Rupert,” Freddy said. “The last time I saw you in the newspaper, you lost a leg skiing and then drowned while swimming in the river. Was any of that true?”
“Ingrid was able to heal my leg, and the drowning story is what the servants told my father.”
“How did Ingrid heal a missing leg?”
“I’m not quite sure. She had me in a healing trance. She’s quite powerful.”
Freddy was beginning to recognize the distant stare through half-closed eyes that showed Sebastian had lost himself to Ingrid’s enchantment. “So you think Otto knows your identity?
Does he believe you really drowned?”
“It isn’t unreasonable to suppose I did drown,” Sebastian said. “I lost my leg the winter I was sixteen, and all that spring and into the summer I was recuperating and
extremely depressed. He sent me to his summer retreat with my most dearly loved servants in the hopes I would cheer up. As far as he knew, I wanted to die, but he does have spies peppered
throughout the revolution. It’s impossible to say if Roger suspected
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