Chapter 87

Kit was sitting on her favorite bench with her eyes shut, her head tilted back, though precisely why, Eli wasn’t sure. Was she listening? Breathing in the summer breeze? He did know for certain she knew he was coming before he even made it completely over the bushes that served as a barrier between her garden and the outside world. She’d always known when he was near. She attributed it to his unique scent—always sure to tell him it was a pleasant aroma—but he thought perhaps there was more to it than that. It was as if there was an invisible force that united them, and no matter how far away they traveled from one another, as soon as they were nearby, the other felt a sense of calm no amount of stormy seas could displace.

“Will my guards be punished for allowing you into my garden?” Kit asked, turning her head slightly to look at him out of the side of her eye, a teasing smile on her face.

Eli sat down next to her so that he was facing the other direction, as he often did. “No, it’s all right. They’re not required to keep me away from you.”

“Only the other Representatives?” she asked, turning more in his direction.

“If they sneak over the wall when they aren’t supposed to, yes.” He knew she was speaking of the time Jecob had done the same thing Eli had just done, though when the first Representative from Eastbury had done so, it hadn’t been with nearly the grace and precision, if he did say so himself. Kit had objected to the two guards on duty having consequences for not noticing Jecob, but they both agreed they had been duped and took their latrine duty in stride. That seemed like forever ago, though it was less than half a moon’s passing since that night.

“Are you just out for a midday stroll, then?” Kit asked. “Why aren’t you playing slingball with the others?”

“I think I’ve had enough slingball for one Choosing.” He ran his hand down his jaw, noting he needed to shave again. Was it that late in the day already?

“You’re quite good at it, even with Jecob out to prevent you from accomplishing anything.”

“Yes, well, that was more a personal matter than anything else.” Kit made a face like she wanted to ask him something, but she hesitated. “What is it?”

“That day, on the field, he said something to you, something irritating, I’m certain. What was it?”

Eli remembered the biting words about his mother well. “It doesn’t matter. I hate to speak ill of the nearly dead.” Repeating the awful comment about his mother would do no one any good.

Kit took a deep breath in through her nose. “I have been meaning to go visit him, but I’m afraid to. I think he might not like it much, might not want me to see him like—that.”

“He’s certainly not the man he used to be.” Even thinking about how Jecob had been mutilated, having his manhood surgically removed, made Eli physically shiver. He thought he saw a smile creeping at the edge of Kit’s mouth due to his play on words but she hid it, clearly thinking it inappropriate.

“I should stop by, though. Don’t you think? Have you gone to see him?”

“I’m fairly certain I’m the last person in the realm he’d like to see,” Eli scoffed.

“You saved his life. If my mother had been able to do what she wanted, have the axman remove his parts, he’d have bled to death for sure.”

“I know that, Kit, but he probably doesn’t or wouldn’t admit it anyway.” Nothing about the way Jecob had conducted himself since he’d arrived at Wrenbrook was pleasant. Eli hadn’t saved Jecob for the stuck-up nobleman’s sake. He’d done it for Kit. “Can we speak about something else?”

“Certainly. Was there something you wished to talk to me about?”

“No, not in particular. I saw you conversing with Pierce, though. I have to say, Kit, I’m not sure I trust him.”

Her eyebrows raised and for a moment he was so lost in the crystal blue pools beneath them he almost didn’t hear her question. “Why is that?”

“Someone who always seems to know things before everyone else must have a lot of alliances. It’s hard to judge their loyalty.”

She looked back toward the garden gate, away from him, and contemplated the statement. “While that seems true enough, you always seem to know information before I do, before most people do. Should I not trust you?”

“That’s different. I have over fifty men in my service. They’re all over the castle. Our duty requires us to know what is happening in order to keep you safe.”

He had a point, and she knew it. Her head bobbed up and down slightly before she turned back to face him. “You’re not wearing your uniform. Does that mean you’re no longer my commander?”

Eli had worn one uniform or another for so long, dressing in plain clothes like the ones he had on today seemed awkward. He was wearing beige trousers and a white shirt with a blue jerkin, which sort of resembled his provinces colors, but it had honestly been one of only a few outfits he had on hand once Queen Rona had told him she’d prefer he no longer where his uniform while he was still a Representative in the Choosing. She also made it clear she would like for that to end as quickly as possible, and once he was cut, he could return to his former position, so long as he kept her happy. “I am still your commander, but Galter is Acting Commander until such time that I resume my normal duties.”

Kit arched an eyebrow. “And who says that shall ever happen? Wouldn’t that be my decision?”

He couldn’t help but grin at her gumption. “I believe so, my Princess.”

She understood what he was getting at—there was no point in him spelling it out for her. Kit sighed and looked away again, shaking her head. He knew she felt trapped by her mother and was struggling to keep the queen happy while still conducting the Choosing the way she wished. “At this rate, it’ll be another month before she allows me to cut anyone. I have a list of at least a dozen men who may as well go home. I suppose I should spend the rest of the day speaking to each of them again to make sure—but I’m certain they do not belong.”

“And no word as to when she’ll let you send them?”

Kit shook her head. “I haven’t spoken to her about it again since the last time I asked her, and she ignored me. Perhaps on the hunt tomorrow.”

Eli nodded and looked to the horizon. The weather was perfect for a hunt; hopefully, it would hold. The rainy season was right around the corner, and something told him Queen Rona was going to be very disappointed if her elaborate plans were interrupted by thunderstorms. “Have you been by to visit Frick?”

Kit giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. Her fingers were lithe and graceful, even while she laughed. “No, but I shall pet him tomorrow before we release him. You know, my mother will expect me to select the winner for my chambers tomorrow night.”

Eli wasn’t sure what to say to that. Why would she mention it? He had a feeling she wasn’t ready to invite him there, not yet. She’d made that clear the night before. “I shall do my best to interrupt Merek’s attempts at collecting Frick the Fox then.”

Eyes wide, Kit laughed again. “Can you even imagine? What poor steed is going to have to support him gallivanting through the forest?”

“A sturdy one.”

Once again, her laughter rang out, this time loudly enough that the guards at the garden gate turned to look at her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t poke fun. He told me a few days ago that he was a large man because his mother wanted everyone to know the riches they had available to spend on foodstuffs.”

His lip curled into a mischievous grin. “I think it’s safe to say he’s been stuffing plenty of food. At least he’s proud of it.” Kit held her hand to her middle and laughed so hard, Eli reached out to steady her so that she didn’t tumble off of the bench. “You have a case of the giggles today, Princess. Is that Pierce’s work, Jaterius’s, or are you just naturally in a good mood?”

“No, none. I’m not in a good mood at all,” she replied, wiping at tears. “That’s just the thing. I’ve been in a terrible mood for as long as I can remember. Granted, I have enjoyed my time with certain people. Jate is wonderful, and I’m considering Rooming him, you should know. But... most of the time, this entire spectacle has been nothing but stressful, and I wish I could escape the whole thing.” By the time she finished talking, she was no longer laughing, and nothing about her disposition seemed amused at all.

The news about Jate wasn’t at all surprising. Eli had gotten to know the man a bit these past few days, and he was a fine fellow. Kit had chosen well so far. Cassius, Jate, Reeve—all good men. He wasn’t exactly sure who else she had her eye on, but he would help her in any way that he could, as he’d promised before he found himself one of the candidates. “Kit, I’m sorry this has been difficult for you. Try to remember this is your Choosing. You have the counsel behind you. Even if you don’t do exactly what your mother wishes, it will all turn out in the end.”

“The council does support me,” she said, keeping her voice low. “But Eli—there have been so many others disappear from my life. Men I’ve come to admire, just swept away in the night. Terrowin, for example, and Dullen. What if she starts doing that to Representatives?”

“She won’t do that to any of us,” he said, knowing the words coming out of his mouth were as believable as flying horses. “Don’t worry about that, Kit. If she did, the people would be outraged.”

“She’d find a way to cover it up.”

“Not from the council. It will be just fine, Kit.” He wouldn’t put it past Rona to drop anyone she disapproved of into the dungeon—not the regular one, but the one below that, the one no one ever returned from. He’d only heard rumors of its existence but believed it must be there. He had a feeling he’d find out for himself soon enough. If there was anyone Rona disapproved of, it was him.

Kit took another deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I hope you’re right.”

“I am.”

Once again, she was looking at him out of the side of her eye. Kit had little choice but to proceed with the Choosing the way she thought she should and try not to worry about the possibility that her mother had her hand in everything.

She brushed her long blue skirt down around her. “I should probably go. There are others I need to speak to. I haven’t seen my father in days, and I should go check on Jecob, as much as I doubt either of us wants to speak to the other.”

Eli nodded, sad to see her leave but understanding he only had a small part of her for now. Sharing her with so many other men wouldn’t be easy, but at least he had every right to see her now as the others. “Have a good afternoon, Princess.”

“Thank you,” she said. For a brief second, she leaned toward him, and it crossed Eli’s mind that he could kiss her, that there was no reason in the world why he shouldn’t. But he didn’t. And then the moment passed. She gave him another small smile and then headed off toward the gate.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw several other men waiting for an opportunity to speak to her. Some he recognized, others he didn’t. “Thirty-five,” he whispered under his breath. Right now, that was the only number he needed to worry about. He needed Kit to want him more than thirty-five other men, and while it seemed like the odds were not in his favor, he had a good feeling that their history would earn him a spot in her Rooming, even though the queen hated him with the burning passion of a hundred suns. After that—he didn’t want to think about what would happen after the Rooming. “Thirty-five,” he said once more, a little louder this time, and headed back to the low point in the bushes where he’d made his way over thinking he’d rather be tangled in brambles than wound up in conversation with a group of men most of which he didn’t care for in the slightest.